> Can someone please comment the keyboard of the AN1X? 61 keys (with
velocity & aftertouch)? But what's the AN1X like as a master keyboard?
Quality keys or less quality...<
I think it makes a very nice master kbd because of the knobs on the left
side. There are several 'groups' for the knobs, one of which can be
customized to any MIDI CC#s. I like the feel of the keyboard,
personally ... Synth-like (not weighted or anything), but has a good
firm feel to it. Aftertouch is pretty easy to get. The case is
plastic, but feels pretty sturdy. It has a far better keyboard than the
CS1X and CS2X do, although all three have about the same case shape.
> I also read that the AN1X has a morphing function, which makes it
possible to morph between two different sounds. I can imagine that this
function is a source of some really weird and nasty sounds. But how
easy/practical is this function? Is it as exciting as it sounds?<
It's quite simple to use - basically you can create two 'scenes' for
each sound, which can be very different from each other or nearly
identical. Then, you set a controller to handle the scene switch (such
as the mod wheel), and can move it back & forth to morph between the
two. So it's not exactly like the Nord Modular's morph function, but
definitely useful.
> And does anyone here know where the AN1X stands compared to other
VA-synths? Would it go well together with, for example a Nord Modular,
Access Virus B or a Korg MS-2000, or would it be a bit like getting a
duplicate of one of the synths?<
One of the coolest things about the AN1X, IMO, is the arpeggiator / step
sequencer. It is very flexible, and can be set to transmit on ∗any∗
midi channel. I haven't been overly impressed with the ∗range∗ of
sounds it can create compared to the Nord Modular (but then again, what
∗is∗ as flexible as the NM??), though what it does I think it does well,
and it is ∗very∗ tweakable. I think it complements my MS2K pretty well
from a sound perspective - it has a bit of a darker, 'wetter' sound to
me than the MS2K, especially the filter, although there are definitely a
lot of similarities in the design of the two synths. I think the AN1X
makes a very nice master controller keyboard because of the knobs,
ribbon controller, and step sequencer, which was a main reason why I
bought it.
> One last thing ... does the AN1X send any "ACTIVE SENSING" messages?<
Yes, it does. Seems to be something that all Yamaha kbds do - my old
SY22 did it as well. Which reminds me - if you've ever used an SY22,
the AN1X keyboard feels a lot like it to me.
Hope this helps ...
-Steve
sbm@... Sacramento, CA