The Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer mailing list

i have a sw1000xg and i was wondering if yamaha makes any synth's 
besides the motif that have a digital out. i have a plg150an on my 
sw1000xg and that's all the synth i need but i was considering geting 
something like a cs6x so i can us e the modulation wheel and the 
assignable knobs for realtime control. so far i have been afraid to 
buy a synth like that because if i'm gonna use it for control i might 
as well use it for its sounds and if you are to use its sounds you 
need a good mixer. i use a spirit folio pad for a mixer (8:2) which is 
ok for its price but as i noticed by using my mic there's NOISE!. i 
hate noise!!. even with the mixer disconnected from the sw1000xg i 
still hear noise. when i open up volume control on the bottom 
righthand of my screen and turn up the volume for the audio input i 
hear all kind's of humming and static sounds(mabye my inputs fried? i 
don't know?).
i love the sw1000xg and the plg150an together because everything is 
digital!!. if you have a nice synth like the cs6x you need a nice 
mixer which means   $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

i noticed that the new yamaha motif has a DIGITAL OUT which means you 
can hook it up to the sw1000xg's digital in!! digital love at last!!
no noise!! peace and quiet, till you make it squeal!!
BUT,i think the motif is too expensive for some of us and i was 
wondering if there are any options on any other yamaha synths that 
provide a digital out( but the synth must have assignable knobs!!).

i also think it would be a good idea if yamaha started creating new 
versions of existing synths like the cs6x with a digital out option.
this could be a good selling point for them because it gets rid of the 
need for an expensive mixer that has low noise. just think, no sound 
quality loss from your synth to your sound card!! all digital!! what's 
the point of sending  digital to analog to digital. ok some mixers add 
warmth but most of us just get stattic!! can this be a possibility in 
the future? a digital out retrofit for the cs6x or cs2x?


thanks

elektro dan.

p.s sorry for the digital humor- "bit" off topic, digital in's and 
out's.

e_d,

>i also think it would be a good idea if yamaha started creating new
>versions of existing synths like the cs6x with a digital out option.
>this could be a good selling point for them because it gets rid of the
>need for an expensive mixer that has low noise. just think, no sound
>quality loss from your synth to your sound card!! all digital!! what's
>the point of sending  digital to analog to digital. ok some mixers add
>warmth but most of us just get stattic!! can this be a possibility in
>the future? a digital out retrofit for the cs6x or cs2x?

Sounds like a great idea, as long as they include digital gain controls 
with wide adjustments.  I have an Alesis S4 and a Quadraverb 2 which I use 
as a pair for "natural" sounds like piano, sax, horns, etc.  When I saw 
that both had an S/PDIF-like digital link, I was in heaven -- at least, 
until I tried to use it.

The Q2 has no digital gain control; they tell you to use the input device 
for adjusting the gain.  Unfortunately, the S4 has no master digital OUTPUT 
control, other than adjusting the volume of the individual 
instruments.  The problem is that the maximum level of the S4 is fairly 
low, and the resulting S4+Q2 output is a good 10-15 dB lower than the 
analog output with all the green LEDs lit and no red LEDs (clipping).  That 
means that I have to raise the gain of the audio mixer to compensate, and 
the level of noise in the final result is WORSE than the analog method!

Granted, these two devices are fairly old -- especially the S4 -- but 
Alesis really dropped the ball here.  The only reason that I can think of 
for their settings is that they might have been concerned about the total 
levels when all 16 multi-parts were in use.

Regards,

-BW

--
Bruce Wahler
Design Consultant
Ashby Solutions"
www.ashbysolutions.com
CloneWheel Support Group moderator
978.386.7389  voice
978.776.0096  fax
bruce@...

Hi Dan,

"Digital" is not the solution to all noise problem, it merely introduces new
ones. In general, a digital output without a digital sync (word clock, or a
digital input on which the instrument can synchronise) is pretty useless as
soon as you have more than one digital source.

To get rid of noise, that really depends on the quality of your instruments.
People familiar with the A3000 sampler (I'm not, by the way) know that the
extra outputs are (a) low in level and (b) noisy. Whereas my EX5, on the
standard four and the extra four outputs, is crystal clear. I run it over
analogue cables into an 01V mixer, and when I listen over my AKG K240M
headphones (amazing as it may sound, they're not Yamaha, contrary to the
rest of my gear) I hear no noise at all.

In contrast, the output of the AN1x is has a lower level, and it
(consequently?) somewhat noisier, but it's still good. I'm not totally
convinced by the AN1x's analogue circuitry, though.

So think very well before you invest in digital equipment. There are things,
like jitter and dithering, that simply don't exist in the analogue world.
You might end up with more problems that you had to begin with. Usually,
good analogue equipment is better than digital equipment in the same price
range.

- Peter