To all Oberheim guru's

[amd]

What's the difference between the black face matrix 1000 and the cream faced one? Which one is prefered and why? What's the going rate on these? Thanks!

[Phaidon]

Pretty much the same thing...
the creamy ones came later to match the crapy OBMx,trying to bring an Oberheim revival in the 90's.

Phaidon

[Jazzpunk]

Originally Posted by amd

What's the going rate on these? Thanks!

You should be able to snag one for around $250-$300 (I've seen 'em go for $200 when they've been priced to move quick). They pop up pretty frequently on craigslist (at least here in L.A.) and eBay.

[sleepwalker]

Yeah. Price is $150-300 or so. The Creamfaced ones have a higher resale value, but I think it's the exact same synth.

Originally Posted by Jazzpunk

You should be able to snag one for around $250-$300 (I've seen 'em go for $200 when they've been priced to move quick). They pop up pretty frequently on craigslist (at least here in L.A.) and eBay.

[chrisso]

No difference.
I had a black faced one.
Good sounds and great value.

[James Meeker]

It's the same deal. Honestly, I feel a Matrix 6R is a better deal--programmable from the front panel. Plus they are easy to program--even with the kludgy user interface and squidgy membrane buttons--if you know your way around subtractive synthesis.

There is a "cheat sheet" on top of the unit that lets you know what each parameter number is. Makes things a cinch to program.

Matrix 1000's *CAN* be programmed via a computer and software but not sure how far back of a system you would need. Never went that route myself.

The Matrix 6R holds 100 patches, usually plenty!

Matrix 1000 has mostly presets, but I believe there are 100 user memories you can write *IF* you have the computer interface set up. Like I said, I never owned a Matrix 1000 personally, but I did have a Matrix 6R for some years.

Good synth. Not much of the classic Oberheim sound to it, think of a Roland Alpha Juno 1 with far more programmability and versatility... it sounds along that line.

[Ruudman]

..the creamy ones came later to match the crapy OBMx,trying to bring an Oberheim revival in the 90's

Crapy, as in crappy? If so, I disagree

Originally Posted by James Meeker

Matrix 1000's *CAN* be programmed via a computer and software but not sure how far back of a system you would need. Never went that route myself.
.

The MA6/1000's both can be programmed with the newest of systems/software. As an example, Logic 8.


Ruudman

[amd]

I appreciate the insight guy!

[sexxy]

access music made a hardware tabletop midi controller for matrix1000 and also another for the waldorf pulse i think
verry hard to find



i purchased the m2001 software editor, was OK
but the mouse its a bit limiting
Vintage Synth Explorer - Oberheim Matrix 1000

you should get a novaton remote sl or korg kontrol49, mackie knob stuff or similar that can handle npr npnr and sysex messagess

sounds similar to synths in cher - musics no good without you

online you can find OberheimMatrix1000.pdf owners manual and service manuals somwhere

uhmmmm
some have a nasty battery memory leak - thers a web page for claning them inside
some have a loud 60hz internal transformer humm

but most are ok
zvon anamark tried to make a VSTi DXi similar engine

the Oberheim Matrix1000 has lots & tons of programming parameters
the access controller its verry verry basic but... hands-on

you can have some really unheard sounds
i miss itthumbsup

[Beermaster]

Originally Posted by Ruudman

Crapy, as in crappy? If so, I disagree



.


Ruudman

I have to totally and utterly agree that the OBMX was a total pile of crap ! - I had the dis-pleasure of buying one brand new back in 93? - Badly made, sounds TERRIBLE doesn't do what it says on the label and is a complete rip off for what it costs and what it is limited in doing.

I drop kicked mine down a stairwell . - It made a better sound clattering down thoes steps than it ever did plugged in to the desk !

How they ever dared to put the Oberheim label on that box of shit I will never know ( tho I guess Oberheim was a better name compared to their parent owners 'Viscount'
at that time )

OBMX -- Be Afraid,.... Be Very Afraid..

Beer

[Popbott]

Originally Posted by amd

What's the difference between the black face matrix 1000 and the cream faced one? Which one is prefered and why? What's the going rate on these? Thanks!

I bought a black faced unit that had it's rack ears bent pretty bad. I called Gibson (back then) and ordered a new white face plate (because that is all they had) and slapped it on. It looked more purdy than before, and I swear it sounded better after that. (I think the new white face incorperates tiny nanites that improve the waveform stability through sound projective beam enhancement circuits)

Going rate on eBay is $400 and well worth it.

[Ruudman]

Originally Posted by Beermaster

I have to totally and utterly agree that the OBMX was a total pile of crap !
Beer

Oops... I meant agree, not disagree..


Ruudman

[Transistor]

Originally Posted by DivineChemical

You can over-write every patch on M1000.

Not so. Only the first 200 patches can be overwritten.

(I wrote an M-1000 editor for the Amiga (many) years ago. Great fun. The source is available for anyone wanting a really close look at the m1k...)

r,
j,

[Beermaster]

Aye, Just the first 200 memory locations.

interesting to note that that many of the orginal memory patches in the slots 000 - 199 ( which are duplicates of patches from 200 - 999 ) - respond to midi joystick down movements ( - Y axis ? ) in ways you wouldn't expect - on some patches it will open or close the filter on other is will ad cross modulation etc . Only the 000-199 verisons respond and not the same exact patches in the ROM positions ! - Strrrrange but true - try it out if you somthing like an old M1 or Wavestation KB rigged up.

Using multiple M1000 is great as you can tie them up via the 'unit' function and have them trigger in all kinds of cool ways - either rotating or layerd etc etc

Beer

[Popbott]

Originally Posted by Transistor

Not so. Only the first 200 patches can be overwritten. (I wrote an M-1000 editor for the Amiga (many) years ago. Great fun. The source is available for anyone wanting a really close look at the m1k...)r,j,

Agreed on the first 200 being programmable. Here is a free patch editor for the Mac. I've posted it on GS before and just love posting it over and over again cause every Matrix 1000, Matrix 6 or 6r thread needs it -over and over again.



M1000X - OSX Patch Editor for Oberheim Matrix-6/6R/1000

Originally Posted by sexxy

access music made a hardware tabletop midi controller for matrix1000 and also another for the waldorf pulse i think

The Waldorf controller was for the microWave I. The matrix MIDI controller doesn't provide control for the modulation matrix so unless you know how mods are mapped some knob tweaking can have unpredictable results, and bombarding the Matrix 1000 with SysEx chokes it and results in zippering / lagging updates on knob movements. It is more useful for tweaking existing patches than for patch creation or live use.

[pyvnd]

Originally Posted by amd

What's the difference between the black face matrix 1000 and the cream faced one? Which one is prefered and why? What's the going rate on these? Thanks!

The cream faced one is newer, so I guess it is better because it will probably last longer. I've got one and it sounds great. I had a MKS-50 with the PG300 programmer (a rack juno alpha 2) and the ob sounds much better. Great filters and you can do FM on the filters too which I guess is pretty rare, especially in that price range. You must use a computer programmer. I have one and sometimes it doesn't work so well but if you check all the midi stuff it gets working again. You can't really do realtime tweaks or anything (I guess midi buffer is small) but hey, I paid $20 for it and I can program my ob1000 with it so I can't ask for much more than that.

A very affordable and good sounding good old American analog synth. I love mine and I hope nothing bad ever happens to it.

Is there a way to check to see if the battery is getting low? Is it hard to change the battery?

[pyvnd]

Another thing. Be sure to put some effects on it. Distortion in particular really makes is shred speakers. It's a very loud synth on its own but turning it down a bit and putting some effects on it makes it sound awesome.

[6dyslexicelephnt]

i found a matrix 1000 at a thrift store for $40 in the stereo equipment section and it worked fine and sounded cool. often design schemes in equipment are overplayed and don't make much difference. This weekend I was playing out of a silver face fender deluxe reverb and it sounded freaking awesome. I thought it would sound okay because it wasn't black face. I was wrong

[rolo]

wow... i really happen to love my OBMX. works like a champ. Does it sound like my OB8 or like any other respectable oberheim... no... does it sound like an SEM and MOOG like they advertised... no... can you make the wildest pads (i have the three card system)... the strangest leads and efx... fu*k yes it does... and YES it DOES sound like true analog.
Cheers.

[RobJB06]

Heh..
Only two months late for this thread.. anyway, just wanted to echo mr.beers comments on the OBMX.
I bought one a few years ago and was utterly underwhelmed and dissappointed. Sound is total shite imo, really proper crappy sound.
Uses the CEM 3374 as the ocillator chip and discreet filters, those oscillator chips are impossible to find, so your truelly stuffed if a voice goes down. Same VCO chip they used in the Xpander and Matrix 12.
The Andromeda is very comparible to the OBMX but sounds MUCH MUCH better- has a similiar dark timbre, but feels finsihed whereas the OBMX feels like a buggy prototype. The Andromeda is a lot thicker and richer sounding than the OBMX too..

Matrix 1000 is a pretty cool synth imo. Great starter cheap synth, Juno 106 is another great starter synth. 106 was my first proper analogue synth.
UI is terrible though, ive binned all the synths i have with a crappy UI, waste of time. Thats why i went for a Microwave XT over a Microwave 1 recently too...
Sure the Microwave 1 sounds a git grittier but the UI is SHIT

[vixapphire]

Originally Posted by Beermaster

I have to totally and utterly agree that the OBMX was a total pile of crap ! - I had the dis-pleasure of buying one brand new back in 93? - Badly made, sounds TERRIBLE doesn't do what it says on the label and is a complete rip off for what it costs and what it is limited in doing.

I drop kicked mine down a stairwell . - It made a better sound clattering down thoes steps than it ever did plugged in to the desk !

How they ever dared to put the Oberheim label on that box of shit I will never know ( tho I guess Oberheim was a better name compared to their parent owners 'Viscount'
at that time )

OBMX -- Be Afraid,.... Be Very Afraid..

Beer

i think gibson guitars was the owner of oberheim at the time of the obmx. viscount came later, with that blue p.o.s. matrix 12000 or whatever lame former-glory-name they appended to it.