The Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer mailing list

simple Q;

how do 2 (or 3 when synced) Oscs make 10-note polyphony?

it boggles my mind, that 2/3 Oscs can make such massive sounds, or chords of such thickness

Hi !

there is 2 "oscillators" for each voice, I put "" because they're not pure hardware in the An1X. One voice can be considered as a monophonic synth, 2 oscillators, a filter, an amplifier and their own envelopes, LFO and so on. The control software scans continuously the keys and, when you press one, sends the note value, velocity... to the first "free" voice, then another to a second one etc... until you reach 10 voices (in standard "single" mode), i.e 10 notes.

Early polyphonic analog synths (Jupiter, Juno, Prophet...) had barely 6 or 8 note polyphony. Digital synths like the Yamaha famous DX, or Casio CZ series, had up to 16 note polyphony, they were cheaper, lighter and more reliable : the analog way was dead and gone for a while. The An1X is mostly digital but emulates the behavior of an analog instrument with its limitations and its real time controls.

Hope that it helps...

Cheers.

J.F.