Sorry. Bill.
Bill, I’ve been very quiet on this list for a few years and not playing and composing as much as I’d like (nor performing) helped my mental gas bubble to burst on you. I re-read your post and I think my attack was based on your high level of intelligence. It contained some of my generalized rants at Yamaha, Korg, Roland and other companies that have the money to release new music synthesizer models on a regular basis.
I was an electronics test engineer during the 90s. My expertise was in Electromagnetic Interference Compliance. Korg needed to get a certain keyboard approved for sales in the US and came to our small, yet efficient company. I met Stoney Stockell, a pioneer in synthesizer design. He recommended the Korg 01/W and I bought one and am still a devoted fan. It is a ROMpler, and one of the best produced ever. It’s short run of 1992-95 betrays it as a MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. So does the short run of the AN1x. The corporate design concepts which are intended to force keyboard musicians to throw out their gear for new stuff every 4 years or so is sinful and that is why I exploded on you. Korg and Yamaha were somewhat affiliated at the time and Mr. Stockell gave me such a crash course on the history of musical synthesis and synthesizer design that I will never forget it.
I saw Glass Hammer performing with a Yamaha CS6x in 2005. He had the AN200 board installed as well as other amazing functions. Besides being a virtuoso performer, he also was a genius programmer/technician. It is amazing what musicians can do when they are blessed with skills from both halves of the brain.
http://www.vintagesynth.com/yamaha/cs6x.php In spite of corporate profit-based design, the production and support of musical electronics, in spite of poor motives now and then produce amazing classics instruments of enduring power and expression: the AN1x being a prime example.
Please forgive my explosion. Jon, our moderator who has personally met with me (and other members of the list) will vouch for my sincerity. He can also confirm the weak regulator valves in my steam engines.
Ed Edwards
www.ezekielswheel.com <
http://www.ezekielswheel.com/>
www.untiedmusic.com/ezekiel
_____
From:
AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com [mailto:
AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of twobeelandscape
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2012 6:33 PM
To:
AN1x-list@yahoogroups.comSubject: [AN1x] Re: Yamaha GX1
Wow, Barney, I never expected the Spanish Inquisition! (Yes, that's
a cue....)
I'm really surprised by your interpretation of my posting, which was
intended as a continuation of the discussion as to what makes the AN1x
(still) a great synth, and what would be nice to see in a new product
which improved on its best aspects (sound/architecture/control). It
wasn't meant to be expert, snobby or high-handed condemnation - but
I got the impression that airing a personal opinion was allowed on this
forum.
Electronic music is my hobby, not my livelihood, I just love the sound
of synths and have been playing with them since 1978 (Korg MS10). I have
owned and recorded with (in an amateur capacity) various products, and
along the years have acquired a CZ101, SQ80, AN1x, Novation Nova and now
the MS2000BR. I had put my synths in a cupboard and drifted towards
VSTis for sheer convenience, but I found myself wanting to get back to
hardware, with hands-on access. Thus the Behringer (principally for the
AN1x) and MS2000.
Sorry if I gave the impression that I didn't like the AN1x. The
opposite is true - it is the best- sounding of all of my synths and I
intend to continue to explore it - Richy's recent patches and posts
on detailed patch editing have been especially welcome. An issue with
the AN1x, noted by others on this thread, is that the knob matrix is not
the most intuitive route into that lovely sound engine.
For that reason I hope to create a template for the Behringer BCR2000,
which would potentially be an asset for this group. For just over
£100, you can get 32 knobs and 16 switches (and four switchable
layouts per preset = 128 knobs and 64 switches). Obviously it can also
be used to control other hard and soft synths - see the BC2000 Yahoo
Group. I will share when I get my head around the technical issues,
sysex etc, and hope it will be useful in due course and will help to
`work around the weaknesses of the instrument'. In the
meantime, I hope that my very small contribution below may be useful to
someone.
Jeff - it would be nice to think that Yamaha might be watching, and that
our views would be more than just enthusiastic exchanges between users
of a 15-year-old synth. As Jerome posted, we feel the AN1x `was
designed with love by very smart people who understood what players
need' - it may happen again!
In friendship, Bill
author of a pretty coloured version of the AN1x signal flow diagram
http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/YKtKT1scpME8nfzItNiHD_Kg2pTegX29kDbnpiOGmom\ <
http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/YKtKT1scpME8nfzItNiHD_Kg2pTegX29kDbnpiOGmomB9lWnoeyNKqhwBqfFdomvdiaaqO72Mt168eY2uxylqWiYvKMipvL7lpbp4Q/Manuals%20%26%20Guides/AN1X-flow-diagram-colour.pdf>
B9lWnoeyNKqhwBqfFdomvdiaaqO72Mt168eY2uxylqWiYvKMipvL7lpbp4Q/Manuals%20%2\
6%20Guides/AN1X-flow-diagram-colour.pdf
_____
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