Oberheim is back and collaborating with Sequential’s Dave Smith on something new
“Get ready to party like it’s 2099.”
Credit: Oberheim via YouTube
Oberheim, the legendary synth brand behind the OB and Matrix synths, has teased its long-awaited return in a new video, revealing that a collaboration with Sequential’s Dave Smith is underway.
The teaser video, starring Tom Oberheim, Smith and former Oberheim engineers Marcus Ryle and Tony Karavidas, hints that a new synth is on the way; they’re shown joining together circuit diagrams drawn on bar napkins and throwing back tequila shots on Oberheim-branded coasters.
“You heard that right: Oberheim is back. And a new chapter is about to begin,” the brand captioned the video. “Get ready to party like it’s 2099.”
Watch the teaser below:
Oberheim and Smith, two luminaries of synth design, last collaborated on the OB-6, a “once-in-a-lifetime” analogue polysynth distributed by Sequential. It’s uncertain whether the upcoming collaboration between the two synth pioneers will yield an instrument released under the Sequential or Oberheim mark.
After filing for bankruptcy twice, first in 1985 and again in 1988, Oberheim was acquired by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. In 2019, Gibson CEO JC Curleigh returned the Oberheim brand rights to Tom Oberheim as “a gesture of goodwill to the musical instrument industry.”
Meanwhile, Sequential was acquired by Focusrite back in April 2021. Dave Smith said at the time: “With Focusrite, we’ve found an ideal home and a perfect cultural and technological fit. Phil Dudderidge and his team have a long history of quality, vision, and focus on what musicians and audio professionals really want. We’re excited to join such an industry powerhouse and contribute to our mutual success. I expect great things.”
Interested fans can sign up for updates directly from oberheim.com.
