UPDATE: Congratulations to Ben S. from Seattle, Washington, USA, who won the Matrix-12 Raffle!
MANY, MANY thanks to all of you who entered! Our work would not be possible without your support!
The Bob Moog Foundation is excited to announce its lead raffle for 2025, featuring a fully restored Oberheim Matrix-12 synthesizer signed by Tom Oberheim, Marcus Ryle, and Michel Doidic. Ryle and Doidic were the principal designers of the Matrix-12. This Matrix-12, valued at $20,000, has a unique provenance having been owned by Doug Curtis, inventor of the legendary Curtis chips. It was donated to the Bob Moog Foundation by Curtis’s widow, Mary Curtis.
This year, 2025, marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of the Matrix-12, which continues to be one of the most respected and sought-after analog polyphonic synthesizers in the world today. The raffle begins Monday, February 17, 2025 at 7:00 am (EST) and ends Monday, March 10, 2024 at 11:59 pm (EST).
Tickets for the raffle are $25 each, 5 for $100, 12 for $200, and 35 for $500.
Participants who purchase five or more tickets will be invited to an exclusive Zoom call with Marcus Ryle, to be held in early April.
The raffle is open internationally.
Please read the rules and regulations before purchasing tickets.
Proceeds from the raffle benefit the three hallmark projects of the Bob Moog Foundation: Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, which has inspired over 35,000 elementary school students about the science of sound; the vast and growing Bob Moog Foundation Archives, which includes over 15,000 historical items; and the Moogseum, located in downtown Asheville, NC. The Moogseum continues to navigate the financial aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which has resulted in a $65,000 loss of income since late September.
This one-of-a-kind, American-made Oberheim Matrix-12 is in pristine condition and was restored by its co-creator, Marcus Ryle. It is serial number P53207 (the seventh unit built in the 32nd week, August 5th – 9th, 1985). The Matrix-12 was the final flagship synthesizer from Oberheim Electronics in the 1980s. The Oberheim Xpander was introduced in 1984 as a revolutionary multi-timbral six-voice synthesizer module, and the Matrix-12, launched in 1985, includes two Xpanders (for 12-voice polyphony) and a five-octave velocity and aftertouch keyboard.
The multi-timbral Matrix-12 pushed the limits of analog synthesis in ways that continue to be unrivaled today with 15 different analog filter modes, linear analog FM, and a matrix modulation system to route the 27 modulation sources to the 47 modulation destinations. Sonic possibilities previously only possible on modular systems were now available in a fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer. Plus, each of the Xpander’s six voices or the Matrix-12’s 12 voices could be programmed independently, making them fully multi-timbral. The Xpander and Matrix-12, were used by many artists, including Keith Emerson, Vince Clark, Geoff Downes, Steve Porcaro, Allan Holdsworth, Trent Reznor, and many more.
Matrix-12 technical specifications sheet, 1987.
ABOUT DOUG CURTIS
Doug Curtis was a legendary inventor whose company, Curtis Electromusic Specialties, offered specialized analog integrated circuits (ICs) that were used by virtually every major synthesizer manufacturer in the 1970s and 1980s, including Oberheim, Sequential Circuits, Moog, ARP, Roland, and PPG. His ICs revolutionized the way synthesizers were designed. Curtis was described in Keyboard Magazine as “one of the most important and least known synthesizer pioneers of the 20th century.
Doug Curtis
Doug Curtis became enamored with synthesizers at a very young age, and like many was inspired by Bob Moog. In the early ‘70s Doug and his wife Mary brought Doug’s custom-built modular synthesizer to Bob’s home in New York to show him his handywork. Bob was gracious and encouraging to the young synthesizer designer. By 1976 Doug had designed his first chip (a voltage-controlled envelope generator) and Oberheim became his first customer. The Oberheim Four Voice and Eight Voice programmer module utilized two of Doug’s envelope chips per voice to create the first programmable polyphonic synthesizer. This was just the beginning of Tom’s and Doug’s relationship, leading to Doug’s chips being used in the Oberheim OB-Xa, OB-SX, OB-8, DMX, Xpander, Matrix-12, and Matrix-6.
Curtis was directly involved in the development of the Oberheim Xpander and Matrix-12, with these synths being the first to use his new CEM3372 and CEM3374 chips, which were designed with these specific synthesizers in mind. The featured Matrix-12 is one of two from his personal collection.
In April of 2007, at just 55 years of age, Doug passed away from pancreatic cancer. His synthesizers have been in storage since then, and now Mary, along with their two daughters Ashley and Julia, have generously donated this special Matrix-12 to the Bob Moog Foundation to honor both Doug and Bob and to help the foundation carry on their legacy.
“Doug appreciated the Matrix-12 so much that he had two, so our family had to think hard about donating this legendary instrument. At last we decided that Doug would have said yes to the idea out of a love for the Matrix-12 itself, a belief that it will raise money for the important work of the Bob Moog Foundation, and the wish for another musician who loves it to make glorious music.” –Mary Curtis
Marcus Ryle, Doug Curtis, and Michel Doidic circa 1986
The assessment and restoration of this Matrix-12 was performed by Marcus Ryle, one of the principal designers of the Matrix-12. All power supply electrolytic capacitors have been replaced, a new battery installed, and a thorough inspection and cleaning has been performed. This unit has the latest firmware and includes the 12-voice direct output optional add-on. Making this offering unique are the rear panel signatures of Marcus, fellow Matrix-12 designer Michel Doidic, and the legendary Tom Oberheim himself.
The Matrix-12, signed by Michel Doidic, Tom Oberheim, and Marcus Ryle.
Check out how great the Matrix-12 sounds in the demo from Perfect Circuit!
This Matrix-12 is truly a unique and priceless piece of synthesizer history.
We are honored to celebrate the legacies of Tom Oberheim, Doug Curtis, Marcus Ryle, and Michel Doidic through this raffle, and we are excited to make someone the lucky owner of this very special synthesizer!