Yamaha D5000

Yamaha D5000 Digital Delay

The Yamaha D5000 is something of a rare processor that is very difficult to find for sale, and when they are they are often rather expensive. So what is the magic? With the quote from Bob Clearmountain that it is the best digital delay ever made, the Yamaha seems to have gone underground in home studios or Yamaha simply did not make very many of them.

Yamaha D5000 Digital Delay Details

With its high-quality 20-bit sound, the Yamaha D5000 Professional Digital Delay (Used and loved by Bob Clearmountain) is the perfect choice for studio and sound reinforcement applications. It has four types of effect programs: DUAL (stereo) delay, SINGLE (mono) delay, FREEZE record and playback, and S&H (sample and hold) playback. The large amount of memory allows it to create delay lines or record samples of up to 10 seconds in duration.

The interface is simple and intuitive, with a large, easily read LCD, allowing you to quickly produce exactly the effect you want. It features 100 program locations for storing your favourite effects for instant recall. For added flexibility, the D5000 can be controlled by MIDI, especially useful with the FREEZE record and playback effect. The Yamaha D5000 has 100 user programs. All of the programs are user programmable.

There are four types of programs available:

  • DUAL (stereo) Delay (refer to the diagram on page 100) – There are two delay units (A-channel and B-channel) and three taps for each unit. Create a flanger or chorus in perfect stereo, or a ping-pong (channel-to-channel) delay.
  • SINGLE (mono) Delay – This is a single delay with six taps. It can support a delay time that is double the length of a DUAL (stereo) program.
  • FREEZE – The input sound can be recorded and then played back in a variety of ways, including modifying the playback speed, looping, and so on.
  • S&H (sample and hold) – Use the [TRIGGER] key or a footswitch to control the sample and hold feature. By pressing the key or footswitch, you can sample and play-back in sequence.

 

Yamaha ships the Yamaha D5000 with preset programs that illustrate the features of each of the four types of programs. The preset programs are stored in program numbers 1 to 00 (100). If you have over-written them, they can be recalled by the simple operation detailed on page 28 of the user manual.

Extra-long Multiple Delays, Dual or Single Mode
Each delay stage includes time, level and pan parameters, with delay times up to 5,200 milliseconds in the stereo mode and 10,400 milliseconds in the mono mode. Delay times are adjustable in 1-millisecond or extra-fine 0.02 millisecond increments.

Flexible Feedback Configuration
The Yamaha D5000 features programmable feedback loops on each delay stage that can be used to create a wide variety of delay effects.

Comprehensive Delay Time Display Modes
Yamaha D5000 lets you program delay times in milliseconds, distance (meters), musical tempo, or SMPTE frames (your choice of 30, 25, or 24 frame modes).

Modulation Parameters for Versatile Effects
It provides level modulation capability in addition to delay modulation. As with delay time entry, the Yamaha D5000 lets you enter modulation speed either in milliseconds or tempo with panel switch or footswitch tap-entry capability so you can match the modulation to your music “on the fly”.

Gated and Ducked Delays
The Yamaha D5000 also features “gated” and “ducked” delays with programmable threshold level, hold time, and release time.

Freeze Function
The Yamaha D5000 features a volatile freeze function that can be used to “sample” a sound and play it back as many times as necessary.

100-program Memory
Up to 100 complete delay setups- dual or single mode- can be stored in internal RAM memory and recalled as needed.

Fast, Easy Programming
The 240 x 64 dot graphic LCD panel is an advanced control interface. Another innovative control feature is the provision of a rotary encoder for data entry.

Versatile MIDI Control
Any of its 100 memory locations may be directly selected from a remote MIDI device, and it is possible to directly control up to two different parameters simultaneously in real time.

A Choice of Connectors and Levels
Both balanced XLR type input and output connectors and balanced phone jacks provide compatibility with the widest possible range of equipment, while 20/+4 dB level switches on both the inputs and outputs facilitate level matching.

Specifications

  • Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20kHz 0 (+/-) 1.0 dB
  • Dynamic Range: More than 100dB (Typical 106 dB)
  • Hum and Noise: less than -76dB
  • THD: less than 0.007% (1kHz, max. level)
  • Input Channels: 2
  • Input Nominal Level: +4dB/-20dB (with level select switch)
  • Input Maximum Level: +24dB (nominal level +4dB)
  • Input Impedance: 20 K ohm
  • Output Channels: 2
  • Output Nominal Level: +4dB/-20dB (with level select switch)
  • Output Maximum Level: +24dB (nominal level +4dBm)
  • Output Impedance: 150 ohm
  • AD Conversion: 20bit, 64Fs over sampling
  • DA Conversion: 20bit, 8Fs over sampling
  • Sampling Frequency: 50 KHz
  • Propagation Delay: 2.8 milliseconds
  • User Program: 100
  • Dimensions: 480mm x 45.2mm x 336mm
  • Weight: 4.7kg

TRY OUR ‘MY EFFECTS RACK’ FEATURE TO TRACK WHAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR EFFECTS RACK NOW, AND THOSE ITEMS YOU WISH TO ADD.

The details provided above are drawn from historical documents like advertising brochures or user manuals. They’re shared without bias or review. This info is given solely for your consideration, helping you gauge its usefulness to you.

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by Steve

Sound Quality 95%
Build Quality 95%
Usefullness 100%
Mojo/Funk 50%
Reliability 95%

The Yamaha D5000 must not have sold very well when it was released back in the mid 1990s. Or perhaps it sold very well and those who bought it don’t let them go very easily? I think it may be the later. Bob Clearmountain claims the Yamaha D5000 is the greatest digital delay ever made, perhaps he is right. So if you are after a digital delay that offers pristine sound quality and low noise, and one that imparts little of itself on your signal, then look no further than the Yamaha D5000.

Used it? Leave your rating and review.

2 Responses

    1. We do not sell, we provide you with the information to make a value judgement, and the big READY TO BUY button at the top will lead you to where the item may be available to buy. Mind you these things are rare and do not come up for sale very often.

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