matrix 6 hidden master edit page parameters?

[Connie and/or Dave Garfield]

Corley Brigman wrote:
> 
> While browsing through the Master Edit pages, I discovered some
> entries that aren't printed on the synth and aren't in my manual (the
> Matrix-6 appears to have been updated to ROM 2.13 since its
> manufacture...thus maybe it just wasn't in the original manual?)
************************************************************************
Then Suddenly...Dave Garfield, "Matrix-Idiot" (;->) replies:

Yesss!  Ver. 2.13 was done in 1986, I believe...my M-6 came with a
14-page booklet of addenda stuck in the Owner's Manual, and described
the new features of V. 2.13.  It was Not bound into the manual, however,
and I wouldn't be at all surprised if the one meant for yours slipped
out and was lost somewhere along the way!

> Anyway, I'm curious as to what the following actually do...I played
> with some of them but didn't get much out of it...
> 
> 12 Midi Echo - off/on

MIDI ECHO combines MIDI IN info. with the M-6's own MIDI information,
and re-transmits it via MIDI OUT.  If the M-6 is being used as a slave
in a MIDI setup, you can combine its Pressure, Patch Changes, Mod.
Levers (Wheels) and Pedals with the incoming MIDI stream, and send it
down the chain.
  
> 13 Spillover - off/on - I noticed that when this is off, it doesn't
> respond to Note Ons through MIDI (when it's used as the master
> controller, with Local Off)? So not like an ESQ-1's spillover mode?

Spillover allows you to play more than the M-6's six internal voices at
a time, by sending more than six NOTE ON messages to MIDI OUT on a
channel Two channels above the selected one.  In other words, if the M-6
is sending on MIDI Ch. 1, then Keypresses 7 through N will be sent out
on MIDI Ch. 3.  This is WAY COOL for adding to the polyphony of the M-6!
BTW, when 05 LOCAL CONTROL is off, the keyboard no longer plays the
internal voices, though it still transmits MIDI OUT info., enabling you
to hook up to a MIDI sequencer without 'echos', or to have the sequencer
play the voices, while you use the keyboard to play another synth!  One
way to check this is to hook a MIDI cable from MIDI IN to OUT.  With
LOCAL CONTROL Off, the synth will behave normally with the MIDI cable
in, and will be "silent" with the cable unplugged.

> 14 Active Sense (well, this one's obvious...although I've never
> understood exactly what active sensing is used for...)

ACTIVE SENSE was an idea implemented to prevent notes from "locking up"
if the MIDI connection should be broken somehow.  It sends occasional
signals over MIDI to insure that it's being "heard".  Once, when I had
my M-6 slaved to a JX-10 (!), the ACTIVE SENSE caused the JX to "freak
out", and we had stuck notes out the wazoo!
 
> 15 Patch Map - off/on

Enables the built-in Patch Mapping feature, which re-assigns
incoming/outgoing patches to different numbers...VERY HANDY for chaining
synths together!

> 16 PMap Edit - says "ready?" but I didn't try it...

If you had pressed the VALUE button marked "YES" in response to that, it
would've gone to the PATCH MAP display, which looks like this:

     (Matrix-6 Patch)     (Incoming Patch #)    (Outgoing Patch #)
	   00		      IN = 00		     OUT = 00
           01		      IN = 01		     OUT = 01
etc. ...   ...		        ...                     ...
By pressing the grey buttons under the respective displays, you select
Matrix's, Incoming or Outgoing.  That number can then be changed with
the VALUE keys, so you can have, for example:
 	  
          01		      IN = 44		      OUT = 15
	  02		      IN = 31		      OUT = 76
etc.      ...			...			 ...
Meaning, to get the M-6's Patch #1, you call Patch #44 from the Master
keyboard, and the M-6 obligingly sends PATCH CHANGE #15 to any
subsequent slaves, but Only When P MAP ECHO is ON.  NO MORE MIDI PATCH
HELL!  Yayyyyyy!!!
 	
> 17 PMap Echo - off/on?

Yep, as I said, tells any other slaves to change to the "OUT =" patch #.

> 18 Midi Mono - off/on - didn't seem to do anything for me...

MIDI MONO ON enables MONO Mode, but in RECEIVE Only.  Thus, the M-6 can
play each of its 6 voices from a different MIDI channel - Very Good for
playing from guitar controllers, etc.  Sorry, it's Not multi-timbral in
MONO mode, unlike its big bro', the Xpander.

> 44 Standoff - 0-9? mine's set to 5...

Should've been labelled, "AFTERTOUCH SENSITIVITY" or, "AFTERTOUCH
THRESHOLD".  Range is 0-63; mine's set to 5, too...I think.  You can
customize the Aftertouch Pressure required to your own playing style.

> 45 transpose - ? mine's set to 0.. maybe -12..12?

TRANSPOSE shifts the pitch up or down by the number of semitones
displayed.  Range is -63 - +63!! That's 10 1/2 Octaves to you more
musical types!  TRANSPOSE is GLOBAL; it affects ALL patches.

> 56 Stereo - on/off - mine's off, I'm guessing this puts the main voice
> out both outputs in non-split mode? What's the purpose of that? When I
> was playing with it, I couldn't tell any difference, it was only later
> I discovered that the patch cable connected to the right channel had
> gone bad..

STEREO, alas, only works in SPLITS mode.  It sends all voices left of
the split point to the LEFT/MONO output, and right of split to the RIGHT
output.  S'a cool effect, as you can assign the same voice to either
side and process them separately.  ("sides", BTW, are Completely
Programmable, and can be as little as 1 note, or cover the Entire MIDI
range [Note #s 0-127!], and can be layered).
 
> 57 SQuick - on/off - ??

SWITCH-QUICK (I prefer, "Squick"...sounds like one of the dudes from
"Laverne & Shirley"!) reverses the action of the keypad and VALUE keys.
With SQUICK Off, the VALUE keys change the parameter selected, and the
Number keys change the Value of that parameter.  SQUICK On allows the
Number keys to select the parameter, and VALUE keys to change the value.
Makes an otherwise "User-Hostile" programming interface a bit more
friendly to some...

> Just wondering what all this thing can do that I don't know about..
> Thanks in advance!
> 
>      corley brigman
>      intel corp.
>      corley_brigman at ccm.sc.intel.com
> 
>      speaking for me, not for intel.

You're Very Welcome, Not in Advance ;->!!  Hope that LOOOOONG diatribe
helps!  If you have any more questions, or would like a copy of the Ver.
2.13 Addenda, let me know!  IMHO, the Matrix-6 is one of the most
flexible, affordable ($~1200US new) analog synths ever made!  In spite
of the DCOs, which are ROCK-SOLID stable, and a bit brighter-sounding
than VCOs, its heart is Gen-youuu-whineee ANA-LOG-UE.

You might want to try this:  I noticed that the DCOs sound more like
VCOs if you turn off 8 (or 18) KEYBOARD/PORTAMENTO, so that the Keyboard
or Portamento does Not control the DCO pitch, then in Matrix Mod.,
select SOURCE 09 KEYBOARD and route it to DESTINATION 01 (or 04) DCO 1
(or 2) FREQUENCY, and enter 61 or 62 for a VALUE. This makes the DCO
track very slightly flat at the upper end of the keyboard, simulating a
VCO whose HF Trim is a bit off.  As a bonus, it FATTENS up the sound at
the top end - play with different values, to see what sounds best.