Oberheim OB-X8, a synth developer talk with Marcus Ryle

May 18, 2022 Synth Anatomy Hardware, News, SUPERBOOTH 22, Synthesizers 0

A developer talk from Superbooth 22 with Marcus Ryle about the Oberheim company comeback and the new OB-X8 polyphonic analog Synthesizer.

After a lot of teasing, and leaks, the Oberheim OB-X8 finally stood as a big public premiere at Superbooth 22. A Synthesizer that drew attention.No wonder it’s the first 100% Oberheim poly analog Synthesizer in many years. And what can I say: a stunning-sounding classic analog poly Synthesizer with a lot of vintage charm.

At a trade show like Superbooth, there are many of the same sale pitch videos that talk about features, price, and availability. I decided to do it differently. More precisely, in the form of a developer talk with one of the main personalities of the Oberheim reboot, Marcus Ryle.

The Oberheim OB-X8 developer talk is about the company, the development, and what makes it so difficult to reproduce the original sound in modern. And one thing in advance: the simple cloning of the circuits does not automatically turn a Synthesizer into an Oberheim synth. There’s a lot more to consider.

Oberheim OB-X8

You can get a full overview of the features in the leak article or here in a summary.

8 voice bi-timbral polyphonic analog Synthesizer
2 discrete SEM/OB-X-lineage VCO per voice (sine, saw, square, triangle, noise) with variable triangle wave cross-modulations
discrete SEM-lineage VCFs with a new SEM filter mode giving you high pass, band pass, and notch to the classic OB-X filter
Curtis filters for the OB-Xa and OB-8
two envelopes meticulously modeled after OB-X, OB-Xa, and OB-8
vintage knob for adding variable amounts of voice-to-voice variability to emulate the behavior of vintage instruments.
programmable per-voice pan for a wider stereo presence
two presets simultaneously with splits and doubles
enhanced unison with voice stacking up to 8 voices

61-key FATAR keybed with velocity (volume/filter) and channel-aftertouch
built-in arpeggiator
Oberheim classic pitch and mod levers on the left side for expressive note bending, vibrato, and access to arpeggiator functions
stereo and mono outputs
inputs for sustain, volume, and filter
MIDI on classic 5-pin sockets and USB
integral, fanless, heating-free power supply
real walnut end cheeks
OLED display