Oberheim OB12

OB•12
OB•12 front panel
Manufacturer	Oberheim / Viscount
Dates	2000–2005
Price	RRP €1,400 (2000)
Technical specifications
Polyphony	12[1]
Timbrality	4
Oscillator	2 + Noise + Ring Modulator
LFO	Sawtooth, Triangle, Square, S&H noise
Synthesis type	Virtual Analog Subtractive Synthesis
Filter	2× 12dB multimode
Storage memory	256 Timbre, 256 Programs; 16,000-event phrase recorder (196 memory slots); 2 motion recorder memory slot
Effects	Overdrive, Chorus, Delay, Reverb, EQ
Input/output
Keyboard	49-key Aftertouch, Velocity
Left-hand control	2× Wheel, Ribbon
External control	MIDI

The Oberheim OB•12 is a Virtual Analog synthesizer, designed and realised by the Italian musical instrument manufacturer Viscount, in production between 2000 and 2005.

The synth used Oberheim brand name under license from Gibson, which bought Oberheim rights after the original company went out of business in 1987.

The OB•12 was the second and last Oberheim synth whose creation had not involved original Oberheim company founder Tom Oberheim, the first one being the Oberheim OB-Mx.

Despite a brilliant look, an advanced synthesis engine, numerous features, a great hands-on interface and a very particular sound, the instrument failed to gain musicians favour, mostly because of its "non-Oberheim Oberheim" status. Also, the synth earned a reputation for being unreliable, since early versions of OB•12 contained several bugs in the operating system software. Eventually, most of the bugs were rectified, but it was already too late to save the instrument's reputation, and it was discontinued, bringing an end to the Oberheim / Viscount "joint venture," and ultimately Oberheim itself.