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Yamaha PLG150AN Analog Synth Plug-In Expansion Board

Reproduce the fat and funky sounds of vintage analog synthesizers. This board gives you a synth engine similar to the one featured in Yamaha's amazing AN1x Analog Physical Modeling Synthesizer. On top of its full array of wave algorithms, resonant filters, LFOs, and envelope generators, it also has distortion and a 3-band equalizer. Learn More...

    • New $239.95
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Overall User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Individual User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Features:
* . . . . . . . . . 1 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
to fully utilize this synth you need to use the editing software that comes with it, but its only for windows and I have a mac

Quality:
it didnt fit that well into my keyboard, i had to use a screw driver and the iron claw technique to get it in, but it didnt break and works perfectly

Value:
if i knew I couldnt use the software I wouldnt have bought it, I will probably return it

Desirability:
yea circuit boards turn me on

Sound:
the preset sounds are not that good, theres only a handful of usable ones. most require editing to sound good. maybe you can create good sounds using the editing software but I wouldnt know (see below).

Ease of Use:
cant really say cause I cant use the software

Support:
never used it

Overall:
again I cant really comment on the overall quality cause I cant use the software, if you have a mac dont buy it

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
The fact that all editing takes place on the computer saves time and sapce. Also, the plug-in itself has its own arpeggiator, which is good since the Motif won't allow you to use its own arpeggiator with plug-in cards. (At least, not with this one and the PLG-150 DX). Just wish the Motif had a bigger screen (like the Roland Fantom) so that all parameters could be edited without the copmuter.

Quality:
This is a very sophisticated instrument best suited to people with at least some previous experience with analog synthesis. All editing is done on the computer so be aware of this. (There is some editing available on the hardware itself, but it is limited and unsatisfactory). Sounds a lot better than purely software-based emulations and has zero latency issues.

Value:
This product is based on a previous product of Yamaha's (the an-1), that was an extremely faithful emulation of Sequential Circuit's Prophet 5, one of the best synthesizer's of all time. Patches written for the an-1 are compatible with this card. It also adds other capabilities the Prophet 5s lacked, however, giving it a much more modern sound. It's not an exact duplicate of the Prophet 5, in other words, but in many instances, surpasses it. If you want a real vintage sound, this would not be the product to get. If you want a clean, excellent modern analog sound, though, purchase this product,

Desirability:
Like I said, it's not a real classic analog, only an emulation. It's also a plug-in card, so nobody can see it, they can only hear it. I like it because it turns my Motif ES from being a sampler/workstation into being a sampler/workstation/synthesizer. For what it is and does, there aren't a lot of options. Just looking at a Motif with one installed, you would never guess all the sounds it's capable of. Thus, it defintiely makes the Motif sexier. If only Motifs came with them pre-installed!

Sound:
Veratile and intuitive operation. I only wish it were a real analog, but it's not. Other than that, am satisfied with the sound quality. Sound is very sharp and clean.

Ease of Use:
Very easy to get good sounds. Love spending time just monkeying around with the various parameters until I get a sound I like. I've heard a lot of people complain how they have to load their sounds every time they boot, but this does not bug me as this is much qicker than loading samples. Only takes 1-2 minutes at most.

Support:
Never had to deal with Yamaha's support. Their products are all pretty self-explanatory.

Overall:
I get bored easily and quickly with everything I have, so I don't this purchase will be my last. For what it is, I am satisfied.

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