Oberheim TEO-5 Desktop Module: The SEM Comes Full Circle
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Want an affordable Oberheim but don’t need the keys? The TEO-5 Desktop Module is here to make your year.
Oberheim TEO-5 Desktop Module
Oberheim started its synthesizer adventures in 1974 with the SEM, or Synthesizer Expander Module. A two-VCO synth voice in a box, it introduced the world to the Oberheim 2-pole multimode filter. Now that combination is back in the box, this time with five voices, a sequencer and arpeggiator, and effects. It’s the Oberheim TEO-5 Desktop Module, a keyless tabletop take on last year’s TEO-5.
“The meaning of the word ‘module’ has changed quite a bit since I first designed my Synthesizer Expansion Module or SEM back in 1974,” said Tom Oberheim. “But even back then, musicians appreciated getting tons of great sounds in a compact package. The TEO-5 keyboard has already gone farther and wider than SEM, and I’m excited to see this desktop module version introduce even more people to the magic.”
Save on Real Estate
The TEO-5 Desktop Module is essentially the same synthesizer as the original TEO-5, just with no keys. That alone should be enough for you to make a purchase decision. Need that Obie sound but don’t have space in the studio for 44 keys? Then this new version, which is about half the size, should fit the bill nicely. And if you’re not convinced, the TEO-5 was probably our favorite-sounding synthesizer of last year. It really is glorious.
Of course, when you cut down on size, you invariably lose some hands-on control. Thankfully, the TEO-5 Desktop Module manages to keep most everything intact – with the exception of the LFO section, which it combines into a single two-knob arrangement with a button to choose between mono and poly LFOs. It also loses the Low Split performance function, but that was tied to the keyboard anyway.
All the Functionality
Elsewhere, TEO-5 the desktop version has everything that the original does. It’s a five-voice analog poly with two VCOs and a sub per voice, simultaneously selectable wave shapes for each oscillator (triangle, saw, variable pulse), sync and through-zero FM, white noise generator, that wonderful SEM filter, two five-stage envelopes (for amplitude and filter), a vintage knob, arpeggiator and sequencer, effects including reverb, multi-effects and overdrive, and much more.
Price and Availability
The Oberheim TEO-5 Desktop Module is available at Thomann*.
More Information
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One response to “Oberheim TEO-5 Desktop Module: The SEM Comes Full Circle”
The Behringer 2-XM Duophonic Analog SEM is $399 with 2-voices, no effects or sequencer. It sounds beautiful with separate controls per modules, but less polyphony and missing the Oberheim name. So we have to ask ourselves is the Oberheim name/quality, sequencer, effects and added polyphony worth another $1,000? If they priced this $999, I would grab it right away. At $1,400? MMM…