Do get a software editor for it. You can edit programs from the front panel but it gets very frustrating after a while. It begs for a panel of knobs. The factory presets aren't the greatest, but once you dive into the machine and work with that matrix modulation you'll be in analog heaven.

I originally bought mine to replace my ailing Memorymoog on the road. With a lot of A/B testing I was able to replicate most of the MM patches I use, so that says something about the sound. The only thing the M6R does not do well is monophonic sounds when you put it in unison. You are always stuck with six voice unison, and twelve DCOs in unison is very very irritating. It would've been a lot better if there was an option to get unison down to one voice, but there is none.

For a DCO polysynth it's surprising warm. I really really wanted to use it in place of the Memorymoog (it weighs a LOT less) but I really really needed those monophonic sounds, and that necessitated dragging around another keyboard to cover the gaps.

As a matter of fact, I experimented with an OBMx for a couple of hours in a store and concluded that the M6R sounds *better* than that hunk of wires. And I've been programming analog synths since 1981.

But I wound up selling it... after I got my Memorymoog fixed up and running much more reliably, the M6R gathered dust. I just didn't need it.

I'll give it a 4 for the nice sounds but it loses a point for the lousy interface and the poor monophonic capability.

The Matrix 6R is an unbelievably great unit if you are into programming and have a manual (this is a necessity because a lot of the M6R isn't immediately obvious).

The synth architecture is essentially everything important in subtractive synthesis EXCEPT multi-mode filters; unfortunately the M6R is only 4 pole lowpass, which really sucks given the potential for oddball sounds.

If you know what you are doing and spend as much time with the M6R as I have, you can easily rival VCO analog for sheer girth. In general, a little +/- detuning on DCO 1 and DCO 2 modulated by a quick attack/decay/0 sustain/no release envelope will greatly fatten your sound. I have an OBXa 8 voice right next to my M6R and have actually created patches that give the OBXa a run for its money!!! No joke. The only synth in my arsenal that can *consistently* out-match my M6R for sheer power is my Prophet 5 rev 3.2 (which is one of the most heavyweight analogs ever--right up with the Matrix 12, Memorymoog and CS-80).

A strong point, in my opinion, is the ability to detune the oscillators against one another along a mind-numbing variety of ways--LFO's (there are 2), ramp generators, envelopes.... simultaneously if you like. I am a big fan of pitch shifting analog oscillators and this is like manna for me!

In a nutshell, if you can't afford a Matrix 12 or Xpander, get a Matrix 6 or Matrix 6R--they are very, very well-equipped and satisfying units. Pads, leads, bass... anything you want is right here at your fingertips (albeit slowly--I've taken as long as 8 hours to get a pad "just right", but it was worth it). The entire Matrix/Xpander series is simply awe-inspiring. Although the Matrix 6 line is the "baby" of the bunch and not nearly as well-equipped as its big brothers, for the money you can't go wrong.

Simply my most tweaked piece of gear. (But then again, it only takes a minute to create a sound on a Prophet 5 anyway... so maybe this isn't such a good thing--except the M6 does things my P5 could never do.)

JKM