Vintage Synth Explorer

ARP • Odyssey

Odyssey Mk I (Model 2800)

As the legendary first compact studio synthesizer, the Minimoog, proved to be a runaway success, ARP responded with a compact user-friendly studio synthesizer of their own with the Odyssey. An almost equally legendary machine itself (the Odyssey was ARP's highest selling synth), the Odyssey essentially gives you a somewhat scaled-down & hard-wired ARP 2600 in a much smaller and more affordable package. The Odyssey is a 2-oscillator analog synth (with duo-phonic capability) and it sounds really nice; the Minimoog has three oscillators and is considered fatter. The Odyssey comes well equipped with all the tweakable features you'd expect: resonant low pass filter, ADSR envelopes, sine or square wave LFO and even a sample-and-hold function. It also added a few new features such as a high pass filter in series with the low pass, oscillator-sync capability and pulse-width modulation. It is a very professional and expressive machine that can create nice analog basses, interesting leads and great effects and sweeping sounds or noises straight out of a Tangerine Dream album! Over its 30-plus year history, Odysseys have been used by ABBA, Bomb The Bass, Ultravox, Gary Numan, LTJ Bukem, Air, Tangerine Dream, 808 State, Apollo 440, Nine Inch Nails, Astral Projection, Chick Corea, George Duke, Josef Zawinul, John Foxx, Vangelis, Elton John, Jethro Tull, Jimmy Edgar, DEVO, Sea Level, Boz Scaggz, The Starship, Kansas, Jean-Luc Ponty, Brand-X, Wigwam, R.E.M. and Herbie Hancock.

Odyssey Mk I (Model 2800)

There were many versions of the Odyssey over the years, each a little different. First came the Odyssey Mk I (Model 2800) produced between 1972-74. These original white-faced Odysseys used a thin tinny sounding 2-pole VCF filter design (Model 4023) similar to old Oberheim SEM modules. Some late models were made in a black and gold color scheme but all Mk I's can be identified by the rotary knob they use for pitch bending.

Odyssey Mk II (Model 2810)

Odyssey Mk II (Model 2810-2813)

Above is an image of the Odyssey Mk II (Model 2810), produced between 1974-76. This model added CV / Gate control and the black & gold color-scheme seen on some late Mk I's. The rotary pitch bend knob was also replaced by ARP's own PPC (Proportional Pitch Controller) - three pressure sensitive buttons. Early versions of these models still had the 2-pole Model 4023 filter used in the Mk I but were soon replaced by a beefier 4-pole VCF filter (Model 4035). This filter used a ladder design that was similar to the Moog filter and did not last. While a persistent rumor that Moog sued ARP over this, no suit ever occurred. Arp and Moog came to an amicable agreement and a small licensing fee was paid by ARP for units previously manufactured. ARP soon after designed their own four-pole, low pass filters. They came up with the 4075 filter which was used in subsequent Odyssey models. Unfortunately the Model 4075 version of the filter had a well known bandwidth limit error, making the older black and gold Odysseys with the Moog copy filter the most sought after and priciest vintage finds!

Odyssey Mk III (Model 2820-2823)

Odyssey Mk III (Model 2820-2823)

Above is the Odyssey III (Models 2820-2823) produced from 1976-81 and featuring the new Model 4075 filter design. In addition to its 1/4" outputs, XLR outputs have been added. The rest of its specifications are virtually identical to the Odyssey Mk II except that the overall look and quality are further updated to match the look of the latest ARP synths with the orange & black color-scheme. The Odyssey Mk III is the most commonly found model.

Odyssey - Software Synthesizer

Check out GMEDIA Music's Oddity - an amazing, authentic, and realistic software synth plug-in modeled after the Odyssey, with major enhancements including velocity sensitivity, MIDI/Tempo sync, patch memory, total recall, controller automation, and much more - all for less than $200!

VISITOR COMMENTS (23)

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L.V.

Posted 39 days ago

Yeah, my MK I used to only sound like an oboe too. Then I figured out if you move the sliders about, you can make it sound like all sorts of things. But, then I couldn't get my oboe sound back so I chucked it in the bin and bought a DX7.

jlinton

Posted 50 days ago

I had the Odyssey Mark 1 in 1985-88; sold it when I moved overseas. Using the tuning knob as a pitch bend was a bit of a joke on this early model, glad that got rectified later. It sounds best in bass with S/H on producing "electrified frog" sounds, and it does a stunningly realistic Oboe or Cor Anglais sound, ala Roxy Music's "Ladytron" (a real Oboe), but the problem was that tends to be THE main sound of the Odyssey Mark 1, unless you add effects; as Billy of Ultravox said he used to do for the solos.

Gabor Petroci

Posted 61 days ago

Do not believe about the people who judge the earlier MK I model filters! Because everthing is depends..
I got SH 101, juno 106, yamaha cs 15, odyssey mk I, SCI Sixtrak, etc.
Every units have unique power. And every analog have fatness. Anyway...SH101 is may better in deep bass when you don't use resonace. But when you go for resonance and big leads and bastard sounds and arpeggios.. There is an arp for you... ;-)

Christopher Winkels

Posted 156 days ago

I took delivery of a CMS-modified Mk.1 (Whiteface) Odyssey last year, and it has quickly become one of my favourites. It has that delightfully nasal, biting quality that was so typical as the ARP sound. The ring mod sounds excellent and some interesting effects can be achieved with the comprehensive sample & hold circuit. There's a very lively, "full bandwidth" quality to this synth that one only ever seems to get on true VCO designs.

It has its down sides. There's only one full ADSR (the other is just an AR). There's no mod wheel, so routing LFO modulation to pitch requires one to move a slider up and down. There are no octave switches for the two oscillators; only a master switch that moves the keyboard voltage up or down two octaves. The sliders themselves are utter dust magnets.

But I love mine. It's a keeper and even though it's approaching 4 decades it still has oodles of life left in it.

Juan

Posted 160 days ago

Hey, I just bought a Mark I 2800 goldblack face. I understand there were very few 2800's made with the goldblack, so I may have a very rare model! Everything works great, just considering possible upgrades. Trying to find out if it's possible to change out 4023 to 4035 filter, but it's looking like it would require a seperate PCB since the schematic is so different with so many more components. Also would like to try to get a PPC to install - that seems like a great feature and upgrade to the Mk II. Unfortunately, can't seem to find a vendor or ebay sale for it, so I'll live without for now. Otherwise, love the sound! Glad I wasn't holding out for a 2600. I think i much prefer the smaller package with fixed routing... but then of course there's the 1/8" jack patch mod too... :)

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