Xpantastic!

Hi PeWe,
OK, I should have said entirely analog signal chain. BTW my 
schematics show the Chroma, as not using any CEM envelope generators 
but rather generating these functions in software. (being a natural 
evolution from the multiplexed architecture of a hybrid Analog/ 
Digital synth).  
Thanks for the link. It is a good read, but I am pretty careful about 
where my money goes. I have been a little sloppy lately because I 
finally have my house paid for. The V-Synth  was defiantly an  
impulse buy.
You sound too well versed in electronics to be only a musician. Whats 
your backup job? Also, what do you think of the JoMox stuff?

Karl

--- In xpantastic@yahoogroups.com, PeWe <ha-pewe@...> wrote:
>
> Hmmm,- the Matrix12 and the Xpander aren´t entirely analog 
polyphonic 
> synths.
> Entirely analog polyphonic synths were the SEM based Obies, OBX and 
> OBXa, the Prophets, the Jupiter-8, Memorymoog, ARP/Rhodes Chroma 
and 
> Elka Synthex ...
> 
> All synths which generated envelopes, most VCAs, ramps and so on by 
> software aren´t entirely analogs at all.
> 
> Entirely analog synths are manufactured up today, Moog Voyagers,- 
the 
> modulars,- and these can be configurated to be polyphonic, but this 
> becomes very expensive then,- for the user !
> 
> But it´s not impossible to do it, see Doepfer, Cwejman, Synthesis 
> Technology and some more exotic small companys,- and they all have 
their 
> customers. Why ? Answer: They keep it small.
> 
> IMO, the companys like Sequential, Oberheim and Alesis had to give 
up 
> because of some kind of mismanagement in the marketing strategys. 
Their 
> product pallette grew up too fast,- there were a lot of shitty and 
> unneccessary "small boxes" synths and drumachines been manufactured 
by 
> the big companys in the past.
> Products like Sixtrak, Studio400, Jupiter6, Matrix 6 keyboard, OB-
SX 
> made me laugh in the past as also all these little midi helpers 
like 
> Strummer and so on.
> The Prophet10 was a unneccessary product and the T-8 suffered from 
the 
> cheap oscillatorts from the Sixtrack, but Sequential died by the 
Prophet 
> 2000 sampler. Sampling was too expensive at that time and a niche 
market 
> already covered by EMU in the professional range and then the 
Mirage 
> came as the killer in price.
> 
> For pros, the price was never the main factor in buying gear or 
not,- 
> but swap the market w/ tons of cheap gear to make music/noises,- 
all 
> start to "produce" and the fee for work in the music biz goes down, 
also 
> for the pros.
> 
> Meanwhile, the biz is down worldwide and there are tons of (bad) 
music 
> for free as also illegal copys all arount ...
> Now, we have the situation of much more musicians, less jobs, small 
fee 
> but also a request of more knowledge tech wise and a never ending 
> learning curve.
> "Please do everything imaginable w/ your professor like knowledge 
and 
> all your gear, but don´t ask for money. Be happy w/ the credits you 
> eventually get if the stuff will be released". That seems to be the 
rule 
> today.
> 
> Kill the pro music biz and you kill the willingness to invest in 
high 
> quality gear for a adaquate price which results in a more or less 
junk 
> market of electronic noise generators,- hardware or software.
> 90% I see is crap, bad coded or built from cheap parts,- no 
reliability 
> at all, no guarateed future and all made for the masses.
> 
> On the other side: The crowd is satisfied w/ this, users of gear as 
also 
> customers of music.
> 
> As you, Karl, I think it´s good to take care of the vintage 
beauties if 
> you own these,- and as long as you can.
> But in some future, it can also become a nitemare which you cannot 
> afford if you don´t take care on your biz and the music biz itself. 
It´s 
> also important to take care for the machines don´t dominate you and 
your 
> creativity.
> 
> No one buys any music because you have one or more vintage synths. 
Even 
> if it sounds better, it can be a crappy song p.ex. and if it´s not, 
> there´s always someone needed who´s able to recognize the 
difference in 
> sound and this within a mix !
> 
> I´ve found this some time ago and it´s worth to read IMO ...
> 
> 
> http://users.rcn.com/thefront/gearaholic.html
> 
> 
> 
> Karl schrieb:
> >
> > Hi All,
> >
> > Since we are on the subject, I would like to point out that it 
seems to
> > be a curse for a company to build an entirely analog polyphonic 
synth.
> > Oberheim was sold right after the M12/Xpander and years later, 
Alesis
> > was also sold right after the introduction of the A6. I truly 
hope Dave
> > Smith has better luck.(Although he seems up to the task)
> > The expense of the hardware / software development seems to 
outweigh
> > the number of units sold. So, if you are lucky enough to have one 
of
> > these vintage beauties, Please take good care of it.
> >
> > Karl
> >
> >
>