The Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer mailing list

David:

> Although a Yes fan I find the DVD a little to "ponderous", however 
two
> pints you make.

Actually, I completely agree. It's a kind of battle between Allen 
White (as chief tempo keeper for the band) and the orchestra. You can 
almost sense his frustration. A number of the subtleties just fell by 
the wayside. The two songs that redeem the DVD for me are Ritual and 
Gates of Delirium both of which are hard to find.

> Part of the beauty of Wakeman's sound is that not only had he 
dialled in
> a wonderful patch but by playing it clean, made it sound almost
> ethereal, a pure clarity that sends shivers down your spine and 
makes me
> wish I did take lessons as a kid so I could play that well (one of 
the
> down sides of relying on technology too much.

I know what you mean about clarity. I saw Wakeman and the band this 
year in Dallas. The Minimoog rocked. I used to wonder why Rick was 
always making litle adjustments to the Mini. Now I kinda figured it 
out. Part of his trick is finetuning that smidgeon of portamento to 
suit each particular phrase. A lot of the timbral excitment comes 
from getting the "swoop" right. Too little and the excitement isn't 
there. Too much and the Mini's struggling to keep up.

And I personally am finding that just because the An1X has 16 mod 
routings, doesn't mean I have to use them all.

Best,

Jerry