The Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer mailing list

From: <x@...>

> I posted a message several months ago asking whether anyone had come
> across a decent-sounding piano voices for the AN1X.
>
> Yes, I realise that the AN1X is NOT the ideal synth for piano voices,
> but I still have to ask the question, because I don't have another
> keyboard, my AN1X is not positioned next to my computer permanently
> (so I can't play midi piano) and my real piano is hideously out of
> tune and awaiting some repair work.

It's not so much that the AN1x isn't the ideal synth for piano voices, it's
that it totally sucks at piano voices. :)

If you want realistic piano sounds, your options in order of preference are:
1) A piano
2a) A sampler with a 64 Mb piano sample, plus a weighted keyboard
2b) A Kurzweil K2x00 X (K2500, K2600, possibly the K2000)
3) A sample-based synth with a semi-weighted keyboard
4) A sample-based synth with a synth action keyboard
5) A six or more operator FM synthesiser
6) A substractive synthesiser (like the AN1x)

> Come on guys - there must be someone who has a patch which sounds
> something like a real piano.  There are plenty of electic piano /
> organ noises and at the end of the day, a piano sound is only a
> waveform.

Well, it's not "only a waveform", because the waveform is the most important
part of the piano sound. The only thing that keeps the AN1x from producing
decent piano voices is that you can't have an arbitrary waveform, because
you can only have so many waveforms with two oscillators. A piano waveform
isn't one of them.

As for the electric piano, that's a totally different kettle of fish and
even in this department the AN1x doesn't perform too well. For a nice
electronic piano, you need a six operator FM synth like the DX7, or an FS1r.
The two operator FM of the AN1x is too limited. I got a pretty nice EP from
it, but that cost me quite some time, and still it's nowhere near a real
piano sound.

- Peter