The Oberheim Matrix-1000 was a direct descendent of the powerful Xpander and Matrix 12 and behind its deceptively simple front panel was a powerhouse 6-voice synth with a spec that was considerably more impressive than any other analogue synth of the time.

The Matrix series had a typical voice architecture of two oscillators into a resonant filter into an amplifier and out but at the heart of the entire Matrix series (not surprisingly) was a sophisticated modulation matrix that allowed almost anything to be routed to anything putting them on a par with modular synths of old.

But whereas the Xpander and Matrix 12 were complex and horribly expensive, the technology worked its way down into the more affordable Matrix 6 keyboard synth and Matrix 6R module. Fantastically powerful but hampered by the somewhat tedious 'parameter access' programming method commonly found on many synths of the era.

Then some bright spark at Oberheim must have had the inspired idea of condensing all that synthesis power into a simple 1U rack unit packed with enough varied sounds that programming wasn't an issue. And so the Matrix-1000 was born

Operation couldn't be simpler - select a sound and play it! If it doesn't fit the bill, flick through the presets until you find one that does. It was cheap, sounded amazing and was a resounding success.
... Read more »