Oberheim OB-8

I'm sure they did kill it.

During the 5150 and OU812 tours, Eddie Van Halen played the keyboard parts using either Kurzweil K250 or Yamaha KX88 connected by MIDI to an OB8 backstage.

I don't know anything about keyboards, and so this isn't super, like, conjuring images for me.

It's just like, oh, yeah, I know some of those words.

Anyway, and then in the 3 a.m. editions, then we will get Aaron Dusser once again, you know, doing his folk rock thing.

The sonic centerpiece is an Oberheim OB-8.

That is what Jack called the star of the album.

It's a vintage synthesizer.

Maybe that's a better term.

When I leave Gary's house and turn the car stereo on, I find a song fading out, opening up space for an iconic synth riff played on an Oberheim OB-8 in the moody key of D minor.

It's a song I hadn't heard on the radio in decades, but the opening notes are unmistakable.

It's Philip's favorite band, Van Halen.

[synth music] Hello and welcome to Synth Icons with Andy Whitmore.

In this episode, I'm recreating 20 famous riffs and keyboard parts using the Oberheim OB-8.

You'll recognize plenty of these songs.

They're all classics.

Pat Metheny Group, David Bowie, "This Is Not America" [electronic music].

Prince, "Purple Rain" [electronic music].

So that was 20 famous Oberheim parts all played on the Oberheim OB-8.

All the parts were from the Oberheim series, starting with the OB-X, the OB-SX, OB-XA, and then finally the OB-8, which we have here.

It was about what the song needed at that point, a sonic space that matched its lyrical urgency.

Another fascinating detail, he used the Yamaha DX7 for classic synth leads, while the Oberheim OB-8 added those thick analog-ish textures to cut through the mix in later tracks.

You could almost hear why Prince mixed those two.

One provides clarity, one offers warmth, and together they give that dualistic vibe we feel when listening.