Oberheim OB-X8 Synthesizer Goes Far Beyond The Capabilities Of Its Iconic Predecessors

Update: Official details are now available for the Oberheim OB-X8.

Ahead of Superbooth 2022, photos and specifications have leaked for the Oberheim OB-X8 synthesizer.

The Oberheim OB-X8 is a new synth design, in the same family as classic synths like the OB-X, OB-Xa and OB-8. It’s an 8-voice analog design, with discrete SEM/OB-X VCOs, Curtis filters and envelopes based on the originals. It offers 400-plus factory programs, including the full set of factory sounds for the OB-X, OB-SX, OB-Xa, and OB-8.

But the OB-X8 also goes far beyond the capabilities of its iconic predecessors, featuring new filter options, the ability to dial in ‘Vintage’ variability, velocity sensitivity and aftertouch, new synthesis and modulation options and more.

Oberheim OB-X8 Specifications (Unofficial):

  • 8-voice, pure-analog polyphony with sine, saw, square, triangle, and noise
  • Two discrete SEM/OB-X-lineage VCOs per voice deliver classic punchy Oberheim tone
  • Discrete SEM-lineage VCFs deliver authentic OB-X-style tone and presence
  • Genuine Curtis filters add bold OB-Xa/OB-8 character
  • Meticulously modeled envelope responses match each OB model: OB-X, OB-Xa, and OB-8
  • The 61-key FATAR velocity- and touch-sensitive keyboard allows unparalleled expression and responsiveness
  • Bi-timbral capability allows two presets simultaneously for splits and doubles
  • 400-plus factory programs, including the full set of factory sounds for the OB-X, OB-SX, OB-Xa, and OB-8
  • Integral, fanless, heatsink-free power supply
  • Real walnut end cheeks
  • High-resolution OLED display enables patch management and easy access to advanced features
  • Classic Oberheim Pitch and Mod levers allow expressive note bending, vibrato, and access to arpeggiator functions

Enhancements:

  • Additional SEM Filter modes add high-pass, band-pass, and notch functions to the classic OB-X filter
  • Vintage knob allows variable amounts of voice-to-voice variability to emulate the behavior of vintage instruments
  • Velocity sensitivity adds expressiveness to volume and filter
  • Channel Aftertouch adds real-time performance-based modulation
  • Enhanced unison allows variable voice stacking from 1-8 voices
  • Variable triangle wave cross-modulation
  • Over 600 user-programmable preset locations
  • Programmable per-voice pan allows wider stereo presence
  • Variable oscillator and noise levels

Ins & Outs:

  • Stereo and Mono outputs
  • Volume, Sustain, and Filter inputs
  • Arpeggiator clock input
  • MIDI In, Out, Thru
  • USB

Pricing and Availability:

Official details are still to be announced, but the Oberheim OB-X8 is expected to be priced around $5,000 USD and have a June 2022 release date.

Could the Oberheim OB-X8 the greatest synthesizer Tom Oberheim has ever designed? Check out the details and share your thoughts in the comments!

via 99musik, sequencer.de, modwiggler

137 thoughts on “Oberheim OB-X8 Synthesizer Goes Far Beyond The Capabilities Of Its Iconic Predecessors”

  4. Genuine through-hole ssm2044’s? 8 of them per synthesizer?

    On the one hand, if anyone has them it’s Dave and Tom. On the other hand, how many genuine SSM2044’s could possibly be left on earth?

    1. The specs mention genuine Curtis filters. As far as I’m aware, Oberheim used SSM. They also say, “Discrete SEM-lineage VCFs.”

      As far as the old SSM2044 goes, the SSI2144 is in production. It’s an updated version of the original from the same team.

        1. The CEM3320 was updated and re-released a few years ago by OnChip (successor to CEM). It is also available in clone versions from Alfa and Coolaudio (Behringer).

      1. Boring? Moog One is the most complex analogue synth ever created. In fact, it’s more complex than most VST’s. If you can’t program it or can’t afford it, that doesn’t make it boring.

          1. Core sound is a matter of taste. Some people love the Moog sound, other love the Prophet sound. If you don’t like a particular brand that again doesn’t make it boring. And yes, with a programming so deep, you can very easily ”wash” away the core sound.

        1. I don’t understand you, your personal preference is not like mine, saying “just not for me” will not help you!

  7. it made sense in the 70s because huge arena bands were playing huge analog synths REALLY well

    those days are over, pops

    2. exactly feels like 1970 …
      Cool that oldtimer replicas are still built.
      Fully understand Mr Oberheim fulfilling his dream.
      Also love the classic OB* sound!

      But: Would love to see something either innnovative, hightech, or simply 2022 !

    3. Minimoog reissue sold out.
      ARP 2600 FS reissue sold out.
      Prophet 5/10 reissues are selling like crazy.
      Rossum SP1200 reissue is popular.

      You sure those days are over?

      Not into the vintage stuff myself, but clearly there’s a market for it

      1. The reissues mentioned are primarily selling to the nostalgia crowd, many of whom are middle aged to seniors who now have money for expensive synths.

        1. That statement 100% sounds like it was pulled out of your ass, rather than based on any actual sales information.

          If there’s a ‘nostalgia crowd’, it’s the people that have decided to trade their collection of virtual 70s software synths from Native Instruments for a collection of hardware 70s synths copies from Behringer.

        1. What does it matter if they’re used on stage? I would doubt more than 10% of folks here play on stages. Yes, analog synths without presets are very hard to play live.

          1. To dig deeper into what Ortho was saying, not all synths are for everything. I love the Se02 for live use because of preset recall but do not like it in the studio because the knobs are much too small. Doesn’t mean its a bad product, but just better at something else than another synth in the same situation. The point of each product is to do what it does well, not what another synth already can do. At least, that’s what I look to new products for

            IMO the synth does have a place in the market and gives options different from anything else out. I don’t think I’ll get one or anything due to cost and I like to play out live a lot, but it will be perfect for a lot of people 🙂

        2. what an odd thing to ask. anyone that tours knows you don’t bring your really nice gear with you. The real question is what is in the studio.

        3. I see Prophet 6 and OB-6 on stage a fair bit, and they will probably remain the go to for live use over the P5 and OB-X8 which will get most use in the studio. Minimoog reissues definitely get used on stage.

    4. Are the days over for the Piano? For the Fender Strat? Fender Rhode? B3? TR808? For the Violin? For the Orchestra? You pick – one instrument – built directly on iconic instruments from the actual designers – and say – it has no relevance today! Oh dear.

      1. name the bands using these giant analogs on stage…. not pianos…. i didnt say anything about pianos

        go ahead, im waiting

    5. There are still arena bands with really good keyboard musicians. I can see the need for this synth especially in the music genre I represent. Large size synth with good Fatar keybed, good for playing and performing live, robust and sturdy make, capable of taking some hits during arena tours… Those days aren’t over.

      1. We’ll soon see. I thought that was what the Jupiter X was for — looks good, robust, all the sounds you need for a main-stage band. Nord certainly had a role like that for a while.

    6. You are right it’s not the 70s, who care what bands use?
      While you try to find sense in it they will sell more than the Prophet rev4.

    7. Are you trying to say that in the 2010s, tiny bands play tiny analog synths really poorly and therefore we don’t need good instruments?!

  11. It looks absolutely beautiful and I’m sure will sound incredible…a truly wonderful (possibly) last gift to the musical world from the great master, Mr Oberheim, himself. I already have an OB6 and an SEM Pro (signed by Tom), so this isn’t for me…but we are living in a golden age!

  12. I have mixed feelings about this synthesiser and I will reserves judgement until I hear the instrument however I can say that I am disappointed with the design and aesthetics.That said, I could not be happier for Tom Oberheim and Marcus Ryle. They both deserve the recognition that is long overdue.

    As for the price, yes, it is overpriced, I would venture to say by at least $1k. However I suppose one is paying not just for the performance, however the nostalgia, and the name. Whilst this may have the Oberheim name, it is the considerable resources of Sequential and the parent, Focusrite behind this all.

    This will do well with collectors, professional musicians, studios, and the like. Tom and Marcus are true gentlemen in an industry sorely lacking such.

    1. Collectors and oldie fans yes!
      But why would any musician or studio buy this to actually use it ?
      It does nothing that could not be done better and at lower cost by other instruments available.

      It will be great for it’s retro 1970s atmosphere only. And clearly Mr Oberheim knows this. So still doing it, just becasue he can definately deserves credit.

      1. “It does nothing that could not be done better and at lower cost by other instruments available.”

        Do all of those sound just like this unreleased synth? If the answer is no, then you’re just wrong, because there’s nothing that does what this synth does better or at lower cost.

        Are you just bitter because it’s expensive?

        1. @Joe
          Do all of those sound just like this unreleased synth? If the answer is no, then you’re just wrong, because there’s nothing that does what this synth does better or at lower cost.

          That’s a bit wishy-washy… what actual characteristic of the sound are you talking about that makes this or other OB’s so unique?…. also, this model lets you dial in a ‘vintage’ parameter and comes loaded with patches from older OB’s so what you’re hearing is a modern emulation of an old synth (even if it shares the same bloodline)… if every OB is so unique in its sound character, how come its easy to emulate just by the turn of a dial?

          btw – US $5K IS a lot of money for a synth no matter who makes it.

          1. If you think it’s “easy to emulate just by the turn of a dial”, you should wait for a company to copy the sound with just that dial at a much lower price.

        2. The specs do not reveal any killer features.
          Not even effects.
          Really liking how synths from today integrate Effects.
          This does not.

          You are right it is an assumption that it is just a replica – but i guess it will be that.

          im not bitter at all.
          I think it is a good retro synth!

          1. Actually, one of the things I really like about older synths is that they don’t have reverb built in to all the presets. (I know I can turn reverb off, but it’s not usually an easy on/off switch.)

            Yes, I usually add reverb to a finished track, but when building up sounds, practicing, recording, I can hear the nuances better without it.

    2. To be fair, Oberheim synths have always been on the expensive side. While I agree that collectors and synth enthusiasts will love this, I am not so sure about musicians. In the 80s they had little alternatives to hardware synths, but today there is not really a need to spend this kind of money on an instrument that can be substituted for much less. Most musicians are as pragmatic as they are broke, so I’m not expecting to run into many of these in the studios and on the stages of the world soon.

      1. By ‘musicians’ I was referring to established artists, particularly in the EDM realm and I don’t expect them to tour with such an instrument either.

        1. EDM utilizes computers mostly and has no live keyboard playing in most cases – so that is not the target group.
          Some funky wealthy ppl from the 70s who play the keys well – is where this goes!

          1. People who think a synth can only be used in music that came out around the time of its release are funny.

            I mean, anyone using Serum can only make music that sounds like it’s from 2014, right!

            It’s up to the musician to make modern or retro music.

          2. Wrong, many EDM artists are collectors and have elaborate analogue ridden personal studios. No one said that would tour with them.

  13. Seems to feature a lot of things I believe that the Prophet 5/10 reissues should have included (stereo signal, arpeggiator, more than 200 memory slots, etc)

    Personally while I’m not too interested in this myself (I am more a fan of the Two Voice Pro and Four Voice SEM type synths….hopefully we might see the evolution of those) I am very happy for Tom in what likely will be his swansong synth. I’m sure it sounds fantastic and is built like a tank and there is clearly a market for it.

    I just hope that Sequential doesn’t do another reissue this year. I’d like to see some innovation and forward thinking instruments from Dave. A VCO/Wavetable hybrid poly synth…an evolution of the Poly Evolver in a sense or polyphonic version of the Pro 3. Now that he’s given everyone what they wanted in a Prophet 5/10 reissue and Tom has given his new OBX8 synth, everyone can shut up….at least I hope they can…..I don’t want to see a Pro One reissue or Prophet VS reissue and I seriously hope Dave isn’t mulling over that idea.

    Then again, there’s a market and maybe it’s easier to produce and market a reissue rather than promote something innovative.

  14. I had a feeling it’s going to be expensive when I saw three old men drinking scotch in the teaser 😀 Seriously though, this is going to make some seasoned synth aficionados really happy and beam them right back to the 80s. I am looking forward to us buying insanely priced virtual analogues and workstations when we start missing the 90s in a coupe of years.

  16. It’s so funny how so many are experts is synthesizer sound and design. It’s not right unless it uses a this chip or that chip or a corn chip….yeeeze. In the last decade or lets say two decades how many synths had Tom released?
    Yeah exactly and good luck finding a TVS Pro for less than 6-7K. When the TVS Pro first came out I was so reluctant to pay the retail price. Just before he announced he was done, I found one on Reverb for 3,200 and go to find out it was built by Tom himself. Oberheims have always been pricey because they are not mass produced. They have a small run and thats it. Even if it is being produced thru Sequential, they are still a small company and unlike Yamaha or Roland, they don’t have other product lines to help the bottom line.
    Also I love the replies that say “doesn’t sound like the olds ones.” People every synth has it’s own special sound. If you want an OBX sound from the original then plop down 10-15K and buy one. And of course don’t forget the tech expense to keep it running. I owned an FVS back in the days and believe me the sound was amazing BUT it kept detuning all the time and was as heavy as it gets.
    Yes I would have loved to see him release the “Son of a Four Voice” but who knows maybe that will be next. This new one looks great and I would bet sounds amazing.
    And for those who yak about I can get a cheap synth to sound the same. Well maybe you can BUT there is something to say about playing an original. It’s like as a guitar player, why do I need a Les Paul when I can get a great know off for why cheap. Because when your fingers touch an original there a wonderful sense of creativity.
    SO for all you fan boys who still live in the basement of mom house, better get an second job cause once these are released they are going to go quick and the value all Tom Oberheim synths ( not matrix) will be a great investment.

  17. Remember when $5k could buy a used car that would run for a few more years? I just barely do. I’ve owned a little of everything but an Oberheim, so YMMV here, but the software options sound fine to me. I’ve gotten to poke at a few Obies, so I understand the luv. I know who the market for this ISN’T: the rest of us, the luckiest of whom will acquire an OB-6.

    I’m sure this is built like a tank, so look for it in studios and well-heeled pro setups. No effects, which seems in line with its classic purity. NOT likely to appear at a rave. What a great dividing line: This for prog revivals and a Hydrasynth for 2022.

    1. The original OB-X 8-voice cost $ 6,000 when it was released in 1979. That money could buy you a brand new Chevrolet Impala and leave enough change to take your sweetheart to Disneyland back then. Today it would be worth almost 27k. So although we feel these synths are obscenely expensive, they really are more affordable than ever.

    2. Are you a father of 2 with a mortgage hobbyist musician? Do you scrimp and save for a month just to afford the latest behringer clone? Well keep walking riff raff cos this obviously isn’t for you. Please note that a glass of Dom and a perch to look down on everyone else will be included in the first 10 units sold!
      “OBERHEIM..When love of music just isn’t enough.”

      1. I scrimp and save to buy well priced used gear when it goes up for sale nearby. If you have patience, there’s no need to buy Behringer gear.

  18. Despite all the retro 70s criticism im very interested in this!
    Will never buy it, but totally want to hear it!

  19. hmm…everything old is new again. I was fortunate enough have owned the Oberheim Modular 8 Voice, OBXa and OB8.

    Using: RD-2000, Logic Pro X, Omnisphere, Keyscape, Komplete 12, CFX Lite, Arturia V, Pigments, ME80, VPS Avenger, u-he Diva, Hive2, Roland Cloud, OB-E, OP-X, 27” Retina iMac

    Sold: Korg: Kronos 88, T3, MS20, Yamaha: Motif XS8, Motif ES8, Motif 8, KX88, TX802, Oberheim: Modular 8 Voice, OBXa, OB8, Prophet 5, Roland D50, Dyno-My-Rhodes, Crumar T2

  20. 5K no way! Another unobtainable synth, so us ‘normal’ people have to look for the knock-offs to be able to afford that.

    1. Violins for professionals in orchestra – plus their bows – often cost over $10,000 (sometimes that’s just the cost of the bow). Are you just as angry with people who make string instruments? Asking for a friend.

      Oh, also, according to online calculators, an OB-X 8 voice in 1980 cost around $6,000… in today’s dollars that’s about $20,000. Still gonna just bitch because there’s things in life you can’t afford? That’s gonna be a long list for you and me both.

      1. All rubbish

        Today manufacturing is cheaper and easier than it was in the 70’s

        Violins and bows that cost 10,000 are hand made by a single person which takes time

        DSI do not hand make their instruments – much of it will be machined

        You can buy a perfectly functioning violin for less than 1000 if you like

  22. so its a single filter
    to use lowpass and bandpass together u need to layer 2 sounds
    leaving you with 4 voices and no fx
    gee, how very modern /s
    who is this for?
    if this is supposed to be a dads joke its not funny.
    ppl with weird retro fetish that want to play jump?

  23. I wish I had the means to afford one of these beautiful synths.
    Until then, I will be continuing to seriously enjoy noodling with the Gforce OB synth plugin which is honestly absolutely incredible sounding. It also has Toms seal of approval.
    is it exactly the same identical sound as hardware, of course not but it is seriously damn close and fun enough for a non classically trained player such as myself.

  24. $5000 for one filter LOL.

    This is great news for all the dentists who have already bought all the Leica hardware that’s available today.

  26. It seems like the majority of these comments are oblivious to the existence, price, success and feature set of the Prophet 10 rev4… Why no thinky before writy, homie?

  27. This is a collectors item. Korg’s prologue as an 8 voice costs 1200 euros, Arturia’s poly brute on the other spectrum costs 2600 euros. The ob-xa is insanely priced and offers the perfect ground for Ulis to exist…

  29. These guys know what they are doing. This is perfect timing. They’ll sell out in no time and could conceivably charge whatever they wanted and it will still sell. Great example above, Korg Arp 2600 FS. Over $4K and buyers lined up for miles. Hats off to Tom and Dave for doing this and doing this now. You want fresh, buy a Prophet X, Hydrasynth, Modal, Eurorack modular, etc etc. Plenty out there. We live in a great time for all synths and thank goodness for these legends to still continue great sounding, tried and true, quality designed and built products. I for one will be feverishly saving up for this and have been waiting years for something OB from Tom. I am not a dentist nor do I play one.

  30. A lot of “who’s this for” comments here, and I’ll tell you who it’s for: me.

    I’m not a collector. I’m a part-time recording guy who happens to own a few nice synths. I’m nearing retirement from my day job, so I’ll have more time to spend creating. This will sound great and look cool in my studio. I will smile when I see it, and it will inspire me to make great music.

    1. Thanks for rubbing it in pal. For those of who have many years to work and can’t afford an expensive synth like this, it’s like salt on an open wound (LOL). But hey, we working peasants have Behringer and Cherry Audio.

      1. TimS

        You’re sounding pretty thin-skinned.

        nebula just said that he’s worked for years to be able to afford the gear he has, and you’re complaining about the fact that you haven’t worked that long, you haven’t saved your money and you’re jealous.

        Boo hoo hoo, bud!

        People complaining about the price of an Oberheim should understand that there are a lot of musicians that actually have the discipline to save the money they need to buy a nice piece of gear.

        It’s not ‘dentists’ and collectors that buying Oberheims and Prophets and ARP 2600s. It’s musicians that have the discipline to make shit happen, instead of whining like little bitches.

        1. I make shit happen on my iPad while I cook coffee. 😉
          It’s 2022. 🙂
          It’s such an old man party with get of my lawn attitude here. ^^
          Welcome to the future.

        2. “It’s not ‘dentists’ and collectors that buying Oberheims and Prophets and ARP 2600s. It’s musicians that have the discipline to make @#$% happen, instead of whining like little &%$#@!*.

          It isn’t all discipline to make @#$% happen. Many people purchased one of these expensive reissues using a credit card (and will be making payments with interest for months/years on end) and have said so on online forums. Some wrote sentiments like, “I really can’t afford it but…” when buying a synth using a credit card.

          1. “Some wrote sentiments like, “I really can’t afford it but…” when buying a synth using a credit card.”

            So it’s not dentists and rich collectors buying them. You’re contradicting yourself, without even realizing it.

            1. I could afford it, but Im not going to spend that amount of cash on granddads technology from 40/50 years ago. I have other tools that fit my needs, nostalgia and wooden side panels are none of my needs.

              1. I never said it was dentists and rich collectors.

                You wrote, “..there are actually a lot of musicians who have the discipline to save the money they need to buy a nice piece of gear.”

                My point was that, for many (probably most), “discipline to save” does not come into play. It’s a credit card and payments that buys “a nice piece of gear.”

  31. this thing looks great, even though it is a bit disappointing in terms of specs. it would have been easy to add OB-6/P6 style effects, which are quite good and add an immense amount of versatility. the fact that they didn’t is proof their intent was just to do modern reissue with some really nice, but small, updates. still, in the one preview video i heard this sounded unbelievably good and musical. that’s all that matters, whether it comes from using a 4th LFO, creative modulation options, a wavetable or just classic methods.

  33. $5 will seem like a steal in 20 years. I would buy one if I could. I agree it seems like it should be $4k, but considering it’s 8 voices maybe not that far off the mark. Prophet 10 is $4,400. Either way for the folks with $$$.

    1. steve

      Why do you choose to spout ignorant bullshit?

      Sequential’s synths are made in the US. Like Moog, a lot of their components come from China and other countries.

      China makes some of the highest quality devices ever made – things like iPhones, which are made by the millions, have extremely tight tolerance, are waterproof down to 20 feet underwater, have very low failure rates and very high satisfaction rates.

      If something made in China is crap, it’s a reflection on the company, not on Chinese manufacturing.

      1. maybe in the future but still, made in china product are usually lower quality because the aim is large quantities mass produced, the larger the quantities the more shortcoming and the harder it is to qa. iphone is exceptional example for made in china product among other apple products but there is a reason the high end mac pro is still made in california, i guess the new one will be made in china…
        dave smith products are definitely not made in china,

  37. Rich kids gear .I have been using synths since the 80s. This is out of my price range and pretty much outside of my interest. 5000 could be some serious equipment . This is not for many of us. I am ok with that.

    1. How many serious musicians don’t have a few pricey pieces of gear? Think it’s all ‘rich kids’ and dentists buying this stuff?

      So many commenters are in denial!

      You’re buying cheap knockoffs and you’re pretending that they’re just as good as the ‘overpriced’ synths that you imagine are being bought up by “Dentists, plastic surgeons, retired bank employees”.

      Go to Knobcon sometime and I’ll guarantee you that it’s not dentists, plastic surgeons, retired bank employees talking about their Prophets and ARPS and modular synths.

      If you can’t save up money to buy the gear you want, even it it takes a year or two, you’re not that serious about it.

      1. who else is going to feel that the sound of an ob-xa is essential to their music, but middle aged dentists and urologists who need to play “jump” on an authentic ? You are acting as this synth is important in a musician’s setup in 2022 which is complete crap. That’s why this is a collectors item, nothing more.

      2. 5000 dollars gets you a Kyma system 🙂
        I would never spend so much cash on this grandpas fetish here. It’s just not capable.
        This thing here is for the hobby musicians with deep pockets and collectors.

        1. Yes, because features are SO much more important than the tone and sound of an instrument. It’s why the most expensive stringed instruments come with a hard drive and a button to “stutter”.

          Sometimes instruments cost. $5,000 is very low compared to many stringed and other instruments. They aren’t created for everyone to buy, only those very serious about the tone and feel of how they play.

          1. its just another filtered saw & pulse & noise, nothing to get exited about.
            this used to be fancy 40 years ago. oh now with polyphony. 😉
            not worth 5000$ today. time has moved on. 🙂
            whats the latest Roland boutique thing, 500$ and it runs circles around this. I
            m not in the market for any of this. yawn 😉

            1. Judging by the number of your comments and replies here saying basically the same thing over and over again it’s clear you are challenged by the price.

          2. Apples and oranges. Stringed physical instruments sound changes with time. (and not all of them in a good way, for example pianos) With electronics at best you’ll get a scratchy pot. are not the same. Not to mention i’ve heard Kavakos perform on a Stradivarius and it was awe inspiring. Who is the master to perform on the new ob-xa, loopop or Andrew Huang?

  38. “If you can’t save up money to buy the gear you want, even it it takes a year or two, you’re not that serious about it.”

    Hear hear! Its even more true now, because once you’ve bought a higher-end synth or three, you can boost them a lot higher with lesser gear that still sounds astounding. Besides, you need a couple of more potent synths that do things budget or mid-level models don’t always offer. Imagine an OB-X8 covered in Volcas like Christmas tree lights. Now imagine your cat shredding it all at 2 in the morning. :O

  39. I did not read about any effects like chorus, delay or reverb in it ….. if it sells for 5K and is bitimbral, we get “only” one stereo output with absolutely no effects? …

  41. this release is very much like the recent reissue of the SP1200, if it doesn’t mean anything to you of course it seems overpriced and not worth it. but to those it has meaning it is a wonderful gift for Tom and the team to reissue this with some modern enhancements. you cannot get one of the vintage units for this price and they are very hard maintain. and it doesn’t need effects, the per voice panning is incredible and the effects are left to what most people already have like a Big Sky for instance. but it will be great to see official release details and hear some demos!

  42. The price is tone deaf given the current global situation. This is more of a vanity piece for a niche group of enthusiasts to show off to others within the niche group. It looks and sounds awesome, but the days of spending ridiculous amounts of money to create great music are long gone.

    1. “The price is tone deaf given the current global situation. This is more of a vanity piece for a niche group of enthusiasts to show off to others within the niche group. It looks and sounds awesome, but the days of spending ridiculous amounts of money to create great music are long gone.” – said someone else in 1980 as they clutched their pearls and furrowed their brow at the cost of the CS80 or…. an Oberheim.

    2. When I first started getting interested in synths in the early 1980s, most synths were mega expensive and simply out of reach for the average kid in a basement band. It’s not like that anymore. Nowadays, someone with little to no money can get into the synth hobby. The $39 soft-synth that I recently purchased not only sounds fantastic, it is far more versatile than those synths from back in the day. Not to get into the hardware vs software debate, but to me it seems more and more difficult to spend big money on expensive hardware when for most applications you can get great sounding synths for far less. 99.9% of the average music listeners can’t tell and don’t care about the differences. For many people, inexpensive soft-synths or even free soft-synths are more than what they would need as a hobbyist or for a gigging musician.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkaT-EM1_84

      What Oberheim has created here is like a fine violin in the synth world. A high quality, likely great sounding synthesizer. It’s the “Rolls-Royce / Ferrari” synth, not the “Toyota / Kia” synth. But for many, the “Toyota Corollas” are more than enough to get you where you want to go.

      1. Creative musicians will want a quality instrument that actually moves the bar forward, rather than a cheap copy of something their grandpa might have used.

        The OB-X8 does that.

        People buying the ‘nostalgia’ knockoffs of 50 year-old gear are making ‘fan fiction’ music, which is why so much of the music you hear people share is like the Toyota Corolla of music.

  43. I don’t understand the complaining about this. Yes, it’s expensive. But it’s also a niche product and certainly cheaper than the real versions when they came out or what they cost now. Assuming it really is comparable to an OB-X,OB-Xa and OB8 then it’s not a bad price at all. A real OB-X in 1980 would have cost the equivalent of $19,000 in 2022 dollars. High quality poly analog is not cheap.. Plenty of musicians will use this in the studio and possibly on tour if it is reliable. It’s much more appealing to watch someone actually play a synth instead of a MacBook with a controller. If you are knob twiddler, this won’t be for you. I’m glad to see Tom back and getting this released.

  44. Ah look the hipsters are complaining again. Just stick to your Blehringers en TE gear boys and leave the big toys for the big boys. This clearly is one of the best synth ever made. You can already hear how great is sounds with the 2 teasers that have been released so far. Too bad it’s way over my budget for now.

  45. But will it have Page 2 functions? These are a huge part of the instrument – I use mine almost daily and if you’re not touching Page 2 you’re missing out on a lot of nuance you could be enjoying

  46. Channel after touch for a flagship premier 5k synth. Man hydrasynth is so good! Understanding the synth part is completely different, clearly a superior quality poly after touch part can be made for cost that would be invisible in 5k synth. But neither to land nor anybody else seems to try

    1. It’s ironic that if ASM would build a midi keyboard with polyAT and touch strip it will cost more or less like their synths, the engine sounds cheap, there are free vst’s that sound thicker.
      Like with most mass produce far east product you get what you pay for, “many features and big number” but no quality and it does look like a knockoff of itself.

      1. It feels like you have never touched or played the hydrasynth but I could be wrong…either way,we vehemently disagree 🙂

    2. The Waldorf Iridium is a relatively new synth that features a new (and presumably fairly decent) Fatar TP/8SK semi-weighted keybed with polyphonic aftertouch.

      I’d like to see a comparison of the Hydrasynth vs. Iridium poly aftertouch keybeds.

  50. Having an OB-8, I look very much forward to this remake. I also have the Prophet 10 (new edition), and I sincerely hope, that Oberheim has reached the same level of authenticity as Sequential. Having said that, I think they do. Oberheim has always been known for creating the best hi-end instruments in the industry. And it saves me the money for an OBXa.

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