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Oberheim Matrix synthesizers

Image:Oberheim Matrix-12 synthesizer.jpg

Oberheim Matrix synthesizers were a product line of subtractive analog synthesizers from Oberheim featuring a system of modulation which Oberheim called "Matrix Modulation" as a method of selecting and routing elements that dynamically shape various aspects of the sounds it produces. Matrix synthesizers continue to be popular due to their characteristic late-1980s analog sound and leading patching and filter capabilities.

These five products fall into two groups. The Xpander is a six-voice rack-mount synthesizer with voltage-controlled oscillators and very flexible voltage-controlled filters. The Matrix-12 is in effect two Xpanders plus a keyboard. The second group consists of the Matrix-6 synthesizer, with DCOs, and much more standard filter capability. It had two rack-mount variants, the Matrix-6R (Matrix-6 without keyboard) and the Matrix-1000 (low cost preset version with extended memory).

Models

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!width="200"|Xpander[http://www.vintagesynth.com/oberheim/xpander.php Oberheim Xpander page] at Vintage Synth Explorer

!width="200"|Matrix-12[http://www.vintagesynth.com/oberheim/mat12.php Oberheim Matrix 12 page] at Vintage Synth Explorer

!width="200"|Matrix-6[http://www.vintagesynth.com/oberheim/mat6.php Oberheim Matrix 6 page] at Vintage Synth Explorer

!width="200"|Matrix-6R[http://www.vintagesynth.com/oberheim/mat6.php Oberheim Matrix 6 page] at Vintage Synth Explorer

!width="200"|Matrix-1000[http://www.vintagesynth.com/oberheim/mat1000.php Oberheim Matrix 1000 page] at Vintage Synth Explorer[http://www.vintagesynth.com/manuals/OberheimMatrix1000.pdf Oberheim Matrix 1000 manual] at Vintage Synth Explorer{{cite web|url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_articles/jun94/oberheimmatrix.html|title=Oberheim Matrix 1000|work=Sound On Sound|date=June 1994|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607013124/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_articles/jun94/oberheimmatrix.html|archivedate=7 June 2015}}

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Polyphony

| 6 voices || 12 voices || colspan="3" | 6 voices

Oscillators

| 12 VCOs (2 per voice) featuring CEM3374

| 24 VCOs (2 per voice) featuring CEM3374 || colspan="3" | 12 DCOs (2 per voice) featuring CEM3396

Filter

| colspan="2" | Multimode, 15 variations of
low / high / band / notch / phase shift resonant filter
based on CEM 3372 w/ external switch circuitry|| colspan="2" | low-pass filter using CEM3396's LPF ||same as 6R but different capacitors

LFO

| colspan="2" | 5 (per voice)
(plus 1 global for vibrato effect) || colspan="3" | 2 (per voice)
(plus 1 global for vibrato effect)

Envelopes

| colspan="2" | 5 (per voice) || colspan="3" | 3 (per voice)

Layers

| 6-part multitimbral
with up to 6 zones || 12-part multitimbral
with up to 6 zones || colspan="2" | 2-part multitimbral
with up to 2 zones || monotimbral

Memory

| colspan="2" | 100 patches, 100 multi || colspan="2" | 100 patches, 50 multi || 1000 patches (800 preset, 200 user)

Form Factor

| Desktop|| colspan="2" | 61-key (velocity & channel aftertouch) || colspan="2"| Rackmount

Production

| 1984–1988 || 1985–1988 || 1985–1988 || 1986–1988 || 1988–1994

Price

| US$3995 || US$6399 || US$1695 || US$999 || US$599

References

{{reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{cite magazine|url=http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/oberheim-matrix-1000/3978|title=Oberheim Matrix 1000|magazine=Sound On Sound|date=September 1988|pages=54–56|issn=0951-6816|oclc=925234032}}
  • {{cite magazine|title=Oberheim Matrix-12|magazine=Future Music|issue=61|issn=0967-0378|oclc=1032779031}}

External links

  • [http://www.vintagesynth.com/ VintageSynth.com] has specifications and photos
  • [http://www.ob6000.de/ OB6000.de] The Editor for the Matrix 1000
  • [http://xplorer.programmer.free.fr/ Xplorer] A free, realtime editor for the Oberheim Matrix-12 and Xpander synthesizers

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Matrix

Category:analog synthesizers

Category:polyphonic synthesizers

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