Oberheim TEO-5 Synthesizer Offers Classic Oberheim Sound In A Compact Format
At Superbooth 2024, Oberheim today has announced the release of a new polyphonic analogue synthesizer, the TEO-5 synthesizer, a new instrument that they say blends “classic analog warmth and modern versatility”.
The Oberheim TEO-5 is the latest design from synth pioneer Thomas Elroy Oberheim (TEO), which explains the name. “I’m so proud to be able to make a synth like this… compact and affordable, the Oberheim sound for 2024,” he says.
Sequential’s Take 5 was the first product released after the brand was acquired by Focusrite in 2021. Based on a similar architecture to Sequential’s iconic Prophet-5, the synth took the core elements of the Sequential sound and packaged them into an instrument that was not only more compact and affordable than its influence, but also felt like a fresh and modernised take.
Oberheim TEO-5 Intro Video:
Now we have the Oberheim TEO-5 – effectively the same concept but with Oberheim in place of Sequential. Once again released under the Focusrite umbrella (while the modern Oberheim brand is still headed up by Tom Oberheim, it operates in collaboration with Sequential and Focusrite) the TEO-5 is based around many of the same features found on the company’s recent OB-X8.
The TEO-5 is designed to make the classic Oberheim tone palette widely accessible, encapsulating decades of analog engineering experience.
The new synth features a five-voice architecture with genuine analog VCOs and VCFs. But TEO-5 isn’t just a tribute to the past. Additions like through-zero FM, which adds a contemporary twist to its oscillator X-Mod feature, allow for the exploration of entirely new sonic textures. And the legendary Oberheim SEM filter returns, offering the versatility of morphing between low-pass, notch, and high-pass configurations, along with a switchable band-pass mode for extensive tonal shaping.
Beyond its core synthesis architecture, TEO-5 features a comprehensive modulation matrix. Digital effects processors provide classic chorus, delay, reverb, and more, alongside recreations of the classic Oberheim Ring Mod and Phasor effects.
Performance features include a 64-step polyphonic sequencer and multimode arpeggiator, along with a premium Fatar keybed.
“There was a huge surge of interest when Oberheim returned in 2022 with the historically inspired OB-X8,” said David Gibbons, CEO of Oberheim. “But Tom and the design team were keen to show that the magic of Oberheim can be within reach for everyone, and can bringa distinctive modern flavor. TEO-5 is an exciting addition to the Oberheim legacy.”
These include two analogue oscillators per-voice equipped with Oberheim’s distinctive X-Mod functionality, as well a SEM filter that can function in low-pass, high-pass, notch and band-pass modes.
Alongside these core features, the five-voice TEO-5 also packs two DADSR envelopes and two LFOs for modulation, a 64-step polyphonic sequencer and multi-mode arpeggiator.
There is also a ‘vintage’ control that can be used to add a little of the drift and unpredictability inherent in vintage analogue gear. Its signal path is rounded off with overdrive, plus digital reverb and multi-effect slots.
The Oberheim TEO-5 synthesizer is available now for $1,499.99.
