Oberheim OB-X8 vs Vintage OB-X Head-To-Head Comparison

With Tom Oberheim‘s recent introduction of the new Oberheim OB-X8, a lot of people have been wondering how the sound of the new synth compares to vintage Oberheim keyboards.

The Oberheim OB-X8 is a new synth design that combines the three different voice architectures of the classic OB-X, OB-Xa, and OB-8 synths into a single instrument. The individual filter types and other unique characteristics of each model have been recreated, along with an 100% analog signal path.

In this official Oberheim video, Marcus Ryle, co-designer of the Oberheim OB-X8 and an Oberheim engineer from 1980 to 1985, walks through all 32 of the factory presets on his original OB-X, to demonstrate how faithfully the new OB-X8 reproduces each one.

All examples are recorded direct in mono, without EQ or effects.

Check out the demo and share your thoughts on how they compare in the comments.

0:00 Intro
1:38 Bank A Presets
6:32 Bank B Presets
7:50 Bank C Presets
10:33 Bank D Presets

4 thoughts on “Oberheim OB-X8 vs Vintage OB-X Head-To-Head Comparison

  1. Seldom do I listen to these type comparisons in their entirety. This time, however, I did. One thing that impressed me (never owning an OB-X) was the patch select system. To make things this simple again is quire refreshing.

  2. he clearly knows his synths very well, exactly the right amount of talking, i liked the little details and the insights only the creator will know. i wish all the “no talking” demos was like that and it doesn’t seems much editing involved, impressive.

  3. This video is brilliant and shows care to show precision to discerning buyers. I hope the baton has been passed to Marcus, and that he will be involved in (or lead) future projects for Sequential/Oberheim.

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