Godric Wilkie's M6 and Matrix 1000 patches for Peavey PC1600 These notes describe the set of six patches I have created for the for the Peavey PC1600 which act as a "front panel" for the Oberheim Matrix 1000 and M6 keyboard or rack module. You'll need a sysex downloading utility to squirt them from your computer to your Peavey PC1600. On MacOs I would recommend the Alesis "Freeloader" available from www.alesis.com, and Steve Grace's "SysEx", which can be found in info-mac collections. For more information on this latter e-mail him at sgrace@ioc.net. The six patches give access to every parameter on the Matrix 1000, including negative range modulations; and all non-negative parameters on the M6. The negative range of Matrix 1000 parameters cannot be set using the sysex "quick- edit" format on the M6. This is due to differing sysex implementations by Oberheim for the two machines. On the Matrix 1000 the 18 parameters with a negative range (usually modulation depths) work this way on the Peavey PC1600: the range 0 to 63 on the PC1600 fader is the positive modulation range 0 to 63 on the Matrix 1000; the range 64 to 127 is the negative modulation range -63 to 1 on the Matrix 1000, that is 64 on the fader is maximum negative modulation while 127 is minimum negative modulation. So the fader works as you would expect in the bottom half of its travel and then flips upside down (as it were) in the upper part of its travel. Using the upper half of these 18 faders for the M6 will result in the value being displayed on the M6 but it has no effect on the patch. It would seem to me that this is a bug that was never fixed - why display the value but do nothing else with it? If anyone knows the history of this I'd be interested. Initially I thought that I would be unable to provide a patch for the "matrix modulation", as there seemed to be no format for this on the M6 at all, and the format for the M1000 was a single message which sets four parameters simultaneously, and I could see no way of doing this on the PC1600. But being a resourceful and sagacious type, I have now worked out a method (albeit a kludge) for doing this. The matrix modulation patch requires a PC1600x, as it use the "send fader" button function. It works like this in outline: the modulation patch is set using three faders; one fader sets the modulation path (0 - 9) and modulation source number (0 - 20); the next sets the modulation amount (0 -127 with values >63 being negative modulation); the last sets the modulation destination (1 - 32). Adjusting the faders selects the modulation choices but the message has not yet been sent to the M1000. Once you have selected the settings on these three faders you then press the associated buttons in order, this actually transmits the message and the M1000 will then set the appropriate modulation patch. Faders 1 -10 select the modulation sources for modulation paths 0 - 9 respectively. i.e. fader 3 sets the modulation source for modulation path 2. Fader 11 sets modulation amount and fader 12 sets the modulation destination. Buttons 1 - 12 then send the relevant fader. e.g. To set modulation path 0 to connect envelope 1 to modulate DCO2 frequency by +60 do this: Fader 1 to value 1; fader 11 to value 63; fader 12 to value 4 then press button 1, then button 11, then button 12. The patches include an Adobe Acrobat "pdf" document which is a template for you to print out, cut up, laminate and lay over your PC1600, to remind you of which fader/button does what. This even includes a handy chart of all the modulation sources/destinations. You will of course need Acrobat Reader 3 or later which you can get for free from www.adobe.com. Each patch includes the M6 "wake up call" as a set up string, which puts the M6 ready to receive single parameter edit messages. The wheel can be used to fine tune values set by faders. Oscils. This accesses the parameters for Oscillators 1 and 2: Oscillator 1 is on faders and switches 1 - 6; Oscillator 2 is on faders and switches 7 - 12; Detune and Oscillator Balance are faders 13 and 14 respectively; switch 13 sends "all notes off" message; switch 14 makes the Oscillator Balance equal; switches 15 and 16 send a low and high note on/off message whose velocity is preset by the associated fader. VCF VCA port This accesses the parameters for VC Filter, VC Amplifiers and Portamento: VCF is on faders and switches 1 - 7; VCA1 is on faders and switches 8 & 9; VCA2 is on fader and switch 10; Portamento is on faders and switches 11 - 13; switch 6 sends "all notes off" message; switches 8 - 10 max out the associated VCA parameter; switches 15 and 16 send a low and high note on/off message whose velocity is preset by the associated fader; fader and switch 14 and switch 7 do zip, but hang out on street corners waiting for welfare. Env1 LFO1 This accesses the parameters for Envelope Generator 1 and LFO 1: Envelope 1 is on faders and switches 1 - 8; LFO 1 is on faders and switches 9 - 14; switch 6 sends "all notes off" message; switches 15 and 16 send a low and high note on/off message whose velocity is preset by the associated fader; switches 5 and 7 do zip, but complain that they weren't consulted before decisions affecting their lives were made. Env2 LFO 2 As above but for Env2 and LFO 2 and switches 5 and 7 still do zip, but arrive early at parties without any beer and then hang in the kitchen getting drunk and vomiting into the microwave every half hour. Env3 Trk Rmps This accesses the parameters for Envelope Generator 3, the Tracking Generator and Ramp Generator 1 & 2: Envelope 3 is on faders and switches 1 - 8; Tracking Generator is on faders and switches 9 - 14; Ramp1 & 2 rates are on faders 15 & 16 respectively; switch 6 sends "all notes off" message; switches 15 and 16 send a low and high note on/off message with fixed velocity; switches 5 and 7 - 10 do zip, but there are more of them and they are about to form their own street gang if they can just decide what colours to wear. ModMax This accesses the matrix modulation settings as described above. I'd appreciate feedback on how useful you found these presets: godric@gozen.demon.co.uk and if you get really bored you could do worse than visit my synthesiser, sound, chaos and lemur related web site at: http://www.gozen.demon.co.uk/godric/godric.html Enjoy Godric Wilkie February 1999, revised July 2000