Oberheim OB-X
{{short description|Analog polyphonic sound synthesizer}}
{{Infobox synthesizer
| image = Oberheim OB-X.jpg
| image_caption = Oberheim OB-X
| synth_name = OB-X
| synth_manufacturer = Oberheim
| synthesis_type = Analog Subtractive
| polyphony = 4, 6 or 8 voices
| timbrality = Monotimbral
| oscillator = 2 VCOs per voice
| filter = 12dB per octave resonant low-pass
| attenuator = 2 × ADSR; one for VCF, one for VCA
| left_control =
| lfo = 1
| keyboard = 61-key
| velocity = No
| aftertouch = No
| memory = 32 patches
| ext_control = CV/Gate
| fx =
| dates = 1979–1981
| price = US$4,595–US$5,995
GB£99.99 (VST version){{Cite web |title=GForce Software |url=https://www.gforcesoftware.com/products/ob-x/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250108140448/https://www.gforcesoftware.com/products/ob-x/ |archive-date=2025-01-08 |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=www.gforcesoftware.com}}|
}}
The Oberheim OB-X was the first of Oberheim's OB-series polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizers.{{cite book |last1=Vail |first1=Mark |title=Vintage Synthesizers |date=1993 |publisher=Miller Freeman Books |location=San Francisco, California |isbn=0-87930-275-5 |page=154}}{{Cite web|title=Synth Icons: Oberheim OB Series|url=http://www.musicradar.com/us/news/tech/synth-icons-oberheim-ob-series-597902#!1 |website=Music Radar}}
First commercially available in June 1979, the OB-X was introduced to compete with the Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, which had been successfully introduced the year before.{{cite web|last=Lowther|first=Simon|title=Oberheim OBX, OBXa & OB8|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/oberheim-obx-obxa-ob8|website=Sound On Sound|date=September 1998|access-date=16 January 2025}}{{cite book |last1=Forrest |first1=Peter |title=The A-Z of Analogue Synthesizers Part Two: N-Z |date=1996 |publisher=Susurreal |location=Devon, England |isbn=09524377-1-6 |page=20}} About 800 units were produced before the OB-X was discontinued and replaced by the updated and streamlined OB-Xa in 1981. The OB line developed and evolved after that with the OB-8{{cite book |last1=Colbeck |first1=Julian |title=Keyfax Omnibus Edition |date=1996 |publisher=MixBooks |location=Emeryville, California |isbn=0-918371-08-2 |pages=89–90}} before being replaced by the Matrix series.
The OB-X was used in popular music by Rush (on Moving Pictures and Signals), Nena, Styx member Dennis DeYoung (used frequently from late 1979 to 1984), Queen (on The Game, their first synthesizer on an album), Madonna for her debut album, Prince,{{Cite web|title=Oberheim OB-X|url=http://www.guitarcloud.org/equipment/oberheim-ob-x|website=Guitarcloud - Prince Equipment Archive}} and Jean-Michel Jarre who used it for its "brass" sounds.
Specification
File:Oberheim OB-X internals.jpg
The OB-X was the first Oberheim synthesizer based on a single printed circuit board called a "voice card" (still using mostly discrete components) rather than the earlier SEM (Synthesizer Expander Module) used in Oberheim semi-modular systems, which had required multiple modules to achieve polyphony. The OB-X's memory held 32 user-programmable presets. The synthesizer's built-in Z-80 microprocessor also automated the tuning process. This made the OB-X less laborious to program, more functional for live performance, and more portable than its ancestors.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
The "X" in OB-X originally stood for the number of voice-cards (notes of polyphony) installed. It came in four, six, and eight-voice models with polyphonic portamento, and sample and hold. Even the 4-voice model was expensive at US$4,595. The entire range used "paddle" levers for pitch and modulation, Oberheim's answer to the "wheel" controls of the Prophet-5. Though these controls were never as popular as the standard pitch and modulation wheels, the philosophy was to mimic the motion of a guitar player bending the strings on their guitar. On most other synthesizers the pitch bend wheel was on the left, and the modulation wheel to the right of it; on the OB-X Oberheim placed them in the opposite relative positions. In addition to this unique configuration the polarity of the paddles was distinctive; the player would pull back on the pitch lever to bend the pitch sharp, and push forward to bend flat.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
Notable OB-Xa users
- Eurythmics (on "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"){{cite magazine |last1=Doyle |first1=Tom |date=July 2018 |title=Classic Tracks: Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)' |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-eurythmics-sweet-dreams |magazine=Sound On Sound}}
- Japan{{Cite web |date=2015-06-06 |title=Oberheim OB Series |url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep98/articles/retro_oberheim.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606082939/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep98/articles/retro_oberheim.html |archive-date=2015-06-06 |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=web.archive.org}}
- Queen (on The Game){{cite web |last1=Reed |first1=Ryan |date=8 June 2020 |title=How Queen Embraced the Synthesizer on "Play the Game" |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/queen-play-the-game/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301063616/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/queen-play-the-game/ |archive-date=1 March 2024 |access-date=14 August 2024 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |publisher=Townsquare Media |ref=Reed 2020}}
- Tangerine Dream
- Youth
Hardware re-issues and recreations
In May 2022, the Oberheim OB-X8, a new 8-voice analog synthesizer with the voice architecture and filters of four classic Oberheim models: the OB-X, OB-SX, 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.{{Cite web |last=Rogerson |first=Ben |date=2022-05-10 |title=Superbooth 2022: Oberheim is back with the OB-X8, an analogue love letter to its '80s synths |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/oberheim-ob-x8-synth-launched |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=MusicRadar |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Willings |first=Sam |date=2022-05-11 |title=Superbooth 2022: Tom Oberheim's OB-X8 lands, carrying on the OB legacy from 1979 with help from Dave Smith |url=https://musictech.com/news/gear/superbooth-2022-tom-oberheim-ob-x8-focusrite-sequential/ |access-date=2022-05-18 |website=MusicTech |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |title=Oberheim OB-X8 |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/oberheim-ob-x8 |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=www.soundonsound.com}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.vintagesynth.com/oberheim/obx.php OB-X profile on Vintage Synth Explorer]
- {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815112447/http://www.isatellite.info/oberheim-ob-x.html |date=August 15, 2020 |title=Oberheim OB-X}}
- {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712042833/http://www.retrosound.de/OB-X.html |date=July 12, 2020 |title=OB-X resource with pics and video demo}}
{{Oberheim}}