Oberheim four voice analog synthesizer with case.
The Oberheim electronics company was set up in 1972 by Tom Oberheim and pioneered many advancements in analogue synthesis. The Oberheim 4-Voice and 2-Voice were the first polyphonic synthesizers to be commercially produced. The rectangular units along the tilted upper face are called Synthesizer Expansion Modules. Each has a separate voltage-controlled synthesizer circuit. This modular design even allowed an 8-Voice unit to be produced with a second row of modules along the upper face. The panel to the left of the keyboard allows rudimentary programming as it is able to remember sound settings. Oberheim ceased trading in 1986, when the company was bought out by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. However, the Oberheim name lives on into the digital age, as it was later licensed to the Italian company Viscount International, who in 2002 released an equally innovative digital synthesizer, the Oberhiem OB12.
