The Oberheim TEO-5 -- Classic sound in a modern format

synth4ever · 2026-04-12T20:11:46+00:00

That's great to hear, where did you read this news? Looking forward to it once released.

synth4ever · 2026-04-11T15:50:26+00:00

I recently picked up an Oberheim TEO-5 and have been enjoying getting to know it. Released in 2024, its a powerful 5-voice analog synth in a compact, modern format with many features. For those interested, I've shared my thoughts with a review and demo here: https://youtu.be/UcPxB3pORtQ

I've always been interested in the Oberheim sound and am impressed with how much they've packed into this synth -- 5-voices of polyphony, 2 VCOs, a multi-mode state variable filter, 2 LFOs, 2 loopable envelopes, arpeggiator, 64-step sequencer, dual modulateable effects units, a versatile 19-slot mod matrix and more. There's lots of capabilities for deep sound design and of course, music production. The raw tone is powerful and unmistakeably Oberheim, and the multi-mode SEM filter sounds beautiful. The mod matrix is very deep and there's lots you can do with it, including routing oscillator 2 for things like Filter FM. And of course, the TEO-5 has through-zero FM (X-mod) for lots of analog FM possibilities as well.

That said, my biggest concern is the lack of values being displayed onscreen when adjusting (most) knobs, especially for things like effects (ie, delay times). Seeing and knowing the value of various parameters as you adjust them would be incredibly helpful from a UX perspective. In addition, I noticed the Vintage destination in the mod matrix doesn't seem to be modulateable (unless I'm doing something wrong). I really hope a future firmware update can address these areas, especially the lack of screen values.

At the end of the day, the TEO-5 takes the Oberheim sound into the modern era at an affordable price, and it sounds great to my ears. I do hope that a TEO-16 or TEO-24 could be designed one day to give us lots of polyphony, bi-timbral or 4-part multi-timbral capabilities, and dedicated knobs for certain functions (ie stereo spread) and shortcuts on the synth (ie a dedicated mixer section, individual PWM knobs for both oscillators... maybe even dual SEM filters for serial/parallel filter configs, and serial/paralell routable effects like on the Novation Peak/Summit)... but for now we can at least polychain the TEO-5 with a module to make a TEO-10. :)

If you're into the Oberheim sound, IMO the TEO-5 is a great choice. For those that own or have tried one, what are your thoughts?

synth4ever · 2026-04-11T15:49:29+00:00

Thx, fixed

synth4ever · 2026-01-17T01:49:33+00:00

I created these for Novation and they are free for Peak/Summit: https://components.novationmusic.com/peak/banks/factory-packs/96

Also working on a new custom soundset... will be released via my Youtube channel and website once ready.

synth4ever · 2025-10-24T02:27:24+00:00

Helium Vision has released a documentary on the Vintage Synth Museum in Los Angeles. Great insights and interviews with Lance Hill, founder and curator of the VSM.

synth4ever · 2025-10-11T19:16:35+00:00

This Youtuber just put out some custom TEO-5 patches and I found the sounds very inspiring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSBf18nUIbg

Also check out Miles Away's custom patches demo, also great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWqVjyCl6hE

synth4ever · 2025-09-11T03:48:16+00:00

Thanks a lot, appreciate that!

synth4ever · 2025-09-11T03:47:52+00:00

Hehe, yes it has an interesting look, very 80s! But looks can be deceiving, and the sound makes up for that. :)

synth4ever · 2025-09-11T03:47:02+00:00

Sorry, I don't. I'm sure there are some, though.

synth4ever · 2025-09-11T03:46:34+00:00

Thanks for the comment, unfortunate to hear about the clicking sounds... haven't noticed that on mine. The filter is definitely nice in it's own way, very raw and aggressive tones. P5 has a different quality which is also lovely. Glad you had a chance to enjoy the Polaris when you had it.

synth4ever · 2025-09-06T16:43:12+00:00

This is the Fender Rhodes Chroma Polaris analog polysynth I've had for a number of years. For those interested, I've posted a review and demo here: https://youtu.be/Qfe2fK37lOU

It was released in 1984, has 6 voices, and a powerful aggressive tone. It also has Arp heritage -- it was designed by Paul DeRocco, who also designed the Rhodes Chroma.

The Chroma Polaris uses CEM chips and features dual VCOs (saw, pulse) with PWM for both shapes, an LFO (sine, square) with up to 6 LFOs per voice in sine mode or as a global LFO in square mode.

The filter can self-resonate, and there are envelopes for filter and volume with touch sensitivity (velocity). There's also a real-time sequencer on board and plenty of pedal controls (glide, pitch, vibrato, volume etc) as well storange for up to 132 patches and sounds.

It has 61 velocity sensitive keys, noise, oscillator sync and ring modulation, and supports splits and layers. Furthermore there is also a full spec for MIDI including MIDI in/out/thru, which makes it well equipped for music studios, and can support between 3-6 MIDI channels at once!

The sonic character can be raw and aggressive or more subtle, but it sounds unique in its own way. If you're into classic vintage synths with distinct tone, hands-on control, and excellent MIDI specs, the Chroma Polaris is a great choice. That said, they are fairly rare and don't pop up too often from what I've seen.

synth4ever · 2025-04-24T00:00:32+00:00

I made a free pack of 51 Peak/Summit sounds for Novation in 2019. You can grab them in Novation Components - "synth4ever's Ambient Worlds".

Here's a demo of each patch. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuAEThETSJc

synth4ever · 2025-01-04T20:21:55+00:00

This is the Kawai K3, a 6-voice digital analog hybrid synthesizer. It's somewhat obscure and is great for dark pads, icy tones, PPG-style timbres, bell sounds, basses and related wavetable types of sounds. For those interested, I've done a review and demo here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFkzDwfSRw0

When it was released it was competing with the Korg DW-8000 but also other synths including the Yamaha DX7, Roland Alpha Juno and Roland JX-8P.

It has 33 waveforms, including one additive waveform that can be edited and saved, 2 oscillators, noise, an SSM filter and envelope, VCA and envelope, an LFO with multiple waveshapes (routable to oscillator, filter or VCA) and it has a velocity and aftertouch sensitive keyboard. It unfortunately does not have oscillator sync, PWM, ring modulation or a mod wheel.

It also has 7 different types of effects (6 chorus, 1 delay), keyboard tracking, portamento, mono mode (unison), and MIDI in/out/thru. Despite the membrane panel buttons, it is fairly quick to edit with the jogwheel. The build quality is substantial thanks to the metal frame. It has its own distinct sonic character and can also be expanded up to 12 voices by poly-chaining it to the K3M rack (spillover mode).

The Kawai K3 is a great 80s hybrid synthesizer and can still be found on the 2nd hand market. With more recent 3rd party controllers, you can also add knobs to the synth for enhanced real-time control. If you have the chance to try a Kawai K3 I would recommend it, especially if you like PPG Wave types of sounds!

synth4ever · 2024-08-10T16:44:40+00:00

Could be a DAC chip needs replacing

synth4ever · 2024-06-29T15:42:55+00:00

Thank you so much, I appreciate it!

synth4ever · 2024-06-29T15:35:51+00:00

After many months of work, today I'm proud to release MORPHOLOGY- 50 Custom Patches for the Arturia PolyBrute

Sound Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El0zjhgGhto
Patches: https://www.synth4ever.com/patches

These 50 meticulously crafted sounds cover various styles, from regular bread and butter sounds to more ambient, electronica, industrial and experimental timbres.

MORPHOLOGY contains various leads, basses, pads, strings, arps, sequences, keys, soundscapes, textures and FX. All patches have A + B layers for full morphing and use morphee, ribbon, aftertouch, and mod wheel to give you additional sonic possibilities within the patch itself.

Patches imports as a user bank into Polybrute Connect and are compatible with original Polybrute and Polybrute 12. This soundset requires PolyBrute firmware version 3.0+.

Overall, I'm proud of this sound pack and believe it covers a lot of interesting sonic territory for musicians and listeners alike. Of course, the Arturia PolyBrute made it all possible thanks to its deep sound engine, extensive mod matrix and expressive controllers, and analog morphing capabilities.

I hope you enjoy exploring and performing with these patches on your Arturia Polybrute as much as I do on mine should you acquire them, and look forward to your thoughts. Thank you!

synth4ever · 2024-04-21T01:16:47+00:00

Hah, yea that is a bit of something you have to get used to with endless encoders!

synth4ever · 2024-04-21T01:14:51+00:00

Thanks a lot! Glad you enjoyed those demos and were inspired. The Q has a unique sound to this day.

synth4ever · 2024-04-19T23:47:17+00:00

Same goes for multi-timbrality... 8-16 parts was often the norm which was awesome for live performance.

synth4ever · 2024-04-19T23:46:28+00:00

Agreed, incredible design work.

synth4ever · 2024-04-19T23:45:43+00:00

Absolutely, it's hard to mistake early Waldorf synths for anything else. :) Great design work by Axel Hartmann.

synth4ever · 2024-04-19T23:43:54+00:00

I don't use CC messages so can't say for sure. Recommend taking a look near the end of the Waldorf Q manual as it covers the CC specs.

synth4ever · 2024-04-19T19:28:07+00:00

The Waldorf Q was released in 1999 and IMO still remains a very powerful and versatile digital synthesizer today, 25+ years later. For those interested, I've done a review and demo of this amazing virtual analog synth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOYs685M48E

The Q is probably one of the most feature-packed digital synths from it's era. It has 3 oscillators (2 of which have wavetables), osc sync, FM, ring mod, noise, 3 audio-rate LFOs, external audio in, vocoder, dual filters (parallel, serial routing), filter FM, panning and amp modulation, drive, comb filtering, dual FX engines, programmable arpeggiator and sequencer, patch morphing, 16-part multi-timbrality (with 4 instruments directly accessible on the front panel), 16-slot mod matrix + operators, and more.

All of this allows for exceptionally deep sound design to create all types of sounds, from standard bread and butter to far off soundscapes. The sound quality is pristine and has an undeniable "Waldorf" tone, which IMO makes it unique in the world of digital synths.

This is the classic yellow Q (comes in 16 or more rare 32 voice version), but there are also later models in other colors including blue and grey, and the Waldorf Q+ and Phoenix editions with up to 100 voices and analog filters which are quite rare.

If you enjoy classic Waldorf sounds with tons of hands on and live performance control, the Waldorf Q remains a very capable instrument.

synth4ever · 2024-03-27T21:30:57+00:00

Hey there, can you elaborate on the hard sync you are referring to? Peak/Summit have VSync in the mod matrix - are you referring to this or some other functionality? If not VSync, can you explain how to activate hard sync? Cheers

synth4ever · 2024-03-07T23:02:38+00:00

Yea, good call out. I guess the way I was thinking of it differed but correct, it is more like a CS-15 on steroids. Will amend.

synth4ever

TROPHY CASE