On Friday, April 25, 2003, at 12:35 PM, Mike Metlay wrote:
> OK, some more useful data, I hope. Most of this is "IMO"-tagged; I've
> been
> working with the Xpander for almost 20 years and the AN1x for about ten
> months, so there's a disparity in my expertise. So noted...
First off- I'll apologize for baiting Mike with such short comparisons
(& sweeping omissions/generalizations ).
I have a tendency to try and put things in a nutshell as my Qwerty
keystrokes are more "hunt & peck "(slower) than my 12 tone work
(arpeggiated riffs..etc..).
- I'll continue to generalize a little though......
I've had my Xpander for a little over a decade (if we're keeping count).
> xpander said:
>> AN1x: faster envelopes.
>> AN1x: more "sterile" FM - but more consistent across the keyboard.
>
> These are true, but the former much more than the latter. If you tune
> the
> Xpander and let it settle in, FM actually behaves very nicely over a
> very wide
> range of pitches. Remember, it's real analog, and operating
> temperature has an
> effect on this stuff, although in my experience nowhere near as much
> as with
> other analog gear of this vintage.
>
> The slow envelope attacks on the Xpander are, for most people, its
> Achilles
> heel, and the AN1x is much snappier out of the starting gate. Pardon
> the pun.
Couldn't agree more here- (One major thing Roland Analog gear has over
the Xpander).
I love tight envelopes- and percussive sounds.
>> Xpander/M12: warmer low end (VCOs)
>
> I think that the overall sound quality of the Xpander goes way beyond
> "warmer
> low end" in comparison to the AN1x. The filters are smoother and
> richer, the
> FM has a lot more character, the modulation capabilities beat the AN1x
> in
> several areas
Agreed- the Xpander's Phase filter was one of a kind- and a force to be
reckoned with (#1 in the Smooth & Rich analog filter hall of fame).
I'd say the FM tracks better on a Matrix 1000/6R (I don't like my
Xpander tuned tight to track FM well anyway).
Also I like to say the FM on the Xpander is more "organic" and the AN1X
is more sterile (but nice on high frequency content).
Although I'll admit I won't be feeling the modulation capability
difference in the way I program (as I have yet to feel limited when
looking for a modulation on the AN1x).
>> Better interface and "look"(graphics) on the Oberheims (What the hell
>> was Yamaha thinking with those horrible brown colors ?)
>
> I would have liked more contrast, yes, but the Oberheim is actually
> very hard
> to read under low light conditions. Fortunately everything is done
> with VFDs
> and soft knobs, so once you've memorized where the Page buttons are
> you can do
> almost everything by feel.
Let's see how that feels....
AN1X: Smooth knob rotation
Xpander: (Stepped) click click click click click click click
click..........
Sorry- couldn't resist that one.
>> IMHO- The AN1x sounds great - and holds its own against the old Obie &
>> Roland Poly/Analogs (for most applications).
>
> That last parenthetical statement forgives a lot, but I have to
> protest a bit
> here.
>
> The Yamaha is an okay analog modeler for its era (late 1990s, when
> this stuff
> was just becoming feasible in affordable quantities) but it doesn't
> compare
> well to even a more modern model, like the Access Virus C or the
> Novation
> Supernova II, much less a real analog synth like the Xpander or
> Matrix-12.
That's a fair comparison- and polyphony and features will improve as
time marches on (if the current trend continues).
When (make that IF ) Yamaha produces an AN2X or some such successor -
I'll bet Access and Novation will be playing "catch-up".
I look at the An1X like my Juno-60.. Both very solid performers that
make their way into my compositions time and again.
When I said "for most applications" I meant "Bread & Butter" analogish
sounds (which I now see can be taken differently as each of us has
his/her own definition of Bread & Butter sounds).
> in my explorations so far,
> including listening to many patches done by very creative people, I
> have yet
> to hear an analog-simulation patch that knocks me on my tail and makes
> me say
> "Whooaaaa...!".
That's funny- I have a Bass sound I got off the net- that made me go
"Whoaaaaaaa...".
(but my "Whoooaaaa" bar may be a bit lower than yours)
> And the Xpander hasn't ever been immune to criticism, I should point
> out. When
> the Xpander came out, it was derided as too complicated for the
> average knob
> twiddler, too expensive for the average beginner, too tightly-tuned to
> compare
> to "real" analog boards like the Minimoog and OBXa (even Tom Oberheim
> says the
> Xa was the last "good sounding" synth Oberheim made), and too much of
> an
> all-things-to-all-people box to be convenient (most everyone wanted
> CVs or
> MIDI, not both, and a huge box with no keyboard was considered a waste
> of
> space).
Thanks for the trip down memory lane (I remember those arguments).
(I've always preferred the Xpander to my old OB8- and that old tuning
argument is hilarious).
> Nevertheless it's stood the test of time quite proudly and is still
> cranking out phenomenal sounds nearly 20 years after its release.
Here here !
>
> The AN1x deserves its props, to be sure, but let's see where it is
> when it's
> almost old enough to buy beer.
HAHahaha !!- excellent point. I'll have to meet you for a Pint at that
stage (although I think a ten year AN1X anniversary should suffice-
say...2007 ? ).
Very glad to have you on this list Mike..
(fellow Xpander, AN1x, K5000, and Darkstar XP2 owner).....
____________________________________
Todd S.
Sierra Madre Cinema Council
http://users.ev1.net/~xpander/SMCChome.html____________________________________
(fellow Xpander, AN!x, K5000, and Darkstar XP2 owner)
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