Oberheim OB-Mx

if you know how synths work its very logical...i love the lay out.

everything you could want from a synth...I wish I had more voice cards...but oh well...the thing is a monster as is!

best synth i have ever owned. ive owned honestly almost everything; arp 2600, juno 106, sh101, xpander, ob8, prophet 5, prophet 600, sem, system 100, se-1...everything. i like this the most. its fat, wierd, normal, tingy, clear, noisy, its everything.

never had a problem knock on wood, thing powers up stays on for hours and always works

lol, cant call anyone...but i would like to find some voice cards...i know there out there.

sell everything for this. if it was stolen I would buy a gun.

Ease of Use- -compared to what? I find i pretty easy to use. I t has a lot of everything, 3LFO's, two filters, etc. You can control the osc pitch with LFO, or let the velocity control the mixer, ..pretty mutch anything is possible in the Matrix (no kidding') I don't have a manual to check things, ..and I guess that also says something about the usability.

I have the four voice version. I usually use at least two sounds (it's multitimbral) and sometimes use all four (one voice for each timbre, or assign it how you like) I would love to expand it to twelve voices, but have'nt found any store who sell or know about the voice expansion.

The sounds are great, .even if I have heard opinions otherwise. It is a electronic music instrument. i can't really say that I would use it for Rock, Jazz, ..it sounds very analogue (!) , ..well ok Herbie Hancock and Sun Ra used all the old analogue gear, ..but when I fool around with the OBMX, ..I think of Aphex Twin, Pluxus, Depeche Mode, Mitchiko, etc.

The tuning is a little unstabile, but you soon accept that you have to push the tune button every now and then. I have used it on a lot of gigs and never had any trouble.

The customer support is'nt very good, , .but can't really say I depend on it.. .but is there any good customer support.?

If you are looking for something different and very flexible, ..you should really think about getting a OBMX. I have alot of other gear and would'nt trade it for any other gear within reason. Comparing to other gear like the MemoryMoog.., well the OBMX is multitimbral and sounds very different from all other gear I've tried out. The Jupiter6, 8 , ..again I would pick the OBMX.

Fairly easy to use, if you are good with analog synths. It has some hidden "page 2" level for modulations, but this is where the real power comes in to make interesting sounds. Simple to learn. A good manual...

Depending on the unit - it comes with 2 to 12 voices. More voices = more fun, but expensive. Nice that you can add-on though. Good MIDI and modulation ideas - much better than old Matrixes and Expanders. Only analog with more options is the Andromeda.

While not really HiFi - I think this instrument can sound GREAT. I HATE the presets, wiped them all out and made my own. It is crucial not to judge this synth by those presets! It is very musical but also makes nasty dirty sounds quite easily. It has a very gritty analog sound - no virtual or dig synth sounds here. Some people really hate this synth, but it took me some time to learn it and get the best from it - how to set envelopes. mixes, filters, etc. The "fat" sound I can get from it is rivalled only by modular synths or CS80 type poly-synths. It does beautiful sounds too.

Hmmm.. not too sturfy, but some people tour with it. Be sure to pack the internal cards securely. Knobs are like most modern synths - be careful.

Used to be good, I think service centers are your only real option now. I have seen many coice cards for these sold here in LA - but maybe the supply has run out...

LOVE it so much. I dumped almost all my analog synths but kept the OB-MX Amdromeda and Voyager Minimoog. Everything else was replaced by these synths - lots of power AND reliable enough.