Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!umcp-cs!aplcen!jhunix!ins_adjb From: ins_adjb@jhunix.UUCP (Daniel Jay Barrett) Newsgroups: net.music.synth Subject: Re: synth shopping...and Oberheim synth questions Message-ID: <1697@jhunix.UUCP> Date: Sat, 1-Feb-86 13:00:10 EST Article-I.D.: jhunix.1697 Posted: Sat Feb 1 13:00:10 1986 Date-Received: Mon, 3-Feb-86 05:35:46 EST References: <661@aicchi.UUCP> <2579@pucc-h> <1372@fisher.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: Johns Hopkins Univ. Computing Ctr. Lines: 64 There has been recent discussion about the various Oberheim products. I thought I'd clear up the confusion. I have no affilation with Oberheim except as a Matrix-12 owner. All of the following products are multi-timbral, i.e. every voice can play an entirely different patch, and every voice is separately accessible by MIDI. First came the XPANDER. It is a 6-voice keyboardless expander, with the most sophisticated analog voice ever devised (in my opinion). Every voice has 2 VCO's, a 15-mode VCF (lowpass, highpass, bandpass, notch, and phase-shift modes, in various combinations), 15 VCA's, 5 LFO's, 5 DADSR envelope generators (the first "D" is "delay"), a lag processor (portamento), 3 tracking generators (to produce non-linear tracking of any signal), 4 ramp generators (like envelope generators with just ATTACK), and FM. I've seen the Xpander for around $1900. You can split whatever keyboard controller you are using in 3 (possibly overlapping) places, and assign any of the 6 voices to any of the "zones", as they are called. The Xpander recognizes velocity, release-velocity, and pressure. Next came the MATRIX-12. It is a 12-voice instrument with the exact same voice type as the Xpander. It has a keyboard, however, and it is 5 octaves, non-weighted, and responds to velocity and release velocity (pressure option available "soon"). The Matrix-12 allows for 6 keyboard "zones", with any voice assigned to any one of them. Both the Matrix-12 and the Xpander are "compatible": you can send patches from one to the other. They both store 100 "single patches" (all voices on the same patch) and 100 "multi-patches" (each voice plays any of the 100 single-patches). I got my Matrix for $3700. Then came the MATRIX-6, a totally different beast. The Matrix-6 has a less extensive voice, with just lowpass filtering (maybe highpass too, I forget). It has a 5-octave, unweighted, velocity & pressure & release velocity keyboard. It lists for $1595 or so. It stores 100 single patches and 50 multi-patches. It is not compatible with the Xpander or Matrix-12. In addition, there is now a rackmount version of the Matrix-6, minus the keyboard. There is also a soundless keyboard controller, the XK, which can be used with any MIDI instrument. The strength of the Oberheim line lies in its MODULATION capabilities. Put simply, anything can modulate anything. You can have LFO's modulating the speed of an envelope's attack, while a pitch-bend lever modulates the speed of a second LFO which modulates the depth of the first LFO, which itself is modulated by................(ad infinitum). The capabilities of these instruments (particularly the Matrix-12) are much too involved to go into detail about in this posting. My advice to you if you are considering one of these instruments is: (1) Get the manual first! Oberheim will sell you one, or the store may let you borrow a copy. (2) Have a good feel for analog synthesis already. These beasts take time to tame! Anyone with questions can e-mail me. I love to talk about this stuff (obviously!!!!!). -- Daniel J. Barrett Dept. of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 21218