The Oberheim OB-X (1979)

[@AlexBallMusic]

A correction: Several people have pointed out that Queen's "no synths!" comments were as much a defence of how they made their unique sounds (with practical miking and playing techniques) as they were saying that they didn't want synths.

[@EvilDragon666]

Yup, that's precisely it! They did rather crazy stuff in the studio...

[@mitchelstephen7536]

Hypocrisy, they made some really cool sounds on synths.

[@enforcerxr8848]

No synths at all until The Game in 1979. @@mitchelstephen7536

[@davidholloway3011]

Richard Barbieri is an absolute master with the OB-X the OB-Xa and the Prophet 5. And in my humble opinion doesn't get anywhere near the recognition he should. Shout out to you good sir.😀

[@ferccino]

Ah! The great song Som Tawyer from the band Crush, awesome recreation

[@AlexBallMusic]

😂

[@zackcolbourne6921]

Maybe next he'll do the music from The Shinning.

[@rachelar]

From "Pooving Mixtures" album?

[@RCAvhstape]

Rash covered it with an accordion and tuba.

[@activelow9297]

I like Crush, but honestly they only have one song. They just play different versions of it.

[@busyworksbeats]

I will never forget playing the OBX and it made a sound I’ve never heard before. Was like an extremely detuned brass but it was insane how other-worldly it was.

[@Heathcliff_hensel]

I was fortunate enough to buy an OBX back in 1996 for $600. With out sounding hyperbolic it completely change my life.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Xellent.

[@x0d-live]

I also found one super cheap back around '96 and really regret selling it (along with a few other classics)

[@tomahzo]

Cue 2:46 ;D@@AlexBallMusic

[@tomahzo]

And that probably wasn't as dirt cheap as you COULD'VE gotten it back in those days. The analog dark ages. Oh to have a time machine and go back and buy a truckload of old classics for third-digit amounts ;).

[@jeffjfindley4802]

Don't take this the wrong way, but I hate you. LOL -- kidding. But OMG

[@WillieWonka928D]

It was actually Geddy Lee/Rush's use of the OB-X that started my love affair of synthesizers. Tom Sawyer is iconic but what really did it for me was the OB-X pad sound front and center on Subdivisions (my all time favorite song). Signals is chock-full of great OB-X (and OB-Xa) sounds. Some other of my favorite OB-X moments being the pads on Chemistry, the soft sequence on Losing It, and the ass kicking brass on Countdown. Ah, great stuff.

[@evinlambert736]

Exactly the same experience for me. I squinted at that B&W picture in the liner notes of Moving Pictures to barely see what word was etched on the right side of that synthesizer, all with Geddy's flowing hair and witch-like nasal protuberance guarding the closely kept secret of sonic joy. I was hooked and an Oberheim guy forever

[@ramonrojasalmuzara290]

same here, Subdivisions was an epiphany in my then dawning love affair with synths and has remained a favourite ever since

[@retrosound72]

Never heard of this synth. Thank you for showing

[@AlexBallMusic]

😂

[@Peter_S_]

🤣

[@MacXpert74]

😂

[@amonster8mymother]

😊

[@amonster8mymother]

@@retrosound72 must be a clone of something.

[@kevinryan8538]

Alex, to put it mildly, YOU ARE A TREASURE! Please NEVER STOP! ❤

[@chibacityblues2003]

I love how you snuck The Beatles into that artist roll at the end. They truly were pioneers, making use of a synth that wouldn’t be out till 10 years after they broke up.

[@AlexBallMusic]

They used it on "Free as a bird" in 1995.

[@SylphDS]

Demo 3 is a banger! You should make a full length version and release it on its own.

[@adpitts1]

Absolutely need the song as a complete track.

[@Knaeckebrotsaege]

Was about to post just that. Caught me entirely off guard how good this is

[@fallingmanuk]

Any video that begins with THAT sound and has one of your fab songs on it just makes my day!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers!

[@Zwopper]

The most amazing sounding Oberheim of them all, to my ears. Closely followed by the Matrix-12, again, to my ears.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Would LOVE a go on a Matrix-12.

[@darkcharles7472]

Have you heard the br0wn hatter?

[@MrJC1]

That could be true... to my ears.

[@Zwopper]

@@MrJC1 Well you know, the internet... 😁 One better be obvious with subjective stuff. 😁

[@dms8504]

The Xpander is the best for me.

[@Kaffimusic]

Phew, the first song came in a Rush.

[@thereisnodarkside]

Better let Tom Sawyer know!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thought I'd inject some life, son.

[@paulinfrancis]

Bummer, you beat me to it 😂

[@AnnaDavidMerz]

Tom sawyer coming 😉

[@Kaffimusic]

@@AlexBallMusic Uhmm, thanks Papa. I mean... dad.

[@michaelfeiner]

One of best sounding synths ever! Big love for Oberheim!

[@johnsabal777]

Demo 3 !💙"Know that I'm with you, come wind or rain" is astonishingly poignant. I'll echo the other comments wondering if there's more song with that fantastic chorus hook. The G# melody note making the IV a major 7th chord (w/ those vocal harmonies) gets me right in my wistful heart.

[@jordanrattanavong2655]

The OBX-D is a wonderful free emulation as well and it just got a great update. It’s such a good plugin.

[@PCoyte]

The synth sounds on Tin Drum are some of the best I've ever heard and I wondered at the time why I couldn't get them on my Jupiter 6...

[@kabongpope]

Perfect timing, I'm off to see Geddy Lee tonight! :D

[@grogboggoth]

Demo 3 is almost the quintessential Alex Ball song. I love it. Just perfect!

[@MilesAwayOfficial]

Something about Oberheims just speaks to my soul. And who better to demo the (imho) greatest Oberheim synth than Alex Ball! Great video man.

[@alfish18]

I'm Geddy with excitement.

[@NickOleksiakMusic]

It brings me Life, son!

[@sedumjp]

Not sure I can pin it down rationally, but this synth sounds awesome, every single note you played on it sounded amazing. As usual another outstanding video from the daddy of KZbin Synth nerds. A music lesson, a history lesson and an electronics lesson wrapped up in a splendid package.

[@evinlambert736]

I will admit, this is the one video where I honestly felt inward loss at the realization that it was coming to an end. And Alex your final closing track did indeed drive the stake further in with your strategic melancholy that I can only assume was poignantly planned. Please my variably filtered friend, oscillate for longer next time you do a video on this beast... so temperamental, so earthy, not an ounce of abstract, nor a pound of pretense...THIS marvelous miracle of Methuselah is literally IN YOUR FACE. Just like that addictive relationship that is so rewarding, yet you know is inherently unhealthy for you.

[@johanboberg]

Great outro, chewy harmonies. I love the Death Star aesthetics, glad they brought that over to the OB-X8.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Death Star! That's what it reminded me of.

[@dwaynecarroll6098]

Alex: you are one of the best experts of synthesis on KZbin. Thank you for all the hard work!

[@maxir4k]

Not only an already amazing video for an amazing synth, but also Seru Giran is mentioned. Hell yeah!!

[@christopherhammell9904]

Always love your videos. Keep them coming. When specifically back to watch this one.

[@markkusmierz3756]

Awesome! Love the "Don't Cry" Song.That should be on the Radio.

[@djmastergroove946]

Brilliant Alex. I always look forward to hearing you play these incredible sounds. Beautiful synth! 😍

[@XavierRadix]

So lush! So phat! It just has THAT Oberheim sound, that only the Oberheim's can do... Incredible unit. Also glad you mentioned Mr. Barbieri as is was indeed a master at this instrument. Tin Drum has this and the Prophet 5 all over it!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yep, really glad to tick this one off the list. I knew what it sounded like before I pressed a key and that says a lot. 😍

[@furiobisotti8150]

I was sure Barbieri made that metallic sounds with Prophet. Nice to learn more from an expert

[@AlexBallMusic]

@furiobisotti8150 Definitely used the Prophet a lot too, absolutely.

[@questorc]

ok im paying attention that big synth note in the start is magical

[@obwanz1921]

@AlexBallMusic Many thanks for this fantastic video! Especially loved the Xmod examples. Love the clangorous tones. Also, thanks for the GForce OBX comparison. Wonderful compositions and vocals as well. Cheers!

[@chrisbran6739]

Hello Alex! Recently I got my firts Oberheim synth - OBX8. The resonant filters sound amazing! Tom Oberheim designing his synths cared to volume compenstation in the resonance section that is overlooked in many top synths, the Prophets 5 or 10 have a weaker filter, die to the lack of proper volume compenation... I will be putting put my OBX8 demos soon on my channel. Thanks for your own demos! Cheers, SYNTHRATIX

[@AlexBallMusic]

Indeed! If you watch my video on the Oberheim TVS-1 I go into the engineers Tom collaborated with for the Oberheim sound and the filter was licensed from Dennis P Colin of ARP! Tom was the first West Coast dealer for them, which is how he heard about Dennis and his amazing filter design. The more resonance, the _better_ it sounds, which is the opposite of most filters, as you say!

[@jeffjfindley4802]

Alex, your channel is just as lovely a thing as I can find nowadays. Bravo, and don't you go a-changin'!

[@thefool2007]

Wow what treat this was to listen to. Excellent all around. Love your videos! Impressive how advanced this was for 1979. OMG that filter.

[@cerebralkaos2385]

Alex, I always look forward to your reviews. Yet another sterling effort!

[@Scodiddly]

I don't always watch an Alex Ball video about the OB-X, but when I do so do my neighbors. Seriously, take a moment to put on the Big Speakers for this one.

[@DavidLee07]

The metallic Demo 2 at 6:50 is absolutely killer! Great stuff, Alex!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers!

[@palindrone]

yeah, this one is 🔥

[@amazingmono]

Amazing as always, thank you Alex!

[@sunlightprism]

Great post, Alex. I didn't know that story about Queen and "no synthesizers used". LOL If there ever was a synth to convert someone, the OB-X is it.

[@evanglicanism]

Loved your demos implementing the glory of these oscillators - also very much enjoyed your new album!

[@polydata]

Fantastic, and nice Barbieri jam!

[@zoartis]

All your videos are of high quality, interesting and informative. The demos are also very good!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you!

[@johnroynon9784]

Fantastic video as always. Thank you in particular for mentioning Richard Barbieri. Criminally underrated and a true pioneer of synth programming. Whenever Oberheim is mentioned, the automatic reference is Van Halen. But for me, it will always be Japan and Barbieri. I saw their last tour at the Bristol Colston Hall back in the day... Would love to see you do a feature on his work and the unique sounds achieved by Japan.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Synth hero for sure. Really interesting and unique sounds. My ultimate goal is to figure out that mad patch at the start of Ghosts, but even Richard can't recall how on earth it was done.

[@crnkmnky]

🎶 "Still Life in Mobile Homes" came on my MP3 player the other night. 😍

[@ymmv99]

@@AlexBallMusic Invite him on the show! Interviews with these synth pioneers would be so interesting!

[@masonx3376]

OH BOY ITS OBERHEIM TIME

[@leftovernoise]

Obertime

[@masonx3376]

@@leftovernoisethought about that the second i left a comment..

[@philippendletonmusic]

What a synth! Really enjoyed the metallic exploration.

[@davidaubespin4587]

Wait whaaaaaat???? Can you make a longer version of Demo 3 plllleeeeeaaaase? So uplifting early 90s feeling! Love it.

[@Musikkeller-Innsider]

Gorgeous synth, gorgeous demos!

[@Ebeneezergoode909]

Wonderful as usual, the right balance of everything, learned a thing or two, and got so nicely entertained along the way, Extra special mention to the sheer musicality !

[@kerzwhile]

This was absolutely wonderful!! ❤

[@GuidoGautsch]

4000 views, 1.1K likes...that's one helluva ratio there, Mr Ball 😮 Watching it now, I can see why - great stuff. That synth's as old as I am!

[@flomojo2u]

Alex, you have such an amazing sound and always manage to make these classic synths shine! Love your work, too bad you had to send the Ob-X on its way.

[@illusionprovideo]

Great Job! Thanks for the show and tell. One Day I hope to own an 8 voice original. Love all the OBs I have but that one is my dream.

[@unclejerrysworld]

Nice review! Thanks!

[@PeranMe]

Man, I live your tight vocal harmonies. You’re the best!

[@carriersignal]

As usual, another great video! Love the OB-X. Thanks!

[@soepil]

So great that The Beatles got to beta-test this synth some 10 years before it's release ... :) Great video, thanks.

[@AlexBallMusic]

I was waiting for this comment! Free as a bird - 1995. Nearly twenty years _after_ it was released. 😀

[@vinylarchaeologist]

@@AlexBallMusic😮

[@activelow9297]

Well, the synth came out in 1979, and John Lennon didn't get wasted until 1980.. so in theory they could have used it for that 1 year period.

[@SPAZZOID100]

????

[@dankeplace]

Pretty sure this is what was used on Flash Gordon with Queen. Lovely machine, lovely sounds, lovely price that I could never afford. Thx for the memories Alex.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yes indeed! I discussed the Queen / OB-X relationship right at the end of the video. It was the synth that turned them to the dark side.

[@entropybentwhistle]

@@AlexBallMusicBefore the OB-X8 came out, my Oberheim sound go-to was Sonic Projects’ OP-X Pro II. It’s great fun to scroll through the banks of famous sounds in their sound banks, especially all the patches from Queen. Playing little bits of Queen songs with that software would aways perk up people’s attention.

[@jonhollinsworth8785]

That’s a beautiful sounding instrument, the Japanese style demo was so good! Will have to try the vst. Thank you

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers! Yep, the plugin is very much worth the time.

[@DoctorJasonWilson]

Your videos are a joy Alex, keep it up

[@gionspenzers]

This is one of the synth (along with the Jupiter-8) that brought me to the synth world and it made me interested on synthesisers. And the reason is because of Queen! When I learned that they used this synth on The Game, it made me curious on what is an Oberheim and here I am listening to synth music. Great video

[@rickkearn7100]

I eschewed the Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 in favor of and OBXa and never regretted it. Fattest analog synth I have ever heard or played or owned. Top shelf.

[@vaiman7777]

Awesome stuff man, love your videos. Have you ever done a video on how you 'do your videos'? I think people would be interested, especially the jams

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers! Never done a behind-the-scenes. Might be a bit niche perhaps, but I'll consider it.

[@vaiman7777]

@@AlexBallMusic Yeah maybe, but we all know geeky synth dudes love a good rummage behind others desks :)

[@benoftroy]

Brilliant as ever. Thanks Alex!

[@adam872]

The OB-X has always been one of my favourite synths, right from when I heard The Game back in 1980. Years later I became a fan of Rush and when I heard that opening bass sound on Tom Sawyer I fell in love all over again. What a beast.

[@SPAZZOID100]

Don’t forget “Flash Gordon” which was actually recorded before “The Game”.

[@adam872]

@@SPAZZOID100 yeah fair. I heard The Game before I saw Flash though.

[@renemunkthalund3581]

Sounds ridiculously good. Solid demos and jolly fun.

[@reddragonrespect]

one moment I had impression that you would play Tom Sawyer. Great tool. great work!

[@puffjocktaffer]

Forget the OB-X, I want to hear the Polymoog that’s lurking in the background. Pretty please. Yes, I’m begging.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Fear not my synthy friend, that will get a sexy video. A sexy video indeed...

[@labouch]

@@AlexBallMusicI have a 280 with Pedals if you want to include that too. I’m not far from you.

[@AlexBallMusic]

@@labouch 👀

[@AlexBallMusic]

@@labouch How do I contact you?

[@labouch]

@@AlexBallMusic I’ll FB you. We have a couple of mutual friends.

[@ianwynne764]

Hello Alex: The list of all of the people/bands who have used this synth is amazing. Thank you for jogging my memory on David Sanborn. His concert in Budapest in 2015 is on KZbin and it's wonderful. Have a wonderful weekend.

[@martinlubitz3171]

Thanks Alex for the wonderful video🙏🤩👊

[@budgetkeyboardist]

An amazing synth to be sure. The opening of Tom Sawyer might be one of the coolest synth parts ever... and it's only one note. Amazing.

[@Flat8G]

Ohh, fantastic demo as always!! That filter sweep! Might need to pre-order one of them new clones now! 😍

[@Socialhackpodcast]

Very happy to invest into obx8, as i am. It does all sounds u did in this vid. Oberheim is king of sound

[@AlexBallMusic]

OB-X8 is a marvelous thing, yep. I'd get that if I didn't have too many synths already. 🙂

[@Socialhackpodcast]

You are more than welcome to test OBX8 in Lithuania, Vilnius. :) You will enjoy the place (Vilnius) very much. @@AlexBallMusic

[@thebreathalyzer]

Another wonderful video!!! Lovely bit at the end.

[@richardalldredge9129]

I made a patch of “that sound” with the arturia SEM and honestly it made me fall in love with the synth. Little bit of stereo delay with modulated filter sweeps, and you get magical and atmospheric sounds all day.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Excellent. 😀

[@simonhodgetts6530]

My word. I’m undone. I think I’ve had a synthgasm! What a fantastic piece of kit - but I’ve always been a fan of Oberheim!

[@stevehofer3482]

Nice. It looks like you were having fun.

[@stevefranklin5714]

Love your videos Alex

[@tomahzo]

Classic doesn't even begin to describe that machine and that sound ;). Yeah, that's the stuff that dreams of made of right there. Great video!

[@donmorton7282]

Amazing and classic vintage sound. Phenomenal

[@oscar_charlie]

It's amazing how certain sounds are instantly recognizable. I was expecting more than a couple Rushed notes in the begining.

[@reidhauke3389]

Holy crap, I've spoken to Steven a few times on a nerdy synth meetup. He's a great guy - now with a great synth.

[@AlexBallMusic]

He's a good guy, yeah.

[@Timbobs]

Yes! New video! I wonder in what German sounding year we are now 😅

[@Timbobs]

Ninetie-siebentee-neujn

[@AlexBallMusic]

Deutschlish, not German.

[@Musikkeller-Innsider]

Ts why tousand dry you 'n ts want zigg

[@Timbobs]

@@AlexBallMusicof course, my Dutch brain has troubles hearing the subtle differences in timbre of those two wonderful languages.

[@inamortz2372]

Thanks Alex. Such a gem of a channel. Worth it getting the bang on the door to turn it down, as usual :D

[@TheDeadlyKind]

A modern-day warrior Mean, mean stride Today's Tom Sawyer Mean, mean pride -Rush.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Did-do, did-do, did-do, Dee-de, did-do, did-do

[@thedoc1210]

right off the bat@@AlexBallMusic ❤

[@neilpatrickhairless]

lol followed by the most filthy metal groove in a non-metal song ever

[@rologreen5742]

Demo 3 has to go on the next album Alex, a real beauty ❤

[@mikemorrisonmusic]

Man oh man, one of my all time favorite synths!!

[@cornerliston]

Love the ‘germlish’ nineteensiebentyneun. Also love your sound design skills. Also, we need more references to those ninjos in el park.

[@dwaynebarker2771]

Glad to see this keyboard recreated!

[@Cfpp0]

Cool paddles-love what you did in the sweepy sync sounds part

[@AlexBallMusic]

Feels like a proper space ship with those paddles.

[@carlosserrano3985]

Great video as always. COMING SOON, THE POLYMOOG, STAY TUNED!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Indeed!

[@pizzagogo6151]

Nice overview Alex, thanks.. You did a brilliant job featuring it, certainly sounds decent I can see in its day how impressive it was, but I still don’t quite get the fuss that’s made about it now ( I think it’s another case people mistaking their memory of great records with a single synth). Still, great these synths are still around and some people appreciate & look after them...

[@AlexBallMusic]

It does have a very satisfying sound. It's pretty barren on the feature front compared to modern gear, I get that. It's like a Minimoog, I suppose, just classic.

[@danjwalker]

1:05 I was so ready for the Tom Sawyer synth riff to kick in. Edit: Commenting while watching...you mention exactly this later on :P

[@skyrocketautomotive]

Brother, I'm supposed to be doing invoices. I need to pay my rent. Why you gotta do me this way?! Oh well, the office is shut, I can spend 15 minutes basking in Oberheim glory :D

[@AlexBallMusic]

Put down the invoices and delay the rent. There's an Oberheim here.

[@skyrocketautomotive]

@@AlexBallMusic that was well worth it, my god does the resonance work beautifully on that old beast!

[@ISLAInstruments]

Wonderful video mate, you’re such a treasure! Gotta get mine finished. I have an sx here too. Thanks for the cameo! ❤

[@AlexBallMusic]

Hey Brad! Yeah, worth restoring. The SX is really weird. I played one recently.

[@NatLifeSounds]

Just finished a soundbank for it's VST clone by GForce, it sounds so close. Amazing to listen more information about this beautifull instrument

[@chickenlickin3820]

EVH what a legend using this synth

[@newpathway]

great video. That rush sound is thr business....

[@user-ql1pc7pi9x]

My dream synth. The reissue sounds identical. I love me some Rush. Geddy Lee incorporated synths into their sound beautifully (Xanadu, Subdivisions, The Camera Eye, etc).

[@kaitlyn__L]

Also, this transition-phase design (between all off-white like the 2/4/8-voice, and all black and blue like later synths) is really appealing to me. It's clearly still designed to look and feel like you've got a bunch of modules in a case, even though it's just one panel.