With Tom Oberheim‘s recent introduction of the new Oberheim OB-X8, a lot of people have been wondering how the sound of the new synth compares to vintage Oberheim keyboards.

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.

Check out the demo and share your thoughts on how they compare in the comments.

0:00 Intro
1:38 Bank A Presets
6:32 Bank B Presets
7:50 Bank C Presets
10:33 Bank D Presets