Now it's up to you what you want to modulate it with-pressure, sustain pedal, LFO, etc.-and dial in the amount of modulation with the knob below. Click on any parameter- VCO frequency, envelope attack, LFO speed, etc.-and they will automatically be selected as the modulation destination on the modulation page.

Modulation is at the core of the Matrix 12 V, with the modulation page taking centre stage of the interface. They've gone for something of a compromise, replacing buttons with knobs, adding pages and introducing a new mod section where you can view up to 20 routings at once. When I first heard Arturia were modeling this classic, I wondered how they'd approach the interface-re-imagining it for a mouse-led DAW, reducing menu diving or staying true to the original, minimal interface. Despite all this power and modulation capability, the unit had very little in terms of hands-on control, using a series of buttons to control the modulation matrix.

(Arturia have already honoured his SEM unit to great effect.) With 12 voices, 24 total oscillators, 15 types of LFO and VCA per voice and 15 variations of filters, the Matrix 12 was an almighty beast and one of the most flexible non-modular analogues ever made. Tom Oberheim is a synthesizer legend, both for the machines that bear his name and the work he did developing polyphony, ring modulation effects and even the MIDI protocol. Alongside Wurlitzer V and Solina V, undoubtedly the biggest addition to the new synth suite was an emulation of one of the most legendary analogues ever made: the Oberheim Matrix 12. They're still developing new plug-ins for the fourth version of their V Collection bundle.

Though they made their name as plug-in developers, Arturia have branched into the analogue world through their successful MiniBrute and MicroBrute range.

Arturia wurlitzer v