Yamaha AN1x - Control Synthesizer

Control Synthesizer

Yamaha referred to the AN1x as "control synthesizer". This was due to each patch in the AN1x having 20 "control sets", which were assignments of the user-adjustable controls and MIDI control change messages to a number of numerical parameters of the sound engine. User controls includes keyboard pitch, velocity and channel aftertouch, modulation wheel, a pressure-sensitive ribbon controller, connectors for two expression pedals, a foot switch jack and the parameter edit knobs when in assign-mode. The underlying philosophy of this arrangement is that the performer doesn't have to alter the actual sound editing parameters when performing but can instead use assignable controls, when their parameter range is scaled properly, for more predictable action.