Synth-DIY Yahoo! Groups Archives

AN1X tutorials for a newbie?

2016-07-18 by mrbreaker101@...

Hi.

I'm new to synthesis and music production. Bought an AN1X as my first synth. It's something I've lusted over for 20 years. Since I finally decided to start doing music tech, I just had to have it.

Trouble is, it's not the simplest of things. The Control Matrix is not particularly user friendly. The AN1X edit and MIDIQuest programs are not helping either.

I've watched countless youtube demos of it. I am having trouble getting the sounds out of my AN1X that you see in those demos. I want to achieve the kind of pads that might be made by LTJ Bukem, or anyone in that vein of liquid drum and bass.

My results aren't sounding exactly like it.

For example. How could I create something like... this pad https://youtu.be/mtqdOauW6hU

The other thing. Some patches seem to crackle. I'm not sure my AN1X is broken, or even needs a clean, because it happens mainly in Unison mode. Switch to Solo and it (mostly) goes away. Does this sound normal?

Basically, any advice for a newbie would be appreciated.

Re: AN1X tutorials for a newbie?

2016-07-18 by denis_mathys2001@...

I'd advise you to go to the files section. There are plenty of patches available, try to find something that sounds close to what you are looking for and tweak ;-) With regards to modulation matrix, first try with a low amount of modulation, then increase it if required, extreme values will give you extreme results.

Re: AN1X tutorials for a newbie?

2016-07-18 by jim.alciere@...

look at these patches https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/AN1x-list/files/DMA2016.an1

and the heidelberg patches in the files section.

modulation matrix a fun thing to do is set scene tune to around 20 and set the modulator at key random.

Try ring mod modulate with velocity, set to 2-10

Also, one of the things the AN1x can do well, set the fm so it only affects the slave. That way the patch is in tune, but you get cool fm overtones.

Jimmy

Re: [AN1x] Re: AN1X tutorials for a newbie?

2016-07-18 by Amos

Hey. Jim,

I have patches (DMA2016.an1) downloaded on my macBookPro. How do I upload them on my AN1x?

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

From: jim.alciere@... [AN1x-list]

Sent: Monday, July 18, 2016 10:34 PM

To: AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com

Reply To: AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com

Subject: [AN1x] Re: AN1X tutorials for a newbie?

look at these patches https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/AN1x-list/files/DMA2016.an1

and the heidelberg patches in the files section.

modulation matrix a fun thing to do is set scene tune to around 20 and set the modulator at key random.

Try ring mod modulate with velocity, set to 2-10

Also, one of the things the AN1x can do well, set the fm so it only affects the slave. That way the patch is in tune, but you get cool fm overtones.

Jimmy

Re: AN1X tutorials for a newbie?

2016-07-18 by denis_mathys2001@...

Drum and bass is mostly based on samples, I would guess that these kind of patches are produced with samplers.
Generally these kind of sounds are not produced by one single synthesizer but mostly by layering sounds, resampling them, relayering, applying effects...

You can already achieve some good patches with AN1x because it is very versatile, you can layer classic analogue pads with more FMish stuff.

For the cracking sounds when using unison, I would guess that your output level is too high. If you use unison with a single voice and only press one key, it will play the same note 10 times with some difference in pitch, creating a kind of chorus effect. It is a virtual analogue, so there is not much to clean.

Cheers,
Denis

Re: [AN1x] AN1X tutorials for a newbie?

2016-07-19 by Michael Wisbech

go get the manual,, it is your friend. it is in the file section of this group. Read it from page one to the end while sitting in front of the synth, use it and try the things out, in a 'sketchy' way at first, with that method you will get an idea of how everything is.

I think the Matrix looks more complicated than it is, although the Control matrix is a little hard to get used to.

There is a tutorial about creating sounds from scratch at the end of the Manual p.101.*

On 18-07-2016 13:07, mrbreaker101@... [AN1x-list] wrote:

Hi.

I'm new to synthesis and music production. Bought an AN1X as my first synth. It's something I've lusted over for 20 years. Since I finally decided to start doing music tech, I just had to have it.

Trouble is, it's not the simplest of things. The Control Matrix is not particularly user friendly. The AN1X edit and MIDIQuest programs are not helping either.

I've watched countless youtube demos of it. I am having trouble getting the sounds out of my AN1X that you see in those demos. I want to achieve the kind of pads that might be made by LTJ Bukem, or anyone in that vein of liquid drum and bass.

My results aren't sounding exactly like it.

For example. How could I create something like... this pad https://youtu.be/mtqdOauW6hU

The other thing. Some patches seem to crackle. I'm not sure my AN1X is broken, or even needs a clean, because it happens mainly in Unison mode. Switch to Solo and it (mostly) goes away. Does this sound normal?

Basically, any advice for a newbie would be appreciated.

Re: [AN1x] Re: AN1X tutorials for a newbie?

2016-07-19 by mrbreaker101@...

Hi.

Thanks for the advice above. I will keep playing around a bit more with the patches in the files section and looking at how they differ. I do at least know a bit more than I did when I started.

Just to confirm about .an1 files on a Mac, I have successfully read an1 files on my Mac using the really old an1xedit program, which was offered by Yamaha years ago.

It's Windows only, there's a Mac version for Power PC chips, which haven't been made since 2005

But I successfully got my Mac working with the Windows application by using Parallels and Windows 10. I shared my MIDI interface with Parallels and it picked up the AN1X. Had some trouble storing them on the device (need to look into that) but it could play them just fine.

Re: AN1X tutorials for a newbie?

2016-07-21 by jim.alciere@...

Programming the AN1x is is easy. So easy, I frequently don't bother to save my patches. I just program different sounds for each song I write.

There are almost too many options. Sometimes it's easier to keep it simple.

AN1X tutorial:

Find a patch you don't mind writing over, then punch in 130 (voice initialize). The screen will then prompt you to say yes or no to the initialize. Say yes. It'll ask you what kind, say 1.

Beside the led display are a bunch of buttons. Push VCO 1.

Set VCO 1 to a saw wave. Tune it to -12.

Push the button for VCF

Set the attack around 4 (to avoid a click) decay and sustain around 90, release around 25

Push the button for VCA

same attack, decay, sustain release=4.

You now have the rudiments of a single osc bass patch. Single osc=fits in the mix. Now, go to VCO 1 and play with the Edge parameter and try different waves, fine tune.

Go to VCF

Play with the filter cutoff and resonance and filter envelope amount. Long attack, high resonance=filter sweep. (headphones off)

Go to the mix/vcf. Try 18 db low pass 24 db low pass and 12 db low pass. OOH, there's a knob that can increase the volume for VCO 2. You can have a 2 osc bass patch, should you choose. (actually, you can have a 4 osc bass patch with osc sync, fm and all sorts of other craziness) What is this ring mod? Try it.

VCA has a knob for feedback. Fun. Take the headphones off first. Can get loud.

Push the button to turn on portamento. Go to the PEG/LFO and set the portamento (glide) what's this? a pitch envelope? cool.

Exciting matrix modulation. 1: scene tune amount: 24 source: key random--a little oscillator drift./ 2: VCO 1 PMOD depth (vibrato) source mod wheel, amount 9.

Do you want to play chords? Legato? Arpeggio?

Jimmy

Re: AN1X tutorials for a newbie?

2016-07-21 by jim.alciere@...

several fun things:

set scene control to dual-Set one scene with portamento, one without.

Set sync so FM only controls the slave. Now you have cool weird harmonics, but the synth is in tune. set source 2 to VCO 2. You might want to play with the edge on VCO 2--closer to a sine wave. Might not. Try tuning VCO 2 an octave higher. Use dual so you can layer this with a more normal patch if you want.

sync pitch mod source--filter envelope. cool sound

Jimmy