I dream of Oberheim...

[Sundown]

I came up in 1987, so I missed the heyday of analog. I was also a Roland/Korg/Yamaha devotee, so I never had the joy of playing an Oberheim.

 

If the demos on YouTube are any indication, these old boards are incredible. Crisp, lush, warm, fat, wet, and every other adjective in between... Whether it's an OB-8, OB-X, OB-Xa, or the mighty Matrix 12, they are all desirable.

 

Used prices are high, but maybe one day I can snag one...

[brenner13]

I concur; Moog got the masses with the quirky name, iconic developer, and near mass-production, but Obies have inviting character that often bring smiles to my ears. I too, quest to own one someday.

[timwat]

I concur.

 

I was intrigued by them at first glimpse - for me that happened to be pics of Moraz's dual-manual 8-voice.

 

Then when I heard Lyle Mays' lush sounds on the early PMG records, I was sold.

 

Sadly, I could never justify the price of anything Oberheim. I listen to the youtube demos and such, but I still have better uses for $3500 than a two voice.

 

 

[ksoper]

[J. Dan]

No biggie, just snag one.....

 

CLONK

[allan_evett]

I had an Obie - a beautiful OB-Xa 8 w/MIDI. A few analog synths have come and gone, but I wish I'd hung onto that one.

 

Now I get my OB fix on an iPad: Arturia iSEM, and propellerhead Thor - which I recently picked up. Thor has a state-variable filter model that is kick-ass; so when that Oberheim character is next needed for recording, it'll do the job reasonably well. But someday, a restored OB-X would be awesome.

[Analogaddict]

I've had a couple of Obies and they do have something going on. I've owned an OB-X, OB-Xa, Xpander and five or six Matrix-1000 through the years. I still have a Matrix-1000 but I miss the OB-Xa the most.

 

Edit; I find the OP-X very satisfactory...

[Dana.]

I played an OB-Xa for the first time recently and it changed my life.

[Tonysounds]

The only Oberheim gear I've owned were a pair of Matrix 1000s. It was worth chaining them up to get that random panning.

[richforman]

I still have my Matrix 1000 back from long ago rack-mount days, great sounds of course with only one sound at a time, gigging practicality just doesn't justify a spot for it in my rig when my workstations can provide still-pretty-good lead and synth sounds with a lot more functionality.

[Bucktunes]

The only Oberheim gear I've owned were a pair of Matrix 1000s. It was worth chaining them up to get that random panning.

I know a guy who did this. He had two in the rack with identical sound programs and on the same MIDI channel, but he would pan one hard left and the other hard right. The natural chorusing of the analog oscillators made a massive sound.

 

I owned a Matrix 6 and was never really impressed with the sound of it. (Maybe I should have tried MIDIing it to a Matrix 1000...) Despite the name, IMO it wasn't even in the same league with the Matrix 12.

[Analogaddict]

The only Oberheim gear I've owned were a pair of Matrix 1000s. It was worth chaining them up to get that random panning.

I know a guy who did this. He had two in the rack with identical sound programs and on the same MIDI channel, but he would pan one hard left and the other hard right. The natural chorusing of the analog oscillators made a massive sound.

 

I did that a few years ago. It sounds great and I'm thinking about doing it again.

[mate stubb]

Here are some of the SEMs in the electronic music studio I did tech work for. We later added 2 Xpanders.

 

This equipment made a pretty glorious noise.

 

http://hotrodmotm.com/images/bigEmu.jpg

[Moonglow]

I had an Obie - a beautiful OB-Xa 8 w/MIDI. A few analog synths have come and gone, but I wish I'd hung onto that one.

+1

Allan, weren't we just reminiscing about our Oberheim synths the other day over a beer or three?

 

In my case it was an OB-8. While my Prophet 5 will always occupy the most sentimental place in my heart (my first polyphonic analog synth), if I had to choose which one I could have back it would be the OB-8. Beautiful, lush sounding synth. Slapped a Boss Chorus Ensemble on it....heaven.

 

Never cared for anything Matrix, just didn't seem to have the same character.

[johnchop]

Here are some of the SEMs in the electronic music studio I did tech work for. We later added 2 Xpanders.

 

Dayum.

 

I owned a Matrix 6 and was never really impressed with the sound of it... Despite the name, IMO it wasn't even in the same league with the Matrix 12.

 

+1 I probably should have given mine a chance by adding some outboard effects at least. But those membrane switches... shudder...

[Sundown]

No biggie, just snag one.....

 

CLONK

 

I'm surprised it's going for that cheap. I've seen Obie 8's and Obie X's in the eight thousand range, and I would have expected a Matrix 12 to go for much more.

 

Scratch that... $8,999 is just the opening bid.

[Al Coda]

Never cared for anything Matrix, just didn't seem to have the same character.

 

Well, I also owned a OB-8 (w/ MIDI and Page-2 software update) for many years.

I liked it much more than the OBXa one of my friends owned and I also liked it more than the OBX which another friend owned.

OBX pure tone was king of the hill, but it´s synth architecture alone was very basic.

One day I buyed a Xpander and had the OB-8 side by side for some weeks.

While learning programming the Xpander I recreated my patches from OB-8 on the Xpander and that worked.

I came so close using earphones when programming and comparing thru studio monitors too, I was able to sell the OB-8 then.

The Xpander´s advantages over the OB-8 were too many.

It needed some tricks to get the lush fat tone from OB-8 on the Xpander, but it´s modulation capabilities allowed implementation of subtle inaccuracy to the sound which made it sound fat then, but it can sound very thin and/or the (digital) way you normaly not expect from an analog polysynth.

I agree the Xpander factory patches aren´t the best for players, they are more demonstrating the possibilities of the machine and also often lack the simplest controller implementation like sustain pedal p.ex..

 

I like the Xpander very much and don´t miss my OB-8 even I liked it a lot too.

 

A.C.

[Al Coda]

I'm surprised it's going for that cheap. I've seen Obie 8's and Obie X's in the eight thousand range, and I would have expected a Matrix 12 to go for much more.

 

Scratch that... $8,999 is just the opening bid.

 

Most of these high priced vintage synths never go on ebay.

Some go for the opening bid but most of the times there are no bids at all.

 

A.C.

 

 

[TomKittel]

Here's a link for those of you who don't want to spend a fortune for a OB-X:

 

http://www.sonicprojects.ch/opxpro2/description.html

 

Merry Christmas!

[NewImprov]

I have an original SEM that stays patched into my modular. Used to own a Matrix 6R that I regret selling, and babysat an Xpander for a year, which I regret not buying when I had the chance. I really liked the Xpander a lot, the user interface was very well thought-out, IMHO. You could really get lost in programming that beast, so many options for modulation.

[Mark Zeger]

The only synth on my wish list for 35 years is a SEM 4 Voice. I'd be happy with a So4V. My priorities have changed...I spent more on my horn.

 

I knew someone with a dual manual 8 Voice. It was f***ing terrifying.

[TommyS]

I regret selling my OB8 every day. Individual outs, factory MIDI and page two. Not even the slightest scratch on it. And was in a pristine blue Anvil case that was part of the sell. Yeesh.

[J. Dan]

Those of you in the know, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it true that the SEM and OBx were the best sound, but not very flexible, the xpander and matrix 12 had the most powerful routing, polyphony, etc, but not quite up to the SEM, and the matrix 6/1000 was kind of least sought after all around? I could have gotten a matrix 1000 in the early 2000's for next to nothing and I passed it up. I always wanted a matrix 12 or Xpander. And correct me again if I'm wrong, but a matrix 12 is 2 XPanders with a keyboard, right?

 

Also - there was a major difference between the OBX and OBXa, correct?

[mate stubb]

Those of you in the know, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it true that the SEM and OBx were the best sound, but not very flexible, the xpander and matrix 12 had the most powerful routing, polyphony, etc, but not quite up to the SEM, and the matrix 6/1000 was kind of least sought after all around? I could have gotten a matrix 1000 in the early 2000's for next to nothing and I passed it up. I always wanted a matrix 12 or Xpander. And correct me again if I'm wrong, but a matrix 12 is 2 XPanders with a keyboard, right?

 

Also - there was a major difference between the OBX and OBXa, correct?

 

SEM and OBX had a brash powerful sound, partly due to the 2 pole filters. Matrix/Xpander tended to sound more delicate and airy, even with all those different filter modes.

 

Yes, XPander x 2 = Matrix. You could outfit Matrix with individual voice outputs.

 

OBX had discrete transister filters from the SEM, Xa had Curtis chip filters.

 

More details here: http://www.vintagesynth.com/oberheim/obxa.php

[J. Dan]

Not to derail.....but I've done some of my own filter design and have built some filters based on schematics of old Moog, OB, Korg, etc.

 

Any opinions on OTA based filters using either CA3080 or LM13600? I quite like the CA3080 based filters I've made, which seem to be similar to the MS20 except thT I made mine multi mode with a bit more grit.

[midinut]

I like the idea that if you are going to recreate a vintage keyboard, then utilize the technology the best way you can. as an example, the new GForce Oddity 2 (upgrade just released recently) covers all three filter models giving you in essence one of each, the white face, the black face, and the black and orange. The best of all three. That just makes sense. I like the fact that they also took liberties to offer polyphonic mode and many other new features not available on the original. If you can do it, why not take it into places the original couldn't go?

That reminds me ... I need to upgrade my copy of Oddity.

[mate stubb]

My favorite OTA filter design for poly synths is the SSM 2040. A lot of people build this with discrete parts, but I'm too lazy ATM to look it up.

[J. Dan]

My favorite OTA filter design for poly synths is the SSM 2040. A lot of people build this with discrete parts, but I'm too lazy ATM to look it up.

 

I'm not real familiar with that one - was it used in anything "famous"?

[mate stubb]

My favorite OTA filter design for poly synths is the SSM 2040. A lot of people build this with discrete parts, but I'm too lazy ATM to look it up.

 

I'm not real familiar with that one - was it used in anything "famous"?

 

Yes, the legendary rev 1 Prophets had SSM chips including this one. Rev 2 switched to CEM chips because the SSMs were prone to static failure. The sound lost something in the process IMO.

 

edit:

 

not famous, but my 8 voice E-Mu poly had them too, on SSM demo boards. It sounded just like a rev 1 Prophet because it had all the same chips in it.

 

http://hotrodmotm.com/images/gallery/polymonster.jpg

 

another edit:

 

Duh, how could I forget the original E-MU Audity?

 

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/9f/47/1c/9f471c44e35ac7fff3746ce255c29a03.jpg

[Al Coda]

Here's a link for those of you who don't want to spend a fortune for a OB-X:

 

http://www.sonicprojects.ch/opxpro2/description.html

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Yes, it´s good,- I use all,- OPX on a V-Machine, OP-X Pro and OP-X Pro II on DAW machines.

It´s also cool layering OP-X running on the V-Machine w/ the real Oberheim Xpander.

 

For all owners of a V-Machine,- the Sonic Projects V-Machine bundle, OPX and Stringer,- is the most effective combo you can get for use on the tiny V-Machine.

 

A.C.