Oberheim

I wanted a hammer action midi controller that is built like a tank like the rest of my gear, and the MC-3000, hands down, is the most full featured pro level midi controller available up until now. The MC-3000 features two MIDI ins and EIGHT MIDI out ports, with two MIDI thru ports. It features a built in patch bay to route all of these channels in any way you like. While having this much control does get a bit confusing, it's all in there. Split your keyboard any way you like, trigger different synths with different velocity curves, it's all there. UTILIZATION General configuration- easy to figure out. Eight buttons with sliders on the left. Completely assignable, but the base function is an on/off switch for each MIDI out and volume or assignable cc functions for each slider per active channel. Manual- can be sketchy at times. With so much depth into midi functions, things can get confusing and complex setups can make you pull your hair out. All the info is in the manual, but again, with all the sub menus, it can be a real chore to learn how to assign a function. Channel/ patch selection- once you are in the patch edit mode you can assign all your midi channels and patch selections. There is a template of many older synth modules that recall their factory patch settings. I have also undertaken the laborious task of assigning my own patch info for each of my newer modules. General configuration- it's easy enough to get setup with a few basic setups, but to dive deep into this machine can be very complex. OVERALL OPINION Most like- the hammer action is as good as any Yamaha or kurzweil high end model digital pianos. I also appreciate the number of connections, making this controller a true midi master keyboard, and is very good for large setups that use multiple modules. Least like- lack of cc controllers. Yes, there are 8 sliders, but some knobs would have been nice, as well as a transport control. However, if should point out that any negative comments I have regarding this and other features are redeemed in the physispiano K4. This is the new incarnation of this keyboard, made by the same manufacturer, viscount. It offers much more cc controllers, a transport control, a much easier to use graphic color LCD display, and several USB ports (both sides) for USB MIDI control and as a host for iPads. Secondhand value of around $500-600 is a great deal considering the features and that this board once cost around $2400. If you need piano hammer action, you are not going to find better action in a strict midi controller than this keyboard. While void of some modern features like USB MIDI, it is a machine that will allow you to create extremely complex midi setups. With 8 midi outs and two midi ins, you can transmit up to 128 channels of midi. I purchased this board used and mine was part of a touring fleet for the pit crew on the Mama Mia tour. It was loaded with some really complex setups (I understand they used 5 of these in the pit), setups far more complex than my connection to my DAW, plus 3 modules and an iPad. Again, if you have the money to spend on a NEW controller that is a direct descendent of the MC-3000, look up the Physispiano K4. New price is around $2000. The EX model also has the sound board of their famous physispiano.

Technical constraints have their advantages No, it doesn't have MIDI! 8 bit non-linear sounds (12bit analog) on re-programmable Eprom Swing function Separate outputs Tape sync and CV/trig input (you need to find the right connector, but you can control the tuning of the notes by CV) USE Classic drum machine with real-time programming, although the pads have no dynamics only different accent levels. SOUND 8-bit sounds, but with a jaw-dropping quality and tone compared to modern units! This machine has an impressive punch and a lot character. I'm curious to know how it responds to Eproms reprogrammed with other samples. OVERALL OPINION I've had it for several years and don't plan to sell it, even if I don't use it that often.

I bought the Matrix 1000 in black one week ago as a counterpart for my beloved Juno 60. And this 6 voice polyphonic rack synthesizer sounds really analog and wide , even without FX. I really love the overall warm sound, it is the opposite of some harsh sounding modern synths. But with adding a bit of delay, reverb or modulation FX turns it into an epic analog pad, brass &string machine. This it what I am mainly using it for. But nevertheless there are also fantastic bass, leads, FM, FX and all other kind of analog sounds possible. With the Mod matrix it is easy to make very organic sounds. And even if attack time and LFO's are a bit slower, for my kinda music they fit. When I bought it, Firmware was 1.11, so I did an eprom upgrade to 1.20 (Tauntek/Rob Grieb) where a lot of bugfixes have been solved. It is possible to use the Matrix now with a MIDI controller without problems! The eprom also includes the important global detune from Gigli v. 1.6. With this upgrade the Matrix 1000 does not sound static anymore, the DCO's behave more VCO like. Without an external controller the matrix 1000 is more or less a preset machine because no editing is possible. With my stereoping controller it is really fun to tweak the synth. Of course you can also use a Software to tweak, but I prefer real knobs. For me it is the perfect sounding analog poly! And I am thinking of grabbing a second one for stereo operations or 12 voice polyphony :-)

This is one of the best effects units i have in my collection it has 500 sound patches 250 can be edited and shaped to your liking what i find interesting about this unit is the unique pitchshifters and harmonizers it has, the distortions and overdrives are pretty good to and includes all other effects from delays to flangers tremolo and all the rest i bought mine with the foot control which is great for switching from sound to sounds ,i believe oberheim only ever made 2 different type of guitar multi effects as they are mostly known for synth making this gm1000 was made in italy when the Tom Oberheim company went bust in 1985-1988 the company was then bought by gibson then later viscount international an Italian digital organ producer ,these units are now rare as hen's teeth but if you can find one go for it but their not cheap now seen them up for as much as £2,500 with foot control but ive seen them cheaper without foot control but no doubt the price of these will increase with time

The Oberheim SEM Pro is a desktop synth module that has two oscillators on it. If you are looking for a synth interface with knobs then look no further. The Oberheim SEM Pro has a LFO knob, 2 envelope knobs, a filter knob and a few others for the parameters. The cost of the Oberheim SEM Pro is a little more than I think that it should be. It cost almost 1200 dollars which is kind of pricey when there are other desktop synths that are just as good but cost about half as much as the Oberheim SEM Pro cost. UTILIZATION Setting it up is the easy part, the hard part is understanding it. The manual does come with it but it is not very helpful for understanding the Oberheim SEM Pro. Another thing that upset me about the Oberheim SEM Pro is that there are no presets on it. All of the sounds that come out of it will have to be programmed by you. For the price that it cost I feel like it should at least have 500 plus presets to choose from. SOUNDS If you are not into creating your own sounds or sound design then the Oberheim SEM Pro may not be for you. It is very difficult to get the sound that you want to get if you don’t understand sound design. I have used the Oberheim SEM Pro over 20 times and each time that I have a chance to use it, it takes forever to get the sound that I want to get out of it. OVERALL OPINION The Oberheim SEM Pro is well built and will not break on you as long as you use it with care and don’t drop it or spill anything on it. I would only recommend this to people who have a general knowledge of sound design and working with each individual parameter.

I actually had two of these in the 80s. I sold one and really missed it so I bought another. I never had a better synth for the purpose of creating a credible, deep bass sound with punch to it. Including the Minimoog which other people seemed to love. They and most other keyboards had either a thin or a dull sound when playing bass lines. But the OB was a different animal altogether. It punched through and had a full deep sound. No other keyboard did that back in the day and from what I have tried they mostly still don't.

The Oberheim OB-8 is an analog synth in Oberheim's classic line of synthesizers. The keyboard of the synth spans about four and a half octaves, which is pretty big for a synth of this nature. The synth is polyphonic up to eight voices and has 1/4 inch connections (there is no MIDI). UTILIZATION While upon first glance the Oberheim OB-8 may appear a bit overwhelming for those new to synths, everything is broken up into neat sections. The main sections of parameters for the OB-8 are pretty universal and include oscillation, filter, envelope, and modulation. There are a ton of different parameters to work with under each of these sections, so you'll definitely be occupied for a long time trying to explore this synth. I've never seen the manual for this, but would recommend having it or some sort of instructions around if you are new to analog synthesizers. SOUNDS The amount of different sounds that are possible with the Oberheim OB-8 is mind bending. I haven't even begun to explore everything that this synth has to offer, as I feel I have just scraped the surface. I can say that all of the tones that I have used on the OB-8 have a consistent level of quality and analog 'fatness' that makes for a great overall synth. You seriously have complete control over the sounds that you are making because of all the different parameters. All of the synth sounds on the OB-8 are valid and useful for the most part, but my favorite type of synth sound that this is capable of would have to be the bass sounds as they are just so round and fat sounding. OVERALL OPINION Even if you are not primarily a keyboard player like myself, you should know about the OB-8. It is just one of those instruments that should be universally recognized by us in the industry and as players. If you are an analog buff, this is one of the holy grails of analog synths and is one that should be tried out by every synth player sooner or later. The price of the OB-8 varies, but is about right for a classic synth like this. Overall, I would recommend the Oberheim OB-8 to anyone interested in analog synths...