Programming the Oberheim OB-X8

After programming it for a month (and comparing it to other analog gear in my rig), I can confirm that the Oberheim OB-X8 is a truly fantastic beast with an incredibly specific sound, much like last year’s spot-on reissue of the original Prophets 5 and 10.

When I first fired it up, I was startled by how much it instantly evoked the sound of artists who relied on it for multiple hits. Sure, Van Halen’s “Jump” brass sound is a trademark of the OB series, but it’s also the sound of Prince and Jam & Lewis (aka The Minneapolis Sound), as well as a striking number of UK synthwave artists from the early 80s. The Thompson Twins, Depeche Mode, Simple Minds, along with art-wave pioneers Japan and Ultravox, all used Oberheims in crafting their early records—and it’s astonishing how much these instruments influenced the sound of vintage synthwave. Familiar sounds practically fall out of the unit with minimal effort.

And thanks to Tom Oberheim, Marcus Ryle, and Dave Smith, the sound is… huge.

More here: https://cdm.link/2022/05/hands-on-tour-of-the-oberheim-ob-x8-architecture-feature-by-feature-with-francis-preve/

Understanding the MiniKorg-700

Having studied the history of synths for my entire career, I wrote a love letter to the MiniKorg-700S for CDM, disguised as a tutorial.

In this piece, I explain the MiniKorg-700 architecture—and why key-tracked ring modulation is a shockingly underrated technique for creating both melodic and dissonant sounds. The feature also covers a bit more detail on the pioneering era of early 70s synthesizers.

Here’s a link to the piece:
https://cdm.link/2021/08/korg-has-recreated-the-1974-minikorg-700-in-software-heres-your-deep-diving-guide/

Ultimate Guide to Ultimate Guides

After 20 years of writing tutorials and masterclasses for Electronic Musician, Keyboard, and Music Radar, I’ve posted a lot of instructional content since I redid this site in 2017. To make the blog easier to navigate for new visitors, I’ve collected all of my Music Radar and Electronic Musician guides into a single directory post.

Below are direct links to each of the masterclasses on my blog, some of which include downloadable presets and examples. Have at it!

• Master Class: Ableton Operator

• Master Class: Roland TR-8S

• Master Class: Vocoders

• Master Class: The Minimoog Paradigm

• Master Class: Korg/ARP Odyssey

• Master Class: Analog Drum Design

• Master Class: Korg Gadget

• Master Class: DSI OB-6

• Master Class: Arturia MiniBrute 2

• Master Class: Korg Prologue

• Master Class: Novation Peak

Master Class: Korg/ARP Odyssey

Back in the early ’70s, the Moog vs. ARP “war” was just as passionate as the Mac vs. PC debate is today. At the time, the Minimoog and ARP Odyssey were the two dominant mainstream monosynths. On the Moog side, the Mini offered three oscillators, Bob’s massive filter, and ease of use. On the ARP side, the duophonic Odyssey included lowpass and highpass filters, hard sync, ring mod, and incredibly sophisticated modulation resources.

Korg’s ARP Odyssey re-issues are available in a tabletop version, a module version, and the Odyssei app.

Even now, the classic Odyssey’s features are capable of textures that we normally associate with modular gear, which makes sense as the Odyssey was basically a slimmed-down version of the 2600—arguably the synth that first brought modular to the masses. So with Korg’s reissue of the Odyssey available in three formats (keyboard, module, and the Odyssei iOS app), my Music Radar masterclass takes a closer look at its vast capabilities, using the tabletop version as our frame of reference.

LINK: https://www.musicradar.com/how-to/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-the-korg-arp-odyssey

Master Class: The Minimoog Paradigm

Minimoog Model D

The synth that started it all.

Make no mistake, the Minimoog Model D was the synthesizer that kickstarted our industry. Its architecture has been the basis for countless analog monosynths to follow and its sound remains so distinctive that Moog recently reissued a circuit-perfect, limited-edition version for those with a devotion to authenticity.

But the modern era has brought us software and hardware versions of the Minimoog architecture that update the synth’s essential characteristics in ways that reflect the march of technology since 1971. For example, the Arturia Mini V has modulation amenities that would be impossible to do with analog hardware alone, whereas the Roland SE-02 offers far more flexibility than the original. And ApeSoft Mood, an iOS take on the Mini, approaches the original’s iconic filter behavior while adding sampling and FM to its array of Moogish oscillators. Consequently, if you’re in the mood for a Model D but can’t afford the real thing, these hardware and software interpretations can get you there, but with greater flexibility than the original and at a price that won’t break the bank.

My Music Radar masterclass shows you how to get the most out of of each of these synths.

LINK: https://www.musicradar.com/how-to/how-to-get-the-best-out-of-the-moog-model-d-and-3-emulations

Vintage Synth Heaven

Earlier this month, ADSR invited me to join them for a tour of Austin's Switched On Music, one of the nation's top vintage synth boutiques—and the original stomping grounds of Michael Stein (Stranger Things, S U R V I V E).

Here's the video, including some very rare and iconic synthesizers, as well as a visit to their humongous warehouse of classic instruments in the process of being lovingly restored.

How 22 Classic Synths Fail

One of the reasons I’ve been moving my studio away from vintage gear in favor of detailed recreations that replicate their sound digitally (like the Roland Boutiques and System-8) or modern analog reissues of classics (Korg Odyssey and MS-20 Mini) is that vintage gear is expensive to maintain in a pristine state.

Of course, some diehard analog fans will remain determined to buff and polish (and repair) their classic synths, which is commendable. In fact, I’m a little jealous that they have the time and resources to keep up with that.

With those fans in mind, this piece from Reverb.com covers the specific component failures of 22 iconic instruments. Whether you’re an owner or just covet one of these rarities, it’s a great read for synth nerds.

LINK: The Most Common Maintenance Issues of 22 Classic Synths (and How to Fix Them)

Updated 09.30.17: Because of the file size of the above article, Apple News on older units will occasionally crash. If so, choose "Open in Safari". This seems to be an isolated case because of the lack of page breaks in the original article. I'll be more vigilant about this in future posts.