The Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer mailing list

Hi -

I'm very glad this list exists, so thanks in advance for my "newbie"
question:

Having a year before purchased the AN200 at clearance price, I
decided to buy a used AN1x on eBay as my "master keyboard." What
convinced me was the incredible beauty of the sounds I already knew
from the AN200 (and AN1x sounds I downloaded in part through this
group), and the almost unparalleled glowing user reviews I found
everywhere I looked online. Many, many people swear by the AN1x as a
master MIDI keyboard.

Unfortunately, it seems I fell shy of completing my homework on one
point. It doesn't say so anywhere in the manual, which I did peruse
online before making my purchase, and I couldn't quite believe it
when I finally read on this site: The AN1x DOES NOT TRANSMIT MIDI
CLOCK.

How do all of you get around this so easily? Especially those of you
who use the AN1x as a MIDI master keyboard?

What makes this so ironic to me is that I intended the AN1x as a
replacement for my Sequential Circuits MAX! It was manufactured in
1985, has no pitch or mod wheels, etc. But at least it does
transmit clock. . . .

Needless to say, everything else about the AN1x more than met my
expectations, and the last thing I'd want to do now is part with it.
So, my specific questions:

* By slaving the AN1x to a Korg ER-1, I can get the sequences and
arpeggios to play in sync. But only after re-"storing" each sound so
that external MIDI is the default tempo. Is this really what everyone
who uses the AN1x with a drum machine has to do?

* By running THRU to the IN on my ancient MAX I am able to in turn
employ its OUT to play in perfect sync my Korg MS200R. The only
problem then is how to control the AN200. So far, no matter what I
try, with this set-up I can only get the AN200 to play AN1x
sequences / patterns; I can't get it to act as a "master" keyboard
and play notes on the AN200.

In short, all I really want to be able to do is sync the AN1x
arp/sequencer patterns to a drum machine, and at the same time use
the keyboard to play notes on the AN200 as a synth module.

Thanks again.

Steve

birminboy said:

> Hi -
>
> I'm very glad this list exists, so thanks in advance for my "newbie"
> question:
> [...]
> * By slaving the AN1x to a Korg ER-1, I can get the sequences and
> arpeggios to play in sync. But only after re-"storing" each sound so
> that external MIDI is the default tempo. Is this really what everyone
> who uses the AN1x with a drum machine has to do?

I believe so. It's rather frustrating, but it's how Yamaha chose to do things.

> In short, all I really want to be able to do is sync the AN1x
> arp/sequencer patterns to a drum machine, and at the same time use
> the keyboard to play notes on the AN200 as a synth module.

Steve, I don't know if what you want to do is possible, and unfortunately I
don't have my AN1x in front of me to test my theories. Let me explain, and I'm
sure Jon or Bruce or someone will jump in to confirm or deny what I have to
say:

There's a MIDI control setting on most devices that can make sounds and
control other devices, called Local Control. It can be on or off. When local
is on, the keyboard plays the internal sounds and the data from the keyboard
is also sent out to other modules. When local is off, an external controller
can be used to control the sounds inside the keyboard, and the keyboard
controls other modules without firing its own sounds. Okay so far?

Now, where things get gnarly is when you put an arpeggiator in the loop.
(Excuse me if I get professorial here for a bit; I've consulted with a fair
number of companies on arpeggiator design... ;)

The arpeggiator is one of the most misunderstood devices in the world of
electronic music. On the surface, it seems trivially simple and people always
wonder why it "never works the way I want it to"; in fact, under the hood,
they're very complex devices and require a number of design compromises that
can't always be reconciled.

An arpeggiator, in order to operate, requires three things: a source for
timing data (which includes start and stop commands), a source for note input
data, and a destination for arpeggiation data. When an arpeggiator is built
into a self-contained keyboard like the AN1x, this is about as straightforward
as it gets, especially when operating in monotimbral mode (i.e. without splits
or layering).

Things get complex when a device becomes multitimbral: which layers get
arpeggiated, which ones follow the key presses alone, and which ones ignore
the whole thing? When you add in external MIDI networking, the problems
explode out of control: where does timing data come from? How is arpeggiation
data transmitted, and where? Is the actual keypress data of the keyboard
available as a separate control stream, or is it permanently mingled with the
arpeggiation?

Local off solves some of these problems while creating others. The problem is,
when you draw the line through the architecture of the synth and say,
"Everything on THIS side of the line is part of the control keyboard and
doesn't affect the innards" and "Everything on THAT side of the line is part
of the sound engine and only listens to MIDI input", where does the
arpeggiator fall?

If it falls on the "keyboard controller" side of the line, then you can't use
your keyboard to just play external modules, because when the arpeggiator's
on, the keyboard makes external modules arpeggiate. If it falls on the "sound
module" side of the line, then the arpeggiator operates fine but has to be fed
note data from ANOTHER keyboard somewhere else. And it's possible for timing
data to "cross the line" on some designs, letting an arpeggiator on the
controller side still sync to clocks coming in on the module side.

Don't denigrate your MAX too quickly just for being old; Sequential has always
been dynamite at arpeggiator design and integration. The Prophet VS had one of
the best, most playable arpeggiators in history, long before the AN1x came
along. By contrast, Yamaha is very new at the arpeggiator game; I haven't put
a lot of thought to it but I'm hard pressed to think of any Yamaha board that
had one, before the AN1x and its cousins the CS1x and CS2x.

What you need to investigate, by trial and error if nothing else, is what
happens to your AN1x's arpeggiator and sequencer when Local Control is turned
Off. Clock the AN1x from your Electribe and hook the AN1x's MIDI out to the
AN200, and experiment with clocking and activating sequences and arpeggios.
Soon you'll figure out where you have a disconnect.

Solutions to these problems are legion, but they involve a little bit of
money, a little bit of strategizing, and access to tools that used to be
everywhere in the era of MIDI but are now much more rare: mergers,
channelizers/filters, etc. Once you figure out where clocks and notes come and
go in a Local Off situation, I can make a suggestion or two as to how to get
your system to work the way you wish. Others may beat me to it.

mike

--
Mirai: "I predict in the future all music will be made and heard with
organic living technology..."
Rothwell: "You mean musicians?"

> < > < > < > < > < > < > < > < > < > < > < > < > < > < > < > < > < > <

metlay / atomic city / metlay@... / http://www.atomiccity.com

--- In AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com, "birminboy" <birminboy@y...> wrote:

> Hi -
>

Hello Steve,

> I'm very glad this list exists, so thanks in advance for

my "newbie"

> question:
>
> Having a year before purchased the AN200 at clearance price, I
> decided to buy a used AN1x on eBay as my "master keyboard." What
> convinced me was the incredible beauty of the sounds I already knew
> from the AN200 (and AN1x sounds I downloaded in part through this
> group), and the almost unparalleled glowing user reviews I found
> everywhere I looked online. Many, many people swear by the AN1x as

a

> master MIDI keyboard.
>
> Unfortunately, it seems I fell shy of completing my homework on one
> point. It doesn't say so anywhere in the manual, which I did peruse
> online before making my purchase, and I couldn't quite believe it
> when I finally read on this site: The AN1x DOES NOT TRANSMIT MIDI
> CLOCK.
>

This is correct - the AN1x does NOT transmit MIDI Clock :-(

Another bug-a-boo - each Scene in a Voice can be set to receive on
individual MIDI Channels but not set to transmit on individual
channels.

> How do all of you get around this so easily? Especially those of

you

> who use the AN1x as a MIDI master keyboard?
>

I use the my AN1x with Logic Audio as the master clock and leave the
AN1x set to LOCAL=OFF. In the event I want to record the Output of
the AN1x Arp/Seq into Logic: I enable LOCAL=ON, set the Arp/Seq
Transmit channel to something other than the primary MIDI channel for
the AN1x, record enable a seperate MIDI track in Logic and hit record.

> What makes this so ironic to me is that I intended the AN1x as a
> replacement for my Sequential Circuits MAX! It was manufactured in
> 1985, has no pitch or mod wheels, etc. But at least it does
> transmit clock. . . .
>
> Needless to say, everything else about the AN1x more than met my
> expectations, and the last thing I'd want to do now is part with

it.

> So, my specific questions:
>
> * By slaving the AN1x to a Korg ER-1, I can get the sequences and
> arpeggios to play in sync. But only after re-"storing" each sound

so

> that external MIDI is the default tempo. Is this really what

everyone

> who uses the AN1x with a drum machine has to do?
>

Yes, the AN1x stores the MIDI Clock option at the Voice level as
opposed to Globally. Makes sense if you think about it but a Global
override would have made a nice touch.

> * By running THRU to the IN on my ancient MAX I am able to in turn
> employ its OUT to play in perfect sync my Korg MS200R. The only
> problem then is how to control the AN200. So far, no matter what I
> try, with this set-up I can only get the AN200 to play AN1x
> sequences / patterns; I can't get it to act as a "master" keyboard
> and play notes on the AN200.
>
> In short, all I really want to be able to do is sync the AN1x
> arp/sequencer patterns to a drum machine, and at the same time use
> the keyboard to play notes on the AN200 as a synth module.
>

I would start this set-up:

AN200 MIDI Out (transmits MIDI Clock) -> AN1X MIDI In (set to
LOCAL=OFF)
AN1x MIDI Thru -> Korg MS2KR MIDI In
Korg MS2KR MIDI Thru -> AN200 In

this should allow the clock from the AN200 to drive both synth while
allowing the AN1x to serve as the master kb controller.

> Thanks again.
>
> Steve

regards,

Jon