(review by Mikael Lundgren)
One of the first professional song recorder/arranger tools for the MIDI studio, this unit from Yamaha featured a huge backlit LCD, an internal 5 1/4" disk drive, eight (yes, you read it, EIGHT) midi outs and a seriously hefty price tag. The sturdy, bandwagon-like design made combined with reliable firmware made it a good choice for live acts not wanting to pull out fragile computers on the road.
MIDI, Tape Sync, Foot Switch
8 MIDI out (!), 1 MIDI thru, click, Tape Sync
Tape, MIDI (uncertain whether it reads SPP or not)
512kb 5 1/4" disk drive
512kb ~ 80.000 notes.
519mm x 105mm x 329mm, 7.5 kg.
Real or step time MIDI recorder, arranger and playback unit that operates strictly in the paradigm of a multi-track tape deck. Multiple banks with eight tracks each can be chained together. Computer-style operation and layout.
The QX1 suffers a lot from its old age and is really frustrating to work with in certain aspects; Can't send MIDI in to MIDI out. This sucks, as you have to merge the thru jack with the outs' involving an external box. Switching between playback and edit mode is an operation that is done very often and each time the QX1 insists on saving the memory image to disk. It's ok with an automatic backup system, but those extra seconds wait every now and then can be irritating. In my opinion, it's too slow to work with as re-punching a bad take can take up to 6 seconds in waiting time. The size *could* be a problem, but it's still more portable than a computer (although with a laptop this is hardly an issue nowadays) Numeric keys used quite often to select different jobs (instead of submenus), but no numeric keypad. 5 1/4" disks are slower (and bigger) than 3 1/2".
There are good things too: Easy to work with. Intuitive. Reliable. Steelcase. Professionally built and designed. 8 reroutable MIDI outs!
Beware! Don't use the tape-transport keys in record mode, as the track can get erased! The manual states this, thankfully, but it's still a doubtful 'feature'