This amazing little box was the first electronic instrument I ever bought. In about 1997 from memory. At the time I played guitar and was looking for something to help me understand music transcriptions and act as a practise tool.
My main memory of when I started using it, was how incredibly powerful and clever the unit was. Like most guitarists in the 90's, I was completley ignorant of electronic instruments. The PMA made me feel like a caveman who suddenly encounters a TV.
Within no time I was turning out the worst "plink plink plink" midi renditions of my favourite guitar epics, you will ever hear. Luckily you won't, because it died about 3 years later, completly worn out.
Anyway last week l won my second PMA on ebay for $100. Its like meeting an old friend after a long time.
I think that whenever someone learns a whole new instrument or technology, the initial tools you use can still strongly shape the way you work, long after they have been replaced by newer methods and equipment.
Thats how I feel about the now ancient PMA5. Over the years I've bought and used several more synths, all of which were far more powerful and more professinal. But many times found my self thinking of the PMA5
Questions I would like to answer.
How useful is the chord track feature as an arpegiator?
Is a sound canvas unit still capable of interesting synthesis?
Can a controller keyboard make the PMA5 a viable live insrument?
How do I acess the sysex perameters?
How can I backlight the screen?
