OSC Oscar
Encyclopedia
The OSCar was a synthesizer
manufactured by the Oxford Synthesiser Company from 1983 to 1985. It was ahead of its time in several ways and was one of the few mono-synths to have MIDI. Around 2000 were made.
folded in 1982, Chris Huggett
went on to form Oxford Synthesiser Company. The OSCar synthesizer was launched in 1983. Chris Huggett designed the electronics while independent product designer Anthony Harrison-Griffin was responsible for the unique look and build of the OSCar.
Although the basic structure of the OSCar is the common subtractive synthesis
, it has many unusual features and design quirks. The main difference from other synthesizers of the time was its digital oscillators. The oscillators have a good array of standard wave shapes including triangle
, sawtooth
, square
and a variable pulse-width modulation
, but the digital oscillators also has additive synthesis
. New waveforms can be created by changing the amplitudes of up to 24 harmonic
s. This considerably widens the OSCar's sound palette. The two oscillators can either be played together monophonically, or the OSCar can be set in a duophonic mode where each oscillator plays a different note.
The filter was actually two 12dB/Oct analog filters that can be combined into either a 24dB low pass, a 24dB high pass or a 12dB bandpass filter. Although this design appeared in other analog synths of the era, such as the Roland Jupiter-6
, the OSCar has its own unique twist on it, by having a Separation control that allowed you to separate the filters cutoff frequency. This allowed you to have two resonance peaks in the filter, giving the filter a unique vocal character.
The OSCar has an elemental sequencer
. In duophonic mode it allows the user to play a monophonic lead whilst a sequence plays simultaneously. Many sequencers at the time only allowed notes of a fixed length to be used in their sequencers but on the OSCar it was possible to lengthen individual notes or insert spaces.
used one for the solo on Love's Great Adventure
, and it is used for the bass on Stevie Wonder
's Skeletons, Jean-Michel Jarre's Revolutions Overture and perhaps most notably on Do They Know It's Christmas.
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
manufactured by the Oxford Synthesiser Company from 1983 to 1985. It was ahead of its time in several ways and was one of the few mono-synths to have MIDI. Around 2000 were made.
History
When synthesizer manufacturer Electronic Dream PlantElectronic Dream Plant
Electronic Dream Plant was a British firm which manufactured audio synthesizers during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The company was formed by musician Adrian Wagner and electronics designer Chris Huggett; the company was small and none of their products were particularly successful commercially...
folded in 1982, Chris Huggett
Chris Huggett
Chris Huggett is an engineer/designer who co-founded Electronic Dream Plant and Oxford Synthesizer Company, who is currently technical director at Novation Digital Music Systems, all manufacturers of audio synthesizers.- Electronic Dream Plant :...
went on to form Oxford Synthesiser Company. The OSCar synthesizer was launched in 1983. Chris Huggett designed the electronics while independent product designer Anthony Harrison-Griffin was responsible for the unique look and build of the OSCar.
Design and features
Anthony's use of the distinctive black rubberized components to protect the controls and main casing has become one of its lasting features. It proved a great hit when touring as you could literally throw an OSCar into the back of a van without the need of a flight case. He even built into the ends a dummy 3-pin main plug to safely store the plug.Although the basic structure of the OSCar is the common subtractive synthesis
Subtractive synthesis
Subtractive synthesis is a method of sound synthesis in which partials of an audio signal are attenuated by a filter to alter the timbre of the sound...
, it has many unusual features and design quirks. The main difference from other synthesizers of the time was its digital oscillators. The oscillators have a good array of standard wave shapes including triangle
Triangle wave
A triangle wave is a non-sinusoidal waveform named for its triangular shape.Like a square wave, the triangle wave contains only odd harmonics...
, sawtooth
Sawtooth wave
The sawtooth wave is a kind of non-sinusoidal waveform. It is named a sawtooth based on its resemblance to the teeth on the blade of a saw....
, square
Square wave
A square wave is a kind of non-sinusoidal waveform, most typically encountered in electronics and signal processing. An ideal square wave alternates regularly and instantaneously between two levels...
and a variable pulse-width modulation
Pulse-width modulation
Pulse-width modulation , or pulse-duration modulation , is a commonly used technique for controlling power to inertial electrical devices, made practical by modern electronic power switches....
, but the digital oscillators also has additive synthesis
Additive synthesis
Additive synthesis is a technique of sound synthesis that creates musical timbre by explicitly adding sinusoidal overtones together.The timbre of an instrument is composed of multiple harmonic or inharmonic partials , of different frequencies and amplitudes, that change over time...
. New waveforms can be created by changing the amplitudes of up to 24 harmonic
Harmonic
A harmonic of a wave is a component frequency of the signal that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency, i.e. if the fundamental frequency is f, the harmonics have frequencies 2f, 3f, 4f, . . . etc. The harmonics have the property that they are all periodic at the fundamental...
s. This considerably widens the OSCar's sound palette. The two oscillators can either be played together monophonically, or the OSCar can be set in a duophonic mode where each oscillator plays a different note.
The filter was actually two 12dB/Oct analog filters that can be combined into either a 24dB low pass, a 24dB high pass or a 12dB bandpass filter. Although this design appeared in other analog synths of the era, such as the Roland Jupiter-6
Roland Jupiter-6
The Roland Jupiter-6 is a synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation introduced in 1983 as a less expensive alternative to the Roland Jupiter-8. The Jupiter-6 is widely considered a workhorse among polyphonic analog synthesizers, capable of producing a wide variety of sounds, such as...
, the OSCar has its own unique twist on it, by having a Separation control that allowed you to separate the filters cutoff frequency. This allowed you to have two resonance peaks in the filter, giving the filter a unique vocal character.
The OSCar has an elemental sequencer
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
. In duophonic mode it allows the user to play a monophonic lead whilst a sequence plays simultaneously. Many sequencers at the time only allowed notes of a fixed length to be used in their sequencers but on the OSCar it was possible to lengthen individual notes or insert spaces.
Users
Although only 2000 OSCars were made they found their way into many professional hands. UltravoxUltravox
Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....
used one for the solo on Love's Great Adventure
Love's Great Adventure
"Love's Great Adventure" is a single released by Ultravox on the 12th October 1984, peaking at #12 in the UK Singles Chart. The style of this single is different from any of their preceding Lament singles, aiming for a more lightweight, pop-oriented approach.The music video features the band...
, and it is used for the bass on Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's Skeletons, Jean-Michel Jarre's Revolutions Overture and perhaps most notably on Do They Know It's Christmas.
Emulation
The GForce impOSCar is a software emulation of the OSC OSCar.See also
- Electronic Dream PlantElectronic Dream PlantElectronic Dream Plant was a British firm which manufactured audio synthesizers during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The company was formed by musician Adrian Wagner and electronics designer Chris Huggett; the company was small and none of their products were particularly successful commercially...
- AKAI professionalAkaiAkai is a consumer electronics brand, founded by Saburo Akai as , a Japanese manufacturer in 1929. It is now headquartered in Singapore as a subsidiary of Grande Holdings, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate, which also owns the formerly Japanese brands Nakamichi and Sansui. The Akai brand is now used...
- Novation Digital Music SystemsNovation Digital Music SystemsNovation Digital Music Systems Ltd. is a UK musical equipment manufacturer. Founded in 1992 as Novation Electronic Music Systems, the company specialises in MIDI controllers and analog modeling synthesizers, which they have manufactured in China....