Oberheim Matrix 6 User reviews -Page 21

Synth Site: Oberheim: Matrix 6: User reviews Add review

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Average rating: 4.6 out of 5

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Mike V a hobbyist user from america and the united states therein writes:

when i first got my hands on this synth i was disappointed. i only really liked the strings and a few other presets. but then again i hadn't delved into it, and boy am i glad i did. i think part of my initial frustration was that this was my first programmable synth, and i was intimidated by all the parameters and modulations and what not. (for the record, my first actual keyboard was the Casiotone MT210, which i reviewed on the Casio section of this site.) but as i learned to delve into this board, i only liked it more and more.

a tip for any new users out there - the presets generally suck, there aren't that many out of the 100 which are worth keeping. but DO NOT let this discourage you. delve into this machine, do some basic tweaking to get a feel for its sounds and capabilities, THEN get into the Matrix Modulation. wow. if you want, one source can control several destinations. otherwise, you can have up to ten sources controlling ten destinations. if you have a basic understanding of synths and their parameters, then you'll have lots of fun with the Matrix Mod. you can get it to do a hell of a lot of things for yr patches. yr patches can be as "stock-analogue" or as unique-sounding as you want them to be. it's all up to you, just don't get intimidated like i did! get one and delve into it!

Rating: 4 out of 5 posted Thursday-Jun-24-9999 at 17:06

Jeff a part-timer user from The United States writes:

Considering a new board? Perhaps something to give your tracks that certain untangible unique sound? Look no further. When I first started using the Matrix 6 backin the mid 80's. we made all our stuff on an M1 to start with. People would listen to our stuff and would comment: "yep there's the M1 Piano" "ya and there's the M1 string patch" " and there's the ....... COOL!!! What the hell is on that track.!?!" " Man! This thing has a groove." " What made that searinginly hot lead?" "how many keyboards did it take to stack up that bass sound? "O.K. who did this really?" I currently create all my tracks with a K2000 and a EMU ESI-32. I sold the M6 when I was 18 (pressure from my girlfriend at the time) and have since then realized that no sampler or synth can duplicate the warm, fat, unique and untangible sound the M6 adds to any setup. And yes, matrix modulation concepts are complex, the interface - antiquated, attention getter factor - absolutely priceless. $450 from just about any used dealer - get it. Abusive comments welcome. - jcastor@earthlink.net

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Mar-24-9999 at 14:25

wes jensen a hobbyist user from us of a writes:

this baby is the best kept secret on the planet! a matrix 1000 with an editor librarian is a nord modular well before its time! real time control? hello!! 2 mod. wheel/ 2 foot pedals/ pressure/ release vel./ vel.! the best controllers are the ones i don't have to take my hands off the keys to introduce! the next time you see a matrix 6/ 6r/ 1000 for $250-$350, please don't buy it so i can get another one!!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Tuesday-Mar-23-9999 at 20:36

Doc Technical a hobbyist user from USA writes:

I have the rack-mount version of the M6 (called the M6R, same programming interface but no keyboard), I bought it when it first came out and still use it. The M6 is basically a pared-down version of the Oberheim Xpander (way fewer user controls, one less oscillator, half the matrix modulation capacity among others) - but then the Xpander could only be played via MIDI and the M6 is a keyboard. The M6 holds 100 user-programmable sounds and 50 performances (arrangements of two patches, the manner in which the six voices are split between the upper and lower zones of the keyboard, and the zone split point on the keyboard).

By paring down the user interface and internal hardware they were able to bring this unit to market at an attractive price. Its oscillators are a tad thinner-sounding than previous Oberheim synths but if you can deal with the keypad data entry and single-parameter-at-a-time display, you can get a lot of those great analog sounds that are so hard to diuplicate in today's synths. If you can rig some alternate way of programming the thing (a PC-based patch editor or something like a Peavey PC1600 unit), you'll be in analog heaven.

The Matrix Modulation feature is like having ten patch cords that you can connect between most any two parts of the synth, and a knob to set the amount of modulation per patch connection. It's really the part of the synth where you can coax many strange and interesting analog timbres out of it. Definitely takes the sound out of the realm of the oridnary.

There is a full SysEx MIDI implementation for this synth, so just about everything about the unit can be accessed remotely via MIDI. Pretty impressive for its day.

The Matrix 1000 is basically a preset version of the M6R with ten banks of 100 sounds each and no front-panel programming. Eight of the ten banks are in ROM and can't be changed, the other two are in RAM and support the MIDI implementation found in the M6 and M6R.

If you love analog synth sounds and can get hold of one in good condition at a reasonable price, you won't be sorry.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Monday-Dec-28-9898 at 16:36

Alex Medici from Italy / US writes:

This is one of my favorite analog sysnths. Most people don't know about it so its good for adding that different analog feel to your track. Very nice and warm, punchy bass and pads that bring tears to your eyes. It is one of the most lovely synths to mix with.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Saturday-Dec-19-9898 at 14:28

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