Oberheim OB-Xa

Last updated
OB-Xa
Oberheim OBX-a Front.jpg
Oberheim OB-Xa analog polyphonic synthesizer
Manufacturer Oberheim
Dates1980 – 1983
Price US$4595 (4-voice)

US$5595 (6-voice)

US$6195 (8-voice) [1]
Technical specifications
Polyphony 4, 6 or 8 voices
Timbrality Bi-timbral (keyboard split/layering)
Oscillator 2 VCOs per voice
LFO 1
Synthesis type Analog Subtractive
Filter Switchable 12dB/oct and 24dB/oct resonant low-pass
Attenuator 2 x ADSR; one for VCF, one for VCA
Aftertouch expression No
Velocity expressionNo
Storage memory32 or 120 patches
Effects None
Input/output
Keyboard 61 keys
Left-hand controlPitch
Modulation
External controlOberheim system

The Oberheim OB-Xa was the second of Oberheim's OB-series polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizers, replacing the OB-X with updated features. [2] [3]

Contents

History

The OB-Xa was released in December 1980, replacing the OB-X after only a year on the market. The OB-Xa was the first Oberheim product adorned with blue horizontal pinstripes on black background that would become standard trade dress for future Oberheim products. While the OB-Xa offered the same polyphony as its predecessor (4, 6 and 8-voice models were offered), its keyboard could be split into two halves (each with its own voice) or to layer voices to create thicker sound (essentially making two notes sound for every key pressed). The OB-Xa also added the ability to switch between 2-pole 12dB and 4-pole 24dB filtering. It offered Filter Envelope modulation for oscillator 2 (which allows the pitch to be modulated by the envelope) in place of the OB-X's ability to cross modulate (frequency modulation of the first VCO with the second VCO). [4]

Interior view of Oberheim OB-Xa analog polyphonic synthesizer Oberheim OB-Xa Internals.jpg
Interior view of Oberheim OB-Xa analog polyphonic synthesizer

Instead of the discrete circuits for oscillators and filters utilized by the OB-X, the OB-Xa (and the Oberheim synths to follow) switched to Curtis integrated circuits. This made the inside of the synth less cluttered, facilitating troubleshooting, and reducing the cost of manufacture. It was getting more difficult to service the OB-Xa due to the scarcity of Curtis chips; however, Curtis in June 2016, [5] Coolaudio [6] [7] and Alfa [8] all started re-manufacturing some of these chips which has breathed new life into the longevity of the OB-Xa and many other synthesizers that use these chips.

Impact

The synth was used in the famous Van Halen song "Jump". [4] Many other 1980s and '90s artists have used the synth including New Order, [4] Carpenters, The Police, Queen, Rush, Rod Stewart, Prince, Miles Davis, Simple Minds and Gary Numan. [9]

Hardware re-issues and recreations

In 2017, Behringer announced it would replicate the CEM3340 VCO chips used in the OB-Xa synthesizer. The widow of chip creator Doug Curtis released a statement clarifying that the replica was made without permission and that Curtis "would be deeply saddened by the attempt of others to trade on his name and to make unsubstantiated claims of equivalency to his original inventions". [10] In 2018, Uli Behringer announced that Behringer would be producing a clone of the OB-Xa known as the UB-Xa, [11] but a microprocessor shortage delayed the project. [12] The following year, however, Behringer announced that the UB-Xa was ready for manufacture, and announced a desktop version. The first UB-Xa units were delivered in December 2023. [13]

In May 2022, the Oberheim OB-X8, a new 8-voice analog synthesizer with the voice architecture and filters of three classic Oberheim models: the OB-X, OB-Xa, and OB-8, along with functionality and features not included on the original models, was announced. The new synthesizer is manufactured by Sequential in partnership with Tom Oberheim. [14] [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberheim Electronics</span> American synthesizer company

Oberheim is an American synthesizer manufacturer founded in 1969 by Tom Oberheim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ensoniq ESQ-1</span> Synthesizer

Ensoniq ESQ-1 is a 61-key, velocity sensitive, eight-note polyphonic and multitimbral synthesizer released by Ensoniq in 1985. It was marketed as a "digital wave synthesizer" but was an early Music Workstation. Although its voice generation is typically subtractive in much the same fashion as most analog synthesizers that preceded it, its oscillators are neither voltage nor "digitally controlled", but true digital oscillators, provided by a custom Ensoniq wavetable chip. The signal path includes analog resonant low-pass filters and an analog amplifier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roland Jupiter-8</span> Synthesizer made by Roland in the 1980s

The Jupiter-8, or JP-8, is an eight-voice polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizer introduced by Roland Corporation in early 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ARP Odyssey</span> Electronic musical instrument developed by ARP Instruments

The ARP Odyssey is an analog synthesizer introduced by ARP Instruments in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberheim Polyphonic Synthesizer</span> Polyphonic analogue synthesizer

The Oberheim Polyphonic Synthesizer is a series of analog music synthesizers that was produced from 1975 to 1979 by Oberheim Electronics. Developed by Tom Oberheim, they were the first production synthesizers capable of playing chords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberheim OB-X</span> Analog polyphonic sound synthesizer

The Oberheim OB-X was the first of Oberheim's OB-series polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Realistic Concertmate MG-1</span> Monophonic analog synthesizer

The Realistic Concertmate MG-1 is an analog synthesizer co-developed by Tandy and Moog Music as a basic, low-priced synthesizer to be sold by Radio Shack under their "Realistic" brand. With estimated unit sales of 23,000 from 1982 to 1983, the MG-1 became the best-selling synthesizer ever manufactured by Moog Music, and is one of the most widely-owned of all vintage Moog synthesizers.

The Memorymoog is a polyphonic electronic music synthesizer manufactured by Moog Music from 1982 to 1985, the last polyphonic synthesizer to be released by Moog Music before the company declared bankruptcy in 1987. While comparable to other polyphonic synthesizers of the time period, such as the Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 and Oberheim OB-Xa, the Memorymoog distinguished itself with an additional, 3rd audio oscillator per voice and greater preset storage capacity.

The Korg Polysix(PS-6) is a six-voice polyphonic analog synthesizer released by Korg in 1981. It was one of the first affordable polyphonic synthesizers on the market, and was released as a cheaper alternative to the Sequential Prophet-5 and Oberheim OB-X, priced at approximately a third of the cost of its contemporaries in the polysynth market. It includes one VCO per voice, enhanced by a chorus/ensemble effect for added richness. It also comes equipped with 32 program memories and an integrated arpeggiator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberheim OB-8</span> Polyphonic analogue synthesizer

The Oberheim OB-8 is a subtractive analog synthesizer launched by Oberheim in early 1983 and discontinued in 1985. As the fourth product in the OB-series of polyphonic compact synthesizers, the OB-8 was the successor to the OB-Xa. The number of production was about 3,000 units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberheim OB12</span> Synthesizer released in 2000

The Oberheim OB•12 is a Virtual Analog synthesizer, designed and realised by the Italian musical instrument manufacturer Viscount, in production between 2000 and 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberheim Xpander</span> Analogue synthesizer

The Oberheim Xpander is an analog synthesizer launched by Oberheim in 1984 and discontinued in 1988. It is essentially a keyboardless, six-voice version of the Matrix-12. Utilizing Oberheim's Matrix Modulation technology, the Xpander combined analog audio generation with the flexibility of digital controls logic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korg Mono/Poly</span> Analog synthesizer, manufactured by Korg from 1981 to 1984

The Korg Mono/Poly (MP-4) is a paraphonic analog synthesizer released by Korg in 1981, bridging the gap between monophonic and polyphonic synthesis. Released in the same year as the Korg Polysix, as a complementary synth, The Mono/Poly is equipped with four VCOs and can operate as a four-voice paraphonic synth with limited capabilities, or as a monophonic synth using all four oscillators. Upon its release, it was the only monophonic synthesizer with an integrated quad-VCO design available on the market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korg PS-3300</span> Polyphonic analogue synthesizer

The Korg PS-3300 is a polyphonic analog synthesizer released by Korg in 1977. It was released alongside the PS-3100, a more compact variant featuring a complete synthesizer voice board for each of its 48 keyboard notes. The PS-3300 essentially combines three PS-3100 units, triggering all voices simultaneously with each key press and mirroring the PS-3100's overall design, featuring a total of 144 synth voices. The PS-3300 uses the PS-3010, a detachable keyboard equipped with an assignable joystick called the X-Y Manipulator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Split-8</span> Polyphonic analogue synthesizer

The Split-8 is a polyphonic analogue keyboard synthesizer manufactured by Sequential Circuits. Built in Japan and going by the alternative name Pro-8 in some markets, this was one of the last synthesizers produced by the company and was assigned model number 608. It was released in 1985 at a list price of $1,199. This and some other Sequential Circuits synthesizers were built around the Curtis Electromusic CEM 3394 "synth-on-a-chip" integrated circuit, and used a Z80 as their central microprocessor.

The Roland MKS-80 Super Jupiter is a rack mount sound module version of the Roland Jupiter-6 and the Roland Jupiter-8 synthesizers. It is an 8-voice polyphonic analog synthesizer that was manufactured by Roland between 1984 and 1987. It is the only one of the MKS series of synthesizers to have analogue voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) instead of analogue digitally-controlled oscillators (DCOs). The voice architecture is almost identical to the Jupiter-6 synthesizer. The service manual states that "The module board of MKS-80 features the following in addition to that of JP-6, its brother module. 1) HPF. 2) Low boost circuit in the 2nd VCA. 3) DC supply current boost circuit (IC50)."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akai AX60</span> Polyphonic analogue synthesizer

The AX60 is a polyphonic analogue keyboard synthesizer manufactured by Akai Professional in the mid-1980s. It was Akai's answer to the popular Roland Juno series synthesizers. The AX60 uses voltage-controlled analogue oscillators and filter circuitry based on the Curtis Electromusic CEM 3394 integrated circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberheim OB-1</span>

The Oberheim OB-1 was a monophonic analog synthesizer introduced by Oberheim Electronics in late 1977. With the ability to store and recall up to 8 instances of its sound settings, it was the first completely programmable synthesizer, and the first of Oberheim's OB-series of synthesizers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korg Minilogue</span> Polyphonic analogue synthesizer

The Korg Minilogue is a polyphonic analog synthesizer released in 2016 by Korg. It offers users four-voice polyphony with two analog VCOs per-voice and was designed to be affordable. It was designed by Korg engineer and synthesizer designer Tatsuya Takahashi, who said "the concept of the Minilogue was to build an analog synthesizer that doesn't rely on the fame and success of an old synth".

The Neutron is a dual-oscillator monophonic synthesizer manufactured by Behringer. Released in 2018, the Neutron has an analogue signal path and uses subtractive synthesis to produce sounds. It is semi-modular and compatible with Eurorack voltages.

References

  1. Forrest, Peter (1996). The A-Z of Analogue Synthesizers Part Two: N-Z. Devon, England: Susurreal. pp. 20–21. ISBN   0952437716.
  2. Vail, Mark (1993). Vintage Synthesizers. San Francisco, California: Miller Freeman Books. p. 154. ISBN   0-87930-275-5.
  3. "Blast from the past: Oberheim OB-Xa - MusicRadar". Musicradar.com.
  4. 1 2 3 "The 10 Most Widely Influential Synths Ever". Soundfly. 2016-05-25. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  5. "Home". Curtis Electromusic Specialties. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  6. "V3340D Voltage Controlled Oscillator" . Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  7. "V3320 Voltage Controlled Filter" . Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  8. "Semiconductor production" . Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  9. "The Oberheim synthesizer: a playlist". National Science and Media Museum blog. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  10. "Curtis chip company speaks out against vintage synth cloning". FACT Magazine. 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  11. "Behringer UB-Xa Synthesizer - Gearspace".
  12. "Behringer: Chip shortages worsened by Ukraine factory shutdowns, but could be relieved by 2023".
  13. "Behringer's long awaited UB-Xa synth is finally ready for production".
  14. Rogerson, Ben (2022-05-10). "Superbooth 2022: Oberheim is back with the OB-X8, an analogue love letter to its '80s synths". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  15. Willings, Sam (2022-05-11). "Superbooth 2022: Tom Oberheim's OB-X8 lands, carrying on the OB legacy from 1979 with help from Dave Smith". MusicTech. Retrieved 2022-05-18.

Further reading