BACKGROUND
Oberheim Electronics was founded by Tom Oberheim in California in the early '70's, as a former ARP dealer. Together with Moog, Sequential and Arp, Oberheim was one of the highly reputed American manufacturers of analog synthesizers during the 70s and 80s. The last models of Oberheim's epic analog synthesizers was the monsters Xpander and Matrix 12. And also the less expensive series , but still good sounding, with Matrix 6, Matrix 6R and Matrix 1000. Oberheim was later sold to Gibson Guitars and today Oberheim is owned by the Italian company Viscount, that released Oberheim OB12 that is a good virtual modeling synth, but can not be compared with the sound of the Oberheim analog synths at the heydays.
DESCRIPTION
Oberheim Xpander is not like any other synthesizers. The look is alike a Matrix12, but without a keyboard. The Matrix12 is two Xpander and a keyboard. The patches are compatible between these two synths. The Xpander is one of the greatest analog monsters with sharp jaws and real slash - more wicked than all other analog synths. The Xpander can be operated as a 6 voices poly synth or 6 individual monosynth's, or be configured in other ways with the voices.
Oberheim Xpander Front
There are a lot of filters - in all shapes, 15 different. Or what about 90 VCA? Everything in the Xpander can be modulated with everything - in infinitely.The early Xpanders had 12 RAM chips and were replaced by 3 6264 chips at later machines. The Xpander was first manufactured in USA, but was lately moved to Japan. The Xpander is a desktop-synth without keyboard. It response on many things such for example velocity (that can control many things ), modulation- and pitch-wheel. The sounds are organized in two different ways:- 100 Single Programs
- 100 Multi Programs, that is combinations of Single Programs
Oberheim Xpander Rear
SPECS
- Modulation Sources
5 envelopes
3 tracking generator
4 ramp generators
Lag processor
2 pedal inputs
MIDI velocity
MIDI release velocity
MIDI pressure
2 MIDI levers
- Modulation Destinations
Oscillator 1 frequency, PWM
Oscillator 2 Frequency, PWM
15 VCA
VCF frequency, resonance
FM gain
Envelope parameters
LFO: Frequency, amount
- Filter Modes
1/2/3/4-pole low-pass
1/2/3-pole high-pass
2- and 4-pole band-pass
2-pole notch
3-pole phase shifter
3-pole phase + 1-pole low-pass
3-pole high-pass + 1-pole low-pass
3-pole notch + 1-pole low-pass
2-pole high-pass + 1-pole low-pass
- The Voice
2 VCO
1 VCF (15 modes)
15 VCA (some in Software)
1 FM generator
1 lag processor
5 digital envelopes
5 digital LFO
4 ramp generators
1 noise generator
CONNECTORS
Oberheim Xpander is abundantly equipped with connectors. It can be used as an 6 voice analog polyphonic synthesizer, or as 6 independent analog monophonic synthesizers. Or as a configuration between that, for instance as two monophonic synthesizers and a 4 voice polyphonic synthesizer. Each synth in the Xpander can be controlled by MIDI or CV/Gate. It has:
Oberheim Xpander is abundantly equipped with connectors
- Audio Out
- 1 Mono audio output
- 2 Stereo audio outputs (Left and Right)
- 6 separate audio outputs for 6 different voices
- CV and Gate Inputs
- 6 CV inputs
- 6 Gate inputs
- Control Inputs
- 1 Trigger Input
- 2 Pedal Inputs
- Advance Chain
- MIDI and Cassette Interface
- To Cassette
- From Cassette
- MIDI In / Out / Thou
THE XPANDER SYSTEM
In the same line as Xpander XP-1 (1984) Oberheim manufactured during the mid 80s:
- DMX (1980) - Digital Drum machine
- DSX (1981) - Digital Polyphonic Sequencer
- Matrix 12 (1984) - similar to two Xpanders in one device, with keyboard (without CV/Gate)
INFO
(From www.hyperreal.com)
Oberheim Xpander MIDI Specification
Oberheim Xpander OS revisions
Oberheim Xpander Programming Discoveries
Oberheim Xpander Specs
Oberheim Xpander Versions
Oberheim Xpander Vs Matrix12
Xpansion
Xpansion files (zip)
(From Johan Boberg)
Xpander Midi Controller Notes
XPANDER MANUAL
- Get your Xpander Manuals at The Vintage Shop
REVIEWS
Sound On Sounds review of Oberheim Xpander
Remote Editing description from Xpander User group (technical description)
Oberheim Xpander in our studio, with address and zip code printed at the rear...
THE XPANDER SPECIAL CD: XPANDER PATCHES, USER MANUAL AND SERVICE MANUAL
You can order our Xpander CD were we put together following content:
- Xpander User Manual (electronic document)
- Xpander Service Manual (electronic document)
- Xpander Pactory Patches / Volume 1. Wav file of the original cassette with Factory sound, dated june 19, 1984 (the cassette above)
- Data files with following patches:
| File | Format |
| con_x_lfobox79.mid | mid |
| con_x_ymod.mid | mid |
| mid.mid | mid |
| tobbebrass.mid | mid (by Torbjörn Frisk) |
| factory1.syx | sysex |
| m12.syx | sysex |
| sysex.syx | sysex |
| xp_sbug.syx | sysex |
| xpander.syx | sysex |
| unisyn.upt | upt |
| factory1.xps | xps |
| factory2.xps | xps |
| johnson1.xps | xps |
| springer1.xps | xps |
| urbanek.xps | xps |
Make the payment at PayPal to info@soundofmusic.se, including:
- That it is the Xpander CD you'll order
- Your shipping adress
- $25 or €25. That includes free world wide shipping. There are no other fees than the $25 or €25 (and no hidden fees). Please read following note:
* Note: Yes, we do take Paypal, but the type of paypal account we have will not allow us to accept credit card funded paypal payments (only those funded by bank accounts and already existing paypal account balances). If needed, first transfer the money to your Paypal account. Otherwise the payment will be denied and the manual not be sent.
EDITPROGRAMS
Motu Unisyn
Emagic SoundDiver - Discontinued, but can be found at Ebay etc.
LINKS
- Harmony Central - Xpander
- OberheiM OB12
- Oberheim Abbey
- Oberheim Xpander
- Oberheim Zone
- Rogue Music NYC (Spare parts)
- Sequencer.de - Xpander
- Sonicstate
- Synthmuseum.com - Xpander
- Viscount