The CS1x was my first synthesizer buy - as a freshman in highschool i had figuerd that this would be the best thing for my money, especially since i had no job to save up for anything better. I also bought a sequencer with her, the QY70. Let me tell you now - this thing is truly a very versatile tone generator. Coupled with a good sequencer, it is the model control synth. Model for something about $500 more expensive... this is truly a great buy. Versatile editing matrix, great effect blocks, nice arpeggiator, and those wonderful knobs... Along with a multitimbral sampler, you can layer the performance voices to your heart's delight. And hidden in the thing is an extra 5 banks of sounds - not necessarily completely full banks, but in preset banks 8-12 there are some nice, different sounds to play around with. The drum sounds are good, i think - 808 and 909 kits in there, and with the effects you can make them phatter than a lot of drum machines out there. The synth is indeed a control synthesizer - not a stand-alone device, except for XG midi and leads. I feel it's meant to control other devices and to be used for sampling some nice, and yes, THICK, sounds. Just apply full chorus to a single performance voice, and you have yourselves sonic lard.

the only good things about this synt is that you get 6 assingable knobs even though you cant assign it to anything important. and to only think that i could have paid only 250 $ and got the an1x instead well atleast i learnt my lesson.