Xpantastic!

That´s a cool read, Terje !

I love my Xpander since I buyed it as a 1st owner and, surprisingly, it is one of the most reliable analog synthesizers I ever owned incl. my Minimoog D.
While I gave up touring w/ the Minimoog already 2nd half of the 80th, I´d go on the road w/ the Xpander up today because it didn´t need service much within 24 years.
I only had to replace a CEM signal generator many years ago and now a few tact switches need replacement too.

I collected all kinds of parts for refubishing my Xpander and it will be done somewhere this year even it plays like the 1st day.
In fact, it was in the hands of roadies twice a year for many weeks, traveled in trucks and planes, in the cold and in the heat and it never failed in a studio or on a stage.
It´s a super reliable piece of gear and also my VFD displays shine bright up to now.
The smaller form factor of the Xpander makes it more reliable than the Matrix-12 because the case of the Matrix-12 isn´t the most stiff and stable one.
Circuit boards bend on transport.

I shortly aquired a Oberheim XK, already w/ a better PSU and chips in sockets, which now waits for tact switches replacement since I´ve found the switches.
I´ve connected it to the Xpander and, yes,- the behaviour of that keyboard is perfect for the Xpander so I can say, both offer what the Xpander lacks,- the action, the levers and a arpeggiator I had in my Oberheim OB-8.

The 6 voices are enough for any music, even 4 voices in a Oberheim 4-voice were enough to play any chord we know in the diatonic system.

The modulation page in the Matrix-12 offers better overview for modulation sources and destinations, that´s true, but I can live without it.
The detune page is another story,- but my workaround is a good analogue stereo modulation device offering fat chorus for these sounds.
P.ex. a old Rocktron Prochorus is a 6 voice analogue tap delay in 1st order and these taps are modulated by a LFO.
There´s a feedback circuit too for the flanging type stuff,- but the best is, you can place each of the taps to left, right or center individually in the stereo field.
So, when using the Xpander voice panning in addition,- the result is pretty similar to what comes out of a Matrix-12, the voiceboards stacked and detuned.
Can also be done w/ digital multi FX units like a Digitech Studio 400 or similar.

Don´t underrate you´d get CV/GATE inputs for each voice in a Xpander and w/ the Matrix-12 you won´t.
Owning the Minimoog featured w/ CV/GATE outputs, is breeze to link 1 voice of the Xpander to the Minimoog´s keyboard and plying w/ sounds which were formerly created w/ a Minimoog and a Oberheim SEM module.

And there are the single outputs for each voice you´d need a hardware option for the Matrix-12 if you want that.

best

PeWe


Am 14.07.2012 15:13, schrieb Terje Winther:

Thanks to all on this list for the kind help in debugging the Matrix-12.
The kindness and the high level of expertise is really appreciated.
I have learned a lot.

I have also had a little bit of time to play with the Matrix, and I
can see why many people prefer the Xpander. The Matrix-12 is huge in
all manners of the word. It is physically big, heavy, and just the
depth from front of the keys to the rear is staggering. Most other
analog polysynths are small by comparison. Also, the sound when using
all 12 keys are almost over the top. I originally thought that having
an Xpander with "only" 6 voices would be limiting, but now I know that
used in a musical context, that is plenty. Also: the Xpander do not
have to boggle with the dual voice cards, the keyboard and all that.
Thinking about it, I am not really sure I want a Matrix-12, but I must
say that I am getting really interested in getting myself an Xpander.
My music is typically "old school", and I use a lot of analog modular
synths, step sequencers and floating pads, and the Xpander would be
perfect for that kind of music. The depth of modulation is really
good, and I must say that for once the sale pitch is correct: it is
almost like a polyphonic modular synth. I don´t know many other analog
synths that can modulate the VCOs with so many modulators, and have
the modulators being modulated by something else, that in turn are
modulated again. Just having two different LFOs for each of the VCOs
pulse width modulation is already luxury, and when you start using
several moving modulation patchs into pitch, pulse width and VCF
cutoff fluxuation, the livelyness of the sound is just beautiful.
Technically I am also quite impressed with the tuning stability (when
it works...). On the scope I can see how the pitch correction works in
the first few minutes after power-up, and how it works while I am
playing. I know how hard it can be to have analog VCOs track over 5
octaves (I regulary calibrate my own modular VCOs), so yes, I am
impressed by what this machine can do.

I see on the ´net that an Xpander will easily cost me around 3.000
dollars, while a Matrix-12 is only marginally more expensive. Hm. I
will have to do some more repair work before I can even consider
buying one. So one day, then.

Terje Winther
terje.winther@...
http://www.wintherstormer.no/