RXR
- May 5
- 12 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
Comming soon 🔜.. RXR 4hp 6 Voice Drum module is paying tribute to late 80’s Japanese 🇯🇵 digital drummachines Kawai, Akai, Yamaha.. The module use a High Performance DAC with 16bit Stereo Out, offers rudimentary but effective UX with per voice editable Pitch and Decay, Panning & Level as well as built-in Compressor! The module integrate also MIDI via Bluetooth protocole 5.3 with minimum latency allowing to play drums from a DAW or any suitable mobile 📱 application! RXR saves your 6 drum-kits with all your parameters including per kit compressor's settings in memory 🧠 support merge of BT midi with physical triggers, responds to velocity midi contrôle.. Can work as standalone instrument - powered simply via USB C
Conteining arround 300 HQ drum sounds this one’s for ‘amateurs du genre’ ✌️
User Manual
MM RXR — 6-Voice PCM Drum Module
The RXR is a 6-voice stereo PCM drum module built around a curated library of 298 drum sounds that pay tribute to late-1980s and early-1990s Japanese digital drum machines. The palette ranges from hard hits and bright cymbals to metallic percussion and classic sampled textures.
The module ships with 6 pre-configured drum kits ready to play, each with its own compressor settings and stereo mix. You can modify them, create your own combinations of sounds, and save your settings so they remain available after power-off. A factory reset is available at any time if you want to restore the original kits.
The module can also be used as a compact standalone instrument when powered over USB. It can receive Bluetooth MIDI from a computer, phone, or tablet, which makes it practical as a portable drum instrument for sketching ideas, casual playing, or use on the go.
Getting Started
Install the module in your Eurorack case and connect the supplied power cable carefully. Make sure the red stripe on the ribbon cable matches the side of the module’s power connector marked RED before powering the system.
Outside the rack, the module can also operate from USB-C power. In that case, see the Standalone USB Mode section below for how to configure the audio output.
Module Elements
From top to bottom, the module includes the BROWSE/EDIT rotary encoder, three status LEDs, two potentiometers for pitch and decay, stereo outputs, and six trigger inputs with associated voice LEDs. The encoder is used to navigate menus, select sounds, adjust levels, and set stereo panning.
The three status LEDs indicate Bluetooth status, active bank, and compressor status. The pitch and decay potentiometers normally apply to the selected voice, but they are reassigned to compressor parameters when the compressor edit mode is active.
First Power-Up
When the module is powered, the six green voice LEDs run through a short startup animation. During this startup window, Bluetooth MIDI can be enabled by holding the encoder, and on first boot the default drum kits are loaded automatically into memory.
The module starts on Kit 1 with the compressor enabled and is immediately ready to play.
Playing Sounds
The most direct way to play RXR is by sending trigger signals into TR1 through TR6. Each input corresponds to one drum voice, and the related green LED blinks briefly when a sound is triggered.
By default, the six inputs follow a familiar drum-kit layout: kick, snare, closed hi-hat, open hi-hat or clap, low tom or percussion, and tom, crash, or cymbal. Any voice can be reassigned to any sound available in the library.
Bluetooth MIDI can be used in parallel with the physical trigger inputs, so the module can respond to both control methods at the same time.
Navigation: How It Works
The interface is centered around the rotary encoder and organized into several modes. At any time, the blink pattern of the LEDs indicates the current mode.
BROWSE Mode
This is the default mode after startup. Turning the encoder moves between the six voices, and the selected voice LED blinks rapidly. If the encoder is left untouched for a few seconds, the blink stops to reduce distraction while playing.
Action | Duration | Effect |
Short press | < 0.5 s | Enter sample edit mode for the selected voice |
Double short press | two close clicks (< 0.35 s apart) | Enter compressor edit mode |
Long press | ~ 1 s | Enter kit select mode |
Very long press | ~ 3 s | Enable or disable the compressor |
EDIT SAMPLE Mode
In this mode, the selected voice LED stays lit steadily. Turning the encoder browses through the sounds available in the current bank, and each sound is previewed automatically as you scroll.
Whenever a new sample is selected, its pitch resets to its natural playback speed. If you then move the Pitch potentiometer, the pitch changes from that natural value using relative tracking.
A trigger received on the selected voice while browsing plays the current previewed sound at natural pitch, which makes it easy to audition sounds in rhythm. A short press confirms the sound and moves to level editing, while a long press changes bank.
EDIT LEVEL Mode
In this mode, the selected voice LED uses a double-blink pattern. Turning the encoder adjusts the volume of the selected voice.
The Pitch and Decay pots are active here and in adjacent edit modes. They use relative tracking, so they respond to movement rather than to absolute physical position, which avoids abrupt jumps.
A short press confirms the level and moves to panning. A long press cancels and returns to BROWSE mode.
EDIT PAN Mode
In this mode, the selected voice LED uses a triple-blink pattern. Turning the encoder left or right moves the sound across the stereo field, with center sending equally to both channels.
A short press confirms panning, saves the current sound-related changes, and returns to BROWSE mode. A long press cancels the edits and restores the previous settings.
EDIT COMPRESSOR Mode
This mode is entered with a double short press from BROWSE mode. While active, the orange COM LED blinks. Three controls become available:
Control | Role in EDIT COMPRESSOR | Range |
Pitch pot | Compressor depth | Ratio from 2:1 to 16:1 |
Decay pot | Release time | 200 ms to 2000 ms |
Encoder | Make-up gain (compensates the level reduced by the compressor) | 12 steps, 0 to +8 dB |
The orange COM LED blinks faster as the make-up gain is increased, giving an immediate visual indication of the current level setting. The make-up gain is only applied when the compressor is enabled — when the compressor is off, it is bypassed automatically.
The compressor is automatically enabled while this mode is active so you can hear adjustments in real time. A short press saves the compressor settings to the current kit, while a long press cancels the changes. If no control is touched for 15 seconds, the mode exits automatically with cancellation.
Drum Kits
RXR can store six complete drum kits. Each kit memorizes the selected sound for each voice, the bank assignment, pitch, decay, volume, stereo panning, and its own compressor settings.
Default Kits
On first startup, six kits are pre-loaded with sounds, mix, and compressor settings. They are designed to showcase the range of the module and provide immediately usable starting points covering harder, cleaner, brighter, more atmospheric, and mixed-style drum set combinations.
Each kit also includes a pre-configured stereo image based on classic drum-mix conventions, with centered kicks, near-center snares, offset hats and claps, and wider toms and cymbal-style voices. This gives the module a wider and more produced stereo presentation right away.
Loading a Kit
From BROWSE mode, a long press enters KIT SELECT mode. In this mode, the green LEDs form a horizontal bar to indicate the selected slot, while the red BANK LED blinks rapidly.
Turn the encoder to browse the six kits, then do a short press to load the displayed kit. The voices and compressor settings update immediately, and the module returns to BROWSE mode.
Saving a Kit
To save changes, enter KIT SELECT mode, choose the destination slot, and do a long press. The current kit is then written into that slot, replacing the previous contents if necessary.
RXR also performs an automatic save of small edits after three seconds of inactivity. If you switch kits before that timeout, the current kit is saved immediately before the new one is loaded.
Factory Reset
To restore the original six kits, power off the module, hold the encoder, and power it back on while keeping the encoder pressed for five seconds. After confirmation flashes, the saved kits are overwritten with the factory defaults.
If the encoder is released before the five-second point, Bluetooth is activated instead of triggering the reset.
The Compressor
RXR includes an internal compressor that ducks the other voices when the kick drum plays. This creates the pulsing sidechain-style movement commonly used in electronic music production.
A very long press from BROWSE mode enables or disables the compressor globally. The orange COM LED is lit when the compressor is active and off when disabled.
Each kit stores its own compressor state and settings, including enable/disable, depth, release, and make-up gain. When the compressor is disabled, the mix is automatically attenuated slightly to keep the dry sound clean and free of saturation, even on dense passages with many simultaneous voices.
Bluetooth MIDI
RXR can receive MIDI notes wirelessly over Bluetooth Low Energy. Bluetooth is disabled by default to minimize unnecessary power use and reduce background noise.
To activate Bluetooth, hold the encoder during startup until the LEDs confirm activation with four quick flashes. Once active, the blue BT LED blinks slowly while waiting for a connection and stays solid when connected.
Bluetooth MIDI can operate at the same time as the physical trigger inputs, allowing hybrid use with sequencers, pads, mobile devices, or manual trigger sources in parallel.
Standalone USB Mode
When powered over USB-C, RXR can be used outside a Eurorack case as a compact standalone drum instrument. In this setup, Bluetooth MIDI can be received from a Mac, PC, phone, or tablet, and the audio can be monitored either from the side-mounted 3.5 mm output, or from the dedicated L and R outputs on the front panel for a more flexible studio connection.
This makes the module practical for portable writing sessions, quick sound design, casual jam use, or simple live sketching without a full modular system.
Three jumpers on the back of the module configure how the audio is routed in this mode. They are all standard 0.1" (2.54 mm) 2-pin shunt-style jumpers commonly used on Eurorack modules. They are only accessible when the module is out of the rack, since the Eurorack power connector blocks access to one of them when plugged in.
USB use enabling Jumper
To use the module in standalone USB mode, place a jumper across pins 3 and 4 of the first row of the Eurorack power connector at the back of the module. This jumper is removed by default and is not used when the module is installed in a Eurorack case.
Ground jumper placed on pins 3 and 4 of the first row of the Eurorack power connector, to enable USB standalone mode.
Output Level Jumpers (L and R)
The two front-panel L and R outputs can be configured for either Eurorack level (boost) or line level. By default, both jumpers are placed in the Boost position, which provides the higher output level expected by Eurorack systems. To use the L and R outputs with a studio mixer, audio interface, or any line-level device in standalone mode, move both jumpers to the Line position.
There is one jumper per channel (L and R), and each jumper sits on a 3-pin header where the middle pin is common, with one outer pin marked Boost and the other marked Line.
L OUT and R OUT level jumpers on the back of the module, shown here in Line position (USB standalone configuration for studio mixer or audio interface). For the Eurorack default configuration, both jumpers must be moved to the Boost position.
Bluetooth Noise
Bluetooth radio activity can introduce a slight background noise into the audio path, especially at high output levels and when no signal is present. Pairing can also be slightly slower than on more consumer-oriented Bluetooth devices because the module is configured to reduce this noise as much as possible.
MIDI Note Mapping
RXR follows the standard General MIDI percussion mapping, so most music software will assign the main drum notes automatically. The primary note assignments are as follows.
MIDI Note | Name | Triggered Voice |
36 | C1 | Voice 1 (kick) |
38 | D1 | Voice 2 (snare) |
42 | F#1 | Voice 3 (closed hi-hat) |
46 | A#1 | Voice 4 (open hi-hat / clap) |
49 | C#2 | Voice 5 (tom / percussion) |
51 | D#2 | Voice 6 (tom / crash / cymbal) |
The module also accepts alternate percussion notes and redirects them to the most appropriate voice. It can also be played from the white keys of a standard keyboard across octaves, and it accepts MIDI on all channels.
LED Indicators — Visual Summary
The LEDs continuously indicate system state. The selected voice LED changes its blink pattern depending on the active mode.
Mode | Behavior of the selected voice LED |
BROWSE | Steady rapid blink |
EDIT SAMPLE | Lit steady, no blinking |
EDIT LEVEL | Double blink |
EDIT PAN | Triple blink |
KIT SELECT | Horizontal bar |
EDIT COMPRESSOR | Voice LEDs neutral; orange COM LED blinks |
LED | Color | Behavior |
BT | Blue | Off if Bluetooth is disabled; slow blink while waiting; steady when connected |
BANK | Red | Indicates current bank by blink count; rapid blink in KIT SELECT |
COM | Orange | Lit when compressor is enabled; off when disabled; in EDIT COMPRESSOR, blinks at a rate proportional to the current make-up gain (slow at 0, fast at +8 dB) |
Command Cheat Sheet
From BROWSE | Effect |
Turn encoder | Navigate between voices |
Short press | Enter EDIT SAMPLE |
Double short press | Enter EDIT COMPRESSOR |
Long press (~ 1 s) | Enter KIT SELECT |
Very long press (~ 3 s) | Enable/disable compressor |
From EDIT SAMPLE | Effect |
Turn encoder | Browse sounds in the bank |
Trigger input | Play current preview sound |
Short press | Confirm and go to EDIT LEVEL |
Long press | Change bank |
From EDIT LEVEL | Effect |
Turn encoder | Adjust volume |
Pitch pot | Adjust pitch (relative tracking) |
Decay pot | Adjust decay (relative tracking) |
Short press | Confirm and go to EDIT PAN |
Long press | Cancel and return to BROWSE |
From EDIT PAN | Effect |
Turn encoder | Adjust panning |
Short press | Confirm and return to BROWSE |
Long press | Cancel and return to BROWSE |
From EDIT COMPRESSOR | Effect |
Turn encoder | Adjust make-up gain (0 to +8 dB) |
Pitch pot | Adjust depth (ratio) |
Decay pot | Adjust release |
Short press | Save and return to BROWSE |
Long press | Cancel and return to BROWSE |
15 s of inactivity | Automatic cancellation |
From KIT SELECT | Effect |
Turn encoder | Browse the 6 kits |
Short press | Load selected kit |
Long press | Save current kit into this slot |
Hold encoder during boot | Effect |
0–2 s (during animation) | Activate Bluetooth (4 fast flashes confirm) |
5 s (held throughout) | Factory Reset of all 6 kits |
Technical Specifications
Characteristic | Value |
Power supply | USB-C 5V or Eurorack ±12V bus |
Audio output | Stereo, PCM5102 32-bit DAC |
Sample rate | 44100 Hz |
Sound encoding | 16-bit native for kicks, snares, and toms; 12-bit packed dithered for cymbals, hats, and percussion |
Polyphony | 6 simultaneous voices |
Sound library | 4 banks (62 + 91 + 52 + 93 sounds), 298 sounds total |
Kit slots | 6, each with its own compressor settings and stereo mix |
Compressor | Internal sidechain ducking, depth and release adjustable |
Wireless connectivity | Bluetooth Low Energy MIDI |
Output Level Note
RXR was originally designed around line-level use. The additional gain needed to reach typical modular-level output also raises the background noise floor, so for more delicate applications such as recording it is recommended to lower the output level to the point where the added noise is no longer intrusive.
Updating the Firmware
Firmware updates can be installed over USB-C with a computer and a compatible Chrom or Edge - based web browser using web flashing tool.
The update process is simple: select the port you're using to connect the module and follow the steps of installation. In the case you're not shure which port to select when the inteface ask you (you might have many ports of your computer proposed) do the follow: 1. unplug the module 2. click "Connect" on the interface 3. then plug the module - the port that apears at the moment you've plugged the module is the good one 4. Select that port (If it is still not detected, try another USB port) and click "Install".
Things to check in case of trouble connecting : make sure to not use USB hubs - use native usb on your computer, make sure to disconnect the eurorack power cable from the module, make sure that your USB C cable is able to transfer data (some are made only for powering devices), close any software that may be using the serial port (and don't forget it works with Chrome - not Safari)
If you follow these simple steps, you shouldn't have any issues with the update interface. The process is generally very smooth and stable. However contact us if any problem.
Saved kits are normally preserved unless the firmware changes the kit format.
Always use firmware files specifically provided for RXR. Flashing firmware intended for another device can make the module unusable until it is reprogrammed correctly.
Update: V1.0.0 May '26 Contains general improvements (above all the audio speed distinct response, adjusted attack times and compressor's clipping threshold). Please note that factory drum kits will be reinstalled with this update.
*In most cases for an update you don't have to press any button on the module (even if it is stated in the update window)
Antenna
Bluetooth / Wi-Fi Antenna (MIDI over BLE). The antenna attached to your new module is designed to optimize MIDI signal reception via Bluetooth (BLE).
This antenna features an adhesive backing: we highly recommend sticking it to the inside of your case. This prevents the small exposed metal part of the antenna from touching the module's circuitry or neighboring modules, thereby avoiding any risk of short circuits.
If you do not regularly use the wireless MIDI connection, you may remove the antenna. Please note, however: this type of micro-connector is fragile and is not designed for frequent plugging and unplugging. It is rated for a maximum of about 30 connection cycles.
Troubleshooting
If no sound is heard, verify the audio connection and monitoring level. If triggers do not react, verify the trigger cables and input voltage. If Bluetooth will not connect, make sure it was enabled during startup. If the module does not power on, try another USB-C cable or power source.
If a noise or hiss appears on only one output while using the module in Eurorack, the cause is likely a ground loop between USB power and the Eurorack bus. In that case, power the module from only one source at a time: USB alone or Eurorack alone.
If a kit behaves incorrectly after a firmware update, perform a factory reset by holding the encoder for five seconds at startup. This restores the default kits and returns the module to a known working state.
