Erica Synths Matrix Mixer - Part 1

[@surrogatemarker]

I think what makes this unit interesting, is that you can rapidly try unusual CV and audio patches that otherwise you might not try as you would have to break down and then build new patches up manually from scratch with multiple patch cables.. so it may be a device to get to happy musical surprises faster than what ordinarily would be time possible. The fact that you can save those patch routes is extremely powerful.. so you can have say, 8 voices and 8 modulation channels (IN) and send them to a maximum of 16 outputs and effects modules and mix, route and attenuate them with only two X and Y axis control knobs

[@InFamousProductions]

Tim, you are gem of a man. Your love of music outshines the reward for making these amazing vids, and your efforts are deeply appreciated. I’m just starting to get in the modular side of it and see the value of the matrix.

[@Midi-olo-gist6758]

Hey Tim I already bought mine a few weeks ago and brother you're right. I'm just scratching the surface and I'm already impressed. This thing is changing the entire routing game as far as I'm concerned. I have some module synthesizers I'm running through it and it's shocking what I'm getting. Can't wait for your next video. Great info 👍 keep it coming and stay blessed.

[@ogasi1798]

it's a massive f'in bargain ! utterly gobsmacked in all honesty - i expected when i searched for it that i would see £1500-1700, but at 450.......omg - even just as a row of mixers.......

[@Mchannemann]

Really interesting piece of hardware

[@errmable]

Thank you for your time and advice!

[@skipper6528]

I really appreciate the professional edge of your work Every three, four is something on my list to purchase & this is on it I've got two other versions

[@m00dawg]

Wonderful review Tim! As a fellow Tim I just wanted to say thanks for all these videos! They've been incredibly helpful, particularly the modular ones. I've been into synths for a while but modular has been a new addiction for better or worse (perhaps worse...though I'm having fun!). Also, wow, nice to hear about another film photographer! I saw your review on Anderson Synths and I too enjoy shooting with film! I don't typically do it professionally (on rare occasions) but it's my other passion (currently the bigger one than music at least by amount of stuff since I'm fortunate to have converted a shed out back into a darkroom). I guess the odds aren't really that bad that there would be two Tim's in the world that have synths and shoot on film. At any rate, thanks for all that you do!

[@TimShoebridge]

Hello fellow film photographer! 👍👍 I've found it's actually more common than you might think at first for musicians to also be into photography. I guess it's all about the creativity 😁 Very jealous you have s darkroom, that's something I have not had for many years. I develop my films in the kitchen, then scan them and digital takes over. Id love to do some enlargements and produce prints again. Maybe one day 😏

[@m00dawg]

@@TimShoebridge Yeah good point! They are two of my passions I've had for ages now. I'll do a lot of one for a while, then a lot of the other. Depends on my mood I guess! And yes, I'm quite fortunate I somehow managed to not only get a shed, but also convert it to a place to do printmaking. It's not luxurious or anything but I love it! Beats making prints in the bathroom with an enlarger sitting on top of the toilet lid at any rate :P which is was my first darkroom when I got back into film (previously I had only done any darkroom work out of high school - which was some number of moons ago, we'll say). In your case, you might look at the Ilford Darkroom tent coming out. It looks reallllly promising! That coupled with Intrepid's smaller enlarger and, boom, you're making prints again! I haven't used either in fairness (the tent isn't out yet) but I do have a few Intrepid cameras. They are spartan but get the job done. I guess in a way a bit like some Behringer equipment - lots of opinions but at the end of the day, Intrepid are bringing film photography to (or back to) the hands of so many folks and hats off to them for it for sure! A bit of a derail to the video topic - sorry about that! But on that note I got a ton out of both Pt1 and 2 of the Matrix Mixer vids. I don't yet have any Erica Synths modules but their Black BBD Delay is on my list. The Matrix kinda blew my mind. My setup isn't nearly big enough yet to make full use of something like that, but whoa!

[@seansnyder7744]

eyyyy, I built the DIY kit of the 07 buffered mult, thing is awesome and I might even build another one. This matrix Mixer is no joke though!

[@agustinS1756]

Hi Tim. Great video so far. I'm intrigued by this mixer and you clearly demonstrated how to use it in the two most intuitive modes.... but (I know it may be a bit already too late to ask for this), but I hope in the second part you can provide some examples of complex routing that could be achieved with it. Personally, I have a hybrid set up (light touch on the modular side, and a good selection of regular synths) together with electric guitar gear (lots of pedals). And I'm struggling to think of scenarios under which this mixer could bring interesting combinations to light which otherwise might not be as easy to achieve (other than manually routing each think individually with audio cables and such). If this comes a bit too late, just keep up the good work!

[@agustinS1756]

As a follow up. I'm just trying to figure out what would be the main advantage of adding this to my studio, over a patch bay (or, actually, combining it with the patch bay).

[@couchcamperTM]

Erica always amazes^^

[@paulmakl6282]

Where can I find your music?

[@EnriquePage91]

This reminds me a lot of something I’ve been looking for, for ages (I mean, when you hear the name it’ll be obvious): ApeMatrix but finally as hardware 😭😭💗💗💗💗 I need this so bad 🥶

[@baptistic]

This guy is the James Bond of synths

[@seek4truth]

Hi Tim. I am coming from guitar world,not synth. Do you think i can use this with guitar pedals? Thanks!

[@TimShoebridge]

I think it is certainly something to try, the matrix mixer can handle the audio levels involved.

[@Pepijn_a.k.a._Akikaze]

I am curious about your considerations how to apply this interesting device so I am looking forward to your second video! A few years ago, Erica Synths released a touch screen matrix mixer which is still available and simpler in terms of connections (10 in 8 out) and external control (clock). This Synthrix based matrix mixer can receive midi program change messages. Unfortunately neither of them supports external patch storage. I have been dreaming about a matrix mixer functioning as some kind of memory for a modular system. If you have one or more mixers with enough inputs and outputs and attenuators and your modular's parameters can be controlled externally (such as the A-141-2 Voltage Controlled Envelope Generator VCADSR, which I don't own), then you can provide your modular with memory. But it would come at a cost. It would require considerable thinking how to patch things and it would make make your patchwork extremely complex. I'm afraid the complexity would turn me off so that I wouldn't use this memory function regularly. That's why I bought a simpler matrix mixer, the Intellijel Mutamix instead. It's the same as having too many waveforms or filter types. Now I do hope I haven't spoilt your upcoming video. I just wanted to repeat my view on too many possibilities.

[@senacht]

Shades of the EMS VCS 3 matrix patch panel!

[@noisetheorem]

With a small rig, this would be very handy for recalling patches in a live context. It’s too bad the resolution of the attenuation is so corse.

[@dangayle]

That's my biggest complaint, the attenuation is terrible setup.

[@jamessusbilla]

WOW WOW. thank *YOU*

[@Formal-DeHyde]

For a nice big multiple, check out the Division 6 - Multiplicity XV

[@boogibop2172]

Well it doesn't look exactly Eurorack size format to me, does it?

[@mattbell4194]

Cheers Tim!

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

The spec says it has a random mode - that would be good for an 'Eno card' moment :-)

[@TheMachinesWon]

When I saw this the first thing I thought was. How would it work with the 2500 and would it help unlock its possibilities further

[@edbifner6370]

Thanks for putting this on my radar, Tim! Do you have plans to review the Waldorf M in the near future?

[@danielpirone8028]

How is the crosstalk noise between near channels?

[@2JohJoh2]

Wonder how this would help in recreating the real Arp 2500 experience & sound in combination with the Behringer clones ...

[@timdanyo898]

I don’t even have a eurorack and I want one!

[@James-ip1tc]

I know there's other ports on the sides of this Matrix mixer what do they do. Also the practicality of plugging a bunch of inputs and outputs not entirely sure where they go

[@BFBeast666]

Is this Eurorack only or can I run a battery of line-level signals through it?

[@TimShoebridge]

It's designed for Eurorack but you could use it to mix any signals you like as long as they fall within the tolerances and limits of the device. You can safely pass line level audio into Eurorack modules so I see no problem in doing the same with this mixer.

[@donadoma]

Great! 👍

[@tomp1585]

you can still only use 16 max at a time. You wouldn't need that many synthroteks as you can only do 16 mults for example at a time. you could do 14 at a time with the synthrotek and if you had 2 you could do 28. If you wanted to do 28 at the same time with the matrix you couldn't as there are only 16 inputs and 16 outputs, unless you combined them, if you used the same input A on all 16 outputs and then used all 16 inputs for B and used all these on the 16 outputs you would then be sending these to the same outputs as A, but with two syntroteks you would have 28 outputs to send. I think anyway.

[@TimShoebridge]

Yes absolutely. The multiple example I show in the video is very simplistic and not very accurate. Before taking that simple approach I was doing my head in trying to estimate how many modules I'd need to replicate various very complex patching ideas. The general gist of my video is to indicate the power that lies underneath the simple interface and that to replicate this power would take a lot of modules and a lot of money.

[@ktreier]

Unfortunately I wish fully controllable attenuation and maybe even inversion on at least some of the channels would have been nice.

[@jaysgood10]

I so want to light up every node.

[@par8mecium]

I've struggled with having enough ins/outs, but this is a beast. I'm curious to where you take us next.

[@ARPMAN]

Sorry your calculations are wrong because each module has independent in or outputs but the mixer has to share the in and output’s

[@oliverbutterfield9844]

Yeah but you can mix them at different levels for different outputs.

[@ARPMAN]

@@oliverbutterfield9844 yes and the color is black, sorry that was not the point

[@TimShoebridge]

Yes you're right of course, but what's to stop me choosing different combinations of inputs with different attenuation combinations and routing each combination to a different output? ie. like having a 16 channel mixer with 16 aux outputs from it. At the end of the day, like I have commented elsewhere, the examples I show in the video are very simplistic and not meant to be accurate or practical. Before taking that simple approach to the video I was doing my head in trying to estimate how many modules I'd need to replicate various very complex patching ideas - It gets exceedingly complicated very quickly. The general gist of my video is to give an appreciation of the power that lies underneath the simple interface of the Matrix Mixer and that to replicate this power would take a lot of modules and a lot of money. The Matrix Mixer is only £450.

[@jaysgood10]

It looks like a spaghetti factory.