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Average rating:
4.7 out of 5
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I bought a fully functional yet slightly damaged AN1x (it's got a crack and small hole in the casing) for as little as $350 and I was very much surprised by the excellent, warm and deep sound quality and the dramatic effects which can be achieved by messing around with the knobs, scenes and ribboncontroller. It's so easy to morph between peaceful, beautiful arpeggiator sounds into a grinding industrial noise that it's hard to believe you're playing in real time instead of listening to some weird Aphex Twin album. It doesn't really matter if you use the An1x for spot effects, as a solo instrument or an integral part of a midi setup, it seems to be feeling at home anywhere. If you like hardcore techno, get it ... if you like new-age, get it too :-) This baby does it all!
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Positively a masterpiece of synth design. I've played several VA's and owned a Z1. This board blows them away. The analog textures are rich and full. All the traditional analog sounds are available. The addition of the FM synthesis option allows some timres you just can't get from VA. Sync dosen't use both oscillators (VCO 1 has a dedicated sync "slave" osc) Easy to program after 30 mins figuring out the programming matrix. The eight knobs have several different functions according to what you have selected in the main panel. This means you can change the knobs to other parameters with one button press, so it's really like having about 64 knobs on the front... and eight of those are assignable to any parameter. You'll find yourself modulating things you've never considered modulating because it's so easy to access. I love it. This board was easy for me to learn as I've had a CS1X for years. The two may look the same, but do NOT let the similar look make you think this is the same synth. A ton more controller options and VA/FM instead of PCM synthesis. I love my CS1X as well... it's highly underrated. But it does not compare to the AN1X as a quality instrument with awesome experimentation potential. I like a lot of real time modulation, and no board I've owned has had this much control so readily accessible... except maybe my K5000S. To sum up... the AN1X is the best sounding VA I've played, it sells for less than any of the competition, has far more options, controllers, and a better arpegiator/seq. I can't see why this board is not as popular. I guess you're all listening to the "juiced up CS1X" hype like I did. Or maybe it's because it dosen't look as cool. Now that I have it, it's a definite 5 for me.
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Positively a masterpiece of synth design. I've played several VA's and owned a Z1. This board blows them away. The analog textures are rich and full. All the traditional analog sounds are available. The addition of the FM synthesis option allows some timres you just can't get from VA. Sync dosen't use both oscillators (VCO 1 has a dedicated sync "slave" osc) Easy to program after 30 mins figuring out the programming matrix. The eight knobs have several different functions according to what you have selected in the main panel. This means you can change the knobs to other parameters with one button press, so it's really like having about 64 knobs on the front... and eight of those are assignable to any parameter. You'll find yourself modulating things you've never considered modulating because it's so easy to access. I love it. This board was easy for me to learn as I've had a CS1X for years. The two may look the same, but do NOT let the similar look make you think this is the same synth. A ton more controller options and VA/FM instead of PCM synthesis. I love my CS1X as well... it's highly underrated. But it does not compare to the AN1X as a quality instrument with awesome experimentation potential. I like a lot of real time modulation, and no board I've owned has had this much control so readily accessible... except maybe my K5000S. To sum up... the AN1X is the best sounding VA I've played, it sells for less than any of the competition, has far more options, controllers, and a better arpegiator/seq. I can't see why this board is not as popular. I guess you're all listening to the "juiced up CS1X" hype like I did. Or maybe it's because it dosen't look as cool. Now that I have it, it's a definite 5 for me.
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I, too, love the AN!X. A beautiful, smooth synth with a full bass and soaring pads, as well as a fairly easy to learn interface (I purchased it used and have not looked at the manual...because it was not sent with the synth.) I even think a lot of the presets are ok. And I ain't a big fan of presets.
Nevertheless, I would not want to work with this synth alone...or with any synth as my only board. It leaves you beholdin' to that board's algorhythms and directs you (in an indirect way) to a certain set of sounds and musical styles. Even the Q (and it has a far deeper architecture than the AN!X) has this limitations. These limitations are built into any digital board. The only exception I know of is Metasynth, although Reason might also qualify--I haven't tried it yet. This is not to mention the fun to be had integrating instruments, because you can derive so many unexpected layers. So I say, in order to break out of the box, you need at least three synths and maybe even a rompler. In this way you begin to layer or multiply (is this a correct mathematical description?) algorhythms and can begin to explore the turf outside the box. In this way you leave behind music that most often lacks depth and begin to compose some wild, organic, living sound-creatures. SQUIDPOP
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The Yamaha AN1x was badly advertized by Yamaha back in 1997 as it was the "other blue contender" of the JP8000.... and those fortunate enough to have one know by now that the AN1x SOUND IS FANTASTIC !
The Yamaha AN1x sill lives in the new AN200 and the PLG150-AN add-on board.....
Peace.
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