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)
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 2810-2823) 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!
ARP sounds great!