Yamaha AN1x

well the presets are ok. but like almost all va's if your settling for the presets its useless. if you want presets get something like a jv-1080

without a software editor which is readily available for pc its more or less a nightmare. i have a software editor and i get most of the editing done. theres some ereas that are not available though.

the manual is big and i was so overwhelmed by it im yet to touch it. but the editor has gotten me by.

i cant tell you why but i like the action. it looks like it would be cheap but its not. i owned a cs1x before which was really not good at anything it was ok at alot of things but all around not good. but if you were to include stability it was tough as crap. i dropped it a dozen times and no problems. i wasnt soft with it at all. which was one of the things that interested me about the an1x. because most va's are like most analogs in that there pretty fragile.

the effects chip sounds like its the same one from the cs1x. this is disapointing because the cs1x didnt sound that great at all. but as long as you dont go 100%$ on the fx its ok. just use sparingly.

the step sequencer is awesome and this is one of the only va's i know of with a step sequencer. so that gets it a 9 alone.

ok so i did alot of research on this synth before my purchace. i was atracted to it because it could go further then other va's in its range. (ms2000,jp8000) when i got mine i was emediatly disapointed by the patches. well then i did a factory reset and found that the previous owner just didnt know how to program. then i started editing with my pc. wow, i was really impressed. first off ill say that this one comes much closer to real analogs then most other va's ive owned or tried. like moogs,sci's oberhiems. but not very good at attempting the hybrid era. alpha juno's esq-1's etc. i think this has alot to do with the occilators. dont expect to come any closer to acoustic instrument sounds then you would on a minimoog. it can do minimoogs spot on. just a little off on bass level. better at fm then all other va's but this is expected because its a yamaha. which was one of my reasons for getting it. i wanted a va that could do fm well too. there getting more and more rare. so im glad i picked one up. i lo0ve the split setting and do most work with it. i joined the an1x yahoo group and got alot of patches to start with there. if you want to power use this synth id reccomend at least reading up on it there. it is a very complex va so dont limit yourself on it. i also loove the assignable knobs. while i dont dig having so little i do like that if i drop it it only has a few knobs so its odds of surviving are better.

like the cs1x it seems super stable. but i expected this which is why i got it.

theres alot of yamaha stuff out there for it. sadly no os updates though.

well i sold most of my old gear and got this and kept my nova,drumstation,bass station,a station. i had a juno and it was my only keyboard. but it was 106 and i didnt want to wait around for the voice chips to die. i sold all my vintage gear and i will most likely eventually sell my bass station to get a micro q. i love the anix. i think its a great insult to it for it to be in the same case as the cs1x. there night and day. the cs1x is like a horrible excuse for a m1 or jv synth. while the an1x is like nothing else ive ever really played on. dont let the outside fool you this synth is as good as the best of them. in its price range of 300 to 500 i dont know of any other synth keboard that is better.

I give it 5. Why? Well, the left side is brilliant and easy to use. BUT....no g**d***ed data knob on the right side. WTF Yamaha? El cheapo CS1x even had a damned data knob. This stupid omission pretty much ensures that you'll be relying on a software editor or painfully stepping through parameter values to get the most out of this synth, which you really have to use the matrix to do. I thought maybe I could assign one of the assignable knobs to be a data entry knob....NOPE, doesn't appear so. Massive FAIL. Manual is typical Yamaha - reads like a technical manual for telephone relay systems.

Polyphony is enough for most users. Keyboard was springy and nice for synth duties. Effects sounded exactly like the effects chip on the CS1x, some useful ones, but mostly crap and cheap sounding...bad tinny reverbs. The EG sequencer was brilliant, but once again, like hitting yourself in the balls with a hammer due to Yamaha screwing up the right panel matrix. The manual is practically no help in this regard...to the software editor, Robin! But, nowadays, if you have to use a software editor, why not just use a softsynth?

Didn't care for the basses on it too much....passable, but lacking punch and depth for bass...there's other VAs better at bass. It's great for everything else though, FM type bells and sonic mayhem, pads with movement, leads, EXCELLENT sync sounds - best VA osc sync!!

Plastic casing, but if you treat it well it should last a liftetime. At the time it came out, it was the most affordable VA keyboard so I'm sure a few corners were cut.

No idea.

The An1x had a great overall tone, very convincing analog vibe when reamped through external monitor. Best comparison I'd say is it's somewhere between a Nord and a JP8000. All in all though, I traded it for an NL2 and aside from the advantage of superb organic pads and the superior programming flexibility of the An1x, I didn't regret that decision. The Nord was punchier, didn't rely on effects because there are no onboard effects, and was logically laid out and easy to use. Made for musicians, and sounded overall much more musical when you strayed off the beaten path. It's a shame that the only Yamaha instruments I've ever used that had a great interface were their cheap XG based CS1x/2x boards. This is something that seems to have never changed over the years - i.e. Yamaha instruments sound great and give the most options of their competitors, but are a pain in the *** to delve into. I guess it's a trade off -- ease of use vs. flexibility.

I think this is my second or third review here of AN1x. I finally sold mine because the limited space. In this review, there is same things as I have said before.

After over 8 years I learned AN1x inside out. Editing patches is easy. You can make most of the job with the eight knobs and few buttons. The bad thing is there is no data-slider. Also presets are bad in my opinion. There is good ones in the net but it takes time to get what you want. AN1x is fairly complex, much more than JP-80x0 and Nord Lead for example(they are very basic but not said that's bad thing, no). You can get the free editor from the net which I used at the beginning.

Only opened the manual when was checking some CC's etc, not much for editing.

For me, AN1x was more (complex) pad/string machine than bass/lead synth. That's why using dual layers and long release times, 10-voice polyphony wasn't even near enough. But it's OK.

For my playing style, keyboard was the best for price range and aftertouch was just perfect. Also I used knobs for controlling other synths and sequencer (volume, AT, pan, jomox airbase99 filters etc) but also you could straight edit Roland JV/XV/Fantom and other yamaha synths (FS1r) straight from the knobs. It could be turned to use standard CC's. So you turn filter knob from AN1x Roland JV-2080's filter changed. Nothing stunning today but back to late 90's for me it was great addition.

Sounds were always hard to get sound good in the mix. It always needed quite much editing.

Othervise sounds are quite nice and easily spoiled with too much of internal effects(as with many synths). I think only tempo-delay is very usable but small amount of other fx are also ok. As many times mentioned, it's a bit Prophet 5 sounding and there is some nice other sounds too. Biggest surprices are great emulations of strings (named "Sibelius") and great church organ sound. They sound great but again polyphony is fast cut down.

AN1x is not only good synth for electronic music but I think it's fairly good keyb for progressive rock etc too. It can make some nice pads and leads but also some fx/noise. I have seen two opposite live sets using AN1x: Yes "House of blues" Igor Khoroshev using the same a bit lame portamento-lead sound in every song and Yes "Symphony" where Tom Brislin used his AN creatively and sounding good.

All in all, there is so much to edit and explore. I could buy it back, if price goes even lower.

No problems. Never gigged. Freezed only couple of times.

In my opinion Korg and Yamaha supports are the crappiest around.

I don't know why they didn't make upgraded version of AN1x. You can hear AN1x in my all older tracks. It's great value today. I wouldn't buy it for trance, go for Virus/JP for those. Just contact, if you want some samples or listen the older tracks (can be listened in homepage).

deadzonemusic.com

I???ve installed v1.04 which has to ordered as a spare from Yamaha although many countries don???t have them in stock anymore.
Presets are s**t and clean uninspired and low in volume. There are plenty of good user presets knocking around on the net.
The front panel is ok for simple edits but not intuitive for in depth programming. There???s a good freebie software editor from Yamaha but I use mine with a Doepfer Drehbank which really makes this one of the bests synths for programming that I own.
Manual is crap in fact this is my second AN1X and I???ve only just got my head around the power of the 16 path control matrix no thanks to the manual.

Ok the AN1X is one of the first generation of VA???s with only two part multi but for the price they go for this isn???t a problem as your getting a decent master keyboard (on par with a K2000) with aftertouch, nice arpeggiator and an excellent and versatile analogue style sequencer that???s transmits note, gate, velocity and any MIDI CC you want. Each saved sequence can also be spread across each key the first half of the keyboard and you can transpose it with the other half which is great fun.
There is also a free EG which is kinda like a built controller sequencer for recording real time knob twiddling. This can be set at a max of 16 seconds or a eight measures and is fantastic for constantly morphing sounds although the resolution does step a little which is noticeable on some parameters like cutoff. Use the step and free EG together and things get very exciting.
You can also morph between two patches which works best with changing parameters of two sound that don???t step i.e. like waveform selection, pitch semitone.
Most of the AN1X???s parameters will respond to MIDI CC which as I???ve mentioned works brilliantly with a Drehbank. All sound parameters are on bank A with sequencer steps on bank B.
I???d say its not quite as in depth as a Virus, Q or Ion but its not far off and considering that the AN1X predates most of these machines by a fair few years its fair to say it was way ahead but sadly no one realised this due to its compromised interface and crap manual.

Its strange that being my second AN1X that it still sounds as good as when I first bought it even against all the newer equipment I???ve owned and tried. The ring mod sounds good, you can take the edge of the upper harmonics on the waveforms (good for HPF sounds), four different FM algorithms, PWM on sawtooth waves, very hi frequency LFO???s with a comprehensive variation of waveforms, an excellent multimode filter that doesn???t sound too artificial when used correctly and a feedback function that really brings out the organic nature of the AN1X like overdriving the filter on an old analogue to fatten the sound.
The FX are also good, a deep flanger, grungy auto wha, Yamaha???s symphonic chorus FX (essential for Synthex impressions), a licence Aphex exciter (will help blow away any other VA when used right), tempo and cross delays and a useable reverb. The quality isn???t quite a Boss VF1 but they sound richer than my KP2.
The sound can really be fattened up with VCA feedback and unison mode and the synth sounds good across the range from basses to hi frequency FX especially when the Apex enhancer is used. The crap presets really don???t demonstrate any of these virtues which combined but when used creatively the AN1X really blows most other VA???s away; more beef than a MS2000 or JP8000, better hi frequency sounds than a Virus or Novation.
The thing I like most about programming the AN1X (with my Drehbank btw) against many other synths is that you???re not trying to work around its inadequacies as its more a case of ???I haven???t tried that yet??? which usually pays off and is very rewarding when creating new sounds.
It doesn???t quite cut it against a real beefy analogue but in this respect I find the sound works better polyphonically and deep lush pads are one of the AN1X???s strong points.
I can get an excellent Synthex sound without the Synthex price and fruity hi frequency modulating FX without alaising like other VA???s.

The step sequencer has its faults like not responding to MIDI start stop and the timing isn???t as tight as my Quasimidi gear when recording to an external sequencer but this is really only a problem with syncing tight percussive sounds which isn???t the AN1X???s strongpoint. The tempo delay resetting glitches are also addressed in v1.04.
Other than that its rock solid.

Got my new OS ROM on my Visa from the nice lady at Yamaha UK without any hassle no future developments for a discontinued synth almost a decade old is to be expected.

You can pick up an AN1X for around the same price as a decent brand new MIDI master keyboard or average softsynth, which makes it a bargain for those who want something in the real world they can touch and play.
If you spend a little extra on a good MIDI control surface you???ll have the full power of one of the most underrated VA???s at your fingertips.
Thinking of buying an decent polysynth without the real analogue unreliability (worth it on some analogues tho) MS2000, Nord, or JP8000 then you should check out the AN1X first.

Hello everyone, i'm from chile, so my english is't god.

The manual is excelent, everything is there with examples and good information.
About editing patches, is not so good, 8 knobs for all the parameters, so you have 8 submenus to modify all of them, not so intuitive as a nord lead for example.

10 voices polyphony, excelent for a V.A.
nice effects, reverbs, delays and multieffects, sounds very good.
every sound has two scenes, so with one sound you can have 2 "little sounds" and can be switched in any time or even play at the same time.

Wooooooooow, thin machine sound amasing!!!!!!!!
everything is perfect.
you can do wakeman leads, emerson leads, everything from the old glories of the rock prog of the seventies.
The bases are strongs and punchies, and with the arpeggiator, you can do some nice trance music.
the pads are awesome, with the pwm thay are soft, warm, bright, etc. The pwm can be asigned to any wawe (saw. pulse, etc), so the pads can be very complex.

REsuming, excelent sound for 400 dolars in chile.

Everything work excelent, nice hardware
the case is plastic but strong.
The knows are great, far better than a ms2000

I never contact with yamaha

Very strong machine to emulate the old analog synths

Good price, nice specs.
If you can buy it, don't think twice

There's banks of reasonable presets out there. Editing patches sucks on its own interface, but is pretty sweet with the PC editor. The manual is a complete waste of time and paper.

10 notes poly. The keyboard action isn't terrible, but fails to impress; like most synths, old and new. It has no sequencer in the classic sense, only one for controldata, which is excellent.

For me, the strength of this synth is in its synth strings. Especially in 5-voice (doubled) mode, the strings are silky smooth and evocative. It would be one of my favorite synths for that if I bought it again. You can coax some pretty sweet, expressive Rhodes sounds out of it, if you work at it. I didn't really like the leads, but I'm sure I could improve on those I had preset if I worked at it; I don't really have a need for them though.

For hard, Tangerine Dream like sequenced lines this will do fine, and its bass if good for that. However, for playing basslines, this isn't so hot IMO.

It can sound very smooth or very harsh. It's up to the programmer, i.e. you!

It's nice and lightweight, so carrying it around is fine. It's all rather plasticky, but I had no problem with lugging mine around to gigs. Would gig without backup unless the gig was so good I could AFFORD a backup =]

Haven't had to deal with Yamaha yet.

The AN1x is definately on my short list of 'much synth for little money'. I'm usually just selling gear to buy other, but if I had some cash to burn, this would probaby be in my little studio.

I've been playing for over twenty years, was 'raised' on organ and accordeon, and got to my synth lust via a Casio SK-1 and a Roland Juno-6 to an Elka Synthex and beyond. Having owned some twenty or thirty synths in that time, the AN1x can hold its own.

I love the sounds. I love the PC editor, the ribbon controller, and the morph function. I hate the interface, but that's true for about 90% of digital synths. Somewhere along the way, common sense seems to have left the people who design interfaces on synths. I'm getting an Ensoniq ESQ1 later today; now THAT's an interface! Yamaha also makes about the densest, least readable and useful manuals in the industry. None of it makes much sense to me.

The AN1x is a great buy at its s/h price, and I can't imagine it disappointing anyone too much. A musician's synth, because of the control, and because of the detailed sound editing (with the PC editor).

The an1x features an intuitive and easy interface, where the eight knobs are used to control up to seven different editing aspects depending on which section is selected on a separate LED-button grid. Thats 56 functions, 8 being assignable, and by pressing the knobs it is possible to receive clear info on current settings whilst also decreasing the incremental changes in value while turning the knobs. It is not, however, the perfect real-time environment, incomparable at least to one-knob-one-function boards but more than sufficient.

Further to the right of the board is a LED screen that while not showing us a satelite images of our house like modern synths will eventually do, is fully capable of providing all required information is a concise and non-diverting manner, which is ideal for any real-time synth.

The presets, like most synths are not good at demonstrating the power of the engine. I never know why the factory programmers insist on being so foreign to the concept of interesting electronic sounds for which this synth is ideal, that they provide generic and dated sounds that will turn off many at the shops. At least the manual is exemplary, being clear, detailed, with a wealth of information of how to program and definitions for functions, thus being ideal for the programming beginner. Under this category, I would include the fact that being light-weight at about 7kg is very useful for moving around while still having with you a 61 keyset and synth engine.

Keyboard is so good for my own playing tastes (a firm but bouncy movement) that it has become my master controller, so that I in fact have no other keybeds in my possession. Polyphony is 10, which perfectly adequate for the sounds at which it excels, as explained below.

No expansions, and a slightly limited memory for only 128 programs. MIDI capabilties are perfect, all sorts of weirdness occur between the combined 100 knob functions of the an1x and waldorf microwave xt.
Sequencer is fine for basic use but i rarely use it because sequencers are not my style. Also, a good performance enhancer included is the ability to 'morph' between two separate scenes/voices using the modulation wheel.

I tend to favour digital synths with a unique and intriquing sound character. The waldorfs have it, the additive kawais have it, and then i decided I should try va. We all know how jp8000s are vastly overused and limited in their sound architecture, similar things could be said for nords and virus'. While these boards are the staple of all modern music and are perfectly adequate for your basic pads and leads, where is the love? Or more technically, where is the unique lush, vibrant and simultaneously dark personality hidden in every sound. I think the an1x is ideal for this.

The most extraordinary feature to the engine is the breadth and range of the sounds capable, but its strengths definitely lie within the task of making the perfect lead sounds, and also producing the basis upon which to create a full-bodied and analogish melody for anything with dance, electronica, dub and ambient. I wouldn't naturally choose it for the majority of basic 'filling-in' pads over other synths, though it is certainly capable of them, and it does have some great strings. But the leads you can create are awesome, ranging from beautiful strange entrancing bell sounds that I can't avoid playing around with, to dark and other-worldly pulses that really can't be explained.

The plastic casing has numerous advantages that outweigh the fact that it 'could' be suseptible to damage which, from my experience so far, it isn't. The only slight quirk with the functionality is that if I happen to turn the synth on at program no. 48, it starts making strange crackling sounds. It appears that I programmed the patch in a way such that the engine can't handle it while loading up. I don't really know whether I should be proud about out-synthing the synth engine it or not...

Not yet involved with them.

I would buy it again without a doubt if stolen, as nothing (Nothing!) can compare at its price second-hand.

The An1x was released in the late 1990's, which is surely one of the golden ages in synth history where a majority of modern music originates from machines of that vintage. The an1x is one of the cheapest of those on account of its appearance and that it was less user friendly than some of its competitors and consequently did not catch on to a similar bandwagon to the nords and jp8000s. Nethertheless, it maintains a character and capability that few other can match, and thats why many users cry out for a follow-up machine to enjoy too(an2x etc) but we sadly know that isn't going to happen thanks to the damn market for workstations that yamaha concentrates on these days.

The an1x sits right in the middle of my studio as a controller for pc and the rack, while its sound engine quietly waits, because it knows that i am bound to use it eventually for the sounds that define a track. I use it mainly in conjunction with my other digitals, the Microwave xt and k5000r, and after some time they have all become the best of friends. I sure don't need more digitalness, especially not another va, as the an1x does it all and more

I rate this a 7 because of the manual. Yamaha seems to have 2 modes for manuals: 1) blissfully easy to understand (like my dx200 and this) 2) geek speak engineering specs (like my motif rack and my FS1R). The layout on this isn't intuitive at first glance, but it is logical after a little study. I own quite a few synths, and I have to say the panel layout and tweaking is a bit different than the rest.

I've had this for about a year and a half now, and maybe because I bought it 5-6 years after is was manufactured, the specs never impressed me much. 10 voice polyphony, 2 part multitimbral (sort of). Effects are decent quality to me, which usually seems to be the case with my Yamaha synths, and these are decently easy to program. Haven't used the onboard sequencer much, but it looks ok to me the couple times I dorked around with it. The manual covers explains working with it well.

My only real complaint is with the build of the keyboard. Though mine is in good shape, and has held up well, it's just VERY plastic. Knobs, keyboards, body...they're all very plastic and not near as solid as some of my other synths.

THIS is where this puppy shines. I'm not sure what the reviewer from 05/15/2005 was smokin (say what??? "Sound carries flavor, and the best musicians are those who recognize, on whatever level, that they work in synaesthetics; the art of stimulating different sensorial reactions") but lacking the influence of any LSD, I can say this thing pulls off analog emulation and fatness quite nicely. I have an Alesis A6 and a Micron, and this thing carries its own weight quite well along with those 2 keyboards.

Pads, basses and leads all work nicely on this thing, and to my ear, it reminds me of an old Prophet quite a bit. Flexible enough to program easily for expression with the wheels, X-Z Ribbon Controller and assignable knobs. Unison mode is easy to use and helps fatten the tone up quite a bit.

I'm ready to sell my JP-8080 (I'm clearing house), but despite the low polyphony, I'm keeping my AN1X

So far, I've had no problems using this thing, but then I also don't gig with it. Has a wall wart for power, which isn't good, but it's usable. Plastic body doesn't give me confidence, but it works fine in the home studio.

Haven't had to deal with Yahama for support directly, but I am impressed with all the support on-line. Easy access to FAQs and manuals for the used equipment I've bought, and easy upgrades and software access for the new stuff as well.

I'm not sure if I'd replace this if it were stolen (for sub $200, maybe). My biggest complaint with it is the real estate it takes up, for the less-than-ample polyphony it delivers. Other keyboards I have take up as much or less space, and deliver more bang for the buck when keyboard stand space is scarce. BUT, I find myself turning to the AN1X for certain brass, pad, and bass sounds frequently enough, so for the near future, I'll keep it as a sound source for sure.

Well, I've had my AN1X for a couple or three years now and the longer I use it the better I like it. Geez people, there are some harsh reviews on this synth! I'm just not getting it. However, like any really good synth, it takes time to really learn what it will do. This is a really deep VA/FM synth and 20 years ago people would have killed to have one. The user interface is logical to a fault, apparently. If you aren't logical you are going to hate it. YOu have to be a bit organized in your thinking to approach this monster. Other VA's may have more physical knobs, but actually the AN1X gives you nearly instant access to 64 parameters - more than the MS2000. Punch the right button for your set of 8 and then twirl away and see what happens. All the parameters are labeled right on the front. Makes perfect sense. You turn the knob and the LCD tells you exactly what the current value is. ONce you get familiar with the layout patch programming goes very smoothly. If you don't learn the layout you're going to be frustrated to death because it's all there in front of you but you don't know what to do with it. The matrix is a bit more complicated, though. You'll have to read the manual to make sense of that part of the architecture, but it is WELL worth it! You can make or break a patch in that matrix. The free editor works great, but honestly I do most of my programming on the board these days. There's something clinical about using a computer to design patches... I like to be able to play a note or chord and listen to what I'm doing. That's not as easy with the editor, though it does make many chores much faster. Now the manual is another kettle of fish. It's all in there, but sometimes finding it is not so easy. Also, some of the explanations are a bit arcane. But show me a synth manual that doesn't suffer from those problems once in a while! This is not an easy synth to program - it's far too flexible to be easy. However, once learned it is a joy to work with. I have no trouble tweaking patches on the fly at this point. But, hey, I've had it like three years...

Other reviews have covered this very well... Learn to use the free EG feature - really, really powerful. Also, the equalizer section can really change (for better or worse) the sound of ANY patch. If you find a patch sounding dead - it's probably the VCF or the equalizer that's doing it. Well, could be the edge settings, too... To get the best out of any VA you have to know what you're doing and that takes time and knowledge and experimentation. Of course, that said, if you want a plug and play synth get a rompler, but you're missing all the real fun... This is a VA/FM synth, so it doesn't do everything, but it can do a lot within it's range. Part of the difficulty of this synth is the wealth of features. It's a lot to get your head around and it won't happen the first time you sit down to it, or in a week. You definitely have to learn this machine to get the best out of it.

I like the sound of the AN1X. It's not as harsh and in your face as a Micro Q or an ESQ, generally, though it can be harsh. It's not as liquid sounding as a Matrix 1000 and it will never be a Wavestation, but it can do great things. In my experience, bad sounding patches are usually the fault of bad programming. Programming is an art, definitely. The synth is extremely capable and can sound great. It can be super expressive with 8 knobs, touch strip, two pedals, velocity and aftertouch... YOu can easily program mush on this board, however. Too much of the wrong settings and you have mud, but you can do that with any VA. Likewise, you can make a patch so sharp and shrill that you will get that fingernails on the chalk board sound. The range of the board is extreme, so you can make extremely bad patches or extremely awesome ones. You can also overdrive the internal system and drive it into sporadic distortion if you're not careful. Just depends on what you do with it. It's nice to have the effects for some sounds, and you don't have to lug another FX box around to a gig. It's easy to get carried away with them, though. Several people have said not to judge this on the presets and I have to echo that. To hear what it can really do you have to experiment.

Yamaha makes solid gear. I've still got an amp I bought 27 years ago and it works like it was new. I wouldn't go dropping the AN all over the place, but it should hold up if you are reasonably careful with it. I have not had any problems with the knobs or switches.

Never had to use it.

I've come to love this board and would hate to see it go. I hope it has a long and useful life... Other gear... I have a bunch of synths bought over the past 11 years. Wavestation SR - amazing, Micro Q - hard to compare but it's good, Morpheus a bit thin, but powerful, FS1r - #$%^& to program but fantastic sound, VZ-10m same as the last but doesn't sound as good, XL-7 super lush, deep sounds when tweaked, k5000s unique and beautiful, TG-77 FM wonderbox, Matrix 1000 wish it had knobs, Karma most amazing and difficult synth ever - definitely, 2 ESQm's great sound, flexibility and character for cheap - no knobs... Even so, I still find myself programming on the AN1X a lot. It grows on you... And in its own way it stands up to the other synths I have without difficulty. It's a unique synth and that in itself makes it useful for getting different sounds. On the negative side, it doesn't reward you without effort. You have to earn it. But, that's one of the reasons it is fun to program. If it were too easy it would be boring. At the current street price it is a great board, but only for somebody who will dig into it.

As with any hardware synth, the AN1X is very easy to use straight out of the box if you like the presets, which hardly anyone does. It's very easy to change these using trial and error if you are new to using a synth, but if you want to create sounds from the ground up and are a n00b (like me), consult the manual, which will you you a step-by-step and how to create new sounds.

General: Step sequencer (16), 25 or so arpeggiator patterns, multiple layers per sound which can be edited and played separately or played together.
It has many different sets of filters (VCO, LFO, etc.) and a ribbon controller that is assignable in addition to the mod wheel. I haven't used the sequencer yet.

Expansion: you will need an external device to archive sounds, but there are a lot of midi control options.

This is an analog modeling synth, so it wasn't really made to mimic real instruments. Instead, it can mimic other synths. The sound can range from old synths to 90s digital sounds. The AN1X has a lot of range and create some crunchy and warm bass sounds and some decent string sounds as well. Dance/EBM music for sure with this, but it seems slightly lacking in the LEAD sound department as far as I have seen.

This thing is very durable. My apartment building burned down and the board had water inside of it. I let it sit for a couple of days and cleaned out the inside and it works pretty damn well. It's a survivor and the simple design helps with dependability as well.

I'm in the process of ordering a replacement knob, otherwise I haven't had to repair it.

Overall a very good synth for the capabilities. If you only have to buy one piece of equipment and aren't into using PC-based stuff, this isn't the board for you, as it is not a workstation. However, if you want an old (and newer) synth feel to your sounds without having to spend the money on an older and less reliable genuine analog, this is the synth for you.

wtf is goin on here? Everybody reads, no one writes. Keep this thing going!!! You need to get used to. It's kind of semi-modular. Knobs are a great help offering kind of easy-edit.

Polyphony is 10 MiniMOOGs. You will love to use it in multitrack-recording. Good synthkeyboard, nothing special. Not expandeble. MIDI is great for the knobs may send any controller and any controller may be reassigned to any parameter. Sequencing I do externally can't say.

WOW! Question is if another instrument will ever sound like the AN1X. For me IT is an original. Works for all kinds of synthiemusic. Although there's little classical literature for synths. It's the mean blue (not green) machine. Blind tested it aainst all other VA- (and A-)Synths around. Sounds hard and harsh, may sound nice too, but that's only disguise. Onboard FX- like everything else are realtime tweakable. Bery dynamic play once you use controllers and knobs. If your planning to buy your one and only synth, don't take this one. If your other synths are way too tame and cultivated (I'll say 10 having a few), get this wild one.

Never had any probs. I nevertheless always tend to take as many synth along as I can carry. And in the end who needs a keyboarder?

Support is what WE make it; especially when it comes to old stuff. Those greenhorns in callcenters don`t know or care too much about oldtimers. They are friendly and they try but they can't.

If stolen I'd get me another. If there was an expander-version (NOT the AN200, that's ?=)($%)&) I'd get it in advance. Played some 25 years everything there was around. Love the raw, wild strength of sounds kinda dirty. I hate buying keys when looking for expanders but couldn't help. Compared to JP80**, Nord Lead(which sounds brighter and more precise), Waldorf microwave and microQ and various soft synths, this is the most powerful, pressive sound; blindchecked them playing 100s of demos in WinAmp randomly. It's a great help at making music MY way, knobs controlling internal and external equippment.
Support's what WE make it.

this instrument takes a bit of getting used to as far as editing... however if you spend the time you will be rewarded. in a huge way.

polyphony is fine. better than my obxa... the fx are very nice. the sequencer and arpeggiator both rock.

i own many vintage synthesizers (arp 2600, mini mood, moog prodigy, moog sonic 6, juno 106 and 60, roland jd 800, korg ms 20, serge modular and others, and this synth makes me smile! it is the best analog modeler i have found. and actually (sorry guys) the presets are great. very representative of the sounds you get with classic analog synths. if you can't get fat, cool sounds out of this then you should play triangle or something without knobs.

ok, this is where the problem is. at least when the instrument was initially releaased. i went through two of them before i got one that worked correctly. i heard there was a lot of bad chips. bummer. the one i have now works like a charm. no problems.

cool company. when i got the bad one i called yamaha and told the tech that my an1x was making strange noises. he said.... uh, it's supposed to make far out sounds.......

if mine bit the dust, i would replace it immediately. they are on ebay often for around $400. (ooops, shhhhhhhhhhh...)
this synth represents a kick arse value. the next best thing to a good old analog synth.

I had to write this because the Aaron's comments who owned AN1x, what for a week or something?? As you can tell, it's impossible to write deep review of synth you have owned short time. I bought mine 1998 and still I'm having lust with it. It's my master keyboard because: 1)I'm not piano-player who needs responsive and weighted keyboard, it's fast and light to play and I like how the aftertouch works 2)It's small and don't take too much space 3)8-knobs for controlling other stuff. 4) After owning CS1x, it's easy to use.

I agree the most of the stuff with Aaron because I was totally disappointed when I bought AN1x. Sounds were really bad. I was going to sell it for few times but it's still there. After I spent LONG time with it I started realitze the possibilities and limits of the unit. More next part...

Because I think it's great pad and athmosphere machine, polyphony could be greater than 10. Long release times eats the poly and with dual layering you can create amazing complex and "massive" stuff but with only 5 voice poly. I like the keyboard action but that's totally matter of taste. Effects are not great but a bit spice is always welcome. Delays (tempo delay) are great and I use them most. No expansion. MIDI is great but LFO-sync to MIDI-clock would be welcome. AN1x is quite feature-packed synth with possible to morph two sounds and use dual/dual-unison modes. After few years I started to dig modulation matrix. You can make 16 differet(if I remember right) sets of sources/destinations. With these you can make synth sing and very expressive.

Presets are mostly crap including some very basic basses and synth sounds. Check sounds from the net or try yourself. I was lucky with AN1x because at time I bought it I didn't have many other synths. So I had time with it. If you have studio full of synths, I bet you don't have time to learn every synth inside-out if you aren't full time musician. I use synths for different things even AN1x has made quite many different sounds during these years. AN1x has usually made pads/athmos but also leads/basses.

Knobs are working fine as are the keys. Only the color of the plastic near the inc/dec buttons are faded. I have used it a lot! Never gigged with it.

Never used.

They are dirt cheap today. If you get one and you aren't seeking the cheesy sounds, be ready to lear to edit it (as most of the synths). I combined it with sampler/Roland JV and analog synth and made some nice tracks (IMHO) but now I have more stuff to tweak. Still using AN1x every time. I'm sure Micron can make the sounds AN can't and it definitely has better (and more) presets. Still, test synths and think what you are after.

To say this synth is easy to use is to say that shoes are easy to untie.
The presets are the worst I have heard and will want to hear. Taking a walk through their tutorials created something that (on a different machine) would've sounded great 1/3rd of the way through, then the next step featured ruined it entirely. The Japanese have a well-deserved reputation for beautiful insanity but these patches and instructions led to something completely ineffable. Legal action should be pursued in investigating and rectifying the conditions with which Yamaha treats their sound designers.
No computer should be tainted by contact with this "synthesizer". The manual sadly was the best feature of the AN1x package, which is small comfort after listening to this thing for more than half an hour.

Keyboard action is passable. The knobs will fly off if looked at cross-eyed, like the CS1x and CS2x.

The sequencer was innovative for this time, but can easily be surpassed by the Alesis Micron's phrase programmer, or the RPS functions of the Roland JP-8000. It's basicly an arpeggiator you'd want to use, that you can control.

You can get a decent, strong sub-bass out of it, but after hearing the rest of the patches, you wouldn't want to. The effects... are slightly better than the CS2x, slightly better than the Zoom Sampletrak. Expression was quite workable, but again, the sounds are nothing you want, unless you suffer from some strange hearing deficiency, or secretly loathe your audience.

Sound carries flavor, and the best musicians are those who recognize, on whatever level, that they work in synaesthetics; the art of stimulating different sensorial reactions. There are those who smell colors, hear textures, etc., and music always is a process of evoking by connotation in a variety of levels. So, to me, this board sounded like the smell of vinegar-dressed foot, peppered heavily in dill, eaten in a dusty attic. There was just a huge quality of hollowness, as though the sound components were missing an essential richness. Even the cheapest of Korg VA's sound better than this.

There is no one I hate so much as to play live on this thing for. I'm sure the OS and components are perfectly stable. Those knobs, though...

Ads will often noted that its use as a midi controller is cited very strongly. That's because you'll never want to use much off of it. That ribbon controller is a keen idea on a foully executed concept.

Yamaha must've seen the JP-8000 and gotten the strange idea that they could do it better and in a chassis reissue. If you really need a ribbon controller and a lot of knobs, get a JP-8000, or be daring and try the Novation X-Station 49, which has a joystick instead of wheels, and a Kaoss Pad-style X/Y pad that can cross-control 4 instead of 2 parameters. Ditto on the Korg Z1. The Micron is also well worth looking at.

I sold this thing after a week. No rating here. They wouldn't want to hear from me about this, anyway.

I've been playing about 6 years. I've owned Roland D2, Roland SH-32, Korg EM-1, both Kaoss Pads, Yamaha CS2x, Zoom RT-123, Roland MS-1 sampler, Zoom Sampletrak St-224, and most recently (and belovedly) the Alesis Micron. I sold keyboards for Guitar Center and know my way around a lot of synthesizers. As for this beast, I had it for a week. I gave it a fair chance, did my best to re-edit and get past the presets, and failed: it sounded That Crappy. I will never touch it again and warn everyone else to stay far away from one. Not even the most deranged noiz musician would want one. The only place it would fit in is at Guatanamo Bay.

I wish it had a sound engine as clear and rich as the CS6X. At this point I don't know if I could even touch a Motif again.

If you're looking into VA synthesis, try an Alesis Micron. Annoying to edit but the results are worth 7 times the hassle.

The presets are trash, But then again who the hell buys a synth for presets?
the editing is a little tricky at first. It's like 2 microkorgs in the sense that there is a main control knob for half the stuff and then button groups for the others - basically which ever group is selected is what the knobs do, or where ever the knob is pointing is what the buttons do. after you spend a couple hours with it-it will become 2nd nature.
also the software an1x edit is AMAZING if you own and an1x you much get an1x edit - it's the best way to program this beast.

The poly is good enough it sounds very fat when it wants to.
the key action is simply THE best of any synth I have ever owned (and I have owned alot of synths!) I would pay the $300-400 for to use this thing as a controller! - though if your into piano keys then you wont like it- but it's a synth not a piano.
the built in effects are great, I don't find the need to use external effects at all. it has velocity and aftertouch (why spent 300 on a midi controller when you can buy this!)

it doesn't have realistic sounds...because it's a synth.

it really sounds amazing it's different then most VA's - like how the nord lead 2 is different. also there is lots and lots of modulation.

it's very reliable I have had no problems with it nor have I heard of anyone having any problems with it.
I would gig with out a back up for sure.

well it's kind of old now (1997) so I don't believe there is much customer support - but then again I never have needed it so I am going to give it and even score of 5.

If it were lost or stolen I would defiantly buy it again.
it's worth far more then what I paid.

Presets are OK, they are quite easy to edit. You have over 50 parameters available through the knobs. Manual seems to be quite easy, though I had to read it twice to catch the method of synthesis and construction.

Polyphony 10 notes, reduced to 5 when in unison mode. Unison is a very well - sounding method of play. Sound are doubled and slightly detuned, so they are wider, harder add fetter. Lots of effects: chorus, reverb, delay, rotary and others. Sounding maybe a little bit outdated, but still you must remember that it's not a very expensive synth. Better get an external effects device. Midi works ok, the only drawback is long time of program change control (about 1 sec.) 16 step sequencer, never used it. I think the LFO filter should have a measure in Hz, not scale from 1 to 256 (never know how fast exactly it works). No LFO - tempo link. Knobs rather poor, but they have a very interesting feature: when pressed show current parameter value.

Very few realistic instruments. If you're searching for realism forget an1x. Its a synth of flesh and blood. Fantastic analog-like sounds, that give you the chill. Great for techno, dance, ambient, but of course also other kinds of music. Strong and fat, rather warm in sound, full, heavy. Filters sound great. Should have it in your studio. Velocity keyboard, enough for me. Maybe too little response to aftertouch.

Never any problems with it. I think the worst think about it is poor quality of its case. Low budget plastic, but still seems to be better better than in cs1x.

running ROM version 1.01....the presets sound ok, but are nothing to write home about! if you look for a synth to turn on, select a preset and have fun, there are for sure better ones available! there are lots of great patches (for free!) on the net, though.
what really sucks are the knobs. they feel very cheap and they absolutely don't work accurate. if you want to set a parameter to a certain value - e.g. 23 - , it often looks like this: you move it to 22, then to 24, to 22 again, to 24 again, and just don't hit the 23 - although you move the knob very little! this can really be annoying. sometimes it's like gambling... :(
On the other hand there's a "knob-push-feature" thats already been described here, and this is quite a good idea.
anyway, the free pc editor makes the knobs dispensable!
besides that, the patch editing works fine on the an1x.
the downloadable editor makes it even easier.

arpeggio notes are not send by midi :(
the onboard effects are ok, they don't replace outboard equipment, but do their job quite good. max. polyphony is 10 notes, in unison mode 5 notes. keyboard is velocity sensitive (<- adjustable) and has aftertouch (<- not adjustable). the an1x has an step sequencer which works really nice for own arpeggios. haven't programmed it yet using the onboard editing matrix, only with the pc editor! very easy!
the synth is kind of bitimbral, "kind of" because you can't really play two timbres at a time, just two scenes (two different settings for one voice)!
display is not quite oversized, but big enough.
it has 3 realtime controllers (pitch wheel, mod wheel, x-z ribbon controller), each can control 0 to 16 parameters of your choice.
i'll give this an overall rating of 7 points, because todays synthesizers offer more than the an1x (multitimbre, 3 oscs....).

as for every virtual analog synth, this is not ideal for the reproduction of natural sounds like guitars, pianos, drums aso. samplers do a better job here. you can use the an1x for dance music (from trance to ambience to rave to dancefloor to ...), but also for "spicing" pop, rnb, rock, industrial...! its great for (arpeggiated) pads, basses and leads.

has crashed once, when it received corrupt midi data from my sequencing software.
overall build quality seems not too robust. it's a plastic box.
nonetheless, i would gig with it without backup, i guess.

never dealt with yamaha.

I would buy me an an1x again, if it was stolen. for that price, you can't beat it! There are more sophisticated products on the market (acces virus, clavia nordlead, and so on...), but they are $$$ ! And almost everything you can do on them, you can do in a way on the an1x, too. I recommend it especially to beginners, who are not sure whether va synthesis is right for them. thats what i did, too. it is my first synthesizer. this review is explicitly from an beginners point of view!

PS: If you want to contact me, remove the nosp_am in my email address.

I have read some of the reviews on this web page and I thought I might add something to it myself. My friend Alex wilson has been recording music as a season musician and a producer from many years and I have also been recording music and playing live for about 12 years myself, I think the one thing that alot of us forget is that when we record music and play live most people have no idea about analog or virtual analog only what they like to hear. I can lug my moog modular on stage which has cost me #400 in the last year alone to maintain or my AN1X which cost me #300 and I still get the same great reaction. The one thing I would say to anyone getting started in recording synth based music is don't make the same mistakes as I did spending years and about #15000 on equipment trying to get the perfect sound, You will never get it! just try to make the best of what you have and don't get to worried about true analog or digital analog.

OS 1.02. The manual is very good and useful IMHO. Easy editing, especially with AN1xEdit software editor. Presets - who cares? ;) There's very good ones though. Ribbon controller is fun to use, aftertouch is somethat rough, but usable. Knobs could be better (a bit steppy in normal mode) but works fine. Very logical and well-built synth.

Polyphony could be better (10 max), but I'm not complain (otherwise - 10). Very good legato, unison, dual modes. Scene morphing, FREE EG, arps and step sequencer, ring-mod, FM, Sync, PWM, feedback - great stuff! Very capable synth architecture with powerful modulation matrix (16 in/outs per scene). Very good filter section. - I was suprised how good it is!

What I can say - it is OUTSTANGING Yamaha AN sound! This synth has its own character which I love.

MIDI controller capabilies are just GREAT (very nice synth keyboard action, much better than Roland)! It's my Master MIDI Controller.

Phat & cutting leads, deep basses, lush syn.strings, pads, weird FXs, some FM-stuff (e-piano), organs, syn.percussion - no problem for this synth!

FX section is good: variation effects - very good, delays - good, reverbs - average (at least they are tweakable ;) ), onboard master EQ helps much too...

This is YAMAHA - 10. This synth once retained my edited voice when a sudden power loss occured!

Very good. Yamaha is very responsive by e-mail. Good site. Manuals, wonderful freeware editor and other stuff can be downloaded from their site. Many patches on the web, user groups. Very nice...

If it will be stolen I would buy it again in a heartbeat... I love my AN1x. Great value. I only wish more polyphony and multitimbrality. This synth inspires me to write the music. In my setup AN1x covers all "analog" section. I only wish to add to my setup FM&FS synthesis - Yamaha FS1R (another fantastic synth from Yamaha).

Being used to a cs2x, and a kstation, programming is a real breeze and if that weren't enough, there's free software that edits it!
Presets? Huh? did it have any ?
Manual is good enough... yamaha style..

It has a ribbon controller that is REAL fun to play with, 8 asignable knobs, that feel nice and ruggid! and when je PUSH them you'll see the value that it is asigned ATM.. also, when pushed you can easily finetune your patches
polyphony of 10... welll... if in this synth you do not have enough with 10 voices, consider cycling as a hobby.
Expansions not that I am aware of... but i'll see the end of thay sooner than that this synth is depleted in sounds. (well apart from like the synth breaking)..
It has Aftertouch! which is fair enough, even for performance play, the keys are almost identical to a waldorf Q keys.. play really nice, feel weighty and yet have fast action for the complicated stuff.
The onboard stepsequencer, love at first sight, ok, there might be better steppers, but hey, it still is one hell of a stepsequencer, on top of that it has Enveloppes you can DRAW YOURSELF! 4 of them, and these are asignable to any of the functions in this baby WOW doesn't even start to describe the pleasures that can bring

This is THE electronic synth you want ... if you can't get the right sounds out of it??? what did you say? oyeah, you were a cyclist before weren't you?
A++++

dunno, BUT will find out REALLY fast.......

yes i will use it NO not without DOUBLE backup being my first gig and that facing 2000 people, no thanks, even if it were a sherman A1 i'd bring double backup

haven't yet and don't expect to need it ever

Cyclist vs. Artist.... you do the math..

there is no excuse on earth not to want this .... except ... well you get the idea ;)

Not the easiest synth to get around on but very convienient in a way too. All the knobs are good and easy but the other features are a bit tricky depending on what you are trying to do.

Plent of good features for a VA. The only thing I wish it had that it doesnt is a vocoder but that's not a concern at the price of this synth.

Excellent!!! I love this synth and it keeps suprising me all the time. After owning it for a couple of months and doing some light editing, I finally started to download some patch files from the Phat and Blue website. I was blown away by some of the sounds that other people were making. Those patches made for some great places for me to start making more of my own sounds and really helped me learn more about the synth. If you cant make an analog sound from your favorite 70's or 80's albums with this synth.....well, it's not the synths fault. I've been in and out of a few rock bands with this board and have had no problems with replicating sounds from Van Halen's 1984, Jump, Rush's Tom Sawyer, Simple Mind's Dont Forget About Me, Billy Idol's Rebel Yell, and countless others. It also works great for Linkin Park and Nine inch Nails. It's not the only board I gig with but it serves it's purpose well and more importantly does all the things that my sample-playback synths just cant do.

I've gigged it heavily. I cant afford a back-up so that answers that. Something came loose inside it once that killed all of my A's and E flats but it was a simple fix ( no tools, just reconnect ) and that was just a fluke thing. I cant hold that one incident against it.

Never used them.

If it was lost or stolen I would cry. I love this synth. I've been playin to some degree or another for about twenty years. I've got a few other synths like a Roland U-20 and XP-30, Korg N1R, E-mu Virtuoso, and an Akai S3000. I also run Cubase SX with Halion and the included soft synths. I love everything about it pretty much. The only thing that I dont like is the action but it's not horrible. Just plain and springy. My Rolands have sort of a cam action to them. Hard to explain but I like it. I chose it cause they were so cheap on ebay and everyone seems to like it on this sight. It also got a good review by Jim Aikin in Keyboard magazine. I just started writing a song in Cubase SX that uses several sounds from the AN1x. Definitly helps the process of writing.

The An1x is a pretty complicated synth to program at a first glance, however when you dig more deep into the controls, alot of things start to make sense. However it is much easier using the An1xEd program, which by the way is one of the best editors i've seen for a synth, no doubt about that. This Ed makes editing presets or your own patches a breeze...
The manual is absolutely fab. Nicely written with lots of tips here and there which is really good. Alot of useful reading.

I bought this synth primarily for the keyboard, which I think is really nice for the price you can find these synths for. The built in effects sound nice, but not the best ones i've heard, but they do the job.
10 notes of polyphony. This could have been increased, perhaps through some kind of upgrade, but it still has more than double the Korg Ms2000, and it really sounds just as fat and beefy as that one.
The keyboard action is very nice indeed. You can do extreme fast lead solos or bassline solos, and using modulation wheel and the ribbon controller for solos, just makes life more fun! It's really a fun(ky) synth. Midi wise, it's got in, out and through, and you just use those for storing patches externally to this very nice An1xEd editor.

This is where this synth shines above all. Again for this price, this synth just blows away the competition, even today some 6 years after yamaha released it. It can sound really beefy and bad, if you know how to program it. I've been using synths now for over 5 years and I must say that this is one of my secret weapons in the studio, and overall i'm really picky with sounds since one of my big hobbies is programming sounds. When people hear sounds in my productions and they ask from what synth it came from, 99% can't really believe it came from the An1x....it's that good. It's not NI Absynth, but it does have it's own character and the sonic range is limited if you compare it to the infinitely evolving sounds you for instance can make with NI Absynth. I use it primarily for fat basses and soft/harsh leads...
I've been using alot of softsynths and becoming more and more picky about sounds, but I was very surprised with the An1x, doing sounds that really "stand out" from the rest. Very nice sound indeed.
Someone told me the An1x have a bad DAC, but seriously I can't hear that at all. I just can't take people seriously when they complain about these subtle quality aspects anyway today. People really don't take the time to learn from what these synths have to offer, and I think that's a shame. You really can't make a judgement from standing in the music shop scrolling through crappy presets.
Try it, buy it and love it!

This is not an area i've had to much experience of since i've only had it for like two weeks now, but it hasn't crashed during the time i've used it. Therefore it seems reliable, but I can't really tell from this short time of use...

No experience in this field either...

I hope this synth will stay with me for a very, very long time. I have no intentions whatsoever to sell it. This must have been one of my best buys ever, and I fell in love with it right away. If I have to wish for something the synth could have had, (but for this price you really have no right to complain), that would be more multitimbrality and double the voices. If it had that it would really be one of the best, and most underrated(?), synths of all time. I'm that convinced...

This is my second review since 2000. I have owned it for over 4 years now so I have quite much experience. I thought to sell it for couple of times but that was over 3 years ago. After 1998 I bought it many synths has came and gone but AN1x has stayed. After I started to make my own sounds I noticed that It suited very well for my needs. Presets are crap except Megadrone which is cool one. I have found some cool patches from the net but I haven't made as many own sounds for any other synth as for AN1x. But more of the sounds later. Editing is very easy and fast in my opinion since you edit with knobs. Editing the CS1x style matrix without dedicated data-wheel/slider it's much slower. For example set delay time from 0 to 700 you have to wait for while since it's there. But when editing filters, oscs etc you have 8 knobs to work with. Every knob has 7+user parameters which is total 64 parameters in 8 groups. There is "groups" like Sync/FM, LFO, VCO1, VCO2, filters, mix, VCA and user. Well I don't remember every group right when I have no AN1x front of me now but something like that anyway. For computer lovers there is awesome free editor but I prefer more to edit straight from the synth. I have used manuals to check the CC#'s and some other stuff but not much.

You know all the features if you have read all the reviews. Keyboard is very light and I definitely like it. Very fast to play solos. I like the features and there is enough stuff for very long time. Only thing I miss is LFO sync to MIDI...as other 90's Yamaha synths are lacking it (EX5, FS1r...).

It can do electronic pianos and organs like quite many other VA's/analogs and ring modulator is big help. I have made sweepy synths, pads and effects but also some TB-type squelchy sounds, mid-range basses, deep basses, leads, strings and many other so I have used it in every song since 1998. There is quite amazing sounding string-patch called "Sibelius". I really like it. Since it has only 10-voice polyphony and "Sibelius" is 4-osc(dual layered) sound, you can't make fat chords with 5-voices. It's enough in theory but when you have long release time it cuts the voices when you change the chord. Effects are ok. Reverb can be muddy (what you expected?) but I have used heavy reverbs for some pads. Delays are the best and I like tempo-delay the most. Variation has choruses, overdrives, phasers etc and they are typical yamaha multieffects: good symphonic effect for strings, tremolo for e-pianos, eq/comp for basses, nasty overdrive for aggressive tb-sounds, flangers for spacey pads etc. I reactso to velocity, aftertouch and so on as good as you have programmed. Very good modulation matrix for sounds, I like it lot. You can make very complex sounds with it. Since I use other synths for sounds they do better. 10 for awesome pads and what I can do with it. Perhaps I'll share my patches later if I find them all...

Locked couple of times. Case is made of hard plastic and it's very light. Once dropped but everything is working fine. Knobs and keyboard feels a bit unreliable for gigging but never had problems

Never used

I would buy it again. I thought to get second one but one is enough for now. I bought it couple of weeks used with all the original stuff. I have playing for 14 years(more or less) and made over 10 years of my own music. I have owned 40-50 synths after I found my own bits: Roland Juno 106, Roland Jupiter 6, Roland XV-3080, Yamaha AN1x, Yamaha FS1r, Kawai K5000R, Novation Nova, Elektron Sidstation, Elektron Machinedrum, Waldorf Microwave XT, Waldorf Pulse. AN1x is NOT for preset-dudes but since there is many kind of musicians out there somebody could like of the presets too. If you are lazy to program there is many banks in the net. Remember that there is no much really crap synths, they just don't fit your needs/style/etc. Since I have owned Nord Lead, Micro Q, Nova, Prophecy etc, I can say that they all are very different sounding and you should'n compare them. AN1x can do many sounds you couldn't ever get from those and so on. Buy AN1x or what ever and learn to program it.

Yamaha has this matrix to access functions, in theory this is very nice but in practice it works awfully. Editing the sound is pretty easy, though, despite the multifunction knobs.

The keyboard is excellent and it can send arpeggiator through MIDI making it a neat master keyboard. It even has aftertouch. It has limited built in sequencing that can be used to enhance live performances.

The sound is average and the effects are _bad_. It is not very realistic as a Virtual Analog but can do a lot of sounds analogs has trouble doing (like aliasing >:) ).

It has an external powersupply with a poorly built power inlet. Otherwise it is rather well built.

It is not the worst virtual analog out there (hello Roland) but cannot really compete with the best either. It looks too much like the CS1x, which makes it embarrasing to be seen with.

Takes awhile to learn how to use it.
Good interface.
Manual is good, but not great.
Doesn't require a patch editor.

Polyphony = 10 note.
Plenty of built-in effects.
Not expandable, and doesn't need to be.
All functions are MIDI supported.
On-board step sequencer (quite difficult to use).

It's a physical modelling analogue board. In that respect it's dead-on.
On-board effects are very good.
Reacts well to a variety of playing types (variable velocity and aftertouch).

Very dependable.
I do use it without a backup. No problems.

Yamaha U.K. was very helpful.
Yamaha Canada was not helpful.

I'd absolutely buy it again if lost or stolen (heaven forbid).
I've been playing for over ten years. Other gear includes a Jupiter 8 and a Korg M1.
Compares quite well to the Virus (although the Virus has more voices).
It's very complete.

To my knowledge, Yamaha haven't upgraded the software for this synth since first releasing it. Nevertheless, it's still possible to get some highly original results out of the AN1x. Factory are shite, but you don't buy a board like this for it's presets! If you read articles about artists who own one of these, they see to consistently slate it for it's user friendliness, and in my opinion this just doesn't wash. For a start any one of 64 parameters (EGs, filters, LFO settings etc) can be tweaked (with a knob) with just one button-push. This is a highly logical interface which could only pose any difficulty to novices. Sound-wise the AN1x can come frighteningly close to a Prophet 5, often through smoothing waveforms using the Edge parameter. Another rarely found feature is the ability to reroute audio from the Amp output back into the Filter section, and if used with care (and resonance) this can create fine effects.

Polyphony is 10 notes (halved using Unison). FX are useable if not the best in the world. Keyboard action is light and responsive (much lighter than Virus kb) although aftertouch is quite 'hard'. On board step sequencer is a nice touch (though I usually turn to Cubase). Unison feature gives excellent results.

Creates Prohpet 5 sounds very convincingly.

Only problem I've had was the (external) power unit. Yamaha say this is a common problem and that these units have a relatively short lifespan. Due to limited polyphony it would be hard to get by in a live situation with this as your only synth.

Yamaha very helpful when I contacted them re above.

This board is invaluable in my setup but if it broke I may now consider an AN200 module (however used AN1x prices do not reflect their sonic potential and because of this they are a bargain). It complements both my Virus kb and my Nord Micromodular very well.

the presets are CRAP!! They are set for instant trance. If you have a drum machine you could easily write a trance song by turning it on and twisting a few knobs.

The manuals eems liek it was written for the web and would work better as a website. The information is all spread out. If there wasnt a glossary, i would have been lost.

Editing patches is very simple once you get used to the layout. its a bit harder to save yoru morphed and tweaked sound though.

There is a patch editor online at the yamaha site, Ive downloaded but havent used it.

The keyboard action is noce, velocity and after toucha nd you can assign how hard or soft youw ant the velocity and aftertouch to be.

It has no expansion possibilites. It does have an onboard sequencer and you can save sounds or make bassliens inthe step sequencer and morph them. Its a pretty xcool little feature and probably the high-light of this synth. BUT, if you have a sampler, that fearture is kidna worthless, IMHO.

This synth is very good at immitating other synths. I found myself creating all kindsa sounds from 303/acidy basslines to Oberheim strings. Its very good for electronica and I woudl reccomend this if you were hungting for one analouge keybaord with many features.

The onboard effects are very good and the 3-band EQ is WIKKED!

The sounds arent as fat and chunky as i would like them to be and the filters, to me, dont have a very good slope.

It looks like its made out of plastic. one of the kbons fell off during shipping. If defnitley woudlt gig with it.

Never dealt with Cusotmer service ont he phone. But Yamha's website is probably the best synthsizer manufacturer site. There is laods of information, sounds and free software for almost all their range of insturments, past and present. no other manufacturer offers that.

If it was lost, i wouldnt be at lost. it has soem neat features, but My Roland Alpha-Juno and Juno-106 almost outperm it editing wise and in thickness and fatness.

I have had the synth for about a week. Most synths, i get out of the box, start playign wit them and get inspired. This synth doesnt inspire me. You can create sounds forms cratch and coem up with soem wikked sounds, but like I said, this thing doesnt come close to my alpha-juno1.

I went with this synth against the Korg Z1 and the Access Virus B. I decided I am going to save a little more money, sell this and get a Krog Z1.

I would reccomend this synth to soemone who doesnt have any analouge gear and needs soem analouge sounds or wants to emulate a small range of older synths. It is expressive, but limited as you have to go through menus to reach all its capabilites. I liek the synth, but I find myself more using it as a controller for my sampler than i do using the sounds out of it.

I have an Oberhiem matrix-6, Alpha-Juno1 and a Juno-106. All of these just kill this thing soundwise. But feature wise, the An1x has them beat.

HEY - YOU WANT AN EXCELLENT ANALOG, CHEAP? This review is short and to the point.
This is an Easy unit. VERY easy. And if you can't find a factory sound that's right for you - don't worry.

10 note polyphony. Key action is very "light touch".
Effects --- reverb/delay, EQ and full DSP quality chorus, phaser, leslie, etc. Don't pay attention to losers who can't program this baby. It sings.
Aftertouch-yes, ribbon controller with pressure, 2 external pedals, 8 real-time knobs. What else do you think you need?
TB303 sequencer is good. Arpeggiator is very good. A QUAD "FREE ENVELOPE GENERATOR" IS EXCELLENT. Use it's power to mangle your sound in 4 different ways - even synched to the LFO or arpeggiator.

ANALOG.
NOT A PIANO - LOOPER - SEQUENCER. Don't be stupid. If you need analog that kills old (huge) gear, and has a 5 octave keyboard...

An artist will find amazing ways to use this keyboard. A looper/hack/sample-playback-of-someone-else shouldn't own one.

Crashes easily if sent MIDI data it doesn't like... but doesn't lock up. Just re-select the sound.
Gig? Always use it without problems.

Factory was excellent in replacing a bad wall wart under warranty.

Like I said - NEED ANALOG? Go here. Quickly. The editor software is EXCELLENT, and is for PC or MAC. LOTS of sounds out there for free. Learn to program it. You won't be dissappointed.

the manual is terrible, but this synth is simple enough to puzzle through that it is not really necessary. editing patches is not difficult at all, but the editor is nice nonetheless.

polyphony:
10 voices (5 in unison mode)

multitimbral:
2...kinda.
there are 2 scenes/program. each scene can respond to a separate midi channel or on the same channel (mixed or on a split keyboard) but the two scenes are not 100% independent as specified below...

keyboard:
standard (unweighted) keyboard action.
velocity sensitive.
aftertouch.

knobs:
all programming is done with 8 multi-function knobs (in conjunction with menu selection buttons).
the knobs can also be assigned to control a customized set (1 set/scene) of midi functions in performance mode.

effects:
one multi-effects module
one reverb
one delay.
the effects are all quite good, unfortunately, the effects are a 'program' feature, so the same effects settings must be used on both scenes of a given voice.

midi:
each scene can be set to respond to a different midi channel.

sequencer:
16 step classic analog-style sequencer. you assign the note, gate time (aka 'note length') and velocity via knobs. there is also a terrible arpeggiator none of whose patterns is especially useful.

free eg:
this allows you to draw and save envelopes for any 4 parameters (lfo speed, pulse width, vco pitch, whatever) and save it as part of the patch. a great feature to make sure your sounds don't get stagnant.

realism:
bad

types of music:
many claim that the an1x is good only for dance/techno music. i disagree. works great anytime you need some pleasant analog-type sounds. not too much capability for 'gritty' analog sounds (like the nord gives you) but excellent for more atmospheric sounds and basses with with a lot of character (just nothing too cutting). unfortunately, i have not been able to get too wide a range of sounds out of this synth.

effects:
really bring your programs alive, but not in that overbearing korg kinda way.

i gig with it without a backup. i've dropped and bumped it a couple of times. it looks pretty flimsy and the paint chips off with very little provocation, but it holds up better than you'd guess...

occasionally it gets funny when i first turn it on:
there is a weird 'blip' noise that plays intermittently over every patch. rebooting gets rid of this glitch.

at $425, this was an excellent buy. if stolen, i would proabably replace it at the same price. i opine, contrary to other reviewers, that the an1x is NO SUBSITITUTE for the nord lead. the an1x simply does not have the balls of a nord, or even the jp8000 for that matter. everything that comes out of the an1x is a little bit soft around the edges. no good for anything like powernoise or very aggressive ebm. this softness, however, works fabulously in tandem with my kawai k5 or yamaha tx802: their striking digital sounds play well against the an1x's lush analog character...

pro:
rich pads, strings and some nice synthetic basses
good effects
con:
only 2 parts multitimbral.
not much versatility in sound

Had to buy it after listening to Preset 1.
Presets are good, but AN1x is offering much more, nearly everything.
Editing of Synthesizer section is easy. Editing of controller matrix
section very complex. Manual is bad. Switching between sound bad.

Its 10 polyphone. Seems to be enough. But I bought it as working horse. Also using double sounds. Then its 5 polyphone, thats to few.
Effects are best quality. Its providing the complete set of controller functions. Realized in the controller Matrix. But not easy
to use all possibilities.

The most expessional synthy I know ! ( and i know a lot of )
Overtones of SAW waveform can be adjusted. So almost every traditional
synthy can be emulated. FM SYNC and PWM are provided. Its the best digital clone to emulate Mini Moog, ARP, Jupiter and so on, but also having an own very lovely charakter. So its good for Rock music.
But I bought it to make dance music ! AN1x can even do that, emulating acoustic music instruments. But you need the expirience of
analog synthy programming to create such sounds on the An1x.
If you can emulate an Instrument anolog, you have the advantage of
having more controle over the sound. What can you basicly controle
on a fixed sample ? Its similar to the D50 LA sythesis.
Dance music sounds I emulated on AN1X better than XP60 samples:

Flute ( Breath realized with FM or sync )
Pan Flute ( Breath realized with FM or sync )
Clarinet
Vibraphone (Akai S612 Sample )
Marimba (Akai S612 Sample )
DX7 Rhodes
DX7 Rhodes + Analog Strings
Pianet
Clavinet
Brass Section ( Emulated from D50 )
D50 Sound Number 61 (Heaven)
D50 Sound Number 21 (Native)
D50 Sound Number 25
D50 Sound Number 11 (Fantasy)
D50 Sound Number 14 (Strings with Attack)
JX 3P all Sounds
Mini Mood Lead Sound
ARP Odysse Sync Sound
DX7 Male voice
Hammond Jazz Organ ( including Breath of Leslie )
Hammond Rock Organ ( including Breath of Leslie )
....

My AN1X has a bug. If it gets to warm, he produces a terrible noise
if both channels are avtive.
Extarnal power supply was already damaged.

A great instrument. Looks harmless, but has a lot of power.
Perhaps can be compared with Roland JP 8000. The Roland looks more
expensive and solid. But concerning the sound I prefer the AN1x.
A very special instrument.

Forget about half of the presets... not even worth messing with. But there are a few which, with proper editing, can sound great. The synth's strenghth however is not in presets, but in the ability to create some amazing sounds of your own - unlimitted possibilities for the most part.

Some people complain about how the synth is set up - 8 knobs, realtime. For me, that's all i need - sure, it's not set up like the old analogs or something like a nord or jp8000, but who even needs that? If you know how to program a synth, you don't need some fancy set up to do it. Just listen to the sound, and tweak what needs tweaking. And then you can assign 8 knobs to the user section and modify to your heart's content once you have you basic sound set up. Let me say this: i don't ever use the computer patch editor. I don't like having to use a mouse to modify sounds... that's why i bought a synth with knobs... if you want a computer editor buy a softsynth for 1/10 the price... if you want something you can put your hands on, buy an an1x and tweak to your heart's content.

Manual? who cares! I've consulted the thing maybe 10 times since i bought this over 2 years ago. Just use it and learn... it's simple enough.

No problems with polyphony... does anyone know if this synth has aftertouch? i think it does, but i'm not positive. i'm not a huge fan of aftertouch anyway...
Effects section is great. Gotta love the aural exciter... great reverbs, many editable parameters for each effect, but plus parametric equalizer! which i think is a must for any great fx processor...
Only one (or two if you split it) part multitimberal... unfortunate, because if it had something like 3 sounds via midi this synth would be tremendous...
Sequencer is basically a 16 step one for creating "arpeggio like" sounds... i don't use it much, i'm more into pads and smoother analog sounds...

Great analog sounds. Period. I have never felt limitted when creating a sound. If you want something that sounds like an old video-game synth, forget this. This is for just great synth sounds... nice synth strings, not a big fan of brass... some good leads, some excellent sounds alltogether. Effects like reverb and delay really make sounds stick out in your mix.. you can make anything from low scary sounds to pipe organs to synth choir to tech-house IF you know how to program. IF you can't program synths, this is also a great way to learn. I didn't know how to program at all, now i can do just about anything i want to... especially with this synth

Never had a problem, ever.

Never had a problem with the synth.

9.9 rating. Everything you could want for the price. You could pay twice what I paid and get some super digital/analog hybrid whatever... or you could save your money and learn how to program a synth. Ribbon controller is good, arpeggiator good, knobs are great, effects are great, sounds are unlimited...
128 sounds total is a bit of a drag.. one part multitimberal means you'll need more than just this synth to sequence...
Overall, great for the price... in fact, it has gone up in value in the last 2 years... I'm seeing it for about $100 more than what i paid for it.

Most of the Presets sux big time! Playing with presets is like an artist copying his own work and massproduce it. (I don't like that). Editing is also hard. The matrix is confusing and the display don't help much. The PC patcheditor is a gift from the Gods!
If you try out the manual for the solution of a problem, you will most likely NOT find it. It is THAT bad!

The 10 note polyphony is more than OK. I hardly ever use more than 5 notes at a time, ever.
Effects are absolutly crap! It's a classic try to hide poor capabilitys of a synthesizer. Good oscillators don't need chorus to sound fat and reverb to hide glitches in the sound. The MIDI is OK for me. A problem for me is that the synth resets my MIDI settings and restore them to default sometimes?!? There IS a onboard sequencer, but not in a conventional way. It lets you create yourown arpeggio-like FX. A breeze to program with the editor. Pure HELL in the display. The best thing in this machine is the free EG. Draw a envelope and assign it to cutoff. Draw another envelope and assign it to LFO-speed. And so on. Four envelopes per patch with lots of control over time = MAGIC! I will program an emty patch to fit the micromodular. Together they will be unbeatable.

You want realistic sounds? Buy a sampler! This is a pure synthesizer with synthesized sounds. Sometimes it sounds almost organic or alien but always synthetic. Synthpop musicians should like this machine. It's a little to lame for my taste. Whatever i do, it doesn't "bite". I also have a Nord Micromodular, and it "bites" a lot if i want it to. The AN1x sounds like a "pad-machine". Make a pad, use all effects and you got instant Ambience. Lovely by themself, but "eats" a mix completely.

I hung up a coupple of times while editing from the PC. Stable enough to bring to gigs.

Don't know!

Stolen? I'll look for something else. Another interesting VA is the Waldorf Micro-Q KB.

I didn't like the presets. They're geared for progressive rock.
Editing the patches is not difficult, the layout is good, but there are so many features that it takes some time to figure out what is going on. The manual is understandable but does not go into depth. I would have like a lot more tutorials.

10 notes of polyphony-all I really need.
Has effects. I don't use them. I don't like them.
No expansion features
Very intricate modulation matrix. This synthesizer is capable of some very serious sounds. It's one of the most powerful synths I've ever worked with.
On board 16 step sequencer and very good arpegiator-neither of which I use.

The sounds that come out of this synth! beautiful stuff-from screaming leads, to bell sounds, to bizzare noises.I play garage band rock and roll and I love this synth. Don't look for traditional sounds. This is a synthesizer.
Reacts beautifully to my playing. The ribbon controller alone is worth the price. Plenty of knobs, millions of things to tweak.After touch is great-note that it has after touch.

Wall wart power. I take it to gigs w/o a spare-who can afford a spare synthesizer? I should get a spare wall wart cable. You have to be careful carrying it because of the knobs.

Never used them.

I have a Korg DW 6000 and a Siel DK 600 both broken. The Yamaha sounds much better than either of them. The Yamaha is also capable of many more sounds than either of the above synths. I also use a EMU Vintage Keys for more traditional sounds. The Yamaha might be a little brighter than an actual analog synth, but since every synthesizer has its own sound, this is not realy an issue. I play through a silver face Fender Bassman amp with a 15 inch speaker. The tubes sound really good with this synth.
I've played keyboards for 20 years. I've never seen anything close to the power of this synthesizer for the money. If you want the old screaming analog sound you can't go wrong buying this synth.

Its decent.. only 8 realtime knobs.. menus ARE a part of this synth.. NOT reccomended to learn subtractive synthesis with.. Nord or Juno 106 is much easier to get started with.. for the AN1x has a fairly deep synth architecture..

keyboard is QUITE nice! this is ONE REALLY GOOD reason to pick this synth up on ebay for cheep.. cuz it makes a KILLER controller.. velocity AND aftertouch on a 61 key synth with 8 realtime knobs, pitchwheel, ribbon controller.. VIOLA! the effects GREAT.. so great in fact.. that they are, sadly, what makes this synth sound so good.. internal 3 band EQ.. decent reverbs.. distortion.. yaddayaddayadda..

if you turn the effects off and depend on the raw waveforms going the filters and envelopes and whatnot.. you WILL be disappointed.. it is BLAND! NOO FUN! i have made some BEAUTIFUL patches on this machine.. but they were all effect based.. and if i wanted to use effects.. i wouldve used some outboard effects.. thank you very much!! you can make a bubbly wet fart sound neato with effects.. if you want a REAL VA that doesnt depend on effects for making it sound better than what it actually is.. then go for a nord.. if you dont mind the effects.. then personally.. i think the MS2000 sounds better than this thing.. + with that.. you get more knobbage.. [ albeit less keys and no aftertouch :-( ]

oh yeah.. one more thing.. the filters step like a MOFO!!! BAAAAD stepage!!!!

based on the synth architecture ALONE.. no help from effects.. this sucka gets a measley 4!!

tastes like confectionery chocolate... u gotta add sugar to make it taste good..

its a VA.. digital.. OS has crashed on me like once.. no biggie tho.. i wouldnt drop it down a flight of stairs.. case is plastic..

errr.. never delt with yamaha.. its a major bloodsucking corp.. although they DO make some NICE economy instruments (guitar, drums, bass.. etc..)

DONT pay over $500 for this thing.. like i did.. i mean.. ill probably keep it, cuz its the ultimate controller for me.. and if i sold it id probably be losing money.. and like i said.. and i HAVE made some decent sounding patches.. (all of them effects based tho) if it were lost of stolen.. i would.. uhh.. i would probably pick up a DX7 controller KB and a nord rack and some REAL ANALOG stuff.. or something.. i probably wouldnt buy one again.. i dunno.. for 400.. its a perdy good deal..

Is somewhat limited as to what you can get to with one of the eight knobs but is fabulous with the free editor available online.

Only has 10 note polyphony compared to my Nord Lead2's 16 note polyphony. The built-in effects are more than adequate. No expansion. Has a built-in "analog-style" sequencer and arppegiator. It's very easy for anyone with any experience with keyboards.

Sounds GREAT!! SOme on this site seem to think it's only geared for techno-dance-trance, I personally use it to recreate classic analog sounds in my classic rock band playing '70's and '80's. It works great. Nice FAT and warm sounding. I wouldn't say it sounded better than any other VA I also have a NordLead2 and love it as well. Although the AN1x is a great deal for the money.

It seems to be built really well.

Never called supoort but haven't had any trouble getting replacement parts like knobs, etc.

If it were stolen I'd be real pissed and would try to find another one hopefully like the one I found. I bought mine from a dealer that had it as new old stock. I wouldn't be one to pit it against one of the other VA's because I've got a Nord Lead, a Prophecy, and a MOSS board installed in my Triton, I love them all. I really think you should try one and make a decision based on your ears. And yes I know they don't this one anymore although they have the AN200.

this is where AN1X is flawed, but the software-editor changes this. at one point or another you will have to use the software, otherwise you'll miss some of its nicest (weirdest) sounds. i hate looking at computer-screens so i rate it pretty bad here.

10 notes polyphony, 2 split parts (=easy to setup, but still pretty close to monotimbral imo), great keyboard action, mod wheel, bender, 8 assignable knobs (also easy to setup with other softsynths = big plus when using reason or whatever) make it a fantastic first controller kb. also midi in/out/thru, 1 stereo output (which could've been expected since it only has 1 a 2 parts going at the same time, but still, it's limiting here.

BUT no matter how much i may bitch about AN1X, for the price, its features are vast and unmatched except for softsynths (which i personally hate most of the time).

best part is the editing possibilities for the sounds, which are vast (seeming almost modular at times)

percussive sounds (bells, noise drums), bass (both melodic and punchy with the feedback turned wide open), leads of various assortments (synthbrass, kraftwerk tones etc), effects (from cell phones to tiny digital glitches), some wind sounds (mostly just noisy though), etc etc - AN1X is great in this department (you can also add two pedals on top of the wheels etc for further real-time expressiveness) - did i mention AN1X has aftertouch?

on the counterside, i must add that there are times when AN1X varies from a nordlead in ways that frustrate me (though that's probably just me as an autechre fan babbling - there are times that even with all its editing facilities, a certain sound just won't sound completely 'right' to my ears, even though most of the time its very musical and alive sounding)

metal casing (looks and feels like plastic but is in fact metal as opposed to the JP8000 which looks damn nice but is made out of plastic) - no problems with any of the smaller buttons whatsoever and mine was a demo model for nearly 3,5 years, so... i'd say it's quite allright here.

don't know -

very versatile board that 's gotten me started making some halfway decent music so far. love the kb-action, love most of the sounds (covers wider range than a JP8000 for sure -can sound both sweeter and harsher), but has a lousy interface, which turns it into something halfway between a true hardware synth (arp odyssey or so) and a softsynth, though i must add here it sounds way better than most current softsynths. (there is one plus side to the softeditor, you make more backups of your soundbanks and this is also very very easy to do.) i would have loved this board more if it had had at least 2 stereo outs and like 4 parts, but this limitation is much relieved when you add some other (cheapo) synths or a sampler. also, for the price they go by, it's easy to add a cheap fm-synth (dx7, dx9, ds8...) for organs and bass, a decent drumcomputer (R8, S3, RX5, ER-1...) and some ok efects-box like an ensoniq dp2 for the price of a single new nordlead2, JP8080, qrack... which would cover a lot more bass than those first two for sure. the Q is deep though (even the semicrippled micro),but still different machines bring their own specialties and are ultimately more versatile when combined correctly. all this to say the AN1X is a great place to start and a synth which, once mastered, you'll keep coming back to (once you've filled the userbank (or more than 1), you won't want to get rid of it no matter how ugly the front panel. i promise.

The presets on this sound like a demo. There are a lot of sequences and sound effects in them. Editing is hard to learn, but easy once you learn to use the functions. Don't get one without the AN1X Edit software, which in my opinion is much more easy to program than the keyboard itself. Mine came with a French manual for some reason, but I downloaded and printed the english version, and it's just about useless. I couldn't find simple info like how to turn settings/effects off and on. In fairness, this is the first synth I have tried to create my own sounds for, and it seems packed with features I have no idea how to use. Would probably be easier if I was more experienced with modeling.

The velocity sensitive keyboard works well and i is easy to edit the sensitivity for each sound, but it has a vibrato effect if you hold pressure on the keys. Being trained in classical piano, I find this function annoying as I am used to pressing into keys and I keep doing vibrato by accident. The only way I have found to disable it is to turn off the velocity sensitivity for that voice, which disables all dynamics. Lots of effects, most are easy to use. Has full midi capability but only on one channel at a time. This unit has a pressure sensitive ribbon controller, which works very well. It is assignable, like almost everything on this unit, and can be used for effects, velocity, or to change multiple parameters of the voice. Very cool for live performance of techno and responds to where on the ribbon you touch and how hard you press, which control seperate functions. Ability to load sounds from downloaded or user-created patches is simple and greatly expands the usefullness.

Not many "instruments" come on this machine. I think it came with a rhodes sound and a couple of decent moog like sounds like Floyd 75. I would really only recommend this for techno/dance as it would be sub-standard for a performance synth. Onboard efefects are numerous and rich, and you can get some deep fat techno sounds out of it with little tweaking. I downloaded some 303 patches that sound great. Wide array of digital and analog sounds are possible.

100% dependable for me so far, but I only use it at home with my computers a couple of drum and synth modules. I like that it saves info if you are editing and turn it off. Your settings are there when you turn it back on.

Easily got the English manual I needed from Yamaha web site. I've found it hard to find patches for it on the net though, as it seems to be getting rare, and I can't make it take general midi patches.

Overall, if you're doing techno or dance music, it's the bomb. If you're playing country with a live band, don't even bring this with you. I'd rate it a 9.5-10 for techno, and 5 or below for anything else.

The presets are things with black capes on that feed on blood (suck) they are really disgraceful UNTIL you download the freebee editor and the thing just springs to life. What a fantastic machine this is!
Yamaha really lost so much money while people listened in music shops and bazaars around the world DUH!.
Editing patches at first is like trying to extend my Chinese Visa a total pain in the ...Eventually you fill the thing with downloaded patches and it rocks.
The manual is written in Klingon, what a load of garbage !

The keyboard feels great but the mod and pitch bend wheels are a bit plastiky like the whole thing. Don't drop it or it's all over.
If you are wondering why your sounds have gone all wobbly and can't seem to find the problem, check that the mod wheel is back (don't laugh you've all done it). The midi seems great but navigating the menu is puzzling at times as the whole keyboard is black and blue.

It's a dance synth and a really mean one as well, the downloaded sounds are great. Presets, forget them, well most.
A really nice function is to be able to push the knobs in and find the original settings as well as being able to initialize certain parts of the preset programs. the memory is non-volatile so everything is the same when you switch it back on.

I'm really afrad that this keyboards construction is very flimsy and the actual finish seems to scar very easily which is a shame.
Yamaha have brought out a whole load of machines using the same kind of body which looks budget to the max. That silver model with the blue all over it looks dreadful. Brilliant synth - crap construction.

Haven't needed support yet -

If it was stolen i think i'd buy another because it's got a really different sound to my other gear. (Trinity-Prophecy-MC505).

Anyone looking for a great dance synth should seriously get one of these and get rid of the presets.

The manual for this thing stinks, fortunately, that isn't that much you need to learn. I've found AN1x Edit to be a godsend, if that program didn't, exist the ease of use rating of this synth would be much lower. I don't like the odd editing interface the synth has.

Good polyphony, 8 voices I think. Keyboard has a nice feel. Good internal fx. Would have a 10 but this thing has a maximum of 2-part multitimbrality, and really in practicality only has 1, that is very sad. I wish it had more. The on-board sequencer is awesome, I love it! That's one of my favorite things about this synth. Hard to program from the AN1x itself, but with AN1x Edit it's smooth sailing. Has basic virtual analog functions with a little bit of FM synthesis thrown in. The best thing about this synth though is its fun as hell to play. With the cool sequencer, mod wheel, pressure-sensitive ribbon controller, and 8 knobs, you can tweak to your hearts content.

It sounds very fat and analog, I'm really impressed, especially for the money. A trance-maker's dream machine. The pads are awesome, very big and lush. The filters, however, imho, suck. The cutoff has a bad stair-stepping problem which is compounded by high resonance settings. A big disappointment there. If it wasn't for the filters, it would have gotten a 10.

Ugh, this thing crashes on me constantly, but usually when using it with AN1x Edit and my computer. But still, it's annoying. I've never encountered another synth that crashes as much as this one, but it might be partly due to trying to use it with my computer and MOTU MIDI Express, which can sometimes send funny msg's. I dunno, but my other synths don't crash as much, so it gets a 6 here.

I've dealt with Yamaha customer support for another product, an A3000 sampler, and they are helpful if you call them, but via email are completely worthless. In this day and age, that is unacceptable. Get it together Yamaha!

It's definitely worth what I paid, I can't believe they want $500 new for one of those little AN200 boxes, I would much rather have this thing. I got it super cheap on eBay and it was sort of an impulse buy. If it was lost or stolen not sure if I would get it again, but this synth is a lot of fun so I think it's going to stay in my studio.

This machine rocks!
Short review:
It's kind of computer things. EVERYTHING can be stored in a present. So if you save your work, everything is back the same if you load the present again. very nice, no time eating machine. Althought to edit you have to cooperate with a computer. But everything can be adjusted. Very wide range of possiblities. Nice warm sound. A bit clean, but with some tricks you can get it more uglier (is you want ofcourse). The filter cutoff filter is very clean, nbut I like more heavier tweaking cutoffs. Even with lots of resonance... this blue baby can't be compared like filters in an Akai Sampler (S series). It's other. Not better, not worse.

Present sounds? Fuck them. Just get An1xedit and download lots of homemade present and just listen...

Looking foor the BIG PHAT sounds? It's possible... you have to know some tricks and add some dirty effects, but result is ok! :)

That was it.
Buy it! It's much too cheap.

Oh yeah! The keyboard rules!!! very nice playing so as masterkeyboard it's better then great!!

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Very easy to use. Seriously, if have owned at least one synth before, you will have no problem. The reason why I say this is because you need at least a cursory knowledge of synth terms and what they mean if you wanna know what you are doing. It has a simple color-coded interface that is extremely intuitive.

10 note polyphony and bi-timbrality (you can layer two scenes) is fine. Don't worry about not being able to create really thick sounds because there is a ton of options to thicken the sounds even more. That's what is so cool about this synth! For instance, you can play any sound in "unison" mode, which really fattens the sound. "Dual" mode does the same thing, even better. One of my favorite ways to thicken sound is to add feedback, a really cool and easy feature that adds beef to any patch. Effects rock. It's very easy to tweak the sounds and it is a must because the presets (although they hint at the power under the hood) are pretty weak. Don't be fooled by the presets!

Very expressive. Three mod controllers (four if you buy a foot pedal). The ribbon contoller is better feeling than the one on my CS6x.

So far, no problem. It seems solid, despite its platic look. Actually, it is not plastic, but metal painted to look like plastic. Don't ask why. I think that was a stupid move. But it looks cool nonetheless.

Great customer service. I have not called them about this synth, but I have asked for their help regarding my CS6x. They get back to you within 48 hours.

I would definately buy another one if it were stolen. Incredible bang for the buck.

It's pretty easy to use - not the easiest but it offers a decent screen and plenty of knobs to tweak.

It has plenty of options and 10 notes poly and 2 parts is plenty from this axe. I dig the keyboard feel better than some of my other synths. I wish the arpeggiator was a little more user definable and friendly, but hey at least it can produce some good sounds.

Almost a 10 (but is anything really a 10?) - It really kicks ass in terms of sound. It can sound analog or digital. I'd swear some of the analog patches sound just like those old classic rolands and moogs. They really are very close and have a lot of appeal - in a mix no one's going to be able to really tell if that's a vintage moog ( who even cares?)...Any ways as it has been called and definitely is "Phat and Blue".

Only had it a little while - but feels solid.

Haven't needed to contact them but I did print out the manual from their site - that's cool.

Sound is what matters - so it is definitely a 9!

If you put on the right cap, this thing is actually laid out quite logically. Color coding, matrix editing, knobs, LCD that reflects knob movement, what more could you want? Yeah it dosen't have a seperate knob for every parameter in the engine, but hey! With all these VAs coming out there is a small knob shortage in Japan.

Ok-I think 10 notes of polyphony, 2 part multitimbral, effects sound smashing!!! Full midi spec, arp, on board sequencer is really fun-entering values with the eight knobs-note, velocity, gate, control, values are editable in sequencer-very analog sequencerish. a la` SQ10.

I agree that Yamaha needs to hire a whole new "preset" department. I would urge you not to judge this synth by it's presets. If you want a synth that has tons of sonic possibilities and flex, this is it-and it is so affordable! It is also the kind of synth that everyone can own yet still sound different on. It does have what I would call a character to it though. --plays really well nice rugged keys-velocity sense. it is built well-
good for all kinds of music I would say-just don't go looking for samples or realistic drums, basses, strings,-it's a synth. It synthesizes!

I have owned it for years and nothing has happened-
I have gigged tons of times without another one around-
really stable-no memory problems like the jp-8000 (which by the way sounds like a pile of glass) yuck!

There is a guy named John there-he is really nice.

This is an excellent synth-(I think Yamaha fucked up)
I can't even compare it to most VAs out there because it blows them away-jp-8000, That new Oberheim thingy, etc.
I even think is sounds warmer than the Nords and the Alesis Andromeda!!which is real analog!!!How did they fuck that up????

I think Yamaha have hit on a very good trade off between price and
ease of use. As others have pointed out it doesn't have 1 knob - 1 function,
but likewise it doesn't cost an arm & a leg and they haven't cut corners
where it counts: the sound. Editing patches is relatively straight-forward
if you're familiar with analog synthesis (which I wasn't when I bought the
synth but it helped me learn), but I would recommend that anyone who buys
one also downloads the latest version of the patch editor, AN1x edit. It's
a fantastic piece of software written by an enthusiast and adds 100% to
the value of the synth.

The manual's fine. Quite user-friendly and a hell of a lot better than
some of the Roland manuals I've read in my time (U-20 anyone?).

I think the features are great. I use the AN1x as a control synth
most of the time. The on-board sequencer's fun (especially when editing
via the AN1x edit software) and being able to send the arpegiator via
MIDI can make for a lot of fun with other synths you've become bored with.

Some have griped about the 2 part multi-timbrality, but this was never
meant to be a workstation keyboard. My advice is if you want to have
it play loads of different parts hook it up to a multi-tracker. That's
what I do and it works a treat.

This synth sounds excellent compared with most other virtual analogs. I
didn't like the sound of the JP8000 (it's closest rival) which, to me,
sounded like any other Roland synth with a resonant filter slapped on it.
It has a definite sound of its own. Whereas the AN1x, on the other hand,
does a very good impersonation of most 'classic' analogs.

The AN1x is capable of huge sounds, delicate sounds, chimey FM sounds, the lot.
And by the time you add the FX section in (the quality of FX is incredible)
you can't lose. It's all here. You might have to search for it a bit,
but it's all here.

I've had mine for 3 years and the only problem I've had is with one
of the keys (G2). No matter what velocity you hit it with it always
transmits a 127 value. I'll get round to fixing it sometime but it's
not a big problem at the moment.

Other than that it's been totally reliable, no lock ups or anything
like that.

Never had the need...

If I lost it I'd buy another one immediately. It's a true synth in every
sense of the word. I use mine for all sorts of purposes; electronic
music, progressive rock, sound effects, hell - I even recorded a damn
good 60's organ sound with it once by running it through a Boss SE70.
Buy one, you won't be disappointed.

Before buying it, I didn't notice the nobs work for another parameter instantly by pushing once (as A-*000 sampler). This function may be a bit confused but saved cost and space significantly. It's still easy to play compared to my ancient DX-7 with only one! date entry slider (and a volume).

ROM version 1.02

Touch sensing/after touch keybord and ribbon controler are nice. Scene change is a merit also. Good effects and 16 steps built-in sequencer available.

I bought it through Yahoo! Japan auction, very beautiful condition as if not yet used. Startup sign 'Battery Low' may be no problem as I could lose small screws at the bottom, and change CR2032 lithium button by myself. Yamaha Japan serviceman told me as the newest ROM is version 1.04, and it's available at around US$15 (in Japan). 1.02 ROM is known to show 'Battery Low' if the voltage is still enough to go, and 1.04 recovers this problem etc...

I did read all comments here before made a bid at auction. Today, used JP-8000 is easily available and Nord Lead2 is going to bargain before Lead3 appearance, but these two are 100% popular on many many Trans mixes and a bit bored to my ears. I downloaded many sound samples of them and compared with AN1x's before geting one. If your music is Techno/Trans/Electric, it's a model for you. It sounds badly 'plastic' for other genres. Suitable to mix with real or pseudo analog sound modules - you need at leaset one as AN1x has only two timbres. There're clearly audible filter steps, but it's characteristics of this instrument. Love it or buy true analog model.

No problem.

When I called Yamaha Japan serviceman up on the phone, he told me as he would call me back soon for saving my telephone fee. He taught me battery type and what ROM version was available - both easily changeable by normal user.

Used one is cheap, but the sound is not at all. Sounding very clean and 'electric'. I chose to buy AN1x rather than CS6X with card. If lost or stolen, again I would buy this blue damn plastic garbage with 'bad' sounds.

Equipments:
Macintosh G4/400
Logic Audio Platinum 4
Mark Of The Unicorn MTP2
Yamaha A-4000
Yamaha DX7
Roland JX-305
Roland U-110
Oberheim Matrix-1000
Akai Drum Expander
Ensoniq DP/4

Regardless of what others say, you would have to no absolutly NOTHING to not be able to operate this synth. Its very easy and makes 100% sence. the knobs are color coded with the selection buttons, so all you really need to know is how to program a synth (has nothing to do with knowing anything about computers) and how to match up colors.
I have only peeked on the manual a few times since I got it in 1997.

Its only two parts-multi timbral, but thats ok. Its a good board to ad to an exsisting set up, or even just with a drum machine and a sequencer.The on board effects couldnt be easier to use and tweek to your needs.
Has all the midi capabilities youll need.
The on-board sequencer is 16 steps and very very simple to use, and can produce great dance or ambient patterns, you can also assign sequences all across the keyboard.

This synth is capable of producing massive sounds, that sound great.
Dont let the pre-sets fool you (most of them suck, and dont properly project its abilaties. Trust me, its sounds fat if you know what your doing, same goes for almost any board.

I have been using this since 1997...its now 2001. NEVER not once have I EVER had any problem with this board.....Very very reliable, and well constructed.

Never had to deal with them. I did deal with Yamaha for my EX5, and they were quick to reply and were fairly helpfull, and willing to help.

If I lost it, I would buy a new one. But it wouldnt get lost.
I have been playing since 1996. As of Jan 2001 I own....
Yamaha AN1X
Yamaha EX5
Nord Modular
Korg Triton Rack
E-MU Audity 2000
Yamaha A5000
And more rack mounted effects units, vocoders, guitars and basses, and misc. studio gear than I care to take the time to type here.

This is the HARDEST damn thing to feel at home on, unless you're a computer nerd, and even then it's trouble. I have never gone into a manual so frequently before. The knobs are way too redundant for everything, in short, the controls are confusing in the traditional analog synth sense, still I do love it.

10 note polyphony. Key action is fine. I never have a problem with that on ANY keyboard, anyway. I love the built-in effects, more than anything in it's class or price-range; and WHOA does it give you CONTROL!!! TOO much, actually, and all digital, but it is nice to know it's there. Two different choruses, pitch shift, flanger, phaser, overdrive, amp simulator (guitar amp, that is), rotary, symphonic (my favorite!), umm...what else... OH Yeah: a great digital delay and reverb section, 3 band equalizer (parametric)...
Damn...why didn't they have something like this in the early eighties?

It also has all kinds of split effects, 2 "scenes for each of 128 voices, ALL programmable (they start out as presets), so you can actually have 256 different sounds; you can segue between two in each voice, blend them; unison, split unison, ETC. You have a step-sequencer and arpegiattor, with ALL kinds of variation-options for them, it gets ridiculous. Pretty damn flexible, NOT all that easy to maneuver around on, but some find it so. There is a software editor available on the net, and although I downloaded it, haven't used it yet (guess I have a masochistic streak).

Oh yeah, it has pitch and mod wheels and a ribbon controller, which I love (real retro-analog)

What a monster-toy...

Well call me simple, but it is pretty expressive with all eight knobs, the pitch and mod wheels and ribbon. It seems limited compared to a big ol' XP or Triton or something, but for ME, it is certainly in the right direction: I experiment. This let's you redesign sound; and don't underestimate this machine. As I've read in Synth Zone, I believe, IT'S A NUCLEAR WEAPON.

The effex are very respectable, damn good enough for me: I still can't believe I got all this shit crammed into a blue wonderbox for $500. I do electro-metal-ambient-space music, so it's power, however thick and dense it can get, will still float in delicate waves of bliss...

Apart from blinking lights that initially concerned me, once I called Yamaha, a very nice dude named Dave checked it out in L.A., and said it doesn't seem to be problematic, and he's right.

See above.

I've had a love-hate-love relationship with it, mostly awe.

The AN1X user interface could definatly be improved on. There is no data wheel or controller which means editing patchs is a very unintuitive and slow process at first. As with all yamaha products i've encountered the manual is virtualy useless.
Using the AN1X in conjunction with a pc/mac based editor makes it a much easier machine to work with as every parameter is in front of you instead of having to scroll through multiple menus.

The AN1X has a built in FM synthesis engine alonside its analog modeling ocsilators, as far as i'm aware this is not the case with any other modeling synth.
12 notes polyphony is not all that impressive these days although for the price at which you can pick up an an1x for these days theres no reason to complain.
built in reverb, chorus, delay and a single multi fx processor,and 3 band eq. the effects are not bad at all, obviously not up to the standards of many outboard units but still very usable.

I really can't convey how impressed I am by the sound of the AN1X. I've been using the an1x as my main sound source for about two years and have no intention to change despite having used virtually every other modeling synth.
Many people say the AN1X sounds alalog.....yes it can sound analog but it can also sound very cold and digital if you want it to as it has a built in FM synthesis engine, using analog modeling synthesis in conjuntion with the FM synthesis can produce some very original & distinctive sounds.
My only gripe is that it is very easy to distort the signal from the AN1X, it breaks up at quite a low volume which means you have to be quite concious of the volume when programming patchs.

No problems in two years.

*the presets sound very professional, very warm and fat.
*Once you know how to edit analogue equipment it's easy to edit patches from scratch because of the analogue-synthlike knobs and functions.
*the manual is clear but if you don't know something about editing analogue synths it might be dificult

*the polyphony is-I think-12 voices the keyboard has variable action (you can chose how hard you have to hit the keys before there is any volume in the sound).the keyboard itself is very nice to play with, I use it as my master keyboard in my studio.
*It has a lot of effects (ex. chorus,reverb,phaser,distortion,wah,...)
it has 2 seperate effect generators: one multieffect and one reverb/delay generator.
*it has midi in/trough/out sockets, all the realtime knobs send out midi information.the keyboard sends velocity and aftertouch

the sound of the synth is very warm and fat, the best part is that you can create sounds from scratch.It works best for techno,trance,...

it's a reliabil instrument (it never faled on me)

if it was lost or stolen I don't think I would buy it again because every day appears a better and cheaper product so the competition is very big but I love it because of it's editing possebilleties and it's sound. downpart is the lack of multitimbrality, only 1 part(actually two, but thats a long story)and a mere 12 voice polyphony.
when I bought it I compared it with the roland JP-8000 with is still more expansive but a little bit better.
Bottemline:A very creative and professional synth

Really easy to use, no problem. 8 knobs and clear editing matrix.
If there would be value-dial or similar it would be even faster/easier
to use. When I bought this in summer 1999 I was amazed how good it
sounded. Soon presets started to bore and I got some from the
net (really good sets) and after digging the machine I made my own.
I have that great editor for windows but ever actually made sounds
using it. Manuals are good. Enough info for me.

You know that all: 10-poly, 2-multi, VC01 (Sync, FM), VCO2, VCF
(Ring Modulator, Noise, FEG), VCA (AEG), great filters including
18dbLPF etc. Great effects: variation(ncluding Chorus, Phaser, Auto
Pan, Compressor, Pitch Change, Distortion, and more).+delay+reverb.
and 3-Band Stereo Good keyboard with aftertouch. AN1x is my
masterkeyboard. SEQ is cool, easy to make own bass-lines and Free EG
is great too(4-track). There is six types of layers including Dual
(both Scenes layered), Split (one Scene assigned to each side of a
variable split point), and Unison, which lets you achieve those thick
sounds.

Good engine for dance,trance,ambient,industrial,etc,etc electronic
music. You can make some really cool strings and some e-piano&
organ -stuff too(no sense since samplepb can do better ones.
I'm little disapointed, cause I can't make kicking leads. Basses are
cool anyway and there is some cool Moog -patches in the net.

Locked couple times.. just reboot and that's it.

No problem.

I like it so much that I could buy it again. I tried to get second
one. I have owned it for year. AN1x is good addition to my studio:
Roland JX-8p, Roland JV-1080(+techno exp), Quasimidi Rave-O-Lution 309
(+audio and drum exp), Waldorf MicroWave XT and Waldorf Pulse. This is
on the same line with JP-8000 and Nordlead. JP-8000 has great
interface with tons of knobs/sliders, Nordlead has its own strenghts
and so on. But for the price(discontinued), AN1x kicks ass.

The really good presets are few and far between imo. I do like "Heaven" and "Analog". For editing, I would recommend just to start twisting those knobs. Once you figure out the color matrix, it's not that hard to do what you want. I don't care for those rubber buttons on the right, but I'm sure it kept down the cost of the synth. The lit LCD is smallish, but useable. The AN1X editor from Gary Gregson makes life a bit easier as you can use it to draw your own Free EG's. The manual sucks, but hardly any manual is well-written when it comes to synths.

10 notes is enough for me as I'm using this in conjunction w/ other synths. The keyboard action is decent, but a bit shallow for my taste. I prefer the action on an XP-50 or 80. The effects do a lot for the sounds and are fairly easy to edit. There's no expansion capabilities or ways of storing additional sound other than Gary Gregson's editor/library. I would recommend downloading this immediately after purchasing your AN. It has an onboard step sequencer and arpeggiator, but I don't utilize them very often. They are fun to play with, though. I think my favorite feature is the ribbon controller. I can make my sounds very expressive when using it as well as using the mod wheel to morph sounds. This synth has polyphonic aftertouch as well.

I love the sounds. I wouldn't waste time w/ realistic sounds here as this is a VA coupled w/ FM capabilities. I've been able to program some nice strings, pads, square wave synths, basses, leads, syn choirs, staccato synths, Wurlitzers, sweeps, synth percussion, etc. I find the overall character of the synth to be fat and full, but it really depends on how much you are willing to program. I'm using it for driving new wave w/ my current band and also feel that it would great for synthpop, techno, industrial, darkwave, and even classic/prog rock it can do some monsterous unison leads.

Yammie gear has never given me a bit of trouble. I would not hesitate to use this live as I do so along w/ my XP-50 when playing with my band. It has plasticky casing, so I would be somewhat gentle with it.

Never had a problem.

I would defintely buy another AN if something happened to it. It's very versatile and sounds great. It blends in well with my other gear (Jupiter-8, FS1R, XP-50, DW8000, CZ-101, and TG33). I love the sounds and the ribbon controller, but hate the rubber buttons on the right panel. I compared this w/ the JP8000 and not only liked the sounds more after tweaking them, but felt that it was a better overall value. I only wish it had a slightly larger screen and knobs or sliders compared to those damned rubber buttons. This is an inspiring instrument as I'm utilizing it all the time with the band. Another plus, is that it only weighs 16 lbs. You can tuck it up under your arm and go! I think the portability factor of this synth is all too often overlooked. I also like it's blue color.

I think the preset-sounds are rather nice, but the AN1x can do much better. It's rather easy to edit a patch, but a lot of knobs have multiple functions. All functions are easily accessible though. The manual is rather good, but it could have been done better. It took me about 10 hours before I totally figured out everything (I think).

The AN1x has 10 note poliphony which is enough for me. There are 128 patches. Each of them has 2 `scenes'. You can only use one patch at a time, but it is possible to play one scene on the keyboard and control the other scene using MIDI. Nearly all effects can be synced to MIDI. It has the normal in, out an thru-connectors and it has a nice on-board step sequencer. The sequencer is 16 steps and the tones can be controlled using knobs. This really allows you to make tb303-like sequences very easily.

The sound is very very very nice. I use it in a metal band (which has become an industrial band because I bought this thing) and I use it to make acid-like techno. The sound is much better than I could ever have dreamed. I can do Crystal Method-strings with it, it does tb303-sounds really good but you can also do piano's, organs or whatever you want.

I have the thing for about 3 weeks now and it just crashed when I changed the tempo settings from static to MIDI while playing a sequence and changing the tempo of the MIDI-device controlling the tempo (an MC-303). I had to turn it of and then back on and then it worked again. I DO depend on it and I would definately use it on a gig without backup. I would NOT make too much changes too the settings though... It's made of plastic but it feels like it can handle a lot. I would not drop it, but when I did, it survived :P

I downloaded the free `AN1x-editor' for windows. This allows you too control all settings in a much easier way than directly on the board. If you buy this thing, you should definately download the editor.

I would definately buy this thing again. It's worth a lot more than what I payed for it. I also have an MC-303. I knew what I could expect from it when I bought it, but I wanted to have more control over the sound. Therefore I bought the AN1x. They go really nice together :) I love it's sound but I'd like it to have 1 knob for every voice-parameter. There are 56 voice-parameters but only 8 knobs. You can assign any parameter to the 8 knobs so it's pretty easy to work with.
I did a lot of research before I bought this one. I saw/heard the Roland JP-8000 in a concert of The Gathering and decided I wanted one. When I did some research, I found out that the AN1x is much cheaper and does exactly what I need. This thing is a must-have.

Don't judge this synth on its presets - they're average at best (although some of the demo's betray it's analog quality). Editing patches is a doddle with the free pc-editor (check the Yamaha site), which does EVERYTHING - you never need touch the synth, except for your licks 8)

I only glanced at the manual (which came in about 700 languages...), but it looks like a total mess... Anyone familiar with analog synths shouldn't have too much problems, as the panel is clearly laid out, and the software really makes it all very straightforward.

Polyphony is 10. Keyboard action is always very personal, but I prefer this action over the Kurzweil K2000 and Korg Wavestation, both of which are (were) far more expensive machines.

It has three build in effects simultaneously: an insert effect including overdrive, amp sim, phaser, aural exciter, chorus (really fat) etc. etc, a delay section and a reverb section. There also an EQ which is great for getting sounds just right. Again, with the editor, they're simple to use.

Expansion, don't think so. It's MIDI-capabilities are as complete as any synth I've ever owned; everything is transmitted and received over MIDI. The keyboard is pressure sensitive, and it works brilliantly.

Each patch of the AN-1x consists of two different sounds (scenes), with variations on split- and layer-modes, a step-sequencer and an arpeggiator. The sequencer and arpeggiator-settings are part of the patch, which is great. You can 'morph' between the scenes, which is brilliant.

The building blocks (all "virtual analog" of course):

* 2 VCO's with saw, a saw with added harmonics, square and pulse (with PWM), sync, fm, a noise source, a ring modulator (shame you can't feed the noise into it as well...)

* a multimode filter with 12, 18 and 24 dB lo-pass, 12dB hi-pass, band pass and notch (if my memory serves me correctly) options

* 2 ADSR's, and a free EQ which in essence is a controller-sequencer

* 2 LFO's

* an extensive modulation-matrix

Again, a patch consists of 2 sounds, so if 5 notes poly is sufficient for you, you get 4 VCO, 2 VCF's etc.

One thing of note is that the filter can be fed with the output of the VCA, so you can use feedback!! Fukked up sounds come very easily to it!

The one thing it does extremely well is analog sounds: for me, the strings and pads are its top-sounds. There's a sound (from the net) called Illusions or something which is like a live Steve Roach track, if you know that: a soft solo-sound accompanied by slow moving string-chords (triggered by the arpeggiator, without it being very apparant).

The strings and pads really are some of the smoothest I've heard, which can probably be contributed to the chorus, but also the 12dB lo-pad (it does have 24 dB as well). The only synth I've owned with substantially better strings is the Elka Synthex (I sold this for about $600 about seven years ago - where's my Prozac...)

Many of the bass-sounds I've downloaded are of the Moog-variety, without ever really getting THAT fat (I've owned a Moog the Rogue, which had a balsy distortion on the filter). But they're still up there with many (low to mid-class) true analogs. Also, the Korg and ARP-basses are no problem.

Brass is good. I've got two amazing distorted guitar patches. Effects are wide-ranging. Electric piano's are very nice (thanks to the fm and ring-mod). Old Tangerine Dream is a no-brainer for this thing. Many sounds are geared to the trancy side of the dance-market. But considering the ring modulator, filter and feedback, getting it to produce hard-edged techno/tekno-sounds is VERY easy.

Comparing it with my Nord Modular, the AN-1x sounds warmer, like a real analog. The modular has more presence though, and I do think the filters on the Modular are fatter (I think the problem with the Modular is in the VCO-waveforms and the envelopes: it has a tendency to sound metallic on fading notes, whatever you do). I think all this probably goes for the Nord Lead's as well.

It has 8 real-time knobs (assignable), an AMAZING ribbon-controller (X and pressure), great velocity and aftertouch sense, and two standard wheels. This board is made to be played! The display is large enough if you use the pc-editor.

I've heard that the box is the same as that of the CS-1x, which means it's not to be treated roughly, 'cos it could even break! So if you're going to work live with it, buy a very sturdy case for it.

This is actually my first piece of Yamaha gear, so can't comment on them.

Get it quick, or buy it for $300 before anyone finds out its PHAT!

The software avaliable for patch editing (AN1x Edit) makes this instrument extremely easy to use, however, the UI and the OS on the actual synth is pretty obtuse--especially for step sequence editing, and free-eg tweaking. The US presets are not that impressive, however once again, with the AN1x Edit software, you have a lot more control over the sounds, and are easily able to load sound sets from the web into the synth (non SYSx format as well)

I mainly give this a 7 because it's only one channel...definitely one of the main weakness (although you can split the keyboard into two different patches, but it's not the same..). I think the 10 note polyphony's enough. I love the ribbon controller. 3 multi-effects and an EQ for each voice is also great. No resonance filter though.

What can I say...simply amazing sound...very rich, warm vintage sounds, to really nice modern dance sounds...and with an arpeggio (with about 30 presets, and a step sequencer with up to 16 steps)

I've never lost data, granted I don't move it around that much--and I have never had it even slightly flake out (I've never even sent a "midi panic" to this synth!! ;-) "

If it were lost or stolen, I would definitely be heart broken, because I think they're hard to find now. I would definitly recommend this physical modeler to someone getting started with subtractive synthesis, and who want a great analog modeler--but only if you also have a MIDI set up, and can get a hold of the AN1x Edit software (by Gary Gregson, I believe)-- as far as I'm concerned, this synth could go head to head with some of the more expensive ones (Waldorf, JP8000/8080, Nord, etc)...ah, but only having one channel is a real disadvantage--however, if you can find one, and are interested in getting into the analog scene, DO NOT pass this up...

Because it doesn't have a knob for every single parameter, the an1x is initially more difficult to use than other virtual analog synths. This is quickly overcome, and you'll quickly be navigating through the single depth menus very quickly and effortlessly.

bi-timbral, 10 note polyphony, good variety of built-in synth effects, full midi spec - this is one of the most feature-packed synths around. If you're thinking about playing live you'll love the built-in step sequencer that will give you incredible analog-style sequencing abilities. Techno and house musicians take note: this is the best virtual analog synth for you.

The an1x's strength is grittiness; overdriving the patches with feedback gives fantastic organ and keyboard sounds. It may not sound as clean as a Virus or a Nord, but it sounds warmer and fuzzier (like an analog synth would). Beatiful noises can be found everywhere.

I would use this synth at a gig without a backup, but I'd let it warm up first. There are some well-known problems having to do with cold temperatures, so if your studio is cold you may want to think about a different synth.

no opinion - never had to use it.

considering the sounds, the great keyboard, the excellent midi spec, the features and also the price, this is the best synth value on the market today, hands down.

The keyboard is a tough little bitch to learn at first, especially since mine only came with a french manual. After obtaining an english one, I read it and promptly spit on it.... Ugh! How can anyone write such garbage. Maybe two or three pages are worth something. I spent a bit of time on news groups, and got a lot of help. Now, I'll give it a 7 in this category, because after being thrown up against a wall, the learning curve improves sharply. Within days, you can make some phat sounds pretty easily.

10 note polyphony is decent considering its only a truly 1 part multitimbral synth. AND THAT SUX. Right off the bat you need something esle to do other fills, pads, leads, basses, etc. ALL of the effects sound really good. Bunch of different lowpasses, bandpass, highpass (there's also a dedicated highpass). There's actually way to may effects top list, but they are all there.. And the arpeggiator is really good to use... very useful. Also, a 16 step sequence editor (to use in place of the arp)

analogy all the way... SOUNDS HUGE

Filter sweeps are a bit steppy tho. Evidence of digital. It works best for techno and trance, but I'm sure you can work it into anything. Onboard effects as stated previously are awesome. It reacts to both velocity AND aftertouch.. which is nice on a piece this cheap.

I can depend it much more that I know how to use it and all of its features. I would not gig with this without another synth capable of at least 6 more parts and a drum machine. That should suffice.

n/s

go buy it.. Its so cheap and you get a sound rivaling a several thousand dollar waldorf synth. It makes a great controller too. Enjoy!

The eight knobs on the left hand side of the display are clearly labeled and color-coded to match them to an array of group selectors. In a short period of time, I was able to navigate this really quickly. Plus, they can be mapped to any MIDI controller which adds a whole new layer of flexibility (and can be done very easily, too).
I'm still giving it a "6", for three reasons:
1) The display is a joke. Some of the currently active options are displayed in a very small print, and you almost always have to think for a few seconds before you translate what you see on screen. The effect configuration is not diplayed at all, and you have to dig dip in the menus -- through the same terrible screen!
2) The selector buttons in the controll matrix area should have been replaced with knobs -- scrolling through heaps of data with these squeeshy rubberized buttons is a pain. Also, try to change the delay from 10 ms to 500 ms... In 0.1 ms increments.
3) Manual is the worst I've ever seen. Shame on Yamaha for not hiring a professional tech writer. I can't overemphasize how bad the manual is.

I like the keyboard action very much. Aftertouch works nicely.
Effects I find in the range from palatable to very good. And what I really like are the filters. They are probably not the best but IMHO you can get quote a mileage out of them, and the onset of resonance is powerful and controllable at the same time.

You only buy this unit if you want very unrealistic sounds. Because of aftertouch, effests, filters and a configurable array of controls (including an X-Z touch sensitive ribbon) I think it's excellent as far as epressiveness goes. It's one of the keyboards that make you want to play.

The body is plastic so I have to handle it with extreme care. There have been reports of cracks appearing in the same spot on CS1x (same shell) because of the design flaw. I never gigged so I can't tell anything about it. But it seems reliable in other respects.

N/A

I think it's an overall good controller, and for the price I paid you are not likely to get a better one, so I would buy it again even if it were just for controller purposes. Since it also happens to be a powerful synth with a lot of expressiveness, all the better -- it's the centerpiece of my rig.
It complements my other 3 synths, being the most analogue. The only piece of equipment I own with filters that can really sing.
I wish it had more multitimbrality.

Well what can I say, it's an analog (Virtual analog) monster!! ...This has got to be one of the best (and now one of the cheapest) virtual analogs on the market. I remember the first day I used it, it was side by side with a JP8000, and but of course I ran for the JP at first...who could resist all those knobs, then the department manager showed me the AN1X, and I was taken by storm. He basically played a few sounds he programmed in himself, then some presets. Buyer be warned..the PRESETS ARE HORRIBLE!!!!!....if i hadn't heard some self-made samples I would've ran for the hills before buyin' it...The manual for this synth is horrible, information is jumbled up all over the place, but if you go through it a coupla' times you should be able to get the hang of things. Now comes the part of why I didn't give ease of use a 10. Programmin' the AN1X can get tiresome at times. Unlike the plethora of knobs that accompany the JP8000 (or other VA's), the AN1X yields only 8, so much of the programming is done via menu's and lcd, but don't be discouraged, once you get the hang of it you'll be programmin' new sounds in the matter of minutes. There is a patch editor for W95 on the Yamaha UK website, and it does make a difference, it basically lays out everything in front of you.

The AN1X only has 10 notes polyphony, and is bi-timbral, but this shouldn't be too limiting if you have other gear. It has 8 knobs which are assignable to almost anything thats editable, and a ribbon controller (X and Z axis'), and the typical mod and pitch wheels. It does have built in effects, a delay effect, reverb, and a variation effect (variation effect can either be one of two chorus', a flange, phaser, distortion,overdrive,rotary speaker, autopan, pitchshift,aural exciter,amp simulator), and not only do they sound good they are also very easy to use. The AN1X also has a built in step sequencer (WOOHOO!!). Up to 16 notes and 128 different patterns, you can even store a sequener for each voice. It's extremely easy to use, and has many features, so it is very versatile. It also has a 30 pattern arpeggiator, some of which are awesome , and a few that are so so. They aren't programmable tho', but you can edit note length and other features of the arpeggio. Hmm, what else can i say...each voice has 2 scenes, which can be different from each other, and can morph between each other as well =) ... A coupla' my only gripes with this unit is the small lcd and the fact there's not a disk drive to hold your own sounds (you can always save via MIDI tho')...

If your lookin' for realistic instruments, choirs, voices, etc, run away, run away as fast you can. If your lookin' for awesome synth sounds, basses, leads, strings, and pads, run, but this time to the nearest music store and buy the AN1X!!!! The AN1X is one of the fattest VA's out there, and one of the warmest, unlike the JP8000 which i personally found a bit gritty. This synth can do good for any type of music (electronic or not), it can easily do techno, dance, industrial, and if you need strings for a rock band, this thing rocks for almost any type of music. The effects add greatly to the sounds, aren't bad at all. The unit has a few different layer options, dual which lets you play the 2 scenes of a voice at once, single which plays one scene with up to 10 notes polyphony, split which splits up the scenes with 5 notes per scene, and unison (MY FAVORITE!!!) which plays a scene with up to 2 notes if poly is set or all 10 if set on mono!!!...this can take any sound, and FATTEN it beyond belief...

i've never mishandled it, i wouldn't dare to...i wouldn't recommend dropping it or something, it's basically made of plastic, so be carefull!!!

neve dealt with them, hope i never have to =)

If it were lost, I'd find a second hand in a heartbeat and buy it again (as long i as i got it for at most the same price, they've been discontinued..=\ ). Don't let the 10 note polyphony / bi=timbral features scare you away. This was my 3rd synth, and since i've gotten it my other 2 haven't been touched !!!...i use it alone. Sequence 2 tracks, and record them via multitrack or any other method, repeat and u've got layer after layer of analog heaven...before buyin' it i heavily compared it to a JP8000, and found the JP to be somewhat gritty in sound, not as warm as the an1x, and also not as fat. But I still liked the JP, the tie breaker was the price i payed for the an1x, $499 compared to the $1100 for a JP8000 =) ...I do wish it had a disk drive to store sounds on disk, a somewhat bigger LCD, and finally more polyphony / multitimbrality (doesn't everyone =) )...

The AN1x is very easy to use with it's 8 realtime control knobs. The only thing I thinks is a minor is that if you send a sequencr reset msg, it takes long for te AN1x to reset

Well, it has 8 voice polyphony and it has a nice keyboard. The unison mode is a very good option because it makes the sound very BIG! The overall sound is extremely good: after a few month's of use I could recreate almost every analog classic synth with it. The onboard fx (reverb, delay and an insert effect) are nice, especially the tempo delay. It is also bitimbral and every knob sends midi cntrol messages:)

As I said before, the sound is realy great especially for house etc, but also for nice analog strings or electric piano's!

It's very reliable, because it's digital. I never discovered any bug or error. The only thing was that the LCD get scratched very soon....

Never dealt with!

It was my best buy ever (I haven't that much gear, but really: The AN1x is realy value for money!)!

Looks can be deceicing: at the first glance the AN1x looks like either a beefed-up CS1x or a poor man's alternative to the JP-8000 (or a Nord Lead). The poor presets confirm your initial impression. When I first demo-ed the AN1x, I thought it had no chance against other (v)analogue synths. Later, I noticed that many big time keyboard players were proudly using the AN1x, so I thought that the An1x couldn't be that bad. I read the .pdf manual, went to a store and started to program. I soon realized that the AN1x had lots of potential to make brilliant sounds & bought one. It is unjustice to provide such terrible presets. Don't let the presets fool you.
The AN1x is fairly easy to use although it doesn't have 50+ knobs & sliders like other (v)analogue synths. What's more, there's a free editor, which makes programming almost effortless. The manual is "CRAP". It is the worst manual I've ever read. The AN1x manual makes my Roland manuals look like a piece of art. Enough said.

The AN1x has 10 voice polyphony, 4 effects, a step sequencer, an arpeggiator & a 4 track free EG. It is two part multi-timbral. Basically, the AN1x has all the features that are necessary to make killer analogue sounds plus much more. Among the AN1x's manu features, four things are worth mentioning here. First, Osc 1 actually consists of two oscillators. So, if you want to create classic osc sync sounds, you don't have to use both Osc 1 & 2. You can have master & slave oscillator within Osc 1 & Osc 2 is still available. Second, there's "Edge" parameter that lets you shape the basic waveforms (sawtooth & pulse). For example, if you eliminate all the edges of a square wave, you get a sine wave. Basically, you can make infinite number of variations of sawtooth & pulse wave. If that's not enough, you can even apply PWM to a sawtooth wave. What's more, you can mix waveforms from two oscillators. So, you have lots of starting waveforms. Third, the free EGs let you store all the real time parameter changes within a patch. I find the free EG to be extremely powerful tool to create ever-chaning pads. Fourth, the AN1x features 12 programmable real time controllers on board. I've created some "Control-only" patches so that I can tweak my rack synths to my heart's content in real time from the AN1x.
The only thing I don't like (actually hate) about the AN1x is its terrible LCD. Yamaha's MU series modules have a wonderful LCD, so why not the AN1x? My $20 Casio calculator has a better LCD!

I personally think that if you need definitive "ANALOGUE" sounds, forget about all the virtual analogue synths. You can buy a real analogue synth + a killer effect processor for less than what you would pay for a (v)analogue synth. If I needed real anlogue sounds, I would have bought either an OB-8 or a Prophet-5. Nontheless, the sounds of yesteryears coming from the AN1x are truly impressive. Again, I'm not talking about the lame presets. There are some remarkable patches available in the Net. So, if you are not patient enough to program, you can try those free patches & experience the AN1x at its best. Especially, the strings & pads will make you weep. The AN1x isn't good at making "in your face" sounds like the Nord Lead or "turbo-charged analogue sounds" like the JP-8000. Instead, it has some elegant characteristics in its sounds: very suitable for pads. But this is only my personal opinion. In sum, the AN1x can make an impressive variety of top notch sounds: thundering basses, Vangelis-like CS pads, massive OB pads, powerful leads that cuts through the mix, and even FM EPs. Also, I came across some very ciy digital sounding pads that rivals digital pads coming from my K5000R. And some of them are reminiscent of the Prophet VS-like pads. I haven't figured out how to make these sounds yet.

I haven't heard of horror stories about an AN1x gone bad. I've been abusing my DX-11 for more than 10 years, and it's still working flawlessly.

I didn't like the idea of rack mountable (v)analogue synths, so I had to choose between the AN1x, the Nord Lead & the JP-8000. I also wanted to control my rack synths (JV-1080, K5000R, Morpheus), and the AN1x was the better synth for my needs & wants. I'm glad that I bothered to download the .pdf manual & studied the crappy manual. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bought the AN1x. I bet that if Yamaha had provided better presets & made the AN1x look more professional, they would have sold tons of the AN1x more. I absolutely love its sounds and I know I'll never sell it. If it had a better LCD, I wouldn't ask for more.

The presets for the US model were so bad that Yamaha UK created their own. Yamaha have a few patch files available on their UK web site that really start to show off this fine synth.
Editing is pretty easy. There's only 8 knobs with a set of 8 assignment buttons to put them in different modes. It's nearly as easy as a JP8000 once you get used to it. It's got your pretty standard 2 oscillator, vca, vcf architecture so it doesn't take much learning. Overall it's a pretty easy synth to use and program.
The manual is crap. The information is spread all over the place. I was very disappointed with Yamaha for this. It reads like one of the design engineers wrote it instead of a professional manual writer.
The free AN1xEdit program from Yamaha is excellent. It's the best synth editor I've used. It's great for setting some of the hard to get at system and effects settings. It is also great for visually editing the phrase sequencer.

10 voice 2 poly. The built in effects are very good. Three different effects at the same time; delay, reverb and one other. I like the effects.
The keyboard is passable for a midi controller. It sends after-touch and is velocity sensitive. The appegiator is nice, but it also has a small phrase sequencer that can also record up to 4 parameter changes. In practice it works well.

It's a copy of an analog synth and it sounds just like that. I love the sounds, it doesn't have the grit of a 303 but instead has a wonderful smoothness. I spend a lot of time playing with the knobs, inventing new sounds and getting inspired by the fresh ideas they spawn. It's by far the best music investment I've made in a long time.

It's made of plastic so I wouldn't want to drop it. There's rumours that Yamaha are going to discontinue it. The price has dropped to about $850 which makes it a bargain. Grab one while you can.
Yamaha have been getting bad press over their EX5 and A3000 software but my AN1x is rock solid. I have locked it up once but I don't know what caused it and can't repeat the problem.

The UK site is pretty good. Quite a few nice patches including a heap of JP8000 emulations. I am impressed that they paid somebody to develop the nice PC editing program.

I spent quite a long time in my local guitar center checking out the AN1x and JP8000. I thought both were similiar in architecture and sounds but the AN1x had better effects and internal editing capability while the JP8000 had a real analog synth user interface and an extra $200 cost.
Check one out if you get a chance. If you are in the market for an analog synth and you have no real preference and want something flexible then you can't go wrong with the An1x.

The presets are mainly intended to show off the unit. Many of them use the arpeggiotor or the step sequencer. Especially impressive is the 'We all die' preset, which sounds like 'we all die' spoken through a vocoder. But it doesn't use samples, so go figure that out. Editing your own patches is pretty easy, you can tweak a preset or start from scratch. (There's only one bank - your edits will replace the presets, of which there are 128.) You have eight knobs to edit your sound, seven parts of it: VCO1, VCO2, VCA, VCF, MIX/VCF, SYNC/FM, PEG/LFO. More dedicated sliders would have been easier, but it works well. Editting effects, EQ, arpeggiator, step sequencer, free EG and all the other stuff is a bit more awkward, but luckily there are no menus: each function is accessible with a turn of a knob and a button click. Overall, it's pretty easy to use. The manual is OK, although it works better as a PDF file, because of the hyperlinks.

Polyphony is either 10 (unitimbral) or 5+5 (in dual or split mode). Not what you're used to with a sample player, but it's good enough for a lead synth. Effects are plentiful, with a variation effect, EQ, delay and reverb - but it's on the somewhat harder to use right hand side of the unit. You can't expand it whatsoever, though. The unit it *very* expressive. You have velocity, aftertouch, mod and pitch wheel, a pressure sensitive ribbon controller, and eight assignable knobs. It's an excellent controller, with a very thorough MIDI implementation. Every single parameter is controllable *and* transmittable over MIDI. Another nice feature is the 'scene morphing', where you can morph between two different sounds with the mod wheel. The on-board sequencer is like the old analogue ones: it holds only 16 notes, but it works very easy: just turn the knobs for the right note. The arpeggiator unfortunately can't be programmed, but it's very nice. The arpeggiator/sequencer has its own MIDI channel. The free EG makes up for the single LFO: you have four tracks, in which can you can record knob movements. The unit is feature-packed and I would have given it a 10, if it weren't for the polyphony/multitimbrality.

This thing is good for only one thing: analogue simulation. It *can* do FM, but with only two 'operators' (oscillators), you're out of luck. But the sound is *really* good. It can sound silky smooth, with soft evolving strings, or very very hard with screaming leads and pulsing basses. Much of the great sound comes from the effects, so no perfect 10 here. But the host of controllers give you so much expression to your sound: velocity and pressure affect the VCA and VCF, everything controllable of course. It's a beautiful instrument to play by itself.

It just never fails. You turn it off, go to sleep, and when you wake up you turn it on and continue where you left off. You're edits are still there. I don't know how the buttons and knobs handle extensive pushes (yes, you can push the buttons), though I've never heard complaints from anybody.

I've never dealt with Yamaha. I think they might be taking the Internet a bit more serious, though, especially in the Netherlands.

If you wouldn't consider the price, it would be a very interesting synth. But since it's so much cheaper than the compitition, you can hardly go wrong with this one. There are some quirks, but overall it's an easy-to-use piece, with great sound, at a more than affordable price. What more do you want?