> Free software PC MAC SYNTRONIK OXa

The full version of IK Multimedia’s Oberheim OB-X emulation is yours for free with this issue, so you might as well jump onboard

A favourite of Van Halen, Prince and Bon Jovi, Oberheim’s OB-Xa synth is 80s music encapsulated. IK Multimedia’s OXa synth takes what’s best about the original hardware and distills it into an eminently playable instrument in your DAW, running inside IK’s Syntronik or SampleTank host software.

Syntronik is an IK Multimedia plugin that runs multiple classic synth emulations, letting you choose presets or program your sounds, to layer multiple classic synths on top of each other, and to apply a selection of five from its huge stock of 38 effects to the signal.

Once you’ve got OXa installed on your hard drive, you’ll have access to some classic 80s Oberheim sounds via the copious range of presets, and the control set for digging deeper into the programming behind them.

OXa features a relatively small oscillator section, compared to most synths we’re used to, but the rest of the synth has personality in spades. Its Filter panel contains seven types of processor to sculpt the raw sound from the oscillators – including some unusual entries. A pair of AHDSR envelope controls let you take control over amplitude and filter cutoff. Modulation, meanwhile, is provided by a capable LFO that can be assigned to multiple destinations at the same time.