Sound designer. Producer. Professor. Journalist. Author.
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.
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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/
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Tech Glossary for Audio and Synths
Once upon a time (ok, it was actually 2009), Resident Advisor hired me to create an extensive glossary of synthesis and audio production terms.
I intentionally designed it to be universal, as I’d hoped it would stand the test of time.
Over ten years later, the glossary is still online and still 100% relevant to learning synths and DAWs.
Here’s the link. It’s worth bookmarking as a handy reference for both pros and beginners.
Link: https://ra.co/features/1219
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