For twelve years, the best-known way to get a Matrix-12 into your DAW was Arturia’s Matrix-12 V. Then, on 5 November 2026, GForce released an official version made with Oberheim and one of the synth’s original designers.

So now there are two. One is a week old. The other has had twelve years of updates.

Both recreate the same 1985 synth: twelve voices, a 15-mode filter and a modulation matrix so deep that programming the original felt like solving a puzzle. You don’t need to understand the matrix to enjoy either plugin, but it’s the main reason you’d pick one over the other.

🎛️ The Short Answer

• Want the official, most up-to-date Matrix-12, with MPE and modern editing? GForce Oberheim Matrix-12.
• Want a Matrix-12 plus dozens of other classic synths? Arturia V Collection 11 Pro, which includes Matrix-12 V.
• Only want that big Oberheim sound, without the deep programming? One of GForce’s simpler Oberheims, such as the OB-X or SEM.

📊 GForce Matrix-12 vs Arturia Matrix-12 V at a Glance

Prices are from Plugin Boutique’s US store on 11 November 2026.

🎹 What Was the Matrix-12?

Oberheim built the Xpander in 1984, a keyboardless six-voice synth with a modulation system closer to a modular than a normal polysynth. A year later the Matrix-12 put two Xpanders into one keyboard, with twelve voices and Oberheim’s first keyboard to sense both how hard you play and how quickly you let go.

It was expensive and complicated, and players loved it. Vangelis, Depeche Mode and The Orb all used it for thick pads, sweeps and basses.

The secret is the matrix. Each voice is simple enough to sketch on a napkin: two oscillators, one filter with 15 modes, two amplifiers. But five envelopes, five LFOs, ramps and trackers can move almost anything. On the hardware you set all that up through small buttons and a screen. That’s the part both plugins try to make easier.

⚙️ Programming: Where They Differ Most

GForce rebuilt the editing so you can see what you’re doing. You drag a crosshair from a modulation source and drop it on any knob. A glowing ring shows where the sound will move, and each control takes up to six modulations. Three views help you keep track:

• Flow draws the voice as a live diagram and lights up every connection as you add it
• Mod Matrix lists every routing in a grid you can sort and edit
• Visualiser shows each module’s envelope, LFO shape or filter curve, and you can drag them directly

Multi mode turns the twelve voices into separate sounds across six keyboard zones, each with its own small arpeggiator. If you’ve ever opened the original’s matrix and closed it again, this is the version built for you.

Arturia keeps the matrix closer to the hardware, as a list of sources and destinations, and doubled the number of routings from 20 to 40. It works, but it asks more of you.

🔊 Sound

Both model the same oscillators and 15-mode filter, so you’ll hear the same core character in each. Opinion on the details splits:

• Early GForce owners mostly prefer its sound, and several who own both say it’s the better of the two. GForce worked on it with Marcus Ryle, who calls it the first emulation to capture the details of his favourite synth.
• Arturia’s version still has fans. Sound On Sound found it all but identical to the hardware on a simple brass patch. Some players feel it lacks a little weight in the low end.

These are owners’ impressions, not side-by-side tests, so the trials matter here more than usual.

💻 CPU: The Catch With Both

Twelve modelled analogue voices take a lot of processing, and you’ll feel it with both.

GForce Matrix-12. Early buyers report big loads on twelve-voice unison patches: a third to a half of a desktop Ryzen processor in one report, about a quarter of a high-end Apple Silicon Mac in another. Some also see a high reading even when nothing is playing. GForce asks for 8 GB of RAM.

Arturia Matrix-12 V. Sound On Sound measured around 30% when idle in standalone mode. Owners say the load rises with the number of active voices, so switching off voices you don’t need helps, as does replacing its built-in reverb with a lighter one.

If your computer is a few years old, run the trial with your heaviest patch and a full project before you buy.

⚠️ Before You Buy

• GForce’s is brand new. Some early buyers report crashes in their DAWs. That’s common in a plugin’s first weeks, and updates usually follow, but use the 14-day trial to check yours.
• Arturia’s licensing. Matrix-12 V installs through the Arturia Software Center, which lets you activate it on up to five computers. Some users find the first setup fiddly.
• Arturia’s price. On Plugin Boutique, Matrix-12 V is $149 with no discount right now. Arturia’s own store is running its own Black Friday sale until 8 December, and V Collection 11 Pro, which includes it, is half price on Plugin Boutique until 29 November.

🧭 Other Oberheim Plugins on Sale

GForce has made official Oberheim plugins for years, and the rest of the range is half price or better on Plugin Boutique until 1 December. If the Matrix-12 feels like more synth than you need, these are simpler ways to get the Oberheim sound.

Arturia also makes an OB-Xa emulation, OP-Xa V ($149), which is included in V Collection 11 Pro along with Matrix-12 V.

For other synths that suit big evolving sounds, see our best synth plugins for techno pads, our Pigments 7 review and our best bass synth plugins.

✅ Which Matrix-12 Should You Buy?

Choose GForce Oberheim Matrix-12 if you:

• Want the official version, made with one of the original designers
• Find modulation matrices hard to follow and want to see what’s happening
• Play an MPE controller, or want layered sounds across keyboard zones
• Can buy before 28 November, while it’s $83.99

Choose Arturia Matrix-12 V if you:

• Want it as part of V Collection, with dozens of other classic synths
• Prefer an established plugin with years of updates behind it
• Have less memory to spare: it lists 4 GB of RAM against GForce’s 8 GB

Either way, try it first. GForce gives you 14 days and Arturia has a free demo.

❓ Matrix-12 Plugin FAQs

Is GForce’s Matrix-12 official?

Yes. GForce made it with Oberheim and Marcus Ryle, one of the Matrix-12’s original designers, and calls it the only official Matrix-12 and Xpander software instrument.

Does GForce Matrix-12 include the Xpander?

Yes. GForce describes it as the official Matrix-12 and Xpander instrument, and its 570+ patches include more than 190 from the original Matrix-12 and Xpander.

Is there a free trial?

Yes, for both. GForce has a 14-day trial on its website, and Arturia offers a free demo of Matrix-12 V.

How much CPU does the Matrix-12 plugin use?

A lot, in both versions. Twelve-voice and unison patches are the heaviest. Owners report anything from a quarter to half of a modern processor on big patches, so test the trial on your own computer.

Is Matrix-12 V included in V Collection?

Yes. Matrix-12 V is part of Arturia V Collection 11 Pro, along with OP-Xa V and many other instruments.

What music is the Matrix-12 good for?

Thick pads, slow sweeps, evolving textures and big basses. It suits ambient, synth-pop, film music and electronic music where sounds move and change over time.