AudioPilz vs Yamaha AN1x: Blue Box Mayhem in the Bad Gear Bunker

AudioPilz doesn’t mess about – the Yamaha AN1x gets the full Bad Gear treatment, blue shell and all. Straight out the gate, he jokes about synth trauma and the infamous CS1X case, already setting the tone: this isn’t love at first sight, but it might be a dirty kind of respect. The AN1x’s virtual analog engine lands in a territory somewhere between conspiracy theory and forgotten legend, with nods to Yamaha’s mysterious VL and VP lines.

For a synth that’s less knobby than its rivals, the AN1x still stands up in the mid-90s scene. AudioPilz makes it clear: don’t expect a front-panel rave, but don’t write it off as a toy, either. There’s a sense of “why did it take so long to get here?” – and it’s not just the blue. The AN1x is the sort of synth you’d find tucked behind a stack of old trance records, waiting for its day in the meme spotlight.

Here’s where things get properly juicy. AudioPilz dives into the dual virtual analog oscillators, noise, sync, PWM, and even some sneaky FM action. If you’re into DX7 cosplay or want your waves ‘rounded off’ before they even hit the filter, this box has you covered. There’s ring mod, bonus waveforms, and an ‘edge’ parameter that’ll make your signal more polite or more scandalous, depending on your taste for digital dirt.

The filter section comes with all the required shapes – smooth low pass, buzzy band pass, and a few high pass options thrown in like a late-night kebab order. Modulation gets two LFOs, three envelopes, and the infamous Yamaha matrix: a menu-diving experience only the brave survive. AudioPilz calls out the lack of data encoder, so be ready for some finger gymnastics if you want to go deep. FX? There’s multi-FX, reverb, delay, EQ – a full arsenal for final polish or total annihilation.

This is where the AN1x tries to punch above its weight. The synth offers ten voices, split between two patches called Scenes, which can morph, layer, or stack into fat unison. Morphing patches with the mod wheel is a cheeky trick that’s still fun, even if the UI feels like a relic from the dial-up era. Free EG and a four-track automation sequencer add extra sauce, but, as AudioPilz warns, the workflow isn’t exactly modern – think ‘archaeology with bonus arpeggiator’.

What saves the AN1x is its distinctive sonic flavour. AudioPilz hypes the softer timbres and the engine’s ability to deliver tones that stand apart from the standard Nord and JP-8000 brigade. It’s not all rave stabs and trance cheese; the AN1x can do tasteful, dramatic, and even a bit weird, especially if you’re willing to dig past the dated interface. The ribbon controller, surprisingly, still holds up for hands-on fun.