Overview
The Oddity is modelled
on the classic ARP Odyssey synthesiser which was
manufactured between 1971 & 1976 and was used
by artists as diverse as Gary Numan, Herbie Hancock,
Kraftwerk and Portishead. Its place in synth folklore
is assured and deserved but due to the small numbers
produced, the chances of finding one in good working
order for less than a king's ransom is slim.
The Oddity takes
all that was unique and great about this instrument
and, thanks to a painstaking emulative process,
brings these qualities to an instrument of the 21st
century. Now you can finally have those famous Odyssey
tones and the exclusive ARP operational method married
to reliable tuning, non-breakable sliders and, something
only dreamed about in the 1970's, memories.
In fact the Oddity
takes the ability to store memories one step further
and allows you to morph between any of the saved
patches within a bank. Simply pick a start patch,
a morphtime and a destination patch, and the Oddity
will output some amazing and inspirational sounds
all of which can be recorded by your host sequencer.
Additionally the Oddity has a unique Flying Slider
feature whereby you can grab one or more sliders
and throw them, recording their movements if desired.
Because the Oddity
was created by Odyssey aficionados, as much of what
gave the original instrument its character and functionality
was built-in too. For example, the way the ring
modulator and duophonic mode interact to create
sublime aggressive tones was carefully modelled,
as was the effect the Lag Generator has on a keyboard
triggered LFO.
Awards
Since its release, the Oddity has won numerous industry
awards including Future Music Platinum Award, Computer
Music Value & Performance Awards and is now available
as a boxed product from M-Audio or as a download
from GForce Software.
Features
Extremely realistic analog modelling of classic
ARP Odyssey
2 syncable oscillators
Fully tunable
across a 6-octave range
Sawtooth, sine, square and variable pulse-width
waveforms and sync
White and pink noise generators
Monophonic and duophonic modes
Host-syncable LFO Ring modulator
Resonant 24dB/octave low-pass filter
High-pass filter
Sample-and-hold
Portamento
2 envelope generators
Flexible modulation routing
Fully programmable, including 384 presets
Timed morphing between presets
Flying Slider feature
Suggested
listening
Herbie Hancock
- Chameleon & Ready or Not
John
Foxx -
Metamatic
Jean Michel Jarre
- Oxygene
Gary Numan -
Music for Chameleons
Klaus Schultze
- Picture Music
Kraftwerk -
Autobahn
Ultravox - Vienna
George
Duke & Chick Corea
- misc solos
Selected
Quotes
Craig
Anderton
- in EQ Magazine
"This is an aficionado's plug-in.....a product
for synth connoisseurs. It feels more like a labour
of love than an attempt to rule the world of soft
synths with a Great Big Commercial Hit; somebody
put a lot of time into getting the details right."
Herbie
Hancock
"The Oddity is so authentic it takes me back
to my HeadhunterÕs days."
Klaus
Schulze
"Today I installed the Oddity.....it's beautiful.
And with the 24db filters it sounds much better
than the original! I really can recommend this synth."
John
Foxx
"The Oddity is beautifully realised. All the
power, character, precision, intricacy, grunge and
sonic extremes of the original - Everything from
precise early analogue to howling organic electrolife
is here. A great tool for any kind of sonic sculpture."
ARP co-founder and
lead designer of the original Odyssey, David
Friend commented;
"You guys did a fantastic job of getting every
detail right, including incorporating some features
that we couldn't have even dreamed of at the time
(like memory). Thanks for this wonderful labour
of love."
Formats
Stand-alone
or host use - VST 2.0
(PC/MacOSX), RTAS (PC/MacOSX), AU (MacOSX)
NB You cannot save patches in Standalone mode
Minimum
System Requirements
Windows
Intel Pentium III 500MHz with 128MB RAM
Windows 98,
98SE, Me, 2000, and XP
VST 2.0 or RTAS compatible host application for
plug-in operation
Macintosh
PowerMac G4 400 MHz with 128MB RAM
OS X - VST 2.0, RTAS, or Audio Unit compatible host
application for plug-in operation
