Oberheim
INTRODUCING

TEO-5 is a modern instrument, crafted with classic analog soul, yet sleek and powerful for today's sonic journeys.

The Oberheim Legacy is Yours

Thomas Elroy Oberheim. TEO. More than his initials, they mark the culmination of a synth pioneer’s vision.  TEO-5 captures the secrets of the OB-X, Four Voice, and TVS, their legendary spirit distilled into an innovative dream machine.

Take your music to the next level with genuine analog VCOs. TEO’s five inspiring voices sing with the warmth and power of pure triangle, sawtooth and pulse waves. But this isn’t your grandfather’s synth. Updated oscillators roar with analog through-zero FM, birthing textures never heard before in an Oberheim instrument.

The legendary SEM state-variable filter allows you to morph from 2-pole Low-Pass to High-Pass through a phaser-like Notch, and even provides a switchable Band-Pass mode. Experience the distinctive resonance heard in countless hit songs over the last five decades. A tremendous variety of tones are possible with Oberheim’s signature tone shaping tool.

Beyond providing the classic modulation sources like the OB-8 envelopes, TEO-5 offers poly and mono LFOs with tempo sync, and the full range of performance controls. With its flexible modulation matrix designalmost any route is possible in TEO-5, including audio rate sources and destinations. Dig into the 19 routes, 19 sources and 64 destinations and let inspiration find you.

Step Up to TEO-5

TEO-5 is your gateway to new sonic frontiers with modern modulations and vintage warmth. Experiment with through-zero FM shaped by the legendary SEM filter, topped off with iconic Oberheim effects. Compact, affordable, and bursting with creativity, TEO-5 sparks your musical journey, whether you’re a  budding artist or a seasoned pro.

Unleash the dual digital effects, letting chorus, delay, and reverb paint your sonic canvas. And for a taste of true Oberheim alchemy, dial in emulations of Tom’s legendary Phase Shifter and Ring Modulator, conjuring swirling textures and metallic resonances straight from the golden age of synthesis. 

Ghostly images of the vintage Oberheim Phasor and Ring Mod effects float above TEO-5.

TEO-5 is a sonic playground. Its 64-step polyphonic sequencer sparks infinite melodic possibilities, while the multimode arpeggiator keeps your rhythms pulsing and pounding. Or play it live with the premium Fatar keybed, every note awash with responsive joy. From soaring leads to cascading chords and thunderous basses, TEO-5 will elevate every aspect of your musical performance.

Close up of the TEO-5 Arpeggiator and Sequencer sections.

Unlock the full potential of your Oberheim TEO-5 with TEO-5 SoundEditor! This standalone program and plugin from SoundTower is a full-featured Editor/Librarian that greatly enhances the TEO-5 sound editing experience. With every parameter displayed in a logical, easy-to-use graphical interface, you can create, edit, organize and store TEO-5 Programs on your computer with ease.

TEO-5 sound editor software from SoundTower

TEO-5 Tour

A top down view of TEO-5 showing the top panel controls and keybed.

OLED Panel

Programmer Panel

Master Panel

Voice Control

LFO Panel

Oscillators Panel

Filter Panel

Envelope Panel

Arpeggiator

Keyboard

Sequencer

Wheels

Mod Matrix Panel

Clock Panel

Effects Panel

Osc Mod Panel

Octave Transpose

Sculpt, Shape, Inspire

Tom Oberheim is smiling, seated next to a TEO-5 synthesizer at the Great American Music Hall, San Francisco.
“I hope the TEO-5 unlocks your creativity in ways you never expected.”
– Tom Oberheim

 

Oberheim TEO-5 wins Sonicstate's Best Polysynth award at Superbooth 24.
TEO-5 wins Sonicstate’s Best Polysynth at Superbooth 24

Find out more...

Specifications

  • 5-voice, 2x VCOs with saw, square/pulse, triangle, and noise
  • Oscillator hard sync and X-Mod with through-zero FM
  • Simultaneously selectable wave shapes plus sub oscillator
  • Discrete SEM-lineage VCF delivers authentic Oberheim tone and presence
  • Filter State knob morphs from low-pass to high-pass through notch, with selectable band-pass mode
  • Poly and Mono LFOs with 5 wave shapes and tempo sync
  • Meticulously modeled envelope responses based on OB-8
  • Modulation matrix with 19 slots x 19 sources x 64 destinations in a flexible design where almost any mod route is possible, including audio rate sources and destinations.
  • Enhanced unison allows variable voice stacking from 1-5 voices
  • Polyphonic portamento
  • Vintage knob recreates vintage synth characteristics by adding voice-to voice variations in component behavior 
  • Full-featured arpeggiator
  • Polyphonic step sequencer with up to 64 steps
  • One dedicated reverb effect with damping, pre-delay, decay and tone
  • One multi-effect with stereo delay, BBD delay, tape delay, chorus, flanger, Oberheim phase shifter and ring modulator emulations, vintage rotating speaker, distortion, high-pass filter and Lo-Fi
  • 256 factory programs in classic and modern styles, with storage space for 256 more custom user programs
  • Direct program access, including single-button access to the current set of 16 programs
  • The premium 3.5 octave FATAR velocity- and touch-sensitive keyboard allows unparalleled expression and responsiveness
  • Velocity sensitivity adds expressiveness to volume and filter
  • Channel Aftertouch adds real-time performance-based modulation
  • Modulation wheel and spring-loaded pitch wheel with selectable range per program (1 to 12 semitones up and down)
  • Hold switch latches held notes on
  • Manual switch: when on, the front panel is live; what you see is what you hear
  • Transpose controls for +/- 2 octaves range
  • Integral, fanless, heatsink-free power supply
  • High-resolution OLED display enables patch management and easy access to advanced features
  • Weight: 17 lbs.  Dimensions: 25” L x 12.75” W x 4.4” H
  • Right, Left and Headphone outputs
  • Footswitch sustain and expression pedal inputs
  • 5-pin DIN MIDI In, Out, Thru
  • USB MIDI

TEO-5 Support

A close up of the display and surrounding knobs.
TEO-5 logo

OLED

In performance, the crisp OLED display shows the current program name along with clock information, arpeggiator mode and the selected effect. In sound editing, extended program and mod matrix parameters can be accessed onscreen.

TEO-5 logo

Programmer

Select and save presets using the Bank button to change between 16 banks and the individual Program Selector buttons to directly select a program.  There are 256 Factory programs and 256 User program slots available for your own custom sounds.

TEO-5 Master Section
TEO-5 logo

Master

Set master volume and program overdrive levels in this section.

A close up of the TEO-5 voice control section with controls for portamento, unison and vintage behavior.
TEO-5 logo

Voice Control

Here you can set Portamento (glide) rate and turn on Unison voice stacking. The Vintage knob affects the voice-to-voice variability of TEO-5’s envelopes, oscillators, and filters to replicate the behavior of vintage instruments with all of their organic instabilities.

A close up of the TEO-5 LFO panel showing waveform buttons and frequency knobs.
TEO-5 logo

LFO Panel

TEO-5 features two LFOs, one mono and one poly, each with five possible wave shapes: triangle, sawtooth, reverse sawtooth, square, and random (sample and hold). Both can be synchronized to tempo and are freely assignable via the modulation matrix.

A close up of the TEO-5 Oscillator section with controls for frequency and wave selection, as well as sync and X-Mod.
TEO-5 logo

Oscillators

Select the waveforms that generate the raw sound of the TEO-5. Each of the two oscillators produce sawtooth, pulse, or triangle waves. Combine waves for extra punch. Kick in hard sync and X-Mod (through-zero frequency modulation) for more edge and sonic possibilities.

A close up of the TEO-5 filter section with controls for cutoff and resonance, as well as a state knob to morph between modes.
TEO-5 logo

Filter

This is the soul of the TEO-5 sound. The classic SEM-lineage, two-pole, discrete resonant filter design is here, with its unmistakably distinctive sound. Morph from low-pass to high-pass through notch, and switch into band-pass mode whenever you like, exponentially expanding your sonic possibilities.

A close up of the TEO-5 envelope section with full ADSR controls.
TEO-5 logo

Envelopes

The 5-stage (delay, attack, decay, sustain, release) filter and volume envelopes give shape to the harmonics and loudness of TEO-5’s sounds. Modeled after the OB-8 envelopes, use them to ease into a silky pad, or thump your chest with a punchy bass.

A close up of the TEO-5 arpeggiator section with octave and mode controls.
TEO-5 logo

Arpeggiator

Use the arpeggiator to create chord-based rhythmic patterns. Hold down several notes and the arpeggiator will cycle through them at the rate that you set and a pattern that you choose: up, down, up & down, or note order played. You can even set a transpose range for the arpeggio up or down by 2 octaves.

A close up of the TEO-5 keyboard.
TEO-5 logo

Keyboard

The TEO-5 features a 3.5-octave, 44-key premium-quality Fatar keyboard. Velocity and aftertouch sensitivity are calibrated to allow maximum expression.

A close up of the TEO-5 sequencer section.
TEO-5 logo

Sequencer

The step sequencer is polyphonic and velocity sensitive, with up to 64 steps. You can create sequences with rests and ties, and synchronize to an external MIDI clock.

A close up of the TEO-5 wheels section.
TEO-5 logo

Wheels

TEO-5 has a modulation wheel as well as a pitch wheel that is spring loaded, with selectable bend range per program (1 to 12 semitones up and down).

A close up of the TEO-5 modulation matrix section.
TEO-5 logo

Mod Matrix

TEO-5 has a modulation matrix with 19 slots x 19 sources x 64 destinations in a flexible design where almost any mod route is possible, including audio rate sources and destinations.

A close up of the TEO-5 clock section with controls for BPM and note division as well as a tap tempo button.
TEO-5 logo

Clock

The TEO-5 clock panel provides a knob to set BPM as well as a tap tempo button and clock division setting.

A close up of the TEO-5 effects section with effect parameter controls.
TEO-5 logo

Effects

Along with a stereo distortion, TEO-5 features 24-bit, 48 kHz digital effects, including a dedicated reverb, and selectable effect with synchronizable delay (full bandwidth digital delay and emulated bucket brigade), chorus, flanger, Lo-Fi, and vintage Oberheim phase shifter and ring modulator emulations.

A close up of the TEO-5 Osc Mod section with controls X-Mod and hard sync.
TEO-5 logo

Osc Mod

Controls for oscillator hard sync and X-Mod with through-zero FM can be found here, providing greater sonic variety through intermodulation between the oscillators.

A close up of the TEO-5 octave transpose section.
TEO-5 logo

Octave Transpose and Low Split

TEO-5 provides octave transpose controls for +/- 2 octaves of range.  Low Split allows you to define two separate keyboard ranges and transpose the bottom range 1-2 octaves lower than normal.  This allows you to play the bass and lead ranges of the same program simultaneously on the TEO-5 keyboard.

A close up of the TEO-5 MIDI I/O jacks.
TEO-5 logo

MIDI Interface

TEO-5 provides standard 5-pin din connectors as well as USB MIDI for communicating with other electronic instruments or digital audio workstations (DAWS).

A close up of the TEO-5 audio output jacks.
TEO-5 logo

Inputs

Connect your pedals here and use them to sustain notes, create volume swells, perform filter sweeps, and trigger the sequencer.

A close up of the TEO-5 audio output jacks.
TEO-5 logo

Outputs

TEO-5 provides left and right line-level outputs for monitoring and recording as well as a headphone jack for monitoring.

Oberheim

Register Your Product

If you purchased your synth from a dealer and have not yet registered with us, please complete this registration form  and submit it online.

If you purchased directly from us, you do not need to register, since we already have your information. Thanks!

PROP 65 WARNING

Some of our products can expose you to chemicals including BPA, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

Though independent laboratory testing has certified that our products are several orders of magnitude below safe limits, it is our responsibility to alert you to this fact and direct you to https://www.p65warnings.ca.gov for more information.

Get the Latest News

Please complete the details below to receive the latest news by email.

Oberheim

Register Your Product

Registration received.

Thank you for registering your product.

Oberheim

Get the Latest News

Thank you for submitting the form.

We have your details and will be in contact soon.