Widely considered to be among the greatest synths of all time, Oberheim’s OB-X and OB-Xa were monstrous early ‘80s beasts that offered the phattest of sounds (think Van Halen’s Jump). Now IK Multimedia is offering you a way to get these sounds without having to pay a penny: its Syntronik OXa is currently free for anyone who subscribes to the company’s newsletter.
This emulates both the OB-X and OB-Xa, which were themselves evolutions of Oberheim’s SEM and 4-Voice instruments. It can run inside the Syntronik Free software which, as its name suggests, is also free.
Like the OB-X that preceded it, the OB-Xa was available in four-, six- or eight-voice versions and sported a somewhat simplified dual oscillator signal path. The OB-Xa, however, added a 24dB filter to the OB-X's 12dB model - in fact, you could create layered sounds that combined both for a more complex and engaging sound.
The OB-X range has been back in the news recently; Arturia recently released the OB-Xa V, its own plugin take on the Oberheim instrument, and Behringer is working on a hardware emulation. If you’re looking for another software option, there’s also discoDSP’s popular OB-Xd, available for PC/Mac and iOS.
Syntronik OXa is free until 17 June - it can be redeemed in the User Area of the IK Multimedia website once you’ve signed up for the newsletter. You can then download and authorise it and play it inside Syntronik or Syntronik free.
