Jump to content

Oberheim Electronics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oberheim Electronics
IndustryElectronic musical instruments
Founded1969 in Los Angeles, United States
FounderTom Oberheim
SuccessorOberheim
Headquarters
San Francisco
,
United States
ProductsSynthesizers, Sequencers, Signal processing, Drum machines
Websiteoberheim.com

Oberheim is an American synthesizer manufacturer founded in 1969 by Tom Oberheim.[1][2]

History and products

[edit]

Beginnings and first polyphonic synthesizers

[edit]
SEM (1974)
Four Voice (1975)

Tom Oberheim founded the company in 1969, originally as a designer and contract manufacturer of electronic effects devices for Chicago Musical Instruments under their Maestro brand, including the PS-1A Phase Shifter and RM-1 Ring Modulator,[3][1] and briefly a retail dealer for ARP Instruments.[3]

The company's first product released under its own name was the Oberheim DS-2, one of the first digital music sequencers.[4] Recognizing that customers wanted to play one synthesizer while the DS-2 played a sequence on another, or layer the sound of one synthesizer with another, Oberheim introduced the Synthesizer Expander Module (SEM), a semi-modular analog synthesizer module, in 1974.[4]

In late 1975, to replace lost sales after Chicago Musical Instruments successor Norlin canceled several large Maestro orders,[4] Oberheim developed a series of polyphonic synthesizers by combining multiple SEM modules with a digitally-scanned keyboard developed by Dave Rossum and a two-channel sequencer. The first of these was the Two Voice, followed by the Four Voice and Eight Voice.[1][5] These were among the first commercially-available polyphonic synthesizers.[6] Oberheim introduced the Two Voice and Four Voice at the June 1975 NAMM Show, the first time the company exhibited Oberheim-branded products.[4] The following year, an optional Polyphonic Synthesizer Programmer module, capable of storing and recalling 16 instances of some SEM parameters, was made available for the Four Voice and Eight Voice.

OB-series and The System

[edit]
OB-1 (1978)
OB-Xa (1980)

In 1977, building on the technology developed for the Polyphonic Synthesizer Programmer, Oberheim introduced the monophonic OB-1, the world's first completely programmable synthesizer.[7] [8] Following the introduction of the Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 in 1978, Oberheim developed OB-series models, which replaced bulky independent SEMs with internal voice expansion cards which supported digital control of synthesis parameters, and also utilized common cabinetry and power supplies. The OB-X, introduced in 1979, was available in either 4-, 6-, or 8-voice configurations.

The OB-X was succeeded by the OB-Xa in 1980. The first Oberheim product adorned with the blue horizontal pinstripes on black background color scheme that would become the company's signature look, the OB-Xa streamlined manufacturing and troubleshooting by utilizing Curtis integrated circuits.[9] It also featured the Oberheim Serial Buss, a pre-MIDI proprietary parallel bus for directly interfacing the OB-Xa with other Oberheim Serial Buss-equipped products, such as the DMX drum machine introduced in 1980, and the DSX digital sequencer introduced the following year. The combination of the DSX, DMX and either OB-Xa or OB-8 were marketed by Oberheim as "The System".[10]

Oberheim drum machines

[edit]

Oberheim's DMX drum machine, a staple of early hip-hop music,[11] lent its name to the Producer Davy DMX, electro musician DMX Krew, and is still used in dancehall reggae music.

DMX (c.1981)[citation needed]
DX (c.1983)[citation needed]
Prommer (1984)

Oberheim/Gibson

[edit]
Matrix-1000 (1988)
Oberheim / Gibson
    Echoplex Digital Pro[12]
OB-Mx (1994)

Oberheim Electronics declared bankruptcy in 1985 and was acquired by a group of lawyers who changed the name to Oberheim ECC. Following the acquisition, Tom Oberheim was creatively still at the helm of the company for a couple of years, before leaving to found Marion Systems. After a second bankruptcy in early 1988, Gibson Guitar Corporation acquired Oberheim. Gibson, under the direction of Keith McMillen, produced the Oberheim OB-Mx[13] in collaboration with D.N. "Lynx" Crowe and Don Buchla; the Oberheim Echoplex Digital Pro digital delay and looper in collaboration with Aurisis Research (Matthias Grob, Kim Flint, Eric Obermühlner); and re-released the Oberheim Strummer and Matrix 1000.

Oberheim/Viscount

[edit]
OB*12 (2000)

The Oberheim trademark was later licensed to Viscount International, an Italian organ company. Viscount developed the Oberheim OB*12 analog modeling synthesizer,[14] the GM-1000 guitar multi-effects unit,[15] the MC series of master keyboards,[16] and the OB32, a virtual tonewheel organ.[17]

Tom Oberheim returns to the synthesizer market

[edit]

In 2009, Tom Oberheim announced that he was manufacturing a new version of the SEM.[18][19][20][21]

In 2011–2012, Tom Oberheim announced a successor to the 4-Voice called the "Son Of 4 Voice" (SO4V),[22] as well as an updated version of the classic Two-Voice known as the Two-Voice Pro.[23] The "Son Of 4 Voice" and the Two Voice Pro started shipping in 2014.[24]

MIDI-to-CV converter panel for the SEM
EuroModular SEM (2015)
Two-Voice Pro (2015)

At the NAMM Show in January 2016, Tom Oberheim announced the Dave Smith Instruments OB-6, a collaboration with Dave Smith resulting in Tom Oberheim's first voltage-controlled multi-voiced polyphonic synth since the mid-1980s; Tom Oberheim designed the VCO/VCF part replicating his SEM module, while control features, arpeggiator/step sequencer and effects processing were designed by Smith using his Prophet platform.[25]

Oberheim trademark returned

[edit]

In July 2019, Gibson CEO JC Curleigh returned the Oberheim trademark and IP to Tom Oberheim as "a gesture of goodwill to the musical instrument industry."[26]

In May of 2022, the new Oberheim released the OB-X8, the company's first synthesizer in decades. As with the Sequential-made OB6, the OB-X8 was designed and built in collaboration with longtime friend Dave Smith, and it combines the original Oberheim's three signature OB polysynths-the OB-X, the OB-Xa and the OB-8-in a single unit.

Legacy

[edit]

Both Marcus Ryle and Michel Doidic worked for Oberheim as instrument designers before helping develop the ADAT multitrack digital tape recorder for Alesis, (a 'prosumer' grade digital recording multitrack deck designed to compete with the Tascam DA series of digital multitracks) and then moving on to found Line 6 together.[27]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Session Transcript: Tom Oberheim". Red Bull Music Academy, Barcelona 2008. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  2. ^ Susan Caust Farrell (1981). Directory of contemporary American musical instrument makers. University of Missouri Press. pp. 101. ISBN 978-0-8262-0322-9. Oberheim Electronics 1973 -wikipedia -wapedia.
  3. ^ a b Pinch, Trevor; Trocco, Frank (2002). Analog Days. Harvard University Press. p. 270. ISBN 0-674-01617-3.
  4. ^ a b c d Moog, Bob (1993). Vail, Mark (ed.). Vintage Synthesizers: Oberheim SEM Module. San Francisco, California, USA: Miller Freeman Books. pp. 151–156. ISBN 0-87930-275-5.
  5. ^ "Oberheim Eight Voice". Vintage Synth Explorer.
  6. ^ Vail, Mark (2014). The Synthesizer. Oxford University Press. pp. 38–40. ISBN 978-0195394894.
  7. ^ Colbeck, Julian (1996). Keyfax Omnibus Edition. MixBooks. pp. 84–90. ISBN 0-918371-08-2.
  8. ^ Forrest, Peter (1996). The A-Z of Analogue Synthesizers Part Two: N-Z. Devon, England: Susurreal. pp. 7–9. ISBN 0952437716.
  9. ^ Lowther, Simon (September 1998). "Oberheim OBX, OBXa & OB8". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  10. ^ "The History of MIDI - Chapter 5 - Precursors to MIDI". MIDI Association. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  11. ^ "Oberheim DMX". Vintage Synth Explorer.
  12. ^ Matthias Grob. "How the Gibson / Oberheim Echoplex Came Together". Loopers-Delight.com.
  13. ^ "Oberheim OBMx". Sound on Sound (September 1994).
  14. ^ "The Synth Sequel - Oberheim/Viscount OB12 Analogue Modelling Synth". Sound on Sound (September 2000).
  15. ^ Oberheim GM-1000 - 24bit Digital Signal Processor - Operating Manual (PDF). Oberheim (Viscount joint venture).
  16. ^ "Stereo MCS - Oberheim/Viscount MC3000 & MC2000 Controller Keyboard". Sound on Sound (November 1999).
  17. ^ "Oberheim/Viscount OB3-squared". Sound on Sound (September 1997).
  18. ^ "Tom Oberheim Introduces New Oberheim SEM Synthesizer". Synthtopia.com. June 4, 2009.
  19. ^ Reid, Gordon (September 2010). "Tom Oberheim SEM". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  20. ^ "Tom Oberheim Synthesizer Expander Module with MIDI to CV Panel". audioMIDI.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-15.
  21. ^ "Tom Oberheim SEMs Shipping - First Impression". MATRIXSYNTH. September 30, 2009.
  22. ^ "Son Of 4 Voice Polyphonic Synthesizer: "SO4V"". TomOberheim.com. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-02-07. — Tom Oberheim announces Oberheim 4 Voice in 2011.
  23. ^ "New! Two Voice Pro Synthesizer". TomOberheim.com. 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. — Tom Oberheim announces Oberheim Two Voice Pro in 2012.
  24. ^ "Tom Oberheim". TomOberheim.com. 2013.
  25. ^ "Dave Smith and Tom Oberheim OB-6 - A Historic Collaboration". YouTube, DaveSmith Instruments. 21 January 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
  26. ^ "Gibson Returns Oberheim Trademark to Namesake Founder As "Gesture of Goodwill"". Guitar.com. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  27. ^ Mark Vail (1993). Vintage Synthesizers. Miller Freeman Books. p. 21. ISBN 0-87930-603-3.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oberheim Electronics.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oberheim_Electronics&oldid=1269707716"