The Oberheim TEO-5 five-voice polysynth combines the abilities of the legendary Oberheim OB-X, the Oberheim Four Voice, and the Oberheim TVS – all in one hardware device. Its genuine analogue sound generation allows it to authentically revive sounds from the past: Equipped as it is with VCOs, VCFs, and envelope emulations, as well as digital chorus, delay, and reverb effects, the Oberheim TEO-5 can create an astonishing variety of sounds. It also offers FM synthesis, a 64-step sequencer for complex melodic structures, and an integrated arpeggiator to create pulsating rhythms. The TEO-5 is played via an Aftertouch-equipped, transposable Fatar keyboard. With all these features, the Oberheim TEO-5 not only offers an instantly recognisable, organic, raw sound – it's also capable of creating entirely new, experimental sounds for unique compositions.
The Oberheim TEO-5 has two synchronised VCOs. Each voice has a sub-oscillator for truly thunderous bass notes, and the oscillators can also be individually switched to key tracking mode. In addition to the triangle, sawtooth, and variable pulse waveforms, the oscillators can also generate through-zero FM synthesis, which can be used to create particularly interesting textures. White noise can also be switched on in the pre-filter mixer, and the state control of the vintage SEM filter adjusted to employ low-pass, notch, and high-pass settings, with a band-pass mode also available. It is also possible to use the digital effects to add nuance to or fundamentally alter sounds via reverb, delay, and chorus, in addition to which metallic resonances can be created with the ring modulator, while the phase shifter provides more turbulent textures.
The Oberheim TEO-5 wasn't just designed to generate a wide variety of sounds from the golden age of synthesizers, but also to allow adventurous musicians to experiment with FM synthesis for more modern-sounding productions. The monophonic unison mode allows the user to produce a configurable blend of up to five voices: The priority of the voice triggering can be set at the touch of a button. True Bypass can be used to switch off the digital effects entirely, creating a completely analogue signal path that produces organic sounds straight from the 80s, while the rear panel of the Oberheim TEO-5 offers flexible inputs and outputs for effortless integration into any setup. Digital data can be received and sent to external hardware via the MIDI connections. As well as an optional footswitch, an additional pedal for sustain can also be connected, and silent practice at any time of day (or night) is possible via the headphone connection.
The Oberheim company gets its name from innovative American engineer Tom Oberheim, who presented his first analogue synthesizer – the SEM, or Synthesizer Expander Module – at the Audio Engineering Society Convention in Los Angeles in May of 1974. This was followed just one year later by the world's first commercially available polyphonic synthesizer: The Oberheim 4-Voice. These polyphonic synths, created by combining multiple independent synthesizers based on the SEM, made it possible for the first time to play chords and generate multi-timbre sounds at the same time, and an eight-voice model was available by 1976. The compact OB series was launched in 1979, and these models found their way into the hands of Van Halen, Rush, and Queen during the 1980s. In 2016, Oberheim teamed up with Dave Smith Instruments to create the voltage-controlled and polyphonic OB-6. Today, Oberheim is distributed by the Focusrite Group.
The Oberheim TEO-5 equips its users with extensive modulation options for creating multi-layered sounds. The two LFOs can be routed to freely assignable destinations, offering five waveforms: Triangle, sawtooth, inverted sawtooth, square, and sample/hold (random). In addition, users can synchronise the LFOs to the tempo, allowing them to be perfectly matched to each individual composition. The tempo can be set using the clock function, either manually with an encoder or via tap tempo (there is also a clock divider). Modulation of the velocity values of the five-stage envelope is possible, and for a truly vintage sound, Oberheim's proprietary Vintage mode can additionally be used to add authentically old-fashioned inflections to the behaviour of each voice.