Oberheim OB·12 Analog Emulation Synth
Classic analog synth maker enters the crowded arena of analog modeling synths
by Randy Alberts
September 14, 2000
Summing it Up
The Oberheim OB·12's emulation of classic analog subtractive synthesis is a modern-day winner. It delivers the fat sound of synths gone by without the unstable oscillators. Key to its massive live performance appeal are the loopable phrase recorder, front-panel motion sequencer, and sound-morphing technology.
The manual is miserably translated, and the presets are dominated by sci-fi tones that only hint at what this beast can actually do. But the OB·12's user-friendly OS -- and collection of 140 knobs, sliders, and buttons -- make for some very exciting sound exploration.
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There's no doubt the OB·12 looks like a winner, and it's beautiful on the inside too. (click for larger image) |
First Impressions
Analog emulation is a tough sell for some vintage synth devotees, perhaps more so if the keyboard carries the name Oberheim, maker of some of the most ground-breaking synths of the '70s and '80s. The beefy analog textures of the Oberheim OB-1, OB-SX, Matrix-12, and others continue to inspire manufacturers such as Clavia and Access, who model analog-type sounds using digital technology. Because of the company's analog roots, the crossbar of expectation may be set unfairly high for Oberheim as it joins the march into the digital modeling arena. But the new OB·12 Analog Emulation Synth clears it with an inch or two to spare. It's amazing what a computer chip can do.
It should be noted that founder Tom Oberheim hasn't been involved with the company for years. Today's Oberheim products are manufactured solely by Italian organ/electric piano builder Viscount and distributed in North America by Armadillo Enterprises.
The 12-voice, four-part multitimbral OB·12 uses Oberheim's "Z-Domain" modeling engine, which is based on subtractive synthesis and emulates the classic Oberheim analog filters. The user interface screams 'grab me' (see Blue Steel Beauty), and this synth's 256 user-definable programs cover a lot of aural territory: warm pads, piercing leads, crystalline bells, and enough bowel-shaking subharmonic basses to make your subwoofer beg for mercy.
The OB·12's front panel looks a lot like a vintage analog synth: You get a fully configurable arpeggiator, dual oscillators and filters, and two routable LFOs, plus controls for parametric/graphic EQ, overdrive, chorus, delay, and reverb. For each oscillator, you can use select buttons and sliders to mix triangle, sawtooth, and pulse waveforms, and knobs to control fine/coarse tuning, LFO1 depth, and pulse width modulation depth. There are sliders for mixing between the oscillators and adding ring modulation and white noise, and a sync button on OSC 2 locks both oscillators together.
But unlike its analog ancestors, the OB·12 sports three features that add immensely to its live-performance allure: Phrase Recorder, Motion Recorder, and Morph. The phrase module allows users to record four phrases at up to 16,000 notes/32 bars each, step-edit those events, and then manually trigger them from user-defined "pilot keys" on the keyboard. The motion recorder uses internal MIDI to capture the real-time performance of every knob, button, and slider, and then plays back that "controller sequence," freeing up your hands for other things -- this is a great way to create long-evolving textures. Morph is just as it sounds: You can automatically morph between two programs or timbres, or manually blend them using the modulation wheel. Motion Recorder and Phrase Recorder performances can be fed through the MIDI output and recorded into an external sequencer.
Next Page: The Good, The Bad; Blue Steel Beauty....
Randy Alberts is a Pacifica, California-based musician and writer looking for an old Oberheim that accurately emulates modern-day analog modeling synths.
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