About Oberheim
Oberheim is the 21st century return of the legendary company that helped fuel the original electronic music revolution.
Now, just as then, Oberheim is guided by the vision of engineer and inventor, Tom Oberheim. Tom’s genius for innovation introduced the world to the first commercially available poly synth and other groundbreaking electronic instruments that literally changed the sound of music.
Today, Oberheim reawakens this extraordinary legacy by bringing the famed Oberheim sound to a new generation of instruments and artists. The company’s passion remains unchanged by time or technology — to once again provide the world with the finest-sounding analog synthesizers ever made.
Oberheim brings its products to market with the help of the Focusrite organization and renowned synth maker, Sequential.
“I was 15 years old when the Oberheim OB-8 was on the verge of being released. I rode my bike to the Oberheim offices in Los Angeles, went in and asked if they would please give me a demo. The sounds I heard in that room that day blew my mind.”
JJ Abrams - Producer/Director: Star Wars IX · Star Trek · Westworld
Oberheim 4-Voice
and 8-Voice Synths
The Oberheim 4- and 8-Voice synthesizers were the world’s first commercially available polyphonic synths — and the first with digital patch memory storage.
These revolutionary instruments changed music by giving synth players the ability to not only play chords, but also produce multitimbral sounds, since each voice was essentially an independent synth based on Tom’s acclaimed SEM (synthesizer expander module).
These synths made their first appearance on legendary recordings by Joe Zawinul, Stevie Wonder, Lyle Mays, Prince, and others. Their potent and distinctive sound is legendary.
OB-X, OB-Xa, OB-8
The OB series were Oberheim’s first poly synths that combined the convenience of full programmability from a single set of controls and greater portability — while delivering the much-coveted, commanding Oberheim sound.
These synths fueled much of the music of the 80’s and beyond, appearing on tracks by Van Halen, Rush, Prince, Queen, Earth, Wind & Fire, and countless others.
Matrix 12 Synth
The Matrix 12 was Oberheim’s most ambitious and versatile synth. Its legendary reputation was based on its then-revolutionary matrix modulation and virtual patching capabilities and its abundance and variety of filters, LFOs, and multi-part layering.
Its sonic breadth was unmatching for its time and it is still considered one of the deepest and most desirable analog synthesizers ever created.
Artists
Contact Oberheim
Oberheim is located in San Francisco’s culturally significant North Beach neighborhood, once home to Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and other bohemian writers and artists.
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