RM1X reliability

V

Vixus

New member
Hey guys, I decided the rm1x was a good first sequencer/songsketching machine to invest in so I took the plunge and got one off eBay (UK) which was said to be in fully working condition. When it finally arrived, though, the play and rewind buttons didn't seem to work.

The next day the pattern, voice and a few other buttons went dead (what??).
Now I know the unit is notorious for having note button failures but I didn't think the others would have the same issue.

Luckily the guy took it back with (hopefully) a full refund. So I'm wondering to go for another one in the hopes that this was just a bit of bad luck. But I doubt they would also be so willing to take a unit back, so I want to be careful. Is this a common issue for rm1x's?

Otherwise I'd take recommendations for similar bits of kit.
 
It is common for the switches to fail, I have done a couple of RM1X switch replacements, the note switches usually go first then the function switches (with the tall actuators) and slack rotary potentiometers are quite common too.

On my own machine I got rid of the rubber note/step switches and replaced them with some quality tactile switches.
 
The function switches are quite difficult to get to and I don't know if I'd be confident enough in my soldering to replace them all. I suppose I would give it a go if I had owned it for a while..

They're really interesting machines though.. still worth it do you think?
 
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It is a bit of a pain to pull any machine to bits and put it back together, but so long as the replacement switches are the right height it is not that difficult to swap out the bad ones in the RM1X.

The only real issue I have with the RM1X is that when using grid mode (really step sequencing mode) you can only hear the track you are currently programing but I still think the RM1X is a great hardware sequencer.
 
When it's opened up, can the function switches be found on the 'lower' PCB along with the note keys or is it on the other PCB which requires removal of the floppy drive/metal plate etc?
 
slik da relic said:
spend a few more 100s and get the RS7000... u get the same sequencer as the RM, plus a sampler, 62 drum kits, 1000 sounds, and no floppies... someone i know is sellin 2 on ebay right now... one of them has an installed 9gb hdd for $450... the other is $400
da relic
Click to expand...

Would be awesome but unfortunately I'm in the UK :p
 
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