Global chip shortage has claimed another victim, the Bastl Instruments Thyme effects processor.
The Thyme effects processor is described as ‘a sequenceable robot-operated digital tape machine’. It is a stereo effects processor, designed for the exploration the space between classical multi-effects categories (delay, phaser, reverb, chorus, pitch shifter, multi-tap delay, tape delay, tremolo, vibrato, compressor).
Bastl Instruments announced that they are retiring Thyme via Twitter:
“Good night sweet prince. You have fallen victim to the global chip shortage like many others. ? Sweet dream…you will not be forgotten. ?”
With Tom Oberheim‘s recent introduction of the new Oberheim OB-X8, many people have been wondering how the sound of the new synth compares to the vintage Oberheim keyboards. Rather than dodging scrutiny over how close the sound of the OB-X8 gets to that of the original OBs, though, the company is fully embracing the lineage.
The Oberheim OB-X8 is a new synth design that combines the three different voice architectures of the classic OB-X, OB-Xa, and OB-8 synths into a single instrument. The individual filter types and other unique characteristics of each model have been recreated, along with an 100% analog signal path.
In this official Oberheim video, Marcus Ryle, co-designer of the Oberheim OB-X8 and an Oberheim engineer from 1980 to 1985, walks through all 32 of the factory presets on his original OB-X, to demonstrate how faithfully the new OB-X8 reproduces each one.
All examples are recorded direct in mono, without EQ or effects.
Watch the demo and share your thoughts.
0:00 Intro
1:38 Bank A Presets
6:32 Bank B Presets
7:50 Bank C Presets
10:33 Bank D Presets
So, does the OB-X8 have the same magic as the OB-X? We advise you to take Oberheim’s advice and “listen and judge for yourself”.
Oberheim OB-X8 is a new design that combines the three different voice architectures of the classic OB-X, OB-Xa, and OB-8 synths into a single instrument. The individual filter types and other unique characteristics of each model have been faithfully reproduced, along with an 100% analog signal path.
“It’s an exciting day for Oberheim and for musicians anxiously waiting for the OB-X8,” said company founder Tom Oberheim. “We’re proud to reintroduce the Oberheim sound in a new instrument. But even more, we’re proud that we’ve been able to combine the voice architectures of the various original OB series synths in a way that gives players unique new sounds and capabilities that even the originals didn’t have. It’s an amazing-sounding instrument.”
The Oberheim OB-X8 offers broader synthesis options and expressive capabilities than its predecessors, including:
Additional SEM filter modes add high-pass, band-pass, and notch functions to the classic OB-X filter
Vintage knob allows variable amounts of voice-to-voice variability to emulate the behavior of vintage instruments
Velocity sensitivity adds expressiveness to volume and filter
