Looks like it’ll be good to mess around with
https://www.soundonsound.com/magazine/2020-10
if you look below the mod wheels, there are 6 LEDs, I’m guessing its a 6 voice (3 oscillators each) polysynth. I’m guessing this is trying to eat into the DSI analog polysynth market?
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SynthAnatomy says it has a ribbon controller, but I don’t see it in the picture.
I do see what i think is a sequencer controls in the lower right, no surprise, as the grid has the sequence.
So what is that rectangular area on the left below the mod wheels ? Is it an XY modulation touch surface of some sort ? That’s the right place for that sort of thing.
5 leds, ans it’s definitely just octave offsets for the keyboard.
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There is a recess in the wood above the second octave onwards that could be a ribbon controller…
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pressure plate type thing, similar to the expressive e touché ?
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could be similar to the surface of the microfreak
So the 4 vertically arranged buttons to left of the main control bank, is that for 4 voices or something else ?
ADDED: Something else i think.
Someone who has used the Matrixbrute probably has some insight on this. I’ve not used a MB myself.
ADDED: I bet there are quite a few people around here that know a lot about this, but they’re under an NDA, so mums the word.
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This is a thread for Sherlock Holmes.
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i can’t count, lol.
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If I compare the image to my MB, I would guess:
- 2 VCOs but different from the MB (MB has 2 knobs for tune and fine-tuning, 2 knobs for the suboscillators, and 6 for the 3 waveforms with wave-shapers, 10 per VCO)
- a noise source ?
- mixer section with 3 channels, each can be routed to each of the filters (MB has 5 channels, 3 x VCO, noise, external). My guess is 2 VCO and noise/external.
- 2 filter (Steiner/Ladder), but I miss the buttons for the different filter modes, the MB has two buttens for filter mode and 12/24 dB.
- 3 ADSR (as on the MB)
- 2 LFO (as on the MB)
- and … hurray … a keyboard on a polyphonic instrument with enough keys
The buttons on the left could be switches for noise modes, keyboard play-modes, etc.
Near the matrix I miss the 3 big buttons for the patch, modulation, and sequencer mode. Maybe the four white buttons below the data knob are for switching the modes of the matrix?
Since there are no writings for the columns of the matrix, this could mean that the matrix could be very flexible, and providing banks like after the last update for the MB. On the right side we could have some FX and a sequencer/arp section. Surprising is the left-hand block, which could be like a touché indeed.
I hope the keybed provides polyphonic aftertouch.
EDIT: I miss the “serial/parallel” button in the filter section. Now there is a poti … ???
IMO the sound engine and patch options of the PM could be less complex compared to the MB.
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Two silver encoders? One to navigate the screen, what about the other one?
This is lighting a fire under me to post my MB2S on the ole Craigslist before they depreciate (not that it’s necessarily the same market)
This left will be for global cutoff frequency as on the MB
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Unless they did it themselves the only p.a. keybed made in the world that I know of is the Medeli Polytouch. Arturia certainly might have done either. Glen Darcey was an important part of the MB, and he’d be Arturia’s connection to Medeli. Somehow I doubt it, despite being a huge fan of improved action keyboards.
Great analysis btw !
hopefully the small wood block is a dynamic element like a Touché - really a killer interface, I’d take it over an XY pad any way (the movement really enhances the expressiveness).
But @koenig_h noted the outline of the ribbon controller strip - likely a capacitive touch sensor similar to a Volca’s or their µFreak’s keys (but more continuous, presumably).
They might have just done the same thing with the small wood pad, i.e. no action to it.
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So if that is a XY pad controller in lower left, and it certainly looks like wood, and as has been observed looks like the Touché. Might it actually be, with Arturia licensing the technology from Expressive E, they’re both French companies, would make a lot of sense for Arturia to do this.
ADDED: Good observations anguslocke — i didn’t see your post, until after I posted mine.
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the part that confuses me is the little indent on the bottom - looks like a finger indent for lifting up, like a lid.
Totally ambiguous to me—is it something different entirely, something you lift a lid to access? Or could it confirm a Touché-derived design, where underneath the top plate is a slider to set the mechanical tension of the action? (and with a smaller assembly embedded in the synth’s body, maybe they didn’t want the Touché’s design where you lift the whole top plate off from the sides?)
Wood is non-conductive but would allow capacitive control so this all is possible. I agree with you though i would prefer an XY pad that has the feel of the Touché, i know Expressive E worked hard to get the feel of that so good.
If the ribbon controller is in the indent on the wood strip above the keyboard, that would disappoint me a little. The ribbon controller on the Hydrasynth Keyboard is great because it matches the key position on the keyboard and plays in tune with them if you set them up that way, which is so easy to use.
finally, a built-in ashtray!
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