The Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer mailing list

Craig Anderton has a good article on hard sync in the latest Keyboard 
Magazine. The AN1X does hard sync especially well.

The cool thing about hard sync-the slave oscillator's pitch doesn't 
affect the pitch of the note.It only affects the harmonic content. So 
to get nice metallic sounds, alter the slave pitch as many ways as 
possible-on the AN1X there's a lot of options.

First, shut off osc 2. Turn the mix volume all the way down. Now 
change the algorhithm to fm+slv. That means the fm will only affect 
the slave wave. 

Then set the sync pitch to a positive number. You only get hard sync 
if the sync pitch(the slave oscillator) is higher than the master 
pitch. Now set the sync pitch depth to some nice high number like 40. 
Set the source to filter envelope. Now the sync pitch will change 
with the filter envelope for a nice sweep. Your note will still be in 
tune.

Now set the pitch modulation so the oscillator pmod will only affect 
the slave oscillator. Now you've got LFO 1 and the filter envelope 
modulating the slave. Now go to fm. The algorithm is set up so the fm 
only modulates the slave oscillator. Set the fm to some cool number-
24 and set up an envelope for the modulation (fm source 1) and a 
modulator-I like to use VCO 1.

You'll find an awesome polysynth sounth, harmonics floating off in 
all direction. Use one of the mod effects-flanging or phase shift, 
with some cheap tinny plate reverb for extra oomph.. Two things make 
the sound more or less useable. You have to play with the amplitude 
envelope. I don't know why but the release decay and sustain really 
affect the tone(and can affect whether the patch sounds in tune or 
not). Also the LFO reset should be played with-two different sounds 
depending on whether it's set to key on, or off.

Sounds cool. Now take scene two and do it all again, only this time 
set the sync pitch way up high and set the pitch depth to a negative 
number. Now you have all the harmonics going the opposite direction. 
Layer those two sounds and you've got a monster polysynth sound.

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