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Buying Yamaha An1x - pros, cons + overall 'sound'?
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| Synchronicity |
Hi,
I'm very close to finalising a deal on the Yamaha An1x for £190. Before I buy it I was wondering if anyone here has had any experiences using it and could let me know the pros and cons, and if the synth has a 'character' or 'sound' (harsh/bright/warm/digital/etc.).
Could it pull off the lead sound used in the build up of adagio for strings, the main hook in god is a dj, the nice synced lead in paris & sharp - aphrodite for example?
How is the filter, does it step?
Aliasing?
And lastly, are there audio samples anywhere? I couldn't find any apart from at VintageSynthExplorer?
Be as brutal and critical as possible please!
;) Thanks in advance ;) |
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| RivalMan |
I have the CS6R and also bought an AN1x-card. To be quite honest I actually haven't been using the AN1X that much. Don't really know why.
I'm not sure if the AN1X-card for the CS6R sounds exactly the same as an original AN1X, but the sounds I'm getting are very *raw* and *analogue*. I would suspect they are very similar with subtle differences in the character caused by converters etc.
Anyway, if you want to hear how the AN1X and the CS6R/CS6X sounds, then you could take a listen to:
http://www.schleis.net/Sounds/www.v...%20Soundset.mp3
Not sure if the link is of much help as it's the AN1X as well as the CS6X.
I found some reviews on the site:
http://www.dancetech.com/aa_dt_new/...adid=169&lang=0
Quoting from that site:
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Anyway as for the synth, the factory presets are unimpressive, but there is scope to develop some corking sounds. It boasts an extra 2 notes polyphony over the JP8000, its effects facilities are much more powerful, unlike the JP8000 that only gives you a naff chorus and delay, the AN1X has overdrive, various reverb, disortion, flange, rotary, pitch change, delays, phaser, etc..
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I actually never tried programming the AN1X so all I've ever heard are the factory presets. If you want me to, I can record some sounds straight from the AN1X-presets... Let me know if there are some special things you are interested in (like leads, pads, bass-lines etc.)
Let me know.
Regards |
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| Synchronicity |
Hi Rivalman,
Cheers for the reply.;)
I have to say, I find the mp3 demo a bit off-putting because I have every vengeance soundbank demo and compared to the others it sounds really thin.
What I do is scan through a demo to get a feel for the sound - and then play another demo (JP8000 for example) to compare. Then I repeat this for all soundbanks. It was doing this that made me realise the quality sound of the Waldorf Pulse (which I bought and love).
But I always knew I'd get to this point, where I want a polyphonic synth. I was intending on getting another couple of pulses and to stack them for either more polyphony or fatter sounds, but I haven't seen one on sale for ages.
I find with the Pulse that it thins out a lot in the higher registers, unless you detune a lot and/or raise the oscillator volumes (which saturates the sound). This then makes it sound really harsh and too 'hardstyle' to my ears. Obviously I cant create pads either; I'd like to design evolving pads with subtle waterdrops, filtered noise, synced type sounds etc in the background.
In the vengeance soundsets for the Virus, Nord and JP8000, there are also some really nice leads that are very fat but also smooth in the higher registers - exactly what I'm looking for as well as the pads.
So I guess that leads to the question - can it compete with the mighty three - Virus, JP8000 and Nord? The evidence against it is the vengeance soundset and lack of support from major artists.
I'm being real tight with my cash but I might just stretch a little further for the virus or JP8000 (nord is too expensive).
It would be fantastic if you could do a demo of a nice pad like I spoke of though, possibly using the 'scene morphing'. Maybe a fat lead like dutch force use, or the synth sound ferry corsten uses in the build-up to adagio for strings?
Thanks again;) |
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| RivalMan |
Hi
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I have to say, I find the mp3 demo a bit off-putting because I have every vengeance soundbank demo and compared to the others it sounds really thin.
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I think the demo uses the CS6R as well as the AN1x (not sure though) and this might be a reason. I don't think that the AN1X sounds thin (at least not to my ears), but then again I'm mostly comparing to software VSTi's.
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I find with the Pulse that it thins out a lot in the higher registers, unless you detune a lot and/or raise the oscillator volumes (which saturates the sound). This then makes it sound really harsh and too 'hardstyle' to my ears.
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I think the AN1x (at least for the CS6R) has something of the same "character" as you describe here. Some of the sounds (especially leads) would suit hardstyle better than epic or uplifting imho.
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Obviously I cant create pads either; I'd like to design evolving pads with subtle waterdrops, filtered noise, synced type sounds etc in the background.
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Wouldn't we all :tongue2
On a serious note though, you have to be very aware of the "problematic" sweeps you'll do with the AN1x. There are not that many steps which causes sweeps (i.e. filter cutoffs) to sound "stepping" and not smooth. I searched the forum and found this (originally posted by "open-mind"). It has been done with the AN1X.
http://perso.club-internet.fr/fruit.../Rank1%20v4.mp3
This is not a bad supersaw at all to my ears, however, you can clearly hear the "steps" when the filter cut off opens. This is not bad programming by "open-mind". It's actually impossible to do any other way in the AN1X. And in my opinion that makes such sweeps useless, which makes it rather difficult to create that type of evolving pads you described above.
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So I guess that leads to the question - can it compete with the mighty three - Virus, JP8000 and Nord? The evidence against it is the vengeance soundset and lack of support from major artists.
I'm being real tight with my cash but I might just stretch a little further for the virus or JP8000 (nord is too expensive).
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Well, afraid to use a cliche here, but I think you get what you pay for. If I had to choose only one out of the three, I'd go for the Virus. If that was out of the picture, I'd go for the JP8000 and then lastly the AN1x.
But you can't really put it that way, because they are all different and if you want some really hard-hitting in-your-face basslines, I would say that you can do this better anyday with the AN1X than with the two others. For supersaw-pads etc. obviously the JP8000 has an advantage. Warmer and more smooth. For the metallic sounds that are popular these days, I'd go for the virus.
Oh yeah, and then there's the programming part. I guess it depends on how you like to work, but the JP8000 (imho) makes it very creative and easy to programme a synth, because you have the controllers - but not too many. I get the sound I'm after a lot quicker on this than on the other two (but then I'm also forced to use software controllers for the AN1x and the Virus).
On the other hand, the JP8000-sound has been used (and obused) so many times that it might be more refreshing to work with something else...
Tough choice, I guess. But they are all good synths and anyone of them will be a welcome addition if you don't own any polyphonic synths at this time.
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It would be fantastic if you could do a demo of a nice pad like I spoke of though, possibly using the 'scene morphing'. Maybe a fat lead like dutch force use, or the synth sound ferry corsten uses in the build-up to adagio for strings?
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I made this demo for you:
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.p...D1F7A853D5E29BC
(MP3-file (16 bit, 44.1, 192 kbps) - using L2 finalizer with moderate settings).
It includes some different sounds (and some pads at last) - all factory presets. I guess by listening to this demo and the example of the supersaw posted above, you should have a pretty good idea by now of how the AN1x sounds.
Btw: the AN1x (CS6R + exp) was recorded straight out of the output to my input on the Echo AudioFire in 24 bit, 44.1. Obviously the AD-converters on the Echo are not Apogee, but they are actually rather good to my ears (and they also score high in tests I've seen). So I wouldn't expect them to colour the sound you hear too much. If you want to listen without the terrible MP3-artefacts you can check out:
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.p...EEC629C1FBFC2CF
This is a 24 bit, 44.1 wave file without the L2 (so no plugs at all on this).
Regards |
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| Synchronicity |
Hi RivalMan.:)
Thanks a lot for recording the sounds, I checked out the wav hoping that maybe a couple of sounds would jump out at me - but none did.
No doubt some people will like the sound of this synth and maybe if I spent time with it, I would too. The thing is though, if I buy a Virus or JP8000 I know for a fact I wont be disappointed (When I say JP I mean SH-201 as well).
So now it's the instant gratification, brightness and supersaw of the JP8000/SH-201 or the flexibility and power of the Virus. Mmn, life is good if that's all I have to worry about!
I'm just gonna go for the best deal, let the cost decide. You've been a a great help RivalMan - cheers!;) |
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| DeZmA |
It's awesome. I have used it in every tune since I've had it. It's capable of doing nice pwm pads, bass, fm and other fx, I've even used it for lead once. I've owned lots of synths including novation nova, waldorf microq, etc.. and it's the only one I have not sold.
Programming it is easy, once you got the hang of it and it sounds great. Rival man made a pretty good review, the stepping filter is really noticable on high resonance but the possibilities are endless.
I'd say you get more than what you pay for. It's worth the price for the keyboard alone, but you get a great-sounding synth with it. I'd choose it above the jp but hey that's just me :). You have more synthesis power in the an1x, the fm sounds good too. Ths unison is good but only 2x so you have 4 saws max, which is not enough to make a supersaw. Guess that reply was useless as you decided not to buy it ;).
All presets except the soar pad suck btw.
If you want I'll post a more useful demo (with all respect for the effort from rival man). |
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| db0451 |
Here I am, many years later but still correcting something that I don't feel should be left unchallenged on the ol' interweb:
| quote: | Originally posted by RivalMan
On a serious note though, you have to be very aware of the "problematic" sweeps you'll do with the AN1x. There are not that many steps which causes sweeps (i.e. filter cutoffs) to sound "stepping" and not smooth. I searched the forum and found this (originally posted by "open-mind"). It has been done with the AN1X.
http://perso.club-internet.fr/fruit.../Rank1%20v4.mp3
This is not a bad supersaw at all to my ears, however, you can clearly hear the "steps" when the filter cut off opens. This is not bad programming by "open-mind". It's actually impossible to do any other way in the AN1X. And in my opinion that makes such sweeps useless, which makes it rather difficult to create that type of evolving pads you described above.
Well, afraid to use a cliche here, but I think you get what you pay for. |
False. The filter only steps if you control its cutoff in real time directly. And this applies to all other parameters.
Sweeps from an EG, LFO, and other sources are not stepped audibly at all. There is even a workaround to control destination parameters almost in real-time without stepping by altering their Sustain level.
It has nothing much to do with "you get what you pay for". Yamaha just chose to operate their real-time controllers on a 7-bit scale (a.k.a. the LSB in MIDI) like all their per-voice parameters. And, again, there are still ways to work around this.
The stepping in real-time control, I concede, is regrettable. But it is false to imply that stepping also occurs with EGs, LFOs, and so on, and there are definitely very usable ways around it. |
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| chris marsh |
i owned one for about 6 months and tested it fairly tuhoroughly
IMO:
Nice unision modes
useful feedback circuit for getting a bit more grit
filter already mentioned
interesting and slightly unusual FM implementation (which i never really understood, not just your standard OSC 1 modulates OSC 2)
Very fast envelopes - good basses
Horrible and cheap front panel for editing (i got a freeware editor WIN only)
Overall it sounded pretty good to me, but i would much rather have a good soft synth which is more practical and will almost certainly have more features. I wouldn't buy one and would save for a better hardware synth of just get a good soft synth (can get used licence on KVR market place)
IMO of course
Edit: i thought the overall sound was defo digital, but with a bit of character/grit/warmth as you might expect from an older VA |
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| db0451 |
| quote: | Originally posted by chris marsh
Horrible and cheap front panel for editing (i got a freeware editor WIN only) |
See, regardless of how many people say it, and many people seem to think this, this remains hugely subjective. I find both the physical case and the editing procedure itself to be perfectly fine.
I suspect the reason for skewed opinions online about these or any similar subject is that people like me do not tend to go online and get vocal about how acceptable it is, when compared to people who view it as bad!
Or maybe I have not had the privilege of being spoiled by giant interfaces with hundreds of knobs in the past. But 8 is enough for me. As for the case physically, I positively welcome how light the AN1x is.
Other significant and fairly unique features include the 2-axis ribbon controller, the 4 tracks of Free EGs that can be recorded, the fact that step sequences are stored per-patch rather than globally, the ability to shape each type of wave by Edge (which enables a triangle wave from a Pulse set to an Edge of 64, and a sine from any wave at 0) and PWM for all waveforms (not just pulses). There are probably many more notable features, too. |
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| chris marsh |
| quote: | Originally posted by db0451
See, regardless of how many people say it, and many people seem to think this, this remains hugely subjective. I find both the physical case and the editing procedure itself to be perfectly fine.
I suspect the reason for skewed opinions online about these or any similar subject is that people like me do not tend to go online and get vocal about how acceptable it is, when compared to people who view it as bad!
Or maybe I have not had the privilege of being spoiled by giant interfaces with hundreds of knobs in the past. But 8 is enough for me. As for the case physically, I positively welcome how light the AN1x is.
Other significant and fairly unique features include the 2-axis ribbon controller, the 4 tracks of Free EGs that can be recorded, the fact that step sequences are stored per-patch rather than globally, the ability to shape each type of wave by Edge (which enables a triangle wave from a Pulse set to an Edge of 64, and a sine from any wave at 0) and PWM for all waveforms (not just pulses). There are probably many more notable features, too. |
remember i said IMO twice - so yes it is subjective :) i sold mine and have never missed it tbh but loads of people love them |
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| chris marsh |
| bloody hell i just realized this is years old - DOH - would not have bothered at all !! |
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| db0451 |
I noticed that straight away, and the first thing I stated in my first post was that, yes, this is old, but that's no excuse to let misleading criticisms of its filter remain without objections.
Of course, I understand if you feel differently because the OP presumably doesn't need advice about buying the synth. That's a separate thing. |
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