Vintage Synth Explorer

Sequential Circuits • MAX

The MAX's strength lies in multitimbrality: 6 voices, 6 oscillators and even 6 VCF's! However this synth has too many limitations on basic needs: cheap construction and parts; editing requires an external software editor and a Commodore 64 (or Macintosh, see Patch Files below); there are no real-time performance controls - not even pitch bend or modulation wheels; too many presets (80) but far too few user patches (20). The preset sounds consist of basic organ, string and brass type sounds, but exploring this analog synth can lead to some cool sounds. The VCF, VCA and VCO sections all have separate ADSR envelope generators. The LFO can control the VCO, VCF or VCA. A nice touch are the two separate on-board sequencers - sort of a Sequential tradition.

For those of you who want to edit the sounds on the Max, you will need Sequential's Model 920 software and an ancient Commodore 64 computer or you can use Mark of the Unicorn's Unisyn software editor for Mac/PC (You can even use modern MIDI controllers like the Oxygen-8). This is the only means of editing sounds, without which you are stuck with the 80 presets and whatever may be in the 20 user patches. The sequencing specs are dramatically enhanced by the Model 920 software as well, boosting the note capacity from 500 notes to 3400. Strongly consider the Multi-Track or even the Six-Track before diving into the MAX because it simply does not compare with the programmability and ease of use as even its closest relatives. It is used by Cirrus and Richard Barbieri.

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Posting Rules: Please keep your comments relevant! Do not post requests for help, do not use for sales, do not post unless you have something interesting to say about this instrument, or we may delete your post.

 

Robert Silent

Posted 57 days ago

There's an error in this. The memory is volatile so if you turn off the power, those 20 user presets get erased so you're essentially stuck with those 80 factory presets. There's a nice piece of software that took me a year to find that makes editing patches on a PC super easy.
Just search for "Free patch editor software for the Six-Trak and MAX".

Mark

Posted 117 days ago

Oh yeah! my mom got this synth at a garage sale for $25, with the power adapter, and the brassy, bright sounds were pretty sweet. SOO retro! I would have been soo much happier I could program waveforms however. But the Sequencer is pretty tight. I don't think i have the manual, and i have no synthesizer experience, but with some trial and error, i was able to make a decent 6 track multi-sound recording.

But, each track counts as one of the poly-phonies, so you can write 6 monophonic tracks with different voices, or a track with 3 sound polyphonies and 3 extra monophonic tracks.

pretty decent.

Jagular

Posted 193 days ago

My oh my, what a wonderful looking synth.
As long as it sounds right, well, what else can I say?

syn

Posted 318 days ago

Hey, don't knock the Max! You could buy it as a very cheap entry-level machine ($600 compared to $1300 for the Six-Trak!), but it was meant for people who already had a MultiTrack or Prophet who wanted to slave 6 more voices to their rig. Also, the Commodore 64 was ubiquitous in those days and very cheap, too!

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