Oberheim Matrix 6

Latest OS,
Presets? Well as the famous Julian Colbeck once said about this synth : they are truly crap.
You aren't worth the sand you walk in if you can't program this synth to your liking. Whoever did the presets should be strapped in a chair and subjected to a 130db medley of all the crappy patches this synth was originally shipped with. Man, even the kid nepro ones suck. editing is a breeze. yeah, punch in the number, increment or decrement. ****, what could be easier? 130 dedicated knobs that will break or corrode within a year of use? Do the maths, my Matrix6 is 24 years old this year, and doesn't look a day over 12 months. it wouldn't have lasted the beatings if it were laden with knobs and switches.

6 voices of pure DCO chill. Midi is good for it's time.

I love it for Human League, Killing Joke, Numan, all kinda eighties sounds. i love the keyboard feel, way better than my ASR-10. It's a synth action. what more could you want from a synth? Bosendorfer?

I could and i would depend on it. Rock solid Japanese build, Sakata Shokai, subsidary of Suzuki. and i drive one of those too! used it at many gigs, always get queries about it from punters.

I wont make a smart-arsed comment on this one. Oberheim have had enough grief for their absence on this one.

I have a rack version, the 6r. i liked it so much i bought the keyboard. i own a **** load of eighties synths, i find i'm always coming back to the oberheims and the jupiters. i love the cold stark, almost nerdy (stencilled instructions on the fascia) look about these synths. i've been tweaking synths for many a year, and i'm sick of hearing the unqualified rubbishing about these synths. why do the matrix 1000's get so much credit? just get an alesis datadisk, sit it on top of the 6r. get a floppy disk, put it in. attach a midi lead. bingo. matrix 1000 sitting on top. duh.

ugh... programming is a *****, not one data slider or wheel.

decent features for a synth from the mid 80's. the mod matrix is nice and allows me to set up set up continuous controllers for whatever parameters i want (Lever 1,2,3 and pedal 4,5)...

sounds... this is a really subjective thing but there are some things i've been able to get out of it that really stand out and keep me coming coming back but then there seems to be a tendency for it to sound dull and pale. really, it's up to the programming. the filter is quite fat and nice. the oscillators sometimes sound buzzy in a digital way. the matrix mod makes this synth stand out.

never had a problem with mine.

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it's got a sound that can go either way for me. i either really like it or i'm not feeling it at all. it needs finessing and programming things the right way, making use of the mod matrix, and finding those sweet spots. the big problem with the M6 isn't that it uses DCO's, it's that its user interface sucks. but PC and Mac editors can take care of this so really it's no issue if you have a computer and a MIDI interface.

it??s not hard to use like the dx7, it??s more tedious and slow-ish compared to an analogue with knobs??n??all.
but where do you get such high class sound for so little money??
the strings rival jupiter 8 strings (in their more modern-style analogue / dco sounding way), and the mod matrix makes it quite flexible.

poly-6
keyboard action is exceedingly good for its day and age, similar to dx7.

aftertouch is quite nice but you have to lean into it a bit.
every time i switch it on i marvel at the "orchestral" sounding strings and brasses ( albeit in a cool, abstracted, analogue way).
sounds MUCH better than a roland jx 10 / mks70 - tried both side by side before selling the mks70.
it has a very high class, glossy quality which can be an advantage when you mix it low, the tonality never gets muddy or disappears like on cheaper synths.
very suitable for orchestral washes, backdrops etc.
on the other hand, nice modular LFo madness can be had too, though a little tedious to program.

well i bought it used and as supposedly defective, very cheaply, and to my own surprise managed to make it work by just pressing the STORE button while powering up (factory reset).
now it worked but sometimes still crashed.
i then downloaded the factory patches as an mp3 stream and that did the trick.
i now have it running and its like new.
my technician and i looked at the boards inside and marveled how tidy and logical evrything was laid out. according to my tech, everything inside is replaceable (CEM chips like the ones used in Roland Jupiter 6 and others) except for the chip that holds the digital "brain".

i used to own a matrix 1000 and loved its string sounds. however, i sold it some time later since the limitations and the tedious entering of 3 digit program numbers bugged me a lot.
i have ever since missed its classy, clear string sounds that i just couldn??t nail with other gear (roland jupiter 8/6, dx7, kawai k 5000, roland jx3p etc).
so now i am very glad to have that sound back in my arsenal.

i still think the programming is quite a bore with all that button-pushing, but at least i am programming a real synth with the nifty mod matrix and not trying to remember the number of a useable preset on the matrix 1000.

The Presets aren't that great. But the ability to patch this synth is incredible.
How hard is it to edit? Very hard when you first get started. But this is a synth that you have to sit down with and learn how to program, using the manual will be a great help. It took me four months, working with it a half an hour to an hour a day. And then Working with it on the weekends for one to eight hours. Hang in there you will be proficient.

Six note polyphony. The keyboard seems to have very little throw to it. But the velocity/aftertouch works well. MIDI is very comprehensive. No expansion or sequencer.

It seems to me that it works well in a wide variety of musical situations. And as before the Velocity/Aftertouch is great. The best thing about this synth is thinking about a specific musical application and programming it for that situation, ie a filter sweep modulated by aftertouch for a dramatic effect in a specific song.

Very Dependable. Does need to be tuned more frequently than you would think. However it is easily selectable and automatic function.

Never had any problems.

It is great for a variety of music. And I love using it for Wendy Carloesque interpretations of Classical Music with my Moog Multi as a Lead voice try Afternoon of a Fawn, or Flight of the Buble bee.

Presets are good, but sometimes a little thin and buzzy. The manual is well done. I wish it was a little easier to program.

Really needs an arpegiator!!! Also could use a built in chorus or reverb.

I love the old OBXa sounds, and this comes close enough for me. It's fat and rich sounding, but not quite like the OBXa. With a little programing work, you can come up with some really great sounds. Again, onboard efx would be a welcomed addition.

Mine will sometimes just start turning on and off while you are playing, but this is very rare. If I were gigging, I would want a back up.

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I have better synths, but I can not get reid of this one. I use this synth for all my analog sounds. It makes great string sounds. I would love to see Oberheim make an updated version.

This keyboard does not really have any presets. The patches are all stored in 100 locations, and they can all be overwritten. Patches can also be backed up onto tape or Midi Sysex. Programming is annoying without something like SoundDiver or the OB6000 program.

This keyboard has 6 voices which can be used separately on different midi channels as six monophonic voices. They each have their own filters and envelopes, but they can all have only one common setting. There is also a split mode in which one can use 2 voices with one patch, controlled on one midi channel, and another patch for the other 4 voices on another midi channel. This split can also be 5 and 1. There is no sequencer, but the keyboard is so expressive, and with attack and release velocity, pressure and afterouch, two levers and two pedals, there is no shortage of ways to express yourself.

Well as I just mentioned, I am rather impressed with the expressiveness, the sounds really pay off as well. Really fat basslines roll right out of this thing. Amazing spatial textures and unearthly pads. I am in love. There are also six controllers which can be applied externally when the internal control is shut off. These can be applied to the matrix.

I bet you could hammer bricks with this thing.

I haven't had any problems, I am probably using a pretty old version of the software, but if it aint broke?

I couldn't function normally without one any more. i am hooked, and I plan my life around this keyboard. I would like eventually to set up all six voices independantly with teir own sequencers, But I'm still figuring out how the thing is wired. If anyone has schematics I am at cymerman@telusplanet.net

The front panel is typical mid-eighties: A one line display coupled with [not enough] membrane switches. An M6 patch has over 100 parameters, including the modulation matrix. Even though the interface is laid out as well as I've seen on a membrane/LED machine, programming gets to be tedious and frustrating. An editor/librarian is a necessity for this machine.

Six voice polyphony with a limited bitimral capability, including split/layer. The M6's unweighted keyboard is typical synth-springy and responds to velocity and aftertouch. MIDI capabilities are fairly basic, but are complete enough to do most anything you'd want to try.

The basic signal path is generic polysynth --two oscillators, a 24dB/Octave low-pass VCF and a VCA. However, the M6 has a wealth of modulation capabilities, which make it stand out from its contemporaries. The M6 has one global and two local LFO's, 4 envelope generators (3 DADSR + a ramp generator), two levers, aftertouch, and velocity. All of these can be run through what Oberheim calls a 'tracking generator' and a 'lag generator'. The former allows you to modify the response of a modulation source, while the latter is sort of a portamento effect that can be mapped onto a mod source. At the heart of all this is a modulation matrix with ten routings per patch. Any signal source can be used to modulate just about everything else. This allows for some really complex and interesting sounds. The one thing I would like is to be able to use DCO2 to modulate DCO1 frequency. As a substitute, you can use DCO1 to FM the filter cutoff, which is close, kinda.

The sound itself tends to be thinner than older polysynths, which I suspect is the fault of the DCOs, but the voicing flexibility MORE than makes up for it.

It's metal and it's heavy and it's solid enough for road work. It's also pretty old by now, so you never whether something's ready to retire. Mine is losing the sensation of it's top few keys. Caveat Emptor. Still, I trust mine. I just have to get it fixed.

I haven't had enough of a problem to warrant trying. Then again, I doubt Gibson (the current owner of the Oberheim brand) is going to be much help.

If I ever lost mine, I'd cry. Then I'd go out and get another one. There isn't anything like it on the market, new or used, that mere mortals can afford.

What software version are you using? Last version created was 2.13a. You can only edit one parameter at a time. Presets show a wide variety of keyboard's ability. From sound effects to strings. I have not used a patch editor, but I don't think that the editors available for the Matrix 6, 6R, 1000 units will make much of a difference. The reason is that the Matrix 6 is very much a modular synth and none of the editors seem to recognize this fact. The best editor called Matrix 6000, is the most elegant, but emulates the interface of an anlog keyboard such as the Prophet or Juno 106.
The manual is clear with some marginal advice on how to develop sounds. If this is your first synth, you may find it all to be a bit overwhelming. What's most important to keep in mind is that the M6 series is it's conceptually A MODULAR SYNTH.

Standard polyphony is 6 voices in single mode. In split/layer mode the voices can allocated to each zone/layer in the following combinations: 0/6, 2/4, 4/2, 6/0. There is no dynamic voice allocation. In it's day, this was quite impressive. With version 2.13 or 2.13a, a feature was implemented that allows a second Matrix unit to increase the polyphony. When a 7th voice is needed, the remote unit will kick in. This feature brings the unit up to 12 voices quite nicely. It's not documented whether you can exceed 12 voices. (You should not get the misconception that using this feature will give you the power and sonic texture of a Matrix 12. The M6 series share similar, but not the same technology.)
There are no built in effects. However, in split mode, each voice can come out of a different out so they can be processed independently. Also, some effects, such as digital delay can be faked with an LFO.
There are no cards or memory expansion capabilities. It retains 100 patches. You can transfer any number patches up to 100 from tape or MIDI. It supports Bend, Channel Aftertouch, Velocity, Release Velocity and Active Sensing standard as well as quite a bit of sysex. In Split Mode it can receive and send on two adjacent MIDI channels. It has a MONO mode where it can respond on 6 adjacent channels so that each voice is on a channel. This mode is also known as guitar mode. There is a physical controller for the above listed CC messages. With ver 2.13 the MIDI out can perform merging.
There is no sequencer or arpeggiator. The keyboard action is quite nice. Synth action is good for performing high-hat sequencing since it's faster than weighted piano action. It responds without fail to seqencers. IN/OUT/THRU ports available. 2 foot pedals one of which can be used to sync the LFO to Voltage control click.

Strings seem to be strong point of the keyboard in terms of recreating an acoustic instrument. Also, because you can modulate the Pulse Width with an evelope, you can get some very nice guitar sounds. One of the features of the keyboard is that it can perform analog FM synthesis. This changes the synth engine from a subtractive synth to an additive one, drastically changing its character. This capability allows it to mimic the sound of Yamaha DX.
No one should buy this keyboard because it can make sounds like any other keyboard. While some basic patches will sound like a Juno , this synth has it's own sound. However, if you like the Vintage Keys by Roland, then that's what this sounds like.
The keyboard is not sought after because it does not have knobs and sliders etc. However, with thoughtful programming this limitation can be overcome. Each of the two osc can make sawtooth and square waves at the same time and there are 3 forms of sync. The filter is possilby the weak link for this synth engine. It needs help from an external EQ to get an "eternal" sound. I have owned one for over 13 years and will not part with it.
The sounds really come alive when MIDIed with digital synth.

The one I purchased had a strange problem that had to be sent back to the factory (the days of ECC corporation) to fix, but I've had no problems since. Have not gigged with it. Most should be quite alright.
The Pitch/Mod paddles have to be adjusted every so often.

Gibson, who owns the Oberheim name (this year), does not support it. See your local keyboard tech. There are no upgrades except for the ROM. Depending on which tech you call, you can still get the latest ROM 2.13a.

I bought this one in 1985 when it was relatively new. Today I would have no problem paying $300 for a 6R or $350 for the keyboard. For that amount of money it's a great value.
My biggest wish is that it had an arpeggiator. After that I wish the mod paddle did not return to center. It does need effects, especially chorus to round out the sound, but when you do this, you can really "hear" the sound it's making. My favorite aspect is the 10 modulation routings you can employ. You have about 20 sources and about 30 destinations. It is still fascinating to come up with new patches. The synth engine is very alive and swirly.
Biggest complaint is the filter. It's hard work to make it really rip. You can either have bottom end or buzzy synth, but usually not both. A second problem could be that it is not a stereo synth. That is, you cannot dynamically pan the position. You need an effects unit for that.

Editing sounds is quite painful. There is even no a data slider. Only a numeric pad and incremental and decremental buttons. The presets were quite good, but didn't take the full power out from the synth. The manual is very good and essential to understand all parameters.

The polyphony is just six voices. There is a split mode where two sounds can be layered to the keyboard, which has five octaves. The keyboard recognizes velocity, pressure and even release velocity. It has a MIDI and the three controllers can be mapped to MIDI controllers, which is a very nice option, since they are in the modulation source list.
The sound architecture consists of two DCOs, one lowpass VCF and a VCA. There are also three envelopes and two versatile LFOs, a lag and a tracking generators and two ramp generators (simple envelopes). The modulation routings are very versatile, which is a definite strength of the machine. You can for example control the amount of resonance with an envelope. There are 100 user patch memory locations.

The raw sound of the Matrix 6 is not so good as in older Oberheims. It's rather harsh and thin. But because of very versatile modulation routings the Matrix 6 can produce very wierd effects. It's useful for creating typical analogs sounds, but does imitate quite well conventional instruments too.

I have had some problems. It was dead a one year, but then it just started to work again. And the buttons don't work perfectly which is irritating.

If you need some typical analog sounds, like strings and basses, there are better synths with the same price, like the JX-8P. But if you want more complex sounds this synth has much potential. I hope it would have more polyphony, faster envelopes and a better user interface. What I like most is the ability to control parameters like the filter cutoff and the amount of resonance with MIDI controllers to get continuously changing synth bass lines.