ARP Odyssey

If you are not common with analogue synths you may get problems. In general it takes a while to get used to this synth as there are a lot of possibilities. You do not have any presets or memory patches, so for the studio it may be ok, in the live situation it??s more complicated.

Classic analogue monophonic synth: 2 oscillators, noise generator, ring modulator, sample&hold, filter and so on. I don??t want to repeat all parameters that previous reviews already mentioned.

The Odyssey is a very versatile synth - that is its strength. If you like to work on experimental or avantgarde stuff or you want to create strange sounds, effect sounds or sharp techno sounds this unit is perfect for you and much better than a Minimoog. It is more like an open book that you have to fill with your creations. In general the sound is more neutral, analytic and clean and sometimes reminds me of the old SH-Rolands - but it is not that sterile.
If you look for something like a Minimoog that produces classic and warm solo sounds and thundering basses, then go for the Mini, you would get problems with the Odyssey in this disciplines.
IMO the Odyssey is missing that warm, but very coloured ARP 2600 character known by Joe Zawinul (for example). Additionally I think the oscillators are not that fat than those of the 2600 or Mini (or Oberheim, or Sequential). In this discipline the Odyssey is just an average synth.
But as I said for those styles/ambitions I mentioned in the beginning it is a very versatile synth. Especially the noise, ring modulator and sample&hold abilities are very powerful and open the doors for a wide range of interesting sounds.

In the beginning everything was fine. But now - after 35 years (!) - the faders produce severe problems (much more than the potis of a Mini). And as there are a lot of them it will be expensive to renew them. I guess that is the big problem of the old Odysseys in general as I once saw that a company builds new faders that fit perfectly. -
The rest is fine, quality built.

The company is down for 30 years or so!

In former times the Odyssey was my workhorse for strange sounds and effects. But after the appearance of samplers and VAs it became somewhat like useless. For solo work I prefer Minimoog or Oberheim. So I definitely would not buy it again, especially as I refuse to accept the limitations of a monophonic instrument (with the exception of the Mini).
In general I think the Odyssey is a bit overrated, due to the fact that it is the second legend besides the Mini.

its a little tricky if your new to old synths. a ton of sliders makes ones head spin. being pretty accustomed to old synths, i found my way around pretty quickly. i owned an arp axxe before i got the odyessy, so i was already half way familiar. there are no pre-sets. just sliders and a whole lot of personal imagination. editing your patches can be tuff. there is so much potential between every hair line movement of a slider that its easy to lose the exact spot you found a sound. which is great. an enfinate amount of flexibility.

it has two note polyphony, which sounds cool but not stunning. the action feels fine to me. its no weighted key piano, but if your familiar with old synths.....well, it feels like an old synth. there are no effects unless you consider ring modulation,sample and hold, white and pink noise and tons of modulation capabilities to be effects. that said, who needs effects?? although reverb and delay are a welcome addition. it has c/v connections, pedal connections and can receive external signals. no midi. who needs a computer??!! just get an amp and turn it up! no sequencer. very flexible!!

the sounds are amazing. i have the mark 2. black with gold lettering with the illegal moog filters. where do i begin. for a mono-synth it can create some very frightening,colorful,beautiful,thunderous,weird and way out there sounds. truly the colored bird of mid seventies psychedelic synths. it borrows much from its modular heritage. i know everyone raves about this synth. i alwase wanted one, finnally got one and now i know why people luv this synth. if you want a very crazy sounding 70's synth, do yourself a favor, skip the mini-moog and get an odyessy. mini-moogs are great, but this thing is amazing!! a perfect 10!!

well, i just got it and have'nt used it out live yet. i usually use a sequential circuits pro-one for live shows. to be honest, i prefer knobs to sliders. knobs are easier to tune and the pro-one is a little easier to use in a live setting. but the odyessy is stable, rugged and if its in good condition, i think there should be no problem relying on it.

arp is out of business, but i've heard of some folks who do great work on arp synths. phil ciroco and kurtsamps are two of which i know work on arps.

if it were lost or stolen......i would be very upset to say the very least. i would want to get it again. i got lucky though. a very nice young man sold me the odyessy with the original anvil case, original manual and patch book along with original advertizements. the odyessy was in beautiful cosmetic and working condition and since he wanted to see it get put to good use, he sold it to me for 5 hundred $$$. today, thats considered a steal!! ebay is full of old synths that are broken,dirty and whatever and they shoot upwards over 1 thousand dollars. you can save yourself some money and buy the soft ware version.....but i dont want to play with a computer. tell a guitarist to buy a soft ware guitar you play with a computer.....he/she would lauph at you. you cant truly replicate the real,quarky,temperamental thing.

FIRST OF ALL, plug this baby into an old tube amp. You will not regret this.

I got the Odyssey white face a year ago. I also own a Korg MS20 so plugging the Arp into the MS20 gives a really FAT 4osc synth. It's not that easy to use for someone who has no knowledge of synthesizers, the sliders can be a bit intimidating, well at least for my girlfriend. I had to forbid her to touch any of the tuning sliders or going crazy on any of them eheh

The duophony is pretty cool. It makes it sound almost like a cheap keyboard, it has its uses. If you want to remember presets, you either have to write the them down or have a very good memory. It's also very flexible, so a single millimeter change on a slider can change everything from right to wrong, which is very valuable. you get to explore tons of sounds with very little physical effort.

I got rid of a Roland JP8000 and many softsynths ever since i got the odyssey. They were boring compared to this one.

I mostly experiment with sound and sometimes record noise and electro, 60s garage rock(electric organ sounds are easy to achieve with this synth) or even dance punk.

From soft drones to gritty UFO sounds, it can imitate any string and brass instrument invented since the birth of baby jesus, with a little reverb for some realism. But my favorite use is sampling drums from it. It gives very wet sounding and unique analog percussions.

Mine has very bad tuning sliders so once its tuned, i just dont touch them. It stays tuned very well if its in a stable environment.

I wouldn't take it with me anywhere unless i was moving.

bluuurg i dont wanna have to get it repaired. It would hurt me to know someone put their chocolate in my peanut butter.

If it were lost or stolen, i would definately gatter some money by stealing instruments from emo bands and get another one. It was worth every penny, and now that i had a taste of it, i would be ready to pay a little more to get one (but i already have one ha!). I just wish it had CV/gate so i could plug my sequencer in it. I have made tunes using only the Odyssey and theyre the ones im most glad i spent time on. Other gear i own that mix well with this synth: MS20, TR707, an old drumset, electric guitar and bass.

was purchased by a deceased freind in 2001 for 24.95 in a thrift store i paid 150..i had to instal a filter that cost 89.95 from arizona

are you kidding when you want to do with this thing what i'm trying to do, which is "make a new or wierd sound" all it takes is a little wherewithall to move things and remember what they do, of course. i live for the moment, which is about how long one has to enjoy a recognizeable sound from this beast before i start messing with it again. no "clickity click" like a dx7 or poly 800, just plain ol' intuition.... i love it...a perfect ten here because what you see is what you maybe get. if you don't you're one slider move away from something better.

it rocks.. period... i NEVER considered a synth untill my roomate came back with this. i learned it, broken, had to force it to work, then i bought a poly6 and realized what a synth would do.... i bought the filter , soldered that fucker in and OH MY FUCKING LORD JESUS CHRISt WHAt HAVE I DONE... i ignore the poly 6... i got complaints instantly from my neighbors "wierd sounds are coming from your house..."
from what i can comprehend from using it, i'm not too far away from being someone who could use a modular. all the typical synth stuf is right there , but you get to CHOOSE how much of everything gets sent to the filters (infact now i understand the concept of " filter" because i got one) plus my freind brought his minimoog over and within 10 minutes (now mind you he's an ELECTRONIC music guy and i'm not) i realized that my arp could take his mini out to the wood shed and hand it it's asshole. sample hold? i dare a mini guy to simulate hot boiling lava or birds in trees next to the waterfal while eating a bag of doritos or ANYTHING.......10 here.. ha ha to everone who buys a mini just because dude's dead....my arp will bend you over and hurt you....

ralistic... ha.... well actually i did look up some patches and suprisingly enough it sounded like what it was supposed to. but the hell with that. if i want bass... i'll play bass ... if i want violin i'll play violin.... i want "what the hell was that.. , wait... there it is again..." it does it ... good.. ten again...

c'mon now... you think i'd really take my baby on tour? one only gets one of these in a lifetime if you're me......... i won't let it out of my sight. the only way i can guarantee it'll keep working is if i don't move it... in fact the release on the adsr wont work unless it's set just right, actually i fixed that....but still... no.. that's what micro korgs are for ..... it's my classsic muscle synth, i don't commute with it, it's for special occassions...

i'd rather wreck my car than to lose this synth. period... in fact i can think of body parts i would rather part with.... i got this synth from a now deceased best friend who knew me well enough to sell it to me cheap months befor he died..... STEAL THIS AND I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND KILL YOU AND EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!

I'am using a Mk II from the Series with Moog-style filters, although it does not sound much fatter than the standard ones. It uses the old-style pitch knob.
Presets are not found on this one, but there is a patchbook available online or via ebay.
Editing is fairly easy if you work through the manual, but still, sometimes the faintest adjustments can influence the sound. Thus, it may well be possible to create sound and never hear it again.
The manual is fairly good, but of course far from what you would expect today.

Polyphony is only two tones, but not advisable, as on my one striking more than one key will usually sound horrible.
Effects: Not in the classical sense, but echos, wahwahs and leslies are quite easy to program with the LFO.
Expansion: CV gate, and thats about it.
Midi: Rather not.

The sound is clearly distinctable, and the range is huge (you may even create sounds that noone wants to hear), but you can achieve stuff you can't get from a Moog.
It works best for electro, rock or funk.
There are no onboard effects, but you can produce so many sounds and "pseudo-effects" via LFO etc that you wont need them.
Reaction to playing is good, sometimes it even reacts without being played (...)
There is no aftertouch, but you can adjust the AR / ADSR to your preferences to form the sound of your choice.

Reliability is an issue on this one: Although more stable than a moog and considered advanced for its time, gigging this one is quite challanging. Studio work is easy, but for gigs (lights and other sources of heat) may or may not affluence the tune of the ARP. I use it for gigging, looped through a tuning device, and adjust after every second piece or so (although my specimen is relatively stable and may be played for longer times withoug the necessity to adjust). I would definitely not go on stage without an alternative instrument, but I use it for the fun of it anyway.

Well, customer support was so good ARP went out of business, so... Best look for a good synth builder in your vacinity, and bring a big vallet when something is broken. Although my acquaintance has quite a lot of replacement parts, they are getting harder to get (especially the internals), and as most interiors are melted into raisin, repair is not feasable for many parts.

Yeah, the ARP.... There are not many instruments I sincerly love (sounds, variablity, feel) and hate (reliability, tuning) as much as this one. It is very emotional, but as it comes for synths, there are not many that are a match for it, I guess.
It is absolutely worth what I paid for it three years ago, but if you look for a day to day use professional instrument, go for a new korg or a moog voyager. The list of potential options may last for pages, but basically, it has what it needs to get cool synth solos (for which I use it). You may best describe playing an ARP to driving an old car: There are better, cheaper, faster and more reliable ones out there, but the feeling of playing a legend (think rocket man, chameleon, Frankenstein, Joe Zawinuls oevre) may improve your playing style more than a brand new boutique synth.
Of course, there are limits. My ARP with AAA shape (all knobs, practically no scratches), and cost 900$ a few years ago, and that was already my rational limit. Today I see pieces of junk going at ebay, for more than 1000 bucks a piece, and thats simply not worth it.

Ease of use is great if you are used to using analog synths. I started playing with a Putney VCS3 and a Moog 15, so to me it is a piece of cake.It is not a press preset and play instrument. You really can get an infinite amount of sounds. If you really insist on getting the same sound every time than I suggest you buy one of the software emulator versions that are out now.

This is a strictly analog beast. You can play two notes at a time if you desire or sync the two ocsillators together which is my more common use.
I have the 2813 version (black and gold) that was expertly restored by KurtsAmps. It has the Cv outputs on the back and I added a cv to midi converter on mine.
It has no internal effects and no sequencer built in. This beauty is a strict gem of the mid seventies . It has many features including two VCOs 1 LFO, 1 noise generater, a ring modulator, sample and hold functions, It has a LP filter with can be modified by almost everything. The real beauty of this synth is its modulation and routing options. It was designed to be a more cost friendly cousin to the 2600 which is still the Cadillac of analog preformance oriented synths. The layout is very easy to use and Arp always used this sort of block schematic model for their controls.

This is a synthesizer for analog synth player. It can be used to emulate instruments if you desire that but that is a waste of what this thing does best. If you want those types of sounds you won't like this keyboard. If you want vintage sounds or like a synthesizer to sound like a synthesizer this is for you. I own many synths both old and new and this thing is best descibed as raw! It does not have the warm sound of the Moog but it is beautiful in a different way. This thing can be smooth and silky as well as rip your head off mean. It has some awesome routing and modulation capabilities. I run mine through a moderate effects processer just mostly for a little reverb or delay and it sounds wonderful. It creates bass sounds that cut through concrete as well as leads that will blow your guitarist away. I do wish Arp had used a pitch wheel instead of the knob and later models had the PPC control pads which get different reviews depending who you talk to. It has a pedal sw for portamento as well as a control pedal input. This one works nice as a sort of wah wah pedal. I like trading solos with this and the Moog just because the contrast is so prominent. The sounds are as different as a strat is to a Les Paul. You can really create some interesting sound effects, drones as well as percussive sounds with this thing. It is way more useful than just leads or bass sounds. The keyboard action is ok and fairly typical for a synthesizer.
You can download patch templates for this so you can remember your own sounds. The key is to experiment.

I bought mine off of Ebay and cosmetically it was ok but most of the controls needed to be gone over. Kurt of KurtsAmps.com restored this thing to all of its glory. I have had no problems with mine at all. It requires an initial tune if you are playing with other people in a certain key but after that it stays in tune. It is a good idea to periodically work your slider pots up and down their full range to keep them sounding clean. If the sliders don't move freely get the unit repaired because they can break if you force them. The controls are not as robust as the Moog but mine all work fine.
Due to it's age and personal value to me I don't gig with it in clubs where cigarette smoke is a problem. I don't want it banged up either. I create sounds with mine and then sample them to other keyboards or use in my studio only.

Arp went out of business years ago but there are some talented techs out there who delite in repairing vintage gear. the hardest parts to get are the Arp slider pots .There is a couple of great web sites as well that you can get info on patches, mods and other general information such as user and service manuals.

If it was stolen I would go crazy. I paid $800 and spent another couple hundred getting it into shape and it was worth every penny. I always wanting one of these and now I have one. I have numerous other synths including a Moog Voyager, Arp Quadra, Oberheim Matrix 6, Oberheim OB 12
Roland JP8000 and 8080,Yamaha cs-20, Korg Karma, a few Kurzweils, Alesis 7.1, Emu and Yamaha Motif 8 rack synths as well as others. I'd love to get a good 2600 but the Odyssey does a great job. I love all of my instruments and each has their own strengths and weaknesses. I highly recommend this instrument to any synthesizer nut like me!

The Arp Odyssey defined electronic music during the 1970s. Its slide potentiometers make it easy to quickly check patches, and its internal patches provide tremendous flexibility without the mess of patchcords.

12 different models of Odyssey were produced, divided into 3 general categories: The white face units (hard to tune but a great filter, some have potted components and are hard to service), black with yellow printing (the Mark II, which added CV in, but had an inferior filter), and black with orange printing (some included the PPC keyboard described below).

The keyboard circuitry uses a clever technique to achieve duophony, but for most practical purposes it is monophonic. It is essentially an analog computer, so every sound it produces is to some extent an "effect". The earliest, white faced models have a better filter than later models, but the later models add CV in. It is fairly easy to modify the filters on later Odyssey units to correct for a design error that reduced the cutoff range to only 12KHz.

Although it predate MIDI, MIDI to CV converters may be used with the later units. The last units produced incorporated the inventive Proportional Pitch Change keyboard, which allowed notes to be bent up, down or vibrato to be added by exerting pressure on the keys in different directions.

Basically you don't buy an analog synth to emulate other instruments, you buy it because it can make analog synth sounds. Without going to the extremes of a full-blown Arp 2500, it's hard to imagine a more versatile analog synth. The Odyssey -- especially the first models -- have a very aggressive sound, and, unlike the Mini Moogs, offer PWM (pulse width modulation) and ring modulation.

The unit is fairly rugged, although the black and orange units have exposed key edges that are easier to break.

While Arp is long since gone, it's very easy to service the Odyssey, and the components are pretty simple. The earliest units may be potted, so beware. Replacement keyboard bushings are about the only part likely to deteriorate, and there are replacement sources for these on the web.

I've wanted an Odyssey since I was a teenager, and I'm please to finally own one. There is no synthesizer more representative of the classic analog sound, and the slide pots really define its era. If you can find one, buy it. It will only increase in value.

Easy to edit. The Manual is very good (not only for the Odyssey, but for learning analog basics

Polyphony, one note (or two, depending on the patch)
No effects of expansion. I have not midified mine, but it's cheap.

If you were alive in the 70's you heard Moog's and ARP's. I use it sparingly to play 70's progressive stuff. Nowadays it is relegated to the filter sweep in Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" and the lead parts in the Cars "Just What I Needed".

Mine is very reliable. In 1978 it was rebuilt with a Minimoog keyboard so the pitchbend is on the keyboard vs. the knob of the front panel. A modulation wheel was also added. I have the White version with the CV upgrades. I plan to add the Moog style filters used on the Black and Gold version (available through Cirocco Music and a few other sources).

I would replace it if stolen. I love this keyboard. I don't have any hate or dislikes about it.
Why I chose it. Although this is my 4th Odyssey, it is the only White-faced I've ever owned. I was at a store called Cal-Music when they got their first Odyssey in. I waited for them to unbox it. I waited while the sales guys played it. I waited until it was my turn, and I went nuts on it. I couldn't afford one then, but I have always wanted one. A guy whose path I've crossed on and off for years had this one and had it upgraded with a different keyboard years ago. He got in a bind and I got a great deal (I have the original keyboard as well, and I have a brand new white-faced case (still in plastic).

My beautiful Odyssey was previously owned by a famous producer and was used on many 80s hits by said producer, it was kept in an airconditioned smoke free room so is in fantastic shape it is one of my favourite monosynths of all time with excellent routing solid build and all the sliders intact, servicing is easy for a keyboard nut like myself and has the PPC controls that some players dislike but I find them ok to use. Great sounds very full for a 2 osc Vco nice sync lead and strange noises from this board.

Its a duophonic board with use of the ADSR and AR being shared by both osc so this feature is somewhat limited, has good interface capability with the usual CV gate trig and VCF pedal and Portamento footswitch input. My machine (black/orange) has a nice feel to the keyboard with reliable triggering due to regular servicing.

If you like synthesizer sounds then you will love an Ody its emulation of traditional instruments is poor but thats one reason I love this baby its a synth players synth not some crappy sounding S&S or VA you have to work with it and it rewards you with very fine sounds gritty dirty agressive and plain evil!. Its not really an easy board for a beginner to learn analogue techniques or very fashionable for the dancey stuff around these days but if you want a monster sounding analogue then look no further, prices are going through the roof for a good Ody and with only 3000 produced you will have to look hard and long at any ARP on ebay as there are some terrible tatty broken Odys out there at very high prices

It never leaves my studio and has been 100% reliable but there are plenty of owners out there who will say otherwise, I treat my Ody like the Antique it is, with love and care!

ARP is long gone, but can be a V pricey synth to get fixed as lots of parts are becoming scarce, you may need a rough Ody for parts to keep a good one going.

Its great and compliments my Moogs and Sequential kit love it!
Be very careful buying without trying for its a complicated mono that can hide serious faults to the inexperienced buyer. Buy one thats been well looked after and leave the dogs to the synth tecs.

Typical easy, interactive early monophonic!

The Mini and Odyssey are both special yet different, and complement one another well. The Mini's magic, but the Odyssey's also great, shares that warm, purely musical and organic quality with the early monos like the Mini and SEM. Not obesely fat like a Mini, yet plenty thick (early 70s Cameleon-era Herbie Hancock bass/leads), punchy; reminds more of an SEM-a little less fat but cleaner than a Mini.

No problems if left in apt./studio

Arps might be a little harder to service than some other analogs, just not as common.

Exellent, pure and warm analog as done by the Odyssey, Mini and SEMs..

Sliders and knobs, switches, pure hands-on. I have a white-face , in the 26000 ser no. Got it from a gent who played it since 1970, when he purchased it from the original owner. I received a manual (the one with Pete Townsend front and centre on the cover) which was written in 1976 for later models, but it pretty much explains every feature. It refers to the switches as "the black slider" or "the red slider" but the manual is in black and green, so you have to have the machine in front of you to really know what's happening. But otherwise everything is well-explained, with examples and lots of sample patches..

We're dealing with an analog machine. For analog monosynth it gets a 10. I recently picked up a Minimoog and the ARp has more mod routing possibilities, plus PWM and sample and hold. The keyboard has pretty good action, no real complaints. Let's straighten out one thing: ALL ANALOG KEYBOARDS DO HAVE A MEMORY. They have exactly one. When you turn it on, it will still sound the same as the last patch you dialed up before you shut it off! If it didn't then when you shut it off, all controls would reset themselves to zero. I understand there originally was a footswitch for VCO 2 and a pedal for the VCF. I've never seen them but the pedal for the VCF would be nice.

Lovely, more analog sounding than the Moog, like really flat. The Moog has a certain spacey-ness to the sound, the way the filters respond and the characteristic. You can get some really funky sounds on the Moog, but the ARP is much more...earthy? You can also get spacey with the ARP, but there is a grit and funk all its own in the ARP. The controls are very sensitive and you can literally spend days tweeking everything. I'm still learning some of the advanced features. You can use osc 1 as a modulating LFO, you can tune osc 2 to a different note than osc 1, creating "duophonic" sound at a fixed interval. Or you can sync the two oscillators for the same note. There is ring modulation, which can create bell-like sounds depending on the other settings. Watch out for the resonance control, it will cause deafness in humans and dogs. Don't adjust it while holding a note; adjust, then play. The VCF ADSR is quite nice, and can be combined with the AR of the VCA in various ways to make the keyboard very expressive. Using the square wave to modulate the filter with a decay and release up a bit, you can create an interesting delay efeect. The possibilities go on and on, believe me. After all anything analog includes the setting "infinity". I took one mark away because it's not "pristine" sound, it's gritty. For real nice and clean you want Moog. But they're apples and oranges.

It was in a bag in the attic for 25 years. It still worked, but many of the sliders were stiff, especially the Noise/Ring Mod slider. Some loosened with playing, but the unit will need service before it's a 10 in this dept. A few sliders were broken off as well but still working. Unfortunate but not impossible to fix. These sliders are meant to be used, and if they stay idle, they stiffen. The keyboard tracks well, but will need to be re-calibrated to play in tune properly. Mind you it's not bad at all, considering the age. Sometimes I will play for example a low G, then a D right after, but a G will trigger instead. This happens elsewhere too, but it may have to do with the release still discharging before hitting the next key. Playing technique may be the fix.

I have found a very reliable tech to work on it, and will rely on this person for all my analog gear from now on. Don't let just anyone work on these older units. They are getting old, and should be treated like 100-year-old antiques. If you gig, take the responsibility when it breaks down. There's no way I would take my Moog or ARP on the road at this point. People only drive antique cars in nice weather on Sundays. Same attitude applies here to taking these things out of the house. Cover the ARP with a plastic dust cover when not in use. The sliders are open and dust will get inside the unit. I understand there are CV/Gate mods for this unit. I'll be talking to my tech about that in the future.

If it were lost or stolen, would you buy it again or get something else?

If I had the money, I'd replace it.

Is it worth what you paid?

Absolutely. It's available much cheaper than a Moog but as worthy.

How long have you been playing?

Long enough to know a minor from a major.

What other gear do you own?

PolySix, EH MiniSynth, Minimoog Model D, Sequential Multitrak, Fender Rhodes Suitcase 88, Hohner D6 Clavinet (black), several other dig-analog hybrids, a few racks, Mac G5 w/Cubase SX and Halion, bla bla...

what do you love about it?

It's musical sound and versatility.

What do you hate?

The stiff sliders - fixable.

Software version? Presets? Editing patches? Whatsthat?
Pure analog, sliders rather than knobs, but nothing too difficult to learn. Anyone can learn a two-oscillator synth, I guess. Never had a manual.

Keyboard action... well, the triple padded cells must have been a cool concept back then, but they only work properly one out of ten times. Better to forget about it and play like a non-sensitive keyboard. And the sliders come in too flavors: too sticky or too loose. Moog knobs I have seen are sturdier. Ok, I probably did not get the best preserved board out there, but ARP materials and workmanship seem desperately cheap to me.

Sounds real good. It's a shame so many players today think of it as a phat bass thingy only. So much solo work to do, so many cool sounds to experiment with.

I may be repeating myself, but this thing won't get any award for "most reliable analog synth". Every time you turn it on, anything can happen. Yep, it may even work fine!

Of course ARP is long gone, but the local techies here seem to know how to deal with it. Unfortunately, I see them a little too often for my taste.

I don't think the great sounds of this board are worth the maintenance pain. All 70s synths are kinda unrealiable since they were built to last a few years at best, but this one really puts your nerves to the test. In addition to a contemporary Roland (which I love, no matter what the anti-digital crowd says) I also have a SC Pro One which I would never sell, but the Odyssey does not have a guaranteed place in my lineup.

Straightfoward for those who have any analog programming skills. Small learning curve for youngsters.

It is what it is - a monophonic analog synth with the ability to split the two oscillators (duophonic) into a single filter. (For me a true polyphonic analog synth would have a full signal path for each voice)

Very unique, classic sound. The earlier comparisions to the Minimoog aren't quite the way I've thought of the two. I'd say that the Odyssey is to a Minimoog what the Strat is to the Les Paul.

Samples will never do this synth justice!

Well covered earlier.

Well covered earlier.

I would look for a replacement if needed, and if I could find a second one, I'd buy it for parts.

A classic. If you want real analog, this is certainly a great choice

I've got a Black/Orange model 2823, with PPC pads.. I don't have the manual, but if you've used other analog synthesizers you will figure the Odyssey out rather quickly. The controls are laid out logically, and clearly labeled.

The Odyssey is a duophonic synth, oscillator 2 being the 2nd voice. I didn't particularily like this feature, so I disabled it. I believe most people will use this synth for its massive lead/bass capabilities. The filter is extraordinary, and very musical when tracked by the keyboard. There are 2 envelopes, the first of which is very fast, and can make great percussive sounds... there are cv/gate ins and outs, so you could use expander modules, sequencers, etc with this synth. (the AVATAR would be a nice add-on..4 oscillators = yum!)

This is the catagory in which the ARP Odyssey excells. The oscillators are thinner than moogs, but not by much.. Much fatter sounding than Korgs, though. You can do anything from leads, to drones, to wierd star-trek noises.. it all depends on your willingness to fiddle with switches and sliders for hours on end. If you like the Moog, Korg, Roland type stuff, the ARP will do well in your collection.. Don't buy it if you want to do piano sounds..

This is the only negative point I can think of about my ARP.. I'm a tech, so it doesn't scare me too much, but if you're not technically savvy, then steer clear. It will require regular adjustments, and tweaks to stay in tip-top shape. The keyboard is somewhat clunky, and it feels like a 20-something instrument. Again, I actually enjoy this about vintage gear.. it definitely keeps me on my toes. After warming up, it's oscillators seem rather stable, but this could vary from synth to synth. Don't count on this synth live, unless you're armed with a tool kit and know how to use it. I've had to break it open before a sound check to tweak minor things, and I'm sure this is common..

ARP no longer exists, so forget about customer support.

Note that the $250 I paid for mine was abnormal, and I had to do some repairs before it was roadworthy... I love my ARP, and if it were stolen or lost I'd try to replace it.. The sound is great, it blows my Korg MS-2000 away, and is much more fun to create patches on.. I highly recommend this keyboard for the intermediate or expert synth user, but I would not recommend it for beginners.. a little to heady!
I would like to add that despite the fact that everyone seems to think it's the cat's meow, the 2800 whiteface version should be avoided for very regular use because the circuit board is encased in resin, making repairs VERY difficult. And the filter is not all that much better than the latest model, the 2823. The MkII, (black & gold) also has somewhat of a limited filter range, but is still much easier to fix than the whiteface model, and the filter's cutoff range can be increased. If you get an odyssey, go to this website for info:
http://www.overacker.com/ody/index.html

Subtractive Synthesis. Obviously the guy(s) below me don't know what the hell they are doing or talking about. I guess the ARP doesn't have enough buttons automated options for them. Hey guys, guess what! You have to be able to play when dealing with the classics. This synthesizer (shy of the ARP 2600) is one of the badest machines EVER made. Just ask George Duke, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock... Any Fusion or Rock band worth its salt about this machine.
As for the Moog (Mini), it doesn't compare. Don't get me wrong the Mini Moog is awesome for what it can do. But the oscillators, filters, ring modulation, ASDR.. etc on the ARP is clearly superior! Take it from someone who knows. I grew up during this era.

2 oscillators, although there is a patch that can get you 3 note chords.

Analog. What more can I say. With all this new found analog craze (70's retro) This is the one!

Absolutely!

Defunct. Thanks to the Avatar and senior managements refusal to listen to Inventor Alan R. Pearlman about its release.

Well it was stolen years ago. One day I will probably replace it, if I can find one that was used by a professional, or one of the names mentioned above.
The price for a good used one should tell you something of its value.

somehow this is not as friendly as I thought.

mono 2 vco with somewhat ok sounds

I think you better of with more musician synth
such as minimoog or octave cat etc.
the sounds of the ARP family synths are weak and dull
compared with moog.

This is really where its sucks the most.

what?
it is 2000 not 1970...

forget it.
This one has more hype than noise.
I sold it and bought myself an Octave Cat
which is the better synth and more musical by far.
don't wast your time on it.

The Odyssey is a very comprehensive analog synth that, at first glance, looks like a synth for a Rocket Scientist, but then Alan Ross Pearlman (ARP) designed amplifier modules for the Apollo Space Program before forming ARP Inc. If you have a good understanding of analog synthesis, the Odyssey is easy to use with every parameter immediately accessible. The Odyssey is a cut down version of the ARP 2600, and generally came in three models:

2800 (Mk1 - 1971) Cream/white pannel, black labelling.
2810 (MK2 - 1974) Black pannel, Gold labelling and CV Gate interface jacks.
2820 (Mk3 - 1977) Black panel, orange labelling, PPC controller, new slider caps, new case

Even when compared with todays analog modelling synths, the ARP Odyssey offers plenty of comprehensive features that made it the classic machine that it is. Basically, the top row of sliders affect the actual audio signal path, while the bottom row control the extent that modulators and controllers affect the audio signal. The Odyssey uses switches instead of patch leads to make connections between modules (2 VCOs, VCF, VCA) and their Modulators (LFO, Sample & Hold, AR, ADSR and Keyboard).

2 VCOs Saw and Pulse Waves
Ring Modulator
White & Pink Noise
LFO
Sample & Hold Generator
Low Pass 24dB/Oct VCF
High Pass 12dB/Oct Filter
VCA
AR Generator
ADSR Sustain Release Generator

The Odyssey is duophonic, so when you play two notes, Oscillator 1 tracks the low note, while Oscillator 2 tracks the high note.

On the negative side, the Odyssey uses sliders to control Course Oscillator pitch, rather than the preferrable octave switches. This makes tuning awkward if you quickly need to change pitch on the fly. The other minus is that my machine (2800), uses a knob to control pitch bending instead of a wheel.

Even compared with today's digital machines, the Odyssey still has that unique musical sound of its own. I once read that if you changed the sound on the Odyssey every second it would take you about a year to realise its full sonic potential. The filter is very musical and versatile, producing a superb pure sine wave tone when Self Oscillating. Using the Low Pass and High Pass filters together, you get a Band Pass Filter! The S&H generator enables some superb bubbling filter or random pitch sounds that could find there way into any Sci Fi special effects music.

Sonically the Odyssey is thin, sharp and bright, whereas a Moog is fat, warm and mellow. The Odyssey, with its comprehensive modulation facilities, is sonically more versatile than a Minimoog. This is subjective but I generally consider the Odyssey to be better at imitative synthesis than a Minimoog.

My Odyssey is a 1972 model, that has cheated death once, so I think it has done well to last 28 years.

The sliders tend to be stiff. Be warned that some contact cleaning lubricants like Servisol actually destroy the carbon tracks within the sliders!

Alan Pearlman couldn't get a patent for his filter, so he encased the componenets in a resin block to make it difficult for anyone trying to copy his design. Unfortunately, this makes repairing a broken filter difficult, unless you know someone wanting to scrap an Odyssey that has a perfectly good filter block.

As mentioned in a previous review, you may need to recalibrate the tuning in winter and summer, since the Odyssey uses Temperature Dependant resistors to generate the Oscillator pitch.

ARP went bankrupt in 1980 mainly due to the high cost of developing the Avatar (Keyboardless Odyssey) guitar synth.

Kenton do CV/Gate and MIDI retrofits for ARP Odysseys.

I started out in analog synthesis 20 years ago with a Moog. I soon found myself using my friend's ARPs to complement the fat moog sound. I finally got my own Odyssey in 1990. The only other analogue that offers similar modulation capabilities is a Sequential Circuits Pro-One. The odyssey offers a palette of sounds that stand the test of time. I have had no shortage of offers to part company with it, but have so far declined since its absence would leave a gapping whole in my sound that would be difficult to replace. I also feel confident taking the Odyssey live. I know that it is probably belongs in a museum, but I intend to continue using mine until one of us meets our maker.

If you understand analog, it's very easy to program because all the
parameters are on sliders right in front of your face. The amount of
control offered by each slider seems to have been well thought out.
There were a couple of pitch bend options on the various models, mine
is a white-face which has the knob but I never use it because a) the
knob is missing, b) I prefer a wheel with a spring return-to-center.
And it doesn't have a modulation wheel, you have to tweak the sliders
themselves as you play, and sliders aren't as easy to tweak as knobs
or a wheel.

So for programming I give it a 10 (for a non-preset analog) but playing
only gets a 6 so I averaged it to 8.

Extensive feature lists are available elsewhere on the web.

One of the coolest things about the Odyssey is it's duophonic
capability. Unlike most analog monosynths which will play only the
lowest or highest note you're playing, the Odyssey will play the
lowest and the highest notes. This has plusses (you can play
harmonies, you can do cool things with the ring modulator, you can get
interesting portamentos and articulations), it also has minuses
(monophonic playing techniques that rely on only a single note
sounding won't work).

I actually like the keyboard on mine, it's nice and soft and doesn't
bounce. I use the keyboard because my Odyssey doesn't even have CV
inputs let alone MIDI.

And it's got a ring modulator, a sample-and-hold with selectable
inputs, a high-pass filter, and switchable white/pink noise,
all things you won't always find on similar synths, so for its
class it gets a high features rating.

It's a very musical synth, thanks to the usable parameter ranges,
envelope shapes, nice burbly filter, and sine/square LFO (as opposed
to tri/square). I find it hard to make a bad patch on it -- although
in the Odyssey's case, sometimes bad is good. It's duophonicness adds
interest to the sound that similar synths just don't have. Use it
anywhere you want a cool analog sound.

My Odyssey is probably 25 years old and everything works and sounds
great. The sliders tend to get broken off though so I really can't
give it a high rating. Also like every analog you might want
to tune it every now and then. I only use it at home.

There is no company anymore.

I love my Odyssey, and I learned analog on a Moog. I've had it for
about four years. I would cry if I lost it and then replace it. It
makes my Pro-One sound sterile. The envelopes, LFO, and filter on the
Odyssey are all more musical. I don't even miss not having CV or
MIDI. Ok, I'll admit I wish it had octave switches on each VCO
instead of coarse tuning sliders. It does have a +/- 2 octave switch,
but that controls the keyboard not the individual oscillators.

Note that your mileage may vary on the filter since the different
models had different filters.

Why hasn't anyone reviewed the ARP Odyssey? There are plenty of them out there. They sound great (no patching or presets) and they are easy to use. Think early 1970's when the awesome ARP 2600 was blowing minds and ears with artists like Weather Report and Edgar Winter Band. Who could afford the thousands of dollars needed to buy one if you weren't in a successful band? Answer from ARP: the junior version of the 2600, the Odyssey. It came out in black or white and later orange. If you appreciate the 2600, then you would love the Odyssey.

No polyphony, touch sensitivity, effects, expansion, or Midi. Don't need it. Small, basic, synthesis machine with two oscillators, two envelope generators, a ring modulator, noise generator, low frequency oscillator, VCF, VCA and a high pass filter, three octave keyboard, with sync, sample/hold, and auto repeat. Kind of like half a 2600. But without patching with cables. It does it's own thing very well.

This is a very hands-on synth. The sliders for the different functions supply the expressiveness. It sounds like an extremely electronic instrument for extremely electronic music. Don't expect saxs or pianos. It deserves it's own genre of music. Someone should think of one and invent a new style. What an opportunity!

It gets old and stiff and maybe needs an overhaul. But it is almost thirty years old. Very dependable for gigs. And inexpensive too. It will last forever or until I die, whichever comes first.

With ARP out of business, repairs are ify. Good Luck.

I suggest you read my reviews of the ARP 2600 and the Korg MS-20 here at Harmony-Central because my feelings about the ARP Odyssey are the same: old synths like these machines truely rule! And they are becoming more and more rare and expensive with every passing day. Get them while you still can, no matter what the cost because in the long run it will be more that worth it! They are the freakiest and coolest sounding synthesizers ever! Modern digital stuff doesn't even come close! Nord Lead? Give me a break! (or a Nord Lead). Thanks.