oberheim matrix 6/6r/1000

[john129]

Hi!

I have an option to buy an Oberheim Matrix 6R. How suitable is it for electronic music like industrial, goa, ebm?
I have read that Astral Projection and Juno Reactor used it, and presumably Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb too. But on which tracks/albums and what for?
Does it mainly get use only for bass lines or for other jobs too?
Also, do you know of any other examples (specific songs, specific parts) by other bands?

As a side note, I'm aiming for a generally modern sound, so don't want my tracks to sound as if they have come from the 80's. Can this synth be tweaked to have a place in this scenario?

Thanks,
j

[aredj]

Short answer - Yes.
But the synth isnt going to do the work for you.

[john129]

You mean I will have to spend a lot of time to tweak it to produce sound acceptable in my scenario, even effect/postprocess it? If yes, I'm prepared for that, but haven't really seen any specific examples of this synth in industrial/goa/etc. tracks. Though everybody seem to say it's quite versatile and good for electronic music...

[aredj]

I dunno... what exactly makes a synth a goa synth? Yknow? Reverb? Delays?
Put some of that on the martix and it sounds even more beautiful...

Getting the sounds you want means knowing how to program your machine - the matrix can be slow to program, but if you get yourself a good editor then thats a non issue. And as far as I'm concerned - the matrix can be used in any kind of music.

Apart from the scrutinous differences between all synths (filter character, knobs, timbre, warm, cold, harsh etc) a synth is a synth... saws, squares, pulses, env, modulations... It can make basses, leads, pads, effects blah blah...
- a tool you bend to your will.

So again. Yes. I believe you can do what you want if you get a matrix. Its a whole lotta synth for notta lotta money.

[shaft9000]

well, they are cheap for a reason.

the matrix 6/1000 series are not great at psy bass.
leads can be good but lack smoothness.
Slow envelopes and a filter not designed for fast impact.
Matrix series excells at pads and fx sounds, imho.

for psy bass and leads you're much better off w/ a monosynth like: StudioElectronics anything, SCI ProOne, Futureretro anything, Roland SH-series, Moog, Pulse,
Even a digital like Waldorf XT can deliver more goods in these areas than a Matrix6.

[aredj]

Ha... Well said.
I'm too easy and open armed to be giving advice on specifics of synths and music... lol. Im outta here.

[shaft9000]

Well, i don't mean to sound like an end-all authority. Your experience is certainly worth sharingThey are only my opinions, and it is possible to get some dexterity from these particular machines - however they don't offer much latitude for hitting those snappy tweaks that I think the OP is looking for. The m1000 was my 2nd or 3rd analog poly and it frustrated me quite a bit when trying to get it to sound punchy playing arps and sequences and such. Not only are the envelopes slow, it responds to CC#'s poorly and iirc chokes on Sysex, which makes fast on-the-fly tweaks rather hopeless on m1000.
Once I got an SH-9 and later a Pulse the m1000 was free to do what it does best - slow evolving complex pads, weird fx, weepy strings and sweet shimmery brass... YUM!

My writing style can be awfully dry, i must admit.
f**k' Internet.

[john129]

Thank you for the inputs!

Actually I was trying to explore its possibilities with my question. If it's not a do-it-all synth, that is not a problem, doing really great pads and fx can justify its purchase, bass and arps will be then covered by other synths
I have been comtemplating on buying a pulse too, but I'm still waiting for a good deal

Thanks,
j