YAMAHA ® AUTHORIZED PRODUCT MANUAL DIGITAL RHYTHM PROGRAMMER
YAMAHA DIGITAL RHYTHM PROGRAMMER OWNER’S MANUAL
INTRODUCTION Congratulations on your purchase of the Yamaha RX7 Digital Rhythm Programmer! You now own one of the most sophisticated musical accompaniment systems available - for that is what the RX7 really is. Much more than a mere drum machine, this microcomputer-controlled marvel lets you create complex and convincing accompaniment arrangements consisting not only of percussion sounds, but superbly realistic bass, guitar, brass and even “rap screams” as well.
CONTENTS GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE RX7 ... 1 BASIC CONNECTIONS ............................ 1 POWER ................................................. 1 AUDIO .................................................. 1 • Stereo Sound System ........................... 1 • Mono Sound System ............................ 1 • Headphones ...................................... 1 REAL TIME WRITE .................................. 10 TIME SIGNATURE AND PATTERN LENGTH ................................. WRITING A PATTERN..
CHAINS ............................................................. 23 JOB#02: RECEIVE CHANNEL................. 34 JOB#01: CHAIN PLAYBACK..................... 23 JOB#03: TRANSMIT CHANNEL .............. 35 JOB#02: CHAIN EDIT ................................ 23 JOB#04: NOTE NUMBER ASSIGN ......... 35 JOB#03: CHAIN NAME .............................. 23 JOB#05: NOTE INITIALIZE ....................... 36 JOB#04: CHAIN CLEAR ............................ 24 JOB#06: PITCH BEND RANGE ...............
GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE RX7 Several demonstration songs are factory-programmed to give you an impression of the amazing accompaniment possibilities now at your disposal. But first you have to make a few simple connections. BASIC CONNECTIONS VOLUME NOTE: Connections should be made with the power of all equipment turned off. You are now ready to hear an RX7 demonstration performance - but be sure to adjust the volume first.
Next, tap the REAL TIME WRITE/EDIT SONG key next to PATTERN/SONG. The following display appears, Real Write PTN00 04 / 4 :bar01 showing you that Real (Time) Write (recording) of Pattern No. 00 is now possible.
BASIC CONCEPTS AND FEATURES The RX7 has so many features, it may seem a bit intimidating at first. On the other hand, when you hear the demonstration programs, you will no doubt want to learn how to create complex accompaniment arrangements like that for your own music. As with any instrument, a certain amount of practice (and theoretical knowledge) is necessary to enable freedom of expression.
INITIAL INSTRUMENT KEY VOICE LAYOUT BASS DRUM 2 SNARE DRUM 2 RIMSHOT 2 ELECTRIC TOM 1 ELECTRIC TOM 2 ELECTRIC TOM 3 BASS DRUM 1 SNARE DRUM 1 RIMSHOT 1 TOM 1 TOM 2 TOM 3 NOTE: Pressing the DAMP Key n ELECTRIC TOM 4 TOM 4 to switch on the DAMP LED SEQUENCES - PATTERNS, SONGS AND CHAINS A Pattern is a rhythmic combination of instrument (voice) sounds. It forms the basic unit of Songs, which are complete accompaniment arrangements.
To keep the front panel compact, most keys have been given more than one function, so the order in which they are pressed is important. Always watch the messages on the LCD display for guidance. In many cases, dialog-type programming is possible, with the LCD asking you questions you can answer by pressing YES, NO or numeric keys. You can exit from a function mode by pressing a different function key (or in some cases, STOP/CONTINUE).
n AN EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO PROGRAMMING How to Use This Manual The following sections of this Manual provide a detailed, systematic guide to all RX7 operations. You can locate the desired function by first having a look at the CONTENTS, then reading the relevant OVERVIEW (at the beginning of each section) and finally the FUNCTION explanation. To help you get started, a possible approach to programming is shown here together with references to the necessary operations.
SOUND DATA AND MEMORY CONFIGURATION 7
PATTERNS OVERVIEW In the Pattern mode, you can * Select any Pattern and play it (or a specified succession of Patterns) at the desired tempo. * Record (write) up to 100 Patterns and store them in the RX7’s internal memory. * Erase (clear) a Pattern, or a single voice within a Pattern. * Copy or append Patterns. * Edit Patterns by adjusting the pitch, level, pan, decay and effect on/off settings for each note. * Check which voices/parameters were used in any Pattern.
TEMPO FUNCTION Sets the tempo (speed) of Pattern, Song or Chain playback or Pattern writing. Tempo can be adjusted any time in the range from 40 to 250 quarter-notes per minute, either using the TEMPO slider or the TEMPO key Pressing the TEMPO key for adjustment has the advantage of being able to visually confirm the current tempo on the display. However, in order to continue with any function in use before tempo adjustment, you must press that function’s key.
WRITE. If the location is empty, the following display will appear: The ideal Quantize rate for Real Time Write will depend on your ability to keep precise time. If you are very confident of your sense of rhythm, you might want to keep Quantize OFF all the time. On the other hand, Quantize will allow greater precision if you are not such a sharp “drummer” yet. A concrete example for Real Time Write Quantize is given in the Real Time Write chapter below.
3. a) Input (write) the desired voices by tapping the Instrument keys with the correct timing. Notes/instruments can be added as the Pattern recycles, thus building up the Pattern in layers. You can input one instrument at a time or several simultaneously. * If you want to use voices currently not assigned to any instrument keys, use KEY ASSIGN JOB #0l prior to writing. b) Adjust the Quantize rate depending on the instrument part if this makes precise writing easier.
5. If even this fails and you still can’t write the BD line in Real Time, all is not lost - you can do it with Step Write. beat HI-HAT QUANTIZE 1/16 SD STEPWRITE BD FUNCTION Create or alter a Pattern step by step. In this mode, you can take your time entering one note after the other. The length of each step or beat (= the length of input notes and rests) is adjusted by pressing QUANTIZE and then selecting the desired fraction (e.g. quarter note, eighth note) with the numeric keys.
A setting of 67% creates a triplet-type shuffle effect. Step Write PTN10 bar01 Current bar 3. : beat001 Current beat (step) Input (write) the desired voice by tapping its Instrument key. Rests or blank steps are input by pressing + l/YES. Voices can be heard when input and during successive cycles. SWING=67% * Pressing - l/NO lets you revert to lower bar numbers. * With Step Write, only one note can be input at a time.
• CLEARING ENTIRE PATTERNS APPEND: 2 . Press numeric key 1 to specify Pattern Clear. The display will ask you to confirm: With this function, you can create new, larger Patterns by joining existing ones, appending one Pattern to the end of the other. * Only Patterns with the same time signature can be joined. OPERATION Are you sure? 3. * a) If you are, press + l/YES. The message “completed!” will appear for a second, then the display reverts to Pattern Selection.
3. Enter the Pattern you want to append the selected Pattern to, using the numeric keys. (You can always revert to All Instruments mode by pressing EDIT PATTERN). The display will change to * The cursor can be moved between the lower and upper display lines with ACCENT 2. 4. Press ENTER (START). The message "completed!" will be displayed. EDIT PATTERN FUNCTION To check Pattern contents and/or alter the pitch, level, decay and pan parameters of each note.
SONGS OVERVIEW In the Song Mode, you can * Select any Song and play it at the desired tempo, starting at any specified Part. * Assemble (edit) up to 20 Songs consisting of 999 Parts each and store them in the internal memory. * Insert repeats, tempo changes (accelerando, ritardando), and volume changes (crescendo, decrescendo) in a Song. * Set a search mark in a Song for instant location and playback/editing. * Copy a Song or part of a Song. * Erase (clear) a Song or part of a Song.
3. To restart playback from where it was stopped, press STOP/CONTINUE again. Pressing START instead recommences playback from the beginning of the Song. 4. After having stopped playback, you can select any other Song with the numeric keys. In order to make room for the inserted Part in an existing song, the RX7 shifts all subsequent Parts forward. Example: To insert a Part consisting of Pattern 99 between Parts 02 and 03, select Part 03 for insertion.
REPEAT COMMANDS FUNCTION 5. You can now input the desired number of repetitions with the numeric keys and then continue editing. Enters Repeat commands in a Song for repetition of specified Parts. Instead of entering the same Pattern numbers over and over again in a Song, you can use Repeat commands. Specified Parts or groups of Parts can be repeated up to 99 times, and “nesting” (repetitions within repetitions) on up to ten levels is also possible.
2. Enter the three-digit numbers of the first and final Parts of the section to be copied, then press + 1/YES or ENTER to complete data input. Copying is completed, and the LCD will display the number of the empty Part location now following the end of the copied section. * Should you make a mistake in specifying the section to be copied, one of the following error messages will appear and copying will be canceled. a) 2. Press numeric key 1 to select accelerando, key 2 for ritardando.
2. Press numeric key 1 to select Up or key 2 for Down. 2. Press + 1/YES. The LCD will ask 3. Input the degree (value) of volume change with the numeric keys. SONG COPY FUNCTION Copy entire Songs to another location. Useful when you want to alter a Song while retaining the original version. 3. Press + 1/YES to confirm (or - 1/NO to cancel Song Clear). After displaying the message “completed!”, the LCD will show the cleared Song location. JOBS OPERATION 1.
Should you make a mistake during number entry (for instance forgetting to start with a zero for numbers under 100), the display will show Lower case letters can be input by holding down SHIFT/COMPARE while pressing a letter key. The cursor is moved backward and forward with the - 1/NO and +1/YES keys. * Note that Mark names can not begin with a numeral. 3. If this occurs, select Job #01 again and carefully enter the right number. 2.
OPERATION 1. Select the Song whose initial tempo you want to set, enter Edit Song mode and select Job #04. The lower line of the display will show whether the Initial Tempo setting is on or off. 2. If necessary, turn Initial Tempo on with + 1/YES. (Initial Tempo can be turned off by pressing - 1/NO, then ENTER.) 3. Press ENTER to display the current Initial Tempo value. 4. Alter the initial tempo setting with the - 1/NO and + 1/YES keys or by entering the new value directly with the numeric keys. 5.
CHAINS OVERVIEW The Chain Mode lets you * Create a maximum of 3 Chains consisting of up to 90 Songs (Steps). * Select a Chain and play it at the desired tempo. * Erase (clear ) a Chain. On the RX7, the word “Chain” refers to a combination of Songs, ordered as “Steps ” within the Chain. You can thus create accompaniment sequence s for whole groups of Songs, either for live performance or recording. * To use Chain functions, always enter Chain Playback Mode first by pressin g CHAIN.
2. Input a Chain name of up to eight characters as explained above for Mark name entry. Pressing ENTER afte r writing the Chain name returns you to the Chain Playback display . JOB #04: CHAIN CLEAR FUNCTION Erasing entire Chains . OPERATION 1. Select the Chain you want to eras e and enter Job #04. 2. Press + 1/YES. The LCD will ask 3. 24 Press + 1/YES to confirm (or - 1/NO to cancel Chain Clear). After displaying the message “completed!”, the LCD will show the cleared Chain location.
EDIT VOICE OVERVIEW The Edit Voice mode lets you: * Edit (alter) parameters such as pitch, level or pan position for any voice. * Create special effects for individual voices, including pitch bends, vibrato and tremolo. * Store edited data in the internal memory. * Reset an edited voice to its original values. The character of individual instruments can be changed dramatically with Edit Voice, particularly by adjusting a combination of parameters, such as e.g. decay rate, pitch bend rate/range and pitch.
* Selecting a voice currently not assigned to any Instrument key displays “key-” on the upper right. Such voices may be edited, bu t you can only hear the results if you play the corresponding key on a connected and appropriately assigned MIDI keyboard. 3. Continue by selecting one of the following editing Jobs. NOTE: Edited values have to be stored (Job #07) to become permanent.
2. Adjust the volume (= level) with the DATA slider or - 1/NO and + 1/YES keys. 3. Confirm by pressing + 1/YES, or press - 1/NO to cancel. 4. If you chose YES, the message JOB #06: PAN FUNCTION • Range: Sets basic pan position of selected voice. will appear, and the “e” in “edit Voice” on the upper LCD line will change to a capital “E”, indicating that another voice can now be selected for editing. 0 (full left) to 15 (full right) OPERATION 1. Select Job #06.
OPERATION 0 indicates no effect. Higher values increase vibrato intensity. 1. 3: Select Job #09. The lower display line asks 0 indicates no effect. Higher values increase tremolo intensity. 2. If you do not want to recall, press - 1/NO. Otherwise press + 1/YES. The display will ask you to confirm: Experiment with various settings to get an idea of the possibilities. JOB #11: POLY 3. Pres s + 1/YES (or - 1/NO to cancel).
Parameter Range Function 1: Simul number 2~4 Determines number of “repeats”. 2: Delay time 0~50 Time between repeats (in units of 10 milliseconds). 3: Pitch -600 ~ +600 Pitch difference between the individual repeat sounds and the original sound (in units of 10 cent). 4: Level -63 ~ +63 Volume difference between the individual repeat sounds and the original sound. 5: Pan -14 ~ +14 Difference between the pan positions of the individual repeat sounds and the original sound.
KEY ASSIGN OVERVIEW The Key Assign mode lets you: * * * * * * * Assign any voice to any Instrument key. Assign one voice to the whole upper row of Instrument keys. Alter the pitch, level, pan and decay of voices for each Instrument key. Adjust the accent levels for each Voice. Assign a function to a connected foot switch. Save all Key Assign data to one of four internal memory locations. Load Key Assign data from memories.
Example: The MULTI LED lights up, and you can now continue immediately with Multi Step setting as described below. JOB #04: MULTI STEP The above display means that the decay value of 16 for the selected key is 5 units larger (+) than the basic Edit Voice value of 11. (An offset of 00 thus indicates that the key value is currently identical with the basic value.) * Note that the Edit Voice value can only be offset up to its own minimum or maximum.
that key will then sound the same, since they are “overstepping” the minimum/maximum Edit Voice value. If this happens, you may want to alter the respective Edit Voice parameter value. 1: 2: PITCH Step - 2 0 0 ~ + 2 0 0 cents (in 10-cent steps), i.e. up to +/- 1 whole tone. Setting positive values, e.g. +100 (= 1 semitone), creates a scale of notes that get higher towards the right, like on a piano.
The name of the function/key will show on the LCD (if a key has several functions, only one is displayed). The cursor disappears, indicating that assignment is completed. 3. The message Example: shows that the Key Data has been loaded. * If + 1/YES is pressed again, the Instrument keys are reset to the voices prior to Key Data load. JOB #07: KEY DATA SAVE FUNCTION Saves the current Instrument key layout and other Key Assign settings to the internal memory of the RX7. OPERATION 1. Select Job #07.
MIDI OVERVIEW The variety of applications for these functions is enormous, letting you use the RX7 as a state-of-the-art MIDI sound source and controller. For examples, they allow you to: * Play any or all RX7 voices from up to 16 external keyboards and/or sequencers by assigning MIDI note numbers to each RX7 instrument and MIDI channels to as many as 16 of them. * Use single RX7 voices as sound sources for external keyboards or sequencers, allowing you e.g.
words, that single voice can then be played with varying pitch by an external keyboard or sequencer. Voice assignment (v) . . . . . . . . .“v” indicates that note numbers received on this MIDI channel control the individual RX7 voices according to their note number assignment. A keyboard, for instance, can be used to play a different RX7 voice from each key. * Any or all channels can be set to “p” for pitch control, but only one channel can be used for voice control “v”.
2. To switch between the two types of displays. “Note number assign to voice” or “Note number assign to pitch”, use numeric key 1 (Voice) or 2 (Pitch). ACCENT 2 switches cursor between the two displayed parameters. a. Voice To select voices and assigned notes, use the -1/NO and +1/YES keys and DATA slider. * The RX7 can not memorize this kind of MIDI pitch bend data as a sequence data. This function is provided to enhance the RX7's usefulness as a MIDI sound source controlled e.g. by a sequence recorder.
* Reception of bulk data will erase the corresponding data in the RX7. OPERATION 1 . Select Job #08. The display will ask 2 . You can now select the type of bulk data you wish to receive from among the following with the -1/NO and +1/YES keys. 1. Seq&Voice 2. Pattern 00 (single Pattern) 3. Voice 00 (single Voice) 4. Setup 4. Setup 3. (If you select data type 2. or 3., you must also enter the Pattern or Voice number using the numeric keys.) 4.
SYNC OVERVIEW Sync (short for synchronization) is used to control the Clock rate (playback/recording speed) and Start/Stop functions via external MIDI devices or MTRs (multi-track tape recorders). Normally, the RX7 Clock is set to Internal, meaning that playback and recording (Real Time Write) speed are controlled by the RX7's Internal Clock, whose speed can be adjusted with the Tempo functions.
UTILITY OVERVIEW The UTILITY KEY accesses a number of different functions which let you * Display remaining Pattern and Song memory. * Turn Memory Protection on and off. * Change voices in existing Patterns. * Clear all Songs or Patterns. * Load internal ROM demonstration data. JOB #01: REMAINING PATTERN MEMORY FUNCTION Displays remaining Pattern memory in %. OPERATION Select Job #01. 2. Input your choice of single or all Patterns with numeric key 1 or 2. 3.
3. Confirm by pressing +1/YES again. JOB #06: ALL SONGS CLEAR FUNCTION Erases all Songs and Chains from the RX7 memory. OPERATION 1. Select Job #06. 2. Press +1/YES. Confirm by pressing +1/YES again. JOB #07: DEMO DATA LOAD FUNCTION Load demonstration Songs. A total of eight demonstration Songs (in three groups) are permanently stored in the internal ROM. (You have already heard the two contained in demo group #l.
CASSETTE/CARTRIDGE OVERVIEW The Cassette/Cartridge Mode lets you * Save sequence (Pattern/Song/Chain), voice and setup (cassette only) data to an optional Yamaha RAM4 Data Cartridge or a standard cassette tape. * Verify that the data has been saved correctly. * Load such data to the RX7. * Format a data cartridge (cartridge only). Besides the cartridge Format Job #30, the Cassette/Cartridge Mode has 15 Jobs in 3 groups (Save, Load and Verify) of 5 Jobs each.
* Load and Verify Operations For Load and Verify operations, make sure the required data cassette is inserted into the deck and rewound to the beginning of the recorded data. Playback must be started prior to RX7 command execution. The upper left-hand part of the LCD will begin to blink as soon as the header (beginning of data on cassette) is found. 3. Press +1/YES again to confirm.
LOADING SINGLE PATTERNS FROM A CARTRIDGE 1 . Select Job #13 in Cartridge Mode. The display will ask you to confirm: 2. Enter the Pattern number directly with the numeric keys. 3. Press +1/YES. The display will show “executing”, then “completed”. JOBS #11 - #15: LOAD DATA FUNCTION 2. Press +1/YES. The display will change to 3. You can now specify the cartridge location you wish to load from as well as the Pattern number you want to load it to. (Use ACCENT 2 to switch between them.
JOBS #21 - #25: VERIFY DATA FUNCTION Verifies whether data has been saved correctly to a cartridge or cassette. Refer to the CASSETTE/CARTRIDGE Menu on the RX7 front panel and the TABLE OF CASSETTE/CARTRIDGE JOBS above to determine the appropriate Job number for the type of data to be verified. The operations for verifying single Patterns saved to a cartridge or cassette (Job #13) are slightly different and therefore explained separately below. 3.
* If data has not been saved correctly, an error message will appear instead. Refer to the section ERROR MESSAGES. JOB #30: FORMAT CARTRIDGE FUNCTION Formats a RAM4 Data Cartridge for use with the RX7. Any new RAM4 Data Cartridge (or one that has been previously used with other equipment) has to be formatted with this Job before it can used with the RX7. Make sure that the cartridge is inserted correctly, with the MEMORY PROTECT switch set to OFF.
ERROR MESSAGES You have probably already encountered some of the error messages mentioned in preceding sections. In general, the RX7 will display an error message if: * An operating mistake has been made. * Memory or other limits have been reached. * Malfunctions have occurred (due to faulty connections, etc.) Error messages always appear on the lower line of the LCD. The following list is for your reference.
MESSAGE too large PTN! CAUSE REMEDY 1. A Pattern contains the maximum amount of data, and you are trying to write more data into it. 2. You are trying to append a Pattern to another Pattern, and the two Patterns combined contain more than the maximum amount of data. Write two or more shorter Patterns, each of which forms a section of the long Pattern you were trying to create. Then use the Edit Song Mode to combine these Patterns into a continuous sequence. 1.
CASSETTE MODE ERROR MESSAGES CAUSE REMEDY You have tried to verify cassette data. The type of data is correct (e.g., Single Pattern data) but the RX7 contains different data to that contained on the cassette. Save the data again, then execute the Verify operation once more. There is a checksum data error in data that you have tried to verify or load from cassette. Repeat the Load or Verify operation, making sure that the playback level is high.
[ Digital Rythm Programmer ] Date : 9 / 1 8 , 1 9 8 7 Model RX7 MIDI Implementation Chart Version : 1.0 +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ : : : Transmitted Recognized Remarks : : Function . . .
RX7 “DRUM SET” CHART Write voice names on the corresponding instrument keys PAN POSITIONS PAN VALUE KEY JOB #02 PITCH JOB #03 DECAY JOB #04 BEND JOB #05 VOICE LEVEL JOB #06 PAN JOB #02 PITCH write offset values LEVEL OR combined values PAN DECAY See p.33 for reference.
CONTROL & REAR PANEL ***CONTROL PANEL*** VOLUME CLICK TEMPO DATA PTN SONG MIDI SYNC MULTI EFFECT DAMP RUN LCD STOP/CONTINUE START Instrument keys ACCENT 1, 2 Pattern/Song keys EFFECT DAMP TEMPO Mode/Job keys Numeric key pad -1 NO / +1 YES keys Job Menu ***REAR PANEL*** POWER ON/OFF DC 12V IN MIDI THRU MIDI OUT MIDI IN CASSETTE FOOT SW CLICK OUTPUT R OUTPUT L PHONES DATA CARTRIDGE 51
FCC INFORMATION While the following statements are provided to comply with FCC Regulations in the United States, the corrective measures listed below are applicable worldwide. This series of Yamaha professional music equipment uses frequencies that appear in the radio frequency range and if installed in the immediate proximity of some types of audio or video devices (within three meters), interference may occur.
YAMAHA YAMAHA CORPORATION P.O. Box 1, Hamamatsu, Japan VE17510 88 04 1.
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