Oberheim OBX

[Jesseprit]

I can imagine this with orc's and witches, or maybe just another scifi thriller.

[nickster181]

0:16 van halen :D

[LaugermanPROductions]

@nickster181 '1984'

[neolojism]

Keys just need new felts.

Synths like this should get a service every year.

[msdos622wasfun]

This line of keyboards really made some fat, juicy sounds. Very nice.

[westerrnredcedar]

maan you caint pley

[HypeRhymz]

man, to think Prince used this exact keyboard. i maybe 14 but i'll take a OBX over a Roland Fantom any day.

[osummuso]

@HypeRhymz Yeah I have a Fantom and the keyboard physically is shit, so I use and old D50 and a Sonic Cell to gig with instead.

[HypeRhymz]

@osummuso i bet that d50 is amazing, i recently played a yamaha DX7 II-FD in amazing condition just a little dusty but everything worked fine. it was my first time playing a vintage synth but it was

AMAZING, i just finished playing a motif and a juno Gi and none of them compared the DX7. the control it gives over the sounds, the crisp clear sound is beautiful. i love vintage synths

[osummuso]

@HypeRhymz Thing with that ilk of synth, is the keyboards take punishment.

So Korg M1, DX7, D50 etc were all built to be roadworthy.

We used to used a DX7 that had had a bass bin dropped on it.

Great keyboard action.

[latasha66]

It is always a treat to see such a machine, but please PLEASE pipe the audio directly into the PC next time. The camera microphone does not do this machine justice at all. The effort, however, is appreciated.

[itwasallgoodinthe70s]

My God, that's a keyboard tech that needs to find a new line of work !!! wtf

[TheSongsparrow]

Just serviced? What lame tech forgot the key bushings? I swear!

[boswachtersrule]

Your bushings are complete gone.

[BlueIzzzs]

why you think the bushings are gone?

[boswachtersrule]

Because of the clicks. the keyboard sounds like an old typewriter.

[halfstack22]

Thanks for making this clip. I'm a guitarist and don't know much about these great analog instruments. I sure miss them in music. I had a Juno once, but always wanted one of the OB 8's or x series. Keep playing & enjoying yours.

[youwantotestmykungfu]

Good point,

I always thought the JP4 sounded much more punchier and powerfull compared to the JP8(which I have owned 2 of in the past), funny thing is all my favorite analogue synths are chip based, be it SSM, Curtis etc......

Though I hear great things about the Omega 8, I would love to demo one...;-)

[pauleyh]

1:17 to 1:21 is the infamous 1984 sound patch i love that patch

[saulocpp]

That's a monster synth, it sounds so sweet! I love the click of the keys, my Yamaha DX7-II FD also has noisy keys. :-)

[eldorado303]

i used to play keys, but now I cant. maybe one of these days i get to it again.

Hope so.

[creamydistortion]

Ah, this is the one Billy Joel uses for the solo in "ALL FOR LEYNA" its a sick solo + setup, the OBX on top of a Yamaha CP-80!

[SashaTrancer]

Super synth! Powerful sound!

[youwantotestmykungfu]

I think the OBX is the only vintage analogue polysynth that has discrete occilators and filters(not including the 8 Voice), based on the SEM.

most of the other big named flagship polys used custom chips, including the KORG PS and Yamaha polyphonic CS range, making the OBX a very powerfull and sweet sounding synth.

I have owned both a OB8 and 4 Voice and there is no comparison, the earlier SEM sound is incredable compared to the nice sounding OB8

[fleskebille]

Jupiter 4 is discrete and sounds awesome!

Discrete circuits generally sound great (Omega 8 is a "new" one). I wonder if production can be automated now? Price is the only problem.

[bryceHUHwhat]

What about the Oberheim 2-4-8 Voice synths, or the CS80...?

[bryceHUHwhat]

The CS80 chips were nothing more than multi transistor paks. Matched transistors.

[youwantotestmykungfu]

CS80 VCO/VCFchips where based on the descrete GX1, only other poly that comes to mind is the ARP/RHODES chroma.

[noddyspuncture]

Yeah, right...!?

[Chicago10281]

How much is an Oberheim these days? This one sounds like a nice model!

[themanmaschine]

I just want a vintage synth SO much, I have done for years!

[DonSolaris]

Since i now own this synth that you see on the video i'll answer the questions. Kevin couldn't answer because the synth was already on its way to me. Sorry for the delay but i completely forgot about this video.

1. @DavePerry2012: The keys were noisy because there were no bushings. I installed new silicon ones and now the keyboard is like new. I also removed and cleaned all the keys.

2. @ClassicTVFan82: It is from 1979. However voiceboards are late revision and so is the OS (easier editing).

[DonSolaris]

3. @sleestack: You can tune oscs individually VCO1 by octave, VCO2 by semitone. Plus additional VCO detune. LFO sweeps either none, one or both.

4. @oberheimobx: Yes, it was for sale. And i'm the buyer.

5. LEDs (that don't light in the video) are now fixed. Actually LEDs were ok, one multiplexer chip was dead.

6. I also fixed the paint. At this moment, new wooden side panels are being made. Pics will be posted on gearslutz forum (in electronic music production)

Bye!

[Thompsongs]

sounds like you have one gorgeous looking-and-sounding Obie.

[Paardekut]

My P5 and JP8 don't have that problem, but my P600 does. The P600 has the worsed keyboard in synth history. The old Ensoniqs were pretty bad too. Best keys on a synth are on the DX7. Well, of the plastic keyboard synths anyway.

[rg2027x]

does your pitch bend lever return to center properly? my OB-X's doesn't and wavers when the lever is moved even slightly up or down.

Pitch lever must be flicked back and forth several times for return to center pitch. Tried cleaning the potentiomenter, tightening up the assembly, no luck. Do you know if there's a fix for this? Would like to get the pitch lever fully functional and playable as it should be.

[virtualoberheim]

Hi - I too own an OB-X and had this problem too - the problem is that old carbon pots wear out with the time (the carbon layer gets damaged) - I completely replaced the two pots with high precision wire pots (wire instead of carbon) and too tightened the two spring stops (they don't sit enough tight any more after years of use) - now it's perfrectly precise, even in one octave setting! :-)

[lebonpost]

my had the same problem , it would go out of tune if i had it on for more than two hours,i figured that if it got hot it went out of tune.

[UncleFeedle]

Whenever I hear one of these, I'm reminded of Queen's Flash Gordon soundtrack. Most of the cool synth stuff in that was Freddy Mercury on the OB-X. It was used for many of the sound effects as well, such as Ming's hypnotic ring.

[rg2027x]

wasn't a Yamaha CS-80 used as well?

Football Fight bass sounds like OB-X with CS-80 lead part..

[UncleFeedle]

I know their gear list over the years included OB-X, OB-Xa, OB-8, Jupiter 8, VP-330, DX-7, Emulator II and Fairlight. To my knowledge they never used the CS-80, although the lead sound certainly has that sort of quality to it. Probably most polysynths of that era could do a pretty good emulation.

[rg2027x]

have you heard the software version of this yet?

[Paardekut]

That keyboard is noisy.

Nice synth though.

[ClassicTVFan82]

Is your OB-X a 1979 or 1980 model?

[sleestack]

Hi

Can you tune the oscillators individually? Or have an lfo sweep the pitch of the oscillators separately?

[DavePerry2012]

Is it my imagination or are the keys super clicky?

[shako5150]

You should really do Van Halen's 1984 and put it on you tube... it would sound awesome!!!!

Great Synth!!!! Great Playing!!!

[duvasgabre]

screw your oberheim, mine is better

[fireclownfish]

and mine better than yours.

[Matiaz91]

I dont have one!

WAAAAAH *cries

[slammah2012]

And my CS80 is better than all of them....

[rajx8p]

And my casio cz 101 is better than any cs80, dx7, oberheim, fairlight, ppg, or any of those wannabe synths.

[fireclownfish]

thats sorta funny, I bought my CS-80 from a guy who was keeping and using a CZ-4 or 5K. Unfortunately, theres nothing like a CS-80, and worse by far, I sold mine maybe ten years ago. None of these amazing devices are directly comparable, they all have their own deal happening. The 80 simply put the best keyboard against a really special filter series with the sweetest ribbon controller in between.

[Hobbs360]

dammnit im going to buy this, heavy ass polyiphany

[godadameve]

Are the sounds on this pretty much the same as the OB-SX? I think I recognize quite a few patches from MY OB-SX?

[vistasug]

The keys aren't to great. But i like the sounds a LOT!

[shaft9000]

nice synth...but the key clicks are louder than the synth. i would love to hear it recorded direct instead of w/ a cheap camera mic.

a synth this great should be heard in high quality!

thanks anyhow...you're a lucky s.o.b. :D

[oberheimobx]

for sale ?

[Brownies79]

1:43 is my favorite.

[vistasug]

00:20, sounds almost like "1984" by Van Halen. Great stuff. Been waiting for a video like this.

[nickeax]

It's the synth Eddie used. :-)

[fireclownfish]

nope.

[nickeax]

Whoops! I meant the OBXa. Are they closely related?

[fireclownfish]

same architecture and intent, but the -A and 8synths relied on new IC's for their (cool sounding!)filters, which varied considerably from the discrete and very wonderful early Oberheim 12dB filter sounds of the SEM and OBX synths.

The OBX has a number of limitations, none of which overcome the sheer power of its actual sound. One of the most desirable polyphonics, but I wouldnt call it the most flexible. I would rec an SEM to all who dont have one yet:)

[Thompsongs]

I think I read that the -A and the -8 had a sound quality that was better-suited for those huge string and pad sounds than the earlier, more "raw"-sounding Obies. What's your take on that?

[fireclownfish]

yeah, and although Im never really messed with them, Im pretty sure they just cant sound like the sounds on this video. The texture and "limitations" make it what it is, and hard to imitate even with identical looking instruments by the same manufacturer. Im much more turned on by earlier raw than later slick Jump patches. The OBX was a moment in time for recorded polyphonic synthesizer music as it teetered towards obselesence in the computerized DX7 and sampler future.

[DonSolaris]

@Thompsongs: Owning both OB-X and OB-8 i can say if you are looking for vintage sounding strings you should go OB-X. OB-8 has "in your face" dirt due to CEM chips. You can hear OB-X pads in the into of Magnetic Fields by JMJ. Sounds very organic, somehow "sad" and very FAT, it's the fattest pad machine ever designed. This comes from 100% discrete design. OB-8 is more focused sound, raw (Prophet like), its pads can be heard on many KLF recordings i.e. Chill Out. OB-X is a girl, OB-8 is a boy. :-)

[milesjames23388]

and the OB-XA is a MAN!

[oberheimobx]

Nice video man