The Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer mailing list

From: "phonophobie" <sidstation@...>

> i thought about the yamaha fs1r, but i am not realy sure if this is
> the right one for me.. it seams to be very hard to programm sound on
> it ( testing it would be nice )- somebody here owns one?

FM is basically hard to program. There's not much you can do about that. The
FS1r has the added disadvantage that it's a *really* deep and complex synth.
Then again, there are loads of specific FS1r patches to be had, and loads of
loads of DX7 patches that you can use as well.

The FS1r is a very unique synth, standing out in today's muddle of virtual
analogue and sample-based synths.

> about this nova/virus/waldorf synth - i think the synth architecture
> will not make happy. isn\ufffdt it just like a an1x , maybee better?

Opinions will vary on which one is better (a bit like "apples are better
than oranges", really), but feature-wise they all outperform the AN1x.
Especially the Virus is much loved, and would be my investment if I weren't
more interested in styling my car. :)

> i really would like to know something more about the physical
> modeling synth.....

Physical modelling is nice, but it has it's limitations. Usually, you have a
rather limited polyphony. The sound you get is phenomenal, but to get a
realistic sounding saxophone (to name a popular example), you need a wind
controller like a Yamaha WX5.

If you're really interested in physical modelling, soft synths are your best
bet at the moment. The last hardware effort was the Yamaha EX5, and that
wasn't a very successful one (I know, I have one :) ). There was the Korg
Z1 - very nice, but arguably not as good as Yamaha's VL technology - and you
can get the Yamaha VL70m, and some plug-in boards from Yamaha and for Korg's
Triton series. None of this technology is younger than five years.

To answer your original question, it really depends on what you're looking
for. Do you want lots of polyphony? Lots of programmability? Unique sounds?

- Peter