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Re: [xpantastic] The pure size of the Matrix-12

2012-07-17 by Terje Winther

IMO, if you own a Minimoog D and a Xpander, it covers most you can get from a analogue synth.
There ´s the lame behaviour of Xpander envelopes for percussive sounds though.

Interesting. You probably can´t have both on the same synth, ultrapercussive sounds (very short envelopes) and long, evolving sounds (very long envelopes) because analog circuitry seems to have some limits. Lately however, I have discovered that adding a tiny, tiny amount of attack time to percussive sounds can add a "whoomp" at the start that really makes wonders with the sound. I have also done some experiments with various envelopes from different brands (easy when you have a modular) controlling the same sound, and hear the differences. It seems the the slope affects the sound just as much as how fast the envelope is (This is only relevant in very short sounds, of course). Through this I have also come to appreciate "slow and inferior" envelope generators, because they can be used to shape sounds that "faster and better" envelopes can´t. I too can hear that the Matrix-12 envelopes are not splitting fast as my minimoog, but Oberheim synths have always had this good quality of "whoomp", or force in the envelopes that I appreciate.

I always compensate by layering w/ FM synths like DX7mkII, TX-816 or TG77.

And that technique was of course well perfected later on, in those ROM-sample-attack + analog sound instruments that came later. I think it is called "instrumentation", and it really works well.




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