The Oberheim Two Voice (TVS) is an
analogue synthesizer
A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
produced by
Oberheim Electronics from 1975 to 1979.
[ It can be operated in either ]polyphonic
Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice ( monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ...
or monophonic mode, and includes an onboard 8-step sequencer. The Two Voice was the first of Oberheim's Polyphonic Synthesizer series, and one of the first commercially-available polyphonic synthesizers.
Development
At the start of 1975, Oberheim did not consider itself a synthesizer manufacturer. At the time, the company's business consisted of contract manufacturing
A contract manufacturer (CM) is a manufacturer that contracts with a firm for components or products (in which case it is a turnkey supplier). It is a form of outsourcing. A contract manufacturer performing packaging operations is called copacker ...
Maestro-branded effects units
An effects unit, effects processor, or effects pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing.
Common effects include distortion/overdrive, often used with e ...
, as well its own products, the DS-2 digital music sequencer and Synthesizer Expansion Module, which were intended as add-ons for Minimoog
The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...
and ARP 2600
The ARP 2600 is a subtractive synthesizer first produced by ARP Instruments in 1971.
History
Developed by a design team headed by ARP namesake Alan R. Pearlman and engineer Dennis Colin, the ARP 2600 was introduced in 1971 as the successor to ...
owners. When Norlin canceled several large Maestro orders, the company was forced to develop new products to replace those lost sales. By combining multiple SEM synthesizer modules with a digitally-scanned keyboard developed by Dave Rossum and a two-channel sequencer, Oberheim created the Two Voice and Four Voice, the first two Oberheim Polyphonic Synthesizer models, and some of the first commercially-available polyphonic synthesizers.[
]
Features and specification
The Two Voice combines two SEMs, each with two VCOs and a two-pole voltage-controlled filter
A voltage-controlled filter (VCF) is an electronic filter whose operating characteristics (primarily cutoff frequency) can be set by an input control voltage. Voltage-controlled filters are widely used in synthesizers.
A music synthesizer VCF ...
that can operate as a low-pass
A low-pass filter is a filter that passes signals with a frequency lower than a selected cutoff frequency and attenuates signals with frequencies higher than the cutoff frequency. The exact frequency response of the filter depends on the filt ...
, high-pass, band-pass
A band-pass filter or bandpass filter (BPF) is a device that passes frequencies within a certain range and rejects ( attenuates) frequencies outside that range.
It is the inverse of a '' band-stop filter''.
Description
In electronics and s ...
, or band-reject filter.
Famous Users
*Jean Michel Jarre
Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and new-age genres, and is known for organising outdoor spectacles featuring his music, accompan ...
* Vince Clarke
*Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (, ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; , ), was a Greek musician, composer, and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient, and classical orchestral music. He composed ...
See also
* Oberheim Two-Voice Pro – re-released version
References
{{Oberheim
Analog synthesizers
Two Voice
Polyphonic synthesizers
Products introduced in 1975