Geddy's monstrosity was known as the 'Moogenheimer' as it was a Minimoog plus an eight voice (plus a microphone) grafted together and mounted onto a Hammond organ chassis (sans organ). It weighed over 500 pounds, loved to overheat / go out of tune, and was said to be the terror of keyboard techs. Only one was made, and was only used on the hemispheres tour.
@@davebellamy4867 That was the 'mark 2' version. Which was a two voice and a minimoog. By 1981, the massive SEM based Oberheim synths were being replaced by the OBX and matrix based synths. Plus the original version was a serious PIA to move around.
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="712">11:52</a> - and fast forward to Superbooth 2022 and we've just witnessed the birth of Oberheim OB-X8 under Sequential flag. Also possibly the last co-op between Dave Smith and anyone else before Dave passed away a couple of days prior to NAMM 22 show.
I was Oberheim's product specialist/SEM tweaker/final tester from 1976 to 1979. Tom and the rest were nice people (we had a shop dog named "Pooch"); I thought Jim Cooper should have gotten a mention. I once bought an 8-voice from Gino Vanelli.
Thanks for finding the video nolobalists! Great to hear you were with Oberheim back then during those formative years. Do you still have the 8-voice? I'd love to hear any further stories you have.
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams Sadly, no. I had to sell. My time with Oberheim was fun; I was working at Guitar Center (when there was only one) and got to know the Oberheim crew. After I left GC (I'm not a great salesman) Oberheim contacted me to work for him. I didn't see Tom a lot; sometimes he'd walk through the facility, stop behind me, lean in and say, "what are you doing?" I worked with him on a project that Harold Rhodes (Fender-Rhodes piano inventor) collaborated with Tom on an interface to play the 8-voice from the piano. My job was to come up with some sounds to highlight the idea and demo it at Fender. It didn't catch on. But I got to know Harold, which was cool. It was my understanding that Tom was not the inventor of the SEM as much as Jim Cooper. Tom was the digital guy, Cooper did analog. Jim Cooper was one of my favorites among the crew. A talented bluegrass guitarist, he had a troubled marriage that culminated in divorce in '79. After I left (I went to Toronto to perform the Laserium show) I heard that Tom married Jim's ex. Obviously, a falling-out ensued. The word was that the new wife meddled in the affairs of the office; she earned the nickname "Eva Braun". Someone had access to the company credit card and had a ton of manure dumped on their lawn - as a message. This is all second-hand information; take it for what it is. Cooper went on to make his own company, J.L. Cooper. Cooper was deeply involved in the creation and standardization of MIDI. To be honest, Tom didn't pay well. He told me I would have to take electronics courses to remain with the company, not possible on the $6/hr I was getting - for doing nearly everything. They held a meeting once, where it was determined that if someone "dropped a bomb on Azbill, were out of business". So they made me delegate more. Tom did do some things for the employees that weren't cheap; I'm not trying to make out that he was a skinflint. One Christmas, he took us all out to a fancy restaurant, passing out bottles of Chevis to the assemblers, while the tech's (like me) got a 6" Thai stick (from sales manager Russ Jones). It was the '70's. I met some interesting people during my tenure; in particular David Palmer of Jethro Tull, who wanted to form a band with me playing classical music on the OB's, touring the great halls of Europe. As you can tell, it never happened. If I think of more, I'll add it. Oh, Pooch actually belonged to Faye, the woman that ran the assembly side. Well, now that reminds me… Faye's gals had their own assembly station; one decorated her space with Elvis paraphernalia; YUGE fan. When Elvis died she had to take a few days off. Serious. Cheers!
Looking again, I'm reminded of when I thought of putting the two levers (mod/pitch) together that way. I was standing with another tech (a guy named Schwartz) who seized on it to proclaim it as HIS idea to Tom. Whatever.
Imagine that for a moment: Prog-Rock was ubiquitously played on the radio. I was there. I remember it well. You'd head "Long Distance" by Yes followed by The Beatles, followed by Stevie Wonder. It was eclectic. It was beautiful.
I lucked out and got one in 1996 for $600. It stopped working a few years back but im going to get it fixed. It really has the wall of sound coming at you.
I traded a Waldorf Pulse, some Akai sample cd's & S5000 for an OB-X around 2002. Guy laughed thinking he's getting the better end of the deal, though I felt pretty good about my decision : )
For me Oberheim came into focus when Jan Hammer of Mahavishnu Orchestra went solo. He clearly loved Oberheim and proudly showed it in photographs. On his albums liner notes was carefully mentioned that no electric guitars were used. He was a pitch bend master, and his Jimi Hendrix' Manic Depression was a good demonstration of his skills.
Nena und 99 Luftballons...ganz geil! Great job! Was ALWAYS lusting after an Oberheim, and now I've had to settle for the Sequential Oberheim OB-6, which I don't really feel is "settling" because it sounds great!!
Back in 1986 my father bought me a synth as we were moving to an island where there was no market for pianos. We rented an OBX which was sold dirt cheap, and a Roland JX-8p. I had a friend over for a weekend long jamming, still have the cassette tape around somewhere. The OBX was absolutely massive in size and had an immense powerful sound, especially when you hit the Unison mode... it was absolutely crazy. I settled down for the Roland though because it was way more flexible in sound and had some really good analogue and electric piano sounds, while the OBX was very much a one kind of sound instrument only. It´s great that the classics like OBX and Prophet-5 are manufactured again but they look like toys and have nowhere near the presence and impact of the originals.
I don't believe any recreation can match the impact or presence of the original. However if you take into account the lower price range, and see the smaller size as a leveller, you begin to see the worth of the newer model. It opens up a world of sound to those who otherwise would never get the opportunity to hear and experience it.
Johnny, your research and well thought out narration on your "Story of" videos is of huge value. The aliens will come across these gems after we're gone.
The OBXa is probably my favourite analogue synth of all time, not that I can ever see myself affording one. They sound incredible though. If I ever had the opportunity to build my dream rig, this machine would certainly be in it.
Nothing beats the original, but Behringer is making a clone of it. I’m curious what people are gonna think of it when it comes out. I don’t expect it to sound the same, but it’s might be pretty cool.
If you love the sound but can't afford the price tag Sonicprojects OP-X Pro II virtual synth can currently be had for less than 99 bucks. I've had it for a few years now and it sounds fantastic!
Hey Shaun - I know - Prince was all over the OB-X - I originally had him mentioned, but I couldn't find any visual footage and the music was DRM'd so I can't use it in my video. But yes - in retrospect I should have still included the legend.
Prince had been using the OBX's since the 1980 "Dirty Mind" album...plus you see Lisa and Dr. Fink using them all over the classic Prince videos like "1999" and "Controversy"....
@@lnerell in the Let's Pretend We're Married video we can all see the OBSX being played by Lisa and Dez, but The OBXA is also part of their stage gear...in the Uptown video, Matt is definitely using the OBX...that's basically what I was implying in my original comment, the OBX/OBXA is the primary synth heard on those old classics...with the OBSX being visually seen in the 1999 era videos, we can now confirm that synth was being used in their setups as well...
Really good and informative video. Those surely were exciting days. In the late 70s, I befriended Tony Geranios (Rush guitar & keyboard tech) and he brought me up on stage to see Geddy's Moog/Oberheim up close. Very innovative at the time.
Wow - that is incredible that you saw that synth up close. It was a incredible creation and I've dreamed of it still being around, but apparently it was parted out and sold off (info from another friend I know that worked with Tony).
The first band that was featured at the beginning is Tangerine Dream. One of my favorites, I like to compose and play their style of sequenced rhythmic patterns. I have a Mini Moog software synth with an arpeggiator and gate sequencer that emulates that style perfectly. The problem with analog hardware synths is they're unaffordable for most hobbyists like me. I did once own a Cat by Octave synthesizer that I purchased used. It needed to be restored and I eventually sold it. I definitely would enjoy hands on with the OB-X and many other classic synthesizers.
Yeah... oh, the memories lol Been on that road decades ago. Eventually, my emotional hobby trickled down into realistic expectations. Apart from still holding onto working General Music Equinoxe synth, I've sold all my hardware gear (two were donated)... and it wasn't a financial decision either lol Software music these days, is really capable of so much more diversity, with so little space given. It's like that "old" discussions about analogue vs digital. Eventually, digital caught on, and now even surpassed even the best trained ears in the world, from making educated guesses, of which one sounds better. Just wanted to put this here lol PS: Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno, Kitaro, and Jarre, were my favorite teachers for learning digital music ideas.
great doc, thanks...brings back good memories from my short stint @ Keyboard mag. Tom & Dave's frequent visits to the office were like receiving royalty, all of us in awe but they were such laid back dudes who just happened to change the world with every new synth.
Great to see someone mention the OB-SX. Just to add some extra info on the OB-SX - The last version had 56 sounds. There were three models, the MK I with 24 sounds, the MK II with 48sounds (slide switch on the rear panel selects between 2 sets of 24 sounds) and the MK III in OB-Xa stripe paint job with 56 sounds. My personal thoughts are that the OB-SX was a proof of concept because it used the Curtis chips for the oscillators, filter, envelopes and amps, just like the later OB-Xa. I have a 5 Voice MK III so they came in 4, 5 or 6 voice models for the last version. The voice architecture is that of the OB-X (cross mod whilst OB-Xa uses Filter Env to modulate one of the oscillators for sweeping Sync sounds). Sadly the OB-SX was often purchased to cannibalise the CEM Curtis chips to keep an OB-Xa or Prophet 5 Rev 3 going. The user manuals also differ slightly with the MKI and MK II both states as being based on the OB-X, whilst the manual for the MK III states that it is based on the OB-Xa. A very underrated instrument and I hope to get mine repaired to post updated videos with better audio of some of the presets. The OB-SX uses the same summing OP amp as the OB-X, but the same CEM based technology as the OB-Xa, so has a unique sound in that sense. The OB-SX only has a 12 dB/Octave filter, whilst the OB-Xa has 2 CEM3320 Filters to also get 24 dB/Octave. Thanks again for providing the historical context of all these great Obies.
Great info on the OB-SX Pete. I agree with you very much as it does seem like Oberheim originally designed the OB-SX for reduced cost by using Curtis ICs. Once they realized it still sounded great, I think that proved the OB-Xa could be designed similarly. I should have gone into more detail on the OB-SX - I agree it's very under-rated. I've been trying to buy one from a friend of mine for years.
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams Hard to put the sound into clinical terms, but it's always possible that my Xa is not quite right in the summing of the two voice trays. It sounds a lot better when the upper voice rack is disconnected. Loss of volume and clarity ensues when connecting upper voice cards. (I don't know if that is normal, I feel like it is)The fact that the SX hasn't got an upper set, and so does not suffer similarly, may be a factor. But in the end the raw tone of my SX just sounds more correct. That being said, I do prefer synths of the 70's, and SX sounds more that way to me. My SX is yet another variant which the comment by Pete Moulton above has not listed. OBX style graphics but with 56 programs. Anyway it sounds really good. I've enjoyed your videos by the way. Keep up the fine work
@@PhantomOfTheOptigan Wow! Thanks for that info on an OB-X paint job version with 56 sounds. This is the first time I've heard of such a version, and I'm pretty well clued up on the OB-SX. So would that make mine a MK IIIA? or MK IV? I actually prefer the OB-X paint job to the OB-Xa as it breaks the knobs down, visually into module blocks. I think the difference you might be noticing between your OB-Xa and OB-SX is that the OB-SX uses the same summing amplifier chips as the OB-X, so that means the OB-SX has a sound of its own. Curtis Chipped voice cards like an OB-Xa, but using the voice architecture and summing amp chips of the OB-X.
You got the date wrong when they were taken over by Gibson. I worked at Oberhim in 1985-1986, they were owned by ECC, which was a group put together by Tom's lawyers to save the company. Gibson took them over around 1990.
I loved the sound of the obxa. I thought it was the warmest synth I have ever played. Great video. I’m always interested in Vintage synth documentaries.
Much appreciated for not getting upset at me for using it, and thank you! let me check it out on Reverb - they are amazing. Are you selling to raise money for other gear?
Other great users of the old white 8 voice, Patrick Moraz (Yes) had a two keyboard version. Also Dennis DeYoung from Styx. 4 voices were also used by Jazzman Joseph Zawinul in Weather Report, and particularly Lyle Mays with Pat Metheny Group have his signature sound you can find in most modern synth banks. Finally a late multiple Oberheim user (Xpanders, Matrix 12) were Steve Roach, the prolific American Ambiant composer.
Thank you for taking a moment to acknowledge that the Prophet 5 came out just before Oberheim Electronics designed the OBX. The various accounts of Sequential Circuits' history tend to overlook Oberheim as an influencer in (the late) Dave Smith's design of the Prophet 5. Mr. Smith might've long had the notion of attaching a CPU to a synthesizer, but the Prophet's voice boards would likely never have emerged if the SEM hadn't come first. I can name 4 other appearances that the OBX made on camera. They include two music videos from 1981, Styx' "Too Much Time on my Hands" and REO Speedwagon's "Don't Let Him Ho". The others are a rehearsal sequence near the end of the Neil Diamond rendition of The Jazz Singer (where its front panel can be spotted near the end of the scene at the bottom of the screen) and archival concert footage of Chicago in concert at Nippon Buddakan in Tokyo from 1984.
Thanks so much Eric for adding to this thread. Yes - I think Dave and Tom definitely influenced each other a fair bit. The OB-X layout and design was no doubt influenced by the Prophet-5 in many ways.
Hey Johnny! Great JOB on this! I know we’ve chatter about synths in the past, and share a similar passion for electronic music, etc, however, I REALLY enjoy your videos! Ironically, I just bought an ‘OB6’, and though I’ve played the OB-Xa, OB-8, and Matrix 12, back in my band days, I could never afford to own one. Even with all the truly amazing new digital synths available today (both hardware and VST), there is something truly special about Tom Oberheim’s synths, that still brings me immense joy. It’s what can only describe to others as... ‘sonic warm sweet-butter’. Though the OB6 is slightly based more on Tom’s SEM synths from the late 70’s, it has many elements from his best synths, all wrapped into one unit, with help from the the amazing Dave Smith (whom is also a true master in his own right). Either way, thank you for the well executed min-documentary, and keep-up the great work! :-)
Hey Chris - great to hear from you and that you bought an OB-6. I know - it's amazing - I have a few close friends who own one and they absolutely say it's their favourite. I'm saving up so I can hopefully buy one this year. Hope you're doing well and once everything is back to normal let's get together for a catch up!
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams I was going to ask you what you thought of the OB6. It's kind of a gem IMO. It seem to bowl over a lot of people. It was a great idea for Dave and Tom to work together. Perfect timing and a pleasing departure for Sequential/DSI. Great idea to base it on the SEM; to go back to the original concept and be less like a Prophet. I have one. It's a bit special. Tom said, "My heart was in polyphonic synthesis," at the Sweetwater Gearfest panel discission in 2015 and in less than a year, there was the OB6!😊
@@davebellamy4867 I don't have an OB-6 but a good friend has one and he raves about it - says it's his most used and favorite instrument. I've heard nothing but good things.
I know - since this video was more about the OB-X I left that out, but I probably should of added it in. A new Two voice would be amazing. I'd be all-in on a new four voice or son-of-four-voice though.
The Moog was also very temperamental. I was at one of Emerson, Lake and Palmer's early gigs and although he got amazing sounds from it, his main instrument was his trusty Hammond organ.
@@marcbrasse747 Eddie used the OBXa for '1984', 'Jump', and 'I'll Wait'. By the 5150 tour, he changed over to the OB8 being controlled by a Kurzweil K250 and he took multiples of those on the road with them as well.
I think there are units out for beta testing. Cheeky to call it the OBXa when originally it was going to be the UBXa. Thankfully, Tom Oberheim has released his original logo now on the Two Voice Pro SE.
Thank you Arturia and Beringer for making affordable versions of these great scents that I could never afford otherwise. BTW, G-Force makes a VST for the Oberheim 8 Voice and it's incredible.
Edward Van Halen used the OB-Xa for the title track of the 1984 album . By the way the title track is originally about a half hour long . Edward used the OB-8 for the song I'll Wait .
I used to be obsessed with OB-Xa primarily for the looks. When the oldies say they like OB-X more, I gave it a listen and was converted. Until I heard that OB-X was highly unreliable with its massive radiators. That ruined it for me for a while but then I asked myself; if it was unreliable, then why aren't they rid of in the marketplace? There are more Jupiter 8s on the market than these things! That converted me back. I would take this over the 8 anytime. I wish this thing had velocity/aftertouch (oh that's right the OB-X8 does).
It does look impressive, and they do require a lot of service. The few owners I know are often having them fixed for various issues, so you need a good tech locally. I think the OB-X8 is a great way to go for the sound and look but more reliability.
Just discovered your channel and I'm loving it! Well researched, informative, concise, just great quality all around. For anyone interested , Dave Spiers from GForce Software made a 15-20 minute documentary about the Oberheim 8 voice. Its on their YT channel, and I think it makes a perfect addendum to this video.
The OB-X always sounds to me like a british early 90ies Rave machine with it's detuned full pads and stabs. The OP-X Pro VST wasn't mentioned here...I think Sonic Projects done a better job then Arturia.
You beat me to it. I’ve been using this plugin for a few years now and it’s STELLAR. Looks and feels exactly like the real board for only $99. Best of it, it comes with LOADS of 70’s and 80’s presets.
@@scottritshie105 I agree with you guys wholeheartedly. I've too have owned it for a few years now and it sounds absolutely fantastic. Very versatile and you can't beat the price tag.
Very cool. Audio is better than the last one, which is a huge plus. However ... for your next video, please consider using ducking. Sometimes the music is overpowering your narration (<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="250">4:10</a>)
