Arturia has premiered the OB-Xa V soft synth for Mac and PC. Known for its awesome emulations of some of the most legendary synths, Arturia put its full engineering muscle into the OB-Xa, and created not only a recreation, but also pushed the envelope to make the OB-Xa a modern powerhouse.
Oberheim’s original OB-Xa made a big splash in the market when it debuted in December 1980. The OB-Xa’s most recognizable sound is the fat synth part from Van Halen’s Jump. However, it was a stable in music released throughout the 80’s. The artists that made music history with the the OB-Xa include Prince, Billy Idol, Chaka Khan, Bon Jovi, Vangelis and Gary Numan. The sound of this synth can be utilized for power ballads, ambient textures, and huge roars. It’s used today by the likes of Flume, Chrome Sparks, Calvin Harris and Venetian Snares, entering a new dimension of electronic music.
The main upgrade from its predecessor, the Oberheim OB-X, was switching from discrete circuitry to integrated Curtis chips, which resulted in greater stability in all Oberheim’s instruments. Although OB-X had a creamier sound due to its discrete SEM 12dB/oct state variable filter, OB-Xa offered two switchable filter modes: 12 dB/oct (2-pole) and 24 dB/oct (4-pole), leading to a slightly more aggressive sound. This punchy signature sound created by Oberheim made the OB-Xa V the bread and butter synth of the 80’s. OB-Xa brought an eight voice polyphony and deep control with the LFO capabilities.
For Arturia’s emulation, the French concern combined the original OB-Xa with the best features that OB-X and OB-8 had to offer, and left out some of the cumbersome elements, such as the multitimbral part of the original instrument.
Arturia’s OB-Xa V costs $149 and is available now.
Arturia
