GForce have done it again.
It’s on special offer down from £99.99 at £59.99, but there is also a cross grade offer if you already have Oberheim SEM and/or Oberheim OB-E of £39.99.
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I bought it today though I own several OB emulations too as well as other instruments from GForce.
Another reason to buy from GForce is the hassle free copy protection (at least until now).
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I just bought it and am about to dive in!
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Just getting mine now whilst I can get it for £39.99!
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Mine worked fine, so suggest you get in touch with GForce
And whilst I have other OB clones, this one sounds great (and looks like it is officially endorsed as well).
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So I demoed and tested Arturia’s and GForce’s and to just see for comparison purposes the SEMs from PA and Cherry, and the freebie OB-Xd.
I tested a single oscillator for each waveform with filter wide open and resonance to zero to get a clean wave form. The expected result is a mostly accurate waveform at higher frequencies (potentially with some overshoot modeled) that deteriorates as it goes to bass frequencies. One of the reasons for this deterioration is the first order high pass filter created by coupling capacitors that connect the oscillator to the next stage in a hardware unit.
So we would expect to see this modeled in a good soft synth, right? But it varies greatly from maker to maker. BTW I use Lightbridge Signalizer as my VST oscilloscope, very good and free.
GForce: spot on and the waveforms behave just like you would expect hardware to do on a real oscilloscope.
Arturia: shockingly, it has no modelling at all in the oscillators and uses ideal waveforms for all types and frequencies.
OB-Xd: has some analog modelling in the oscillators and the waveforms do deteriorate as frequency goes to bass
Cherry Eight Voice (single SEM): a bit more oscillator modelling than the OB-Xd.
PA/BX Oberhausen: looks identical to Cherry’s. Did Cherry code that product to BX specs?
Not an OB but worth mentioning: The UAD PolyMax is spot on just like the GForce, which now that I’m done typing I’m off to go buy!
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I played it quite a bit today and it sounds amazing. Responds to polyphonic after touch too. I’ve never played the original hardware, so I can’t compare, but this thing is making my floors shake.
- Paul
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You do not actually say what you are comparing against when you say things are spot on. Spot on with respect to what?
I think comparisons like this are interesting, but we need to bear in mind that when manufacturers are modelling instruments, they are modelling the actual physical synthesizer unit that they have in front of them. So they might get it 100% bang on with respect to that unit, but bring another one in and it might sound different, due to component tolerances (which can derate with age), calibration differences, etc.
For me, I do not have a physical OB or space for more keyvoards, so VST it will be. The question then, is do I need another OB clone when I have so many already?
The answer was: “hell yeah!”. I am a (virtual) gear slut and it sounded amazing at an offer price that was too good to miss.
So, what Oberheims do I now have…?
- Arturia - Matrix 12 V
- Arturia - SEM V
- Arturia - OP-Xa V
- Cherry Audio - 8 Voice
- Gforce - Oberheim OB-E
- Gforce - Oberheim OB-X
- Gforce - Oberheim SEM
- Sonic Projects - OPX-II
- Synapse Audio - Obsession
And there are of course others out there
That is a lot of Oberheim! One great thing about making music today - all these amazing emulations at our disposal for surprisingly low cost. All of these sound good, but I think I am drawn more towards the GForce emulations, and knowing they are endorsed by Tom Oberheim is a bonus. I also have a soft spot for the Arturia Matrix 12 and the Obsession.
Compared to numerous analog circuits I’ve tested over the years with a similar topology to the part tested, but not specifically hardware OB-X. That said, it is very easy to recognize the modelling in software and recognize the lack of it. The lack of it doesn’t necessarily make something sound bad, or vastly different, but rather somewhat different, and depending on the listener arguably better. But it is less authentic.
I own most of these too. The only one I don’t really like is the Cherry Audio 8 voice (which is surprising since I love everything else I have from them).
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Yes, it is not their best. As I said, my preferences for the OB sound tends towards the GForce VSTs
Do you really think there’s an emulation coming close to the quaity of Sonic Project’s OB?
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Is it just me or do others find OB-X difficult to look at due to its brightness, particularly in lower ambient lighting?
Fixed 
I found the secret to it is just let it be what it is, which is a not that great emulation of an eight voice (imo), but something that programs a lot like one and can make some great sounds of its own as long as the expectation is not sounding like the hardware. But you’re right, if you want something that actually sounds like an actual eight voice, its the GForce.
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