Proteus MPS

Master Performance System

Overview The Proteus MPS was released in late 1991, as the first keyboard synthesizer that E-mu Systems ever released. The 5 octave keyboard with after touch and velocity, has 32 voices, 16 part multi-timbral samples, coupled to a basic synthesizer sound architecture. The sounds are from the Proteus 1 and 2. There are 200 Presets on board, and the optional RAM cards add another 100.

• Presets 0 - 99 100 ROM Presets
• Presets 100 - 199 100 RAM Presets
• Presets 200 - 299 100 RAM Presets on an optional RAM card.

The Proteus MPS sound is very distinctive and it has been used on lots of records in the early 1990's.

ROM Expansion The base model could be upgraded internally with an additional 4 MB of Orchestral samples in ROM - making it a MPS Plus. The upgrade p/n was part number 9035, and it cost $299.

Card Expansion A range of RAM cards, with 99 presets loaded on them, were produced by E-mu Systems from 1991 - 93. These cards do not include any new samples. The cards contain 256Kbyte of SRAM memory on a PCMCIA like card. The card is an industrial standard with 60-pins, and it pre-dates the development of 68-pin PCMCIA memory cards which became popular from 1993 onwards. It is not compatible with currently available PCMCIA RAM cards. They sold for $99 retail (some say $199..). A blank RAM card was available for $99 it was p/n ZM348.

Filters & Effects There are 32 different effects (from Reverb, Echo to Flange) spread over two effects units which can be applied globally across the stereo outputs. There are no filters at all.

Configuration The Proteus MPS module implements a basic synthesizer - digitally. There are two "oscillators" called Primary and Secondary Instruments. They each can replay any of the 16-bit sampled waveforms. The waveforms are replayed first via a simple low pass tone control, then a digitally controlled amplifier (DCA) and stereo pan. The amplifier is modified by a dedicated envelope generator.

LCD The Proteus MPS uses a standard green 16 x 2 LCD display, augmented by a MIDI activity LED, and LED's for Master, Edit Menu, Preset, and Home.

Front Panel Controls The Proteus MPS expands on the number of front panel controls that a 1U rack can cope with, thanks to the larger real estate that a keyboard affords. The controls are; Demo, Volume Control Slider, Edit, Select Button (Master, Performance, Preset), Bank Select (RAM, ROM or CARD) Transpose Quickey on/off, Quickeys 0 - 9, Save/Copy, Compare, Enter, Inc/Dec, Cursor Controls, Performance Select, Multi, Data Wheel.

Verdict The Proteus MPS was very good in 1991, and the sounds are still usable today - albeit rather familiar. Don't pay more than $350/£250 if you can avoid it. Otherwise you might as well get the Protozoa ROM and a Proteus 2000.

Advantages : Nice rock and orchestral sounds, Low price

Disadvantages : Dated sounds, Rather thin sounding, no filter.