The Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer mailing list

Hi Lars,

Generally the term cross-fade applies where the source and target
objects are static. i.e. you are merely mixing the amplitude of the two
objects to produce an 'apparent' new object. Thus to the observer the
object fades from one object to another (i.e. the source object becomes
less dominant over time whereas the target becomes more dominant).
However over the whole period there are in fact two discrete objects in
operation, you never really create a third object.

The term morph comes from the Greek meaning shape or form. It is
generally used where an object is changing its characteristics over
time. i.e. the object is not a composite of two or more other objects,
but is in fact an independent object that is evolving. The
characteristics of the object are derived from those of a source and
target objects but the resultant object is a completely separate entity.
The observer only observes the intermediate object states... you could
never separate out the source/target components!  

Hence Reggie is basically correct. Perhaps the easiest way to understand
the function of the PLG150AN is:

a) The operation is NOT an audio cross-fade between two different
sounds. You only have one set of sound generation parameters active and
one set of hardware upon which they operate. Therefore you do not have
any form of bi-timbrality involved. At any instance, the machine is only
using a single set of parameters to generate a single timbre.

b) The operation IS a numerical interpolation between two sets of sound
generation parameters to produce a third set. Basically the algorithm
smoothly changes a given number of parameters between the source patch
values and the target patch values. At each instance the algorithm uses
the current interpolated value of each parameter and applies them to the
sound generators, thus producing a single timbre.

Therefore the manual is wrong to describe the AN morph function as a
cross-fade (although it is understandable why the author used this term
in an attempt to convey the effect)

Note: To some extent the freeware AN Genetix program performs a similar
task to the AN morph function; albeit in an offline manner. It produces
a whole bunch of static patches that contain interpolated values between
two start patches. Therefore each Genetix patch is an intermediate morph
result.

The built in An1xEdit randomise function is not a morph or a crossfade,
since in this case only the source patch characteristics are considered.
There is no target patch contribution. Random values are simply added to
the starting parameters. (The end result is simply another patch that
may or may not resemble the original, depending on the severity of the
random offsets).

I hope that clarifies things for you. 

Regards

Gary Gregson

Email:gary@...
http://www.yme.co.uk/yme