Xpantastic!

mattvrazo wrote:
> Ok, this is not really a "vs." but more of a "worth the upgrade?" question.  I am thrilled with my xpander, but have the opportunity to buy an M12 locally.  Obviously, double the voices of the xpander, but also (in my mind) double the potential for voice failure/problems.  However, I am still tempted as the price is less than what they are currently going for.
> 
> Although it would be nice to have more voices for the sake of having more voices, I am wondering if others found the M12 to be more gratifying in any other way.  I currently treat the xpander more as a single polysynth rather than a multitimbral/monosynths, so I would imagine having the extra voices would be useful.  I also understand the m12 can double voices too... 
> 
> Any advocates for the upgrade or would this be a gratuitous purchase?  

Hi,

For me the question isn't "How many more voices does it have than the 
Xpander", it's "When will I need more than 6 voices".

In that case, the Xpander is fine, as I use another synth for basses, a 
Crumar Toccata for fine organ sounds, and a HardSID (on a card in an old 
Windows 98 box!) for wierd leads. This leaves me usually:

	*3 voices for sustained leads (eg, all 3 voices playing different notes 
at once and fading out)
	*1 for lead
	*1 for bass
	*1 for background pad.

And if it's good enough for the Human League and Vince Clarke, it's good 
enough!

Jeremy.