Oddity2

I am most grateful that G-Force's upgrade mechanism to their new Oddity 2 leaves the original Oddity untouched and in place. The new 2 is definitely a wonderful expansion on the original concept, supplying polyphony, multiple filter choices and other capabilities that suggest a truly classic keyboard ARP might well have produced if it had stayed in business a couple years longer. But the original lean, mean machine that G-Force developed over a decade ago hardly suffers in comparison. In fact, contrasting the two only reminds what a potent monophonic/duophonic synth the original remains.

More that any specific feature, G-Force captured the Mojo of the ARP Odyssey better than any other software emulation of any other specific vintage synth than I'm aware of. The thing simply behave like an Odyssey, from the wonderful interaction of the sliders and all that duophonic/RingMod/S&H goodness. It's blatantly obvious that this was a labor of love.

SOUND: This doesn't quite sound like any Odyssey I've had my hands on, but for a very good reason. The filter that was modeled is a fully working 4075. That's a modification that was not standard with the original production run. When ARP agreed to remove the 24 db lowpass 4035, that Moog insisted was too similar to their own classic ladder, an engineering error produced a somewhat hobbled filter, that was perhaps closer to their original 12db 4023. It wasn't until later on, post run, where a simple repair allowed the 4075 to operate at its intended spec. And it is this full spec 4075 that the Oddity has been programmed to recreate. The new 2 now allows you the choice of substituting the juicier 4035 or a smoother (Oberheimier?), less nasal version of the 4023, but that full spec 4075 is a great, full bodied thing.

GUI: The classic black and gold is my favorite Odyssey look. Granted, it doesn't sit as big on the screen as I would like (neither does the 2) and the little letters are damn near impossible to read without squinting. But this is an Odyssey, probably the most right-brained synth you can imagine. It practically no time you get a handle on moving those sliders around without having to bother reading anything. And the magical way that the slightest adjustment dials in such unsuspected wondrous sounds remains a true joy. Less is more on this thing.

CPU: Their are some new spot on Minimoog emulations out there that take advantage of "zero-delay-feedback-filters", that chew up CPU for lunch, though computers are getting more and more capable of handling bigger loads. And even the new 2 can put a slightly aging laptop into the red if you're using a lot of voices, especially if you're recording up in the 88.2, 96 range. The original Oddity barely moves the dial. And there's no doubt that it sounds ARPy to all get out. An elegant weapon that won't let you down in the mix.

PATCH CHART: Finally, I find the original an ideal partner for my vintage black and gold. When I stumble onto a pleasing sound on the hardware, it's pretty much a snap to quickly recreate it on the software and save it. I can either record it as is on the Oddity, or bring it up and recreate it on the Odyssey, depending on the situation. Very handy, actually.

So, as this software turns over to a well deserved update, this review is more a note of appreciation and admiration for a product well done from the get go whose excellence remains to defy the usual short electronics lifespan.

Read Review

Over the last few years, my work has occasionally been criticised for sounding like “loading music” or like it was done on a cheap and nasty Casio keyboard. This did not bother me as that was essentially the sound I was after, as long as it didn’t sound thin or tinny. But how could I make my tracks sound vintage without them sounding so computer-like? Taking a look at my audio software collection I realised it was lacking something - a big VA.

It was time to splash out on a plug-in with some balls, but which one? I must have tried the demo for practically every decent subtractive synth and been suitably impressed (I still can’t believe what they can do with software nowadays) but none of them had made a lasting impression except one - Oddity. What’s more, it has recently dropped in price so it was a bit of a no-brainer. ImpOSCar and Minimonsta are both great, but I absolutely love the ARP sound and what we have here is effectively the ARP 2810.

The sounds this plug-in makes just grab you; unfeasibly thick basses and leads that send shivers down your spine. I try to use more powerful synths sparingly, but it’s not easy with this one. One thing’s for sure I will be using Oddity a lot, this thing is an absolute killer.

GUI
The interface is based on the classic vintage look of the Odyssey; a nice touch for an emulation and anyone who has used a real one will feel right at home. Moreover, the layout is clear and the inertia of the sliders somehow just feels right. It even has my name on it! Now I feel special.

Sound
I have never used a real ARP so I cannot comment on how precise the emulation is, although I have spent most of my life listening to tracks that have been made with one. It IS the ARP sound; exactly what I wanted - thick, earthy and organic. When I first tried the demo I wasn’t expecting it to sound vintage; I was absolutely blown away.

Features
It was its bass sounds that sold it to me, but I since have found Oddity particularly good for leads. The patch morphing and flying slider features are an added bonus and I can’t think of anything that would make it much more useful. Polyphony would have been nice, but it excels at being a monosynth so who cares?

Docs
The manual shipped with the boxed version came with it in PDF format. I had a quick gander at it and it’s worth a read, as a ‘tweaker’ I haven’t felt the need to go right through it yet.

Presets
4 banks of 64 presets plus the original Odyssey factory patches - brilliant. My only criticism is that they are not arranged by genre; it would have been ideal if there was a bank for bass, one for leads, one for FX etc. At least this way I’m more likely to try them all, what you choose isn’t always what you were looking for.

Support
After upgrading to v1.15 I encountered an envelope bug in FL Studio. GForce E-mailed me a fix the next working day; too bad this scale only goes up to ten.

VFM
The new pricing structure means this little beauty is yours for €79.00, which is nothing considering how much work went into it. EDIT: Shortly after I purchased Oddity, both it and M-Tron went up by €20; points deducted accordingly. Oddity is still worth €99, but to reduce the price of a piece of software only to raise it again is unjust and unfair. EDIT: The price tag of €79 was an oversight; it is still well worth €99 of anyone's money.

Stability
Rock solid, no crashes and more importantly no speaker-destroying static bombs.

Overall
A beautiful piece of software. ARP fans should cherish it [sniff]. It makes me want to change my name to Jean-Michel Jarre.Read Review

I haven't bought many VSTi synths, but I'm sure glad I decided to splash out and get the Oddity. The range of sounds that can be squeezed out of this box is amazing. It’s great at spacey sound effects, edgy leads and booming basses. But I’m mostly loving the groovy funky type tones. I haven’t ever owned an Odyssey, but I have had a number of dusty analog synths, and I think the sound of the Oddity really captures the essence of that era.

It is a very playable synth. You can sit there for hours tweaking sliders and noodling away trying out different sound possibilities. There are a lot of features that other synths of the Odyssey’s era didn’t have, such as flexible sample and hold routing, ring modulation and pulse width modulation. The user interface and layout is easy to work with once you get used to it.

There are loads of presets to get you started. The patch morphing function is nice, but I have to admit, I haven’t put it to much practical use as yet. One annoying niggle I have with the synth is the patch selection system – you can’t change patches using MIDI program change messages and the patch selection on the GUI can be a bit painful to use if you’re trying to change between patches at the bottom of the list. But, it’s miles better than what the original Odyssey’s had in terms of patch selection!

As for customer support, these people are brilliant. They (Gmedia and Ohm Force) are very helpful and are obviously very committed to what they do. The Oddity is rock solid stable, and is very light on the CPU. Very recommended.Read Review

When i first heard them demo of this. I realised that the software houses are doing a grand job emulating the hardware.

This is my bass machine as the sound is just warm enough and controllable better than a moog i think. The HPF is the key. An arpeg would have been nice in it. This is a 70's synth and you here all the era's sounds coming from it.

Pink Floyd
Genesis
Vangelis
Jean Michel Jarre

They all used this as a lead. The sound is amazingly fat because the low pass filter is doing something at the closed settings without resonance. (there must be distortion or something).

It sounds more natural soundng than the mini moog.

Nice GUI.

I can't get my head around the sample and hold.

This vsti is best for bass.

Real value for money.Read Review

Everyone knows the Mini Moog, but what about the ARP Odyssey ? Well to be honest I haven't played both in reality but this virtual analogue model of ARP's Odyssey - the GMedia Oddity - sounds delicious. And it not only sounds delicious, it actually looks as if the knobs are meant to keep your breath fresh for a long time (while having only 2 calories each). This black beast with its tic-tac-knobs is a real beauty, and once you've seen the sliders morph from one preset to another (a nice function implemented by the Ohmforce team) you know that you're in love.

Well, back in the days (the Odyssey was built during 1972 - 1978) when people had to choose between the Mini Moog and the ARP Odyssey, some were claiming that the Odyssey was lacking the warm sound of its contender. But having tested this plug-in (and not the black-golden original model 2813) I only can say, that at least this vst monster isn't lacking anything. Still something like polyphony - though the original was mono-/duophonic, too - would have been a nice feature to add.

Although this baby comes with loads of presets (of which you'll get even more when you register) it's main advantage is the ease to program your own. One thing I like the most about the Oddity is the ability to draw some really funky sounds out of it. Now take this statement and the fact that you can actually throw the sliders (the flying sliders function is unique to the Oddity) around, be sure to get some excitement and fun out of playing with this bugger. But see for yourself, get the demo and simply fall in love.Read Review