{"id":73828,"date":"2025-12-23T16:18:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T15:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greatsynthesizers.com\/?p=73828"},"modified":"2026-03-22T20:31:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T19:31:45","slug":"oberheim-ob-1-unrivaled-lead-synth-with-memories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greatsynthesizers.com\/en\/review\/oberheim-ob-1-unrivaled-lead-synth-with-memories\/","title":{"rendered":"Oberheim OB-1 – unrivaled lead-synth with memories"},"content":{"rendered":"

The OB-1 belongs to the timeless elite of classic mono synthesizers. It ranks among the very best and shares its place in the Top 10 with legends such as the Minimoog, VCS3 aka Synthi A, Odyssey, The Cat, OSCar, Syrinx, Kobol, SH-5 and CS-30, followed by a few low-budget pioneers such as the Pro-One, MS-20, SH-101 and Wasp. From Oberheim, the SEM and the Two-Voice would also be worth mentioning, from Germany the PPG 1002, and from the forests behind the Urals the Polivoks.<\/p>\n

\"Oberheim<\/a><\/p>\n

First synthesizer with program memories?<\/h2>\n

I<\/span>gnoring the fact that our Top 10 list has grown into a Top 15 list: what puts the OB-1 ahead of all other candidates is that it was launched in 1977 as the first commercial mono synthesizer with program memory. Purists will now bring up the PPG 1003 Sonic Carrier, which already had the same kind of memory in 1976. However, only a handful of the oversized Sonic Carrier were ever built (6 to 10 units?), so it can hardly be considered a true production model.
\nx<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Oberheim<\/a><\/p>\n

Oberheim presented the OB-1<\/strong> at NAMM in June 1977, first brochures and ads for the brand-new Programmable Lead Synthesizer<\/em><\/strong> followed soon. As successor to the famous Synthesizer Expander Module (SEM), the OB-1 was designed to offer musicians the familiar, powerful Oberheim sound \u201cwith more performance possibilities.\u201d In addition to the new pitch\/modulation bender, full-fledged envelopes, and a separate, expanded LFO (more waveforms), this also included the aforementioned eight (!) memory locations.
\nx<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Oberheim<\/a><\/p>\n

The fact that the legendary (continuously variable) SEM multimode filter has fallen by the wayside is undoubtedly a bit of a shame. But just listen to the OB-1’s 12\/24dB low-pass VCF: what a sound! The instrument certainly doesn’t lack expressive possibilities and versatility, and while the OB-1 leaves most of its competitors in the dust, the question arises as to why Oberheim’s unique lead synthesizer with program memory was not nearly as successful as the Minimoog or the Odyssey.<\/p>\n

\"Oberheim<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Oberheim<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Oberheim<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Oberheim<\/a><\/p>\n

Part of the answer lies in the year of release. Introduced in mid-1977, the OB-1 probably wasn’t delivered before 1978. While monophonic synthesizers were by no means a novelty anymore, Dave Smith knocked on the door with the Sequential Prophet-5<\/a> under his arm, heralding the triumph march of polyphonic synthesizers. In addition, attractive and significantly cheaper Japanese mono synthesizers – such as the Korg MS-20<\/a> and Yamaha CS-30 – were entering the market.<\/p>\n

\"Oberheim<\/a><\/p>\n

In addition, the OB-1 initially had to contend with a number of technical problems (such as those relating to the memory board). Ultimately, however, it was by no means cheap. Its price was significantly higher than that of a Minimoog and not much lower than that of a Two-Voice (with sequencer). At the beginning of the 1980s, the costs even rose. In 1981, the OB-1A was listed at DM 4,629.– (see the Synthesizerstudio Bonn price list above), which was simply \u201ca lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Oberheim<\/a><\/p>\n

OB-1 and OB-1A<\/h2>\n

T<\/span>he OB-1 in black, introduced in 1977 and \u2013 as we assume \u2013 delivered in early 1978, was followed in 1979 by a revised version, the OB-1A. It had a slightly larger case and was color-coordinated \u2013 in elegant light gray \u2013 with the polyphonic OB-X synthesizer introduced at the same time. While the exterior underwent a clear change, the two OB-1 versions remained virtually unchanged in terms of technology (and thus also in terms of sound). In any case, we personally cannot hear any difference between the OB-1 and OB-1A.<\/p>\n

\"Oberheim<\/a><\/p>\n

While several hundred units of the early OB-1<\/strong> in black were built (and the synthesizer is therefore frequently offered on the second-hand market), the later OB-1A<\/strong> seems extremely rare. Based on the 5 to 10 units sighted over the last 30 years, we estimate its production volume to be 50 to 100 units at most. At the end of the 1970s, the instrument portfolio was expanded to include an optional cassette interface, which enabled external sound archiving of various Oberheim synthesizers (OB-1, Four-Voice, Eight-Voice) using a tape deck.<\/p>\n

\"Oberheim<\/a><\/p>\n

Ah … yes, not to forget the OB-1 Patch Book: a collection of 50 sound sheets for creating OB-1 sounds, from (1) Basic Tuning Patch to (18) R2-D2-OB to (50) De Tox… with a foreword by Russ Jones.<\/p>\n

Structure of the OB-1<\/h2>\n

T<\/span>he one and only Oberheim mono synthesizer with keyboard features:<\/p>\n