The Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer mailing list

Love to hear what people are doing with the ribbon controller.I like 
filter cutoff for the x axis, resonance and/or release for the Z. 
Will try some of the suggestions.

How about some free eg tips? Probably this is old hat but I hear a 
lot of people complaining about the "sterile" sound of digital synths-
nothing sounds as good as real analog.

To get a more realistic sound, I set the Free eg to modulate the fine 
tuning of the oscillators, to get a very slight drift (2-3 cents) in 
the tuning. Keyboard tracking can do this as well. Pitch modualtion 
can be set differently for each oscillator for a fatter sound.

For pads-set up a pad sound, then use free eg to modulate the volume 
of the second oscillator (tune to 7 semi tones above osc 1)-bring the 
harmonics in and out. Also set up a dual voicing, use free eg to 
modulate the volume of the scene 2 oscillators(set 12 and 19 
semitones above)-now 3 sets of harmonics weaving in and out-cool!

Rainbow Jimmy
http://www.spaceanimals.com
http://www.mp3.com/spaceanimals

> How about some free eg tips? 

Jimmy:

I am going to try out your tips on the Free EGs. They sound very cool.

I have one that I have been using recently. You know how analog 
synths don't have an attack like romplers do for leads. With a 
rompler you can add some short waveform (bell, piano, guitar) so you 
have a real bite on the attack. The nearest thing on most analog 
synths is a quick pitch envelope attack.

Well I found that you can do sharp attacks for leads using the EG's 
on the AN1x. 

I typically modulate FM depth, or sync pitch, or sync pitch depth. 
The wave I draw on the EG, is a descending slope from a modulated 
position back to zero modulation. And it needs to be very quick not 
to damage the sustain portion of the sound. FM modulation provides a 
pretty good approximation of the 'bruppp' sounds of horns, the sync 
stuff is best for clear sharp leads ( the ones that sound like FM). 
The trick is to keep it very short. I sometimes vary the VCA attack 
time by velocity, because the ear can tire of the same attack sound 
on every note.

Hope this helps. I look forward to reading the next cool tip.

Cheers,

Jerry