The Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer mailing list

hey-

> Hi everyone. I've narrowed down my search for a new synth. I decided to
> go for a module. And came to 2 units: a AN200 and a Korg EX-8000. How
> would you compare the two synths? I've heard great sound examples of
> both. The Korg wins on polyphony and availability, but I've read Korg's
> support is awful. The AN200 seems more programable and has more knobs
> for realtime tweaks, but I'll have to import one from the US and pray
> that customs won't screw me up with taxes.

as an owner of both, i would say your choice can be made thusly:

if you want to make 80's new wave/synthpop in the style of flock of
seagulls, omd, depeche mode, etc - then maybe the EX-8000 will do fine. it
has great bass and pad sounds, but sounds _very_ dated (at least to my
ears).

if you want to make techno/EBM/synthpop (90's and beyond) - then the AN200
is probably more what you want. it's got a much more "current" sound, and is
easily 10x more programmable than the EX8000.

if you are making country, polka or rhumba, then you're maybe barking up the
wrong tree, hehehe.

i still use my 8000 for pads and bass when appropriate, but definitely
prefer the flexibility of the AN200, which i consider to be one of the best
and most overlooked instruments since the turn of the millenium.

to respond to other posts, there are many differences between the AN200 and
AN1x, all dutifully covered elsewhere, so i'll not go into them. if you need
certain features, then you need to pick which AN flavor best suits you. i
don't really use the groovebox features of my AN200 except as a sourcepoint
for loops that i mangle using other devices. but i also didn't need another
61 note keyboard taking up space in my studio. so, pick your poison.

i'd say try the AN200 and see if you like it. if not, there's always ebay,
where they are still getting decent returns. if you get it though, keep in
mind that you REALLY MUST get the editor software, or it really isn't going
to deliver the full potential that the instrument has. i have uploaded this
file to the yahoogroup files section, so that people can get easy access to
it without having to email the list 10 million times about it.

good luck.

- tyler / battery cage
-[www.batterycage.com]
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