Arp Odyssey MK2 worth it if I have moogs?

[dlmorley]

Originally Posted by schmuck

Are you fiddling those synths while driving?

Effing OSX!

[JEBEQ]

Necron 99 statement that Odysseys are unreliable may be valid but he still fails to provide what exactly was failing to work for him.
I am a Systems admin and run my own business and he reminds me of clients that call and tell me that nothing works and the computer is broken and fail to give any details or symptoms of what is going on.
Sometimes these vintage synths need just a little savviness and common since, for instance I bought a 2800 for $800 because the owner could not figure out why it was droning after he tried everything, when I received it it turned out that one of the key's was stuck down and it only took me about 15min to fix. Purchased an MS-20 that had a High Pass filter that would working intermittently, it turned out that a resistor in the filter board was leaning and touching another resistor.
I could go on with many other examples but in the end I feel that vintage synths are not for every one and some people are better off being ITB.

[bloodsample]

Well it looks like there are some mixed opinions about this, but there seems to be more votes for "reliable".

I wouldn't expect a 30 year old synth to be 100% reliable anyways, but this is the price you pay for great sound I suppose. Not that new gear is 100% reliable either, I've had to service my voyager twice since I bought it new less than a year ago. And my prophet 08 needed a board change as soon as I got it (new). Perhaps I was unlucky in both cases, but it goes to show that any synth, no matter how old, has a chance of breaking.

That being said, the odyssey is still a pretty hefty chunk of change so I'm not fully sold just yet. I should probably sell my little phatty like dholl suggested, one can only have so many modern moogs.

Thanks to all for your honest opinions and input!

[Necron 99]

Originally Posted by JEBEQ

Necron 99 statement that Odysseys are unreliable may be valid but he still fails to provide what exactly was failing to work for him.

It was a number of issues that came one after the other. When I first recieved it, the keyboard was not triggering properly. You would hit a key and the note would stick and drone on until you either hit another key or switched it off (and no it was not an ADSR issues where the release was pushed to the max either). So I bring that to the one guy that knows anything about fixing electronics in my town and he is able to fix that. Then there was the issue with the sliders in which many were so gunked up that many could hardly move and there were a few that were immovable. I tried cleaning them with rubbing alcohol and q tips, but that didn't help. That forced me to ship the synth out of state (not cheap) to a guy that was more experienced with fixing synths. So then he recommends replacing all of the sliders with new ones which I did but the cost of new sliders which had to be shipped from the U.K. and labor ended up being $500 not to mention the cost of shipping the damn thing back to me. So now I get it back and all of the sliders are nice and new and moving wonderfully. Then I noticed that no sound would change when moving many of the sliders. So I shipped it off again and it was once again not cheap. So after a bunch of B.S. it comes back again and this time half the sliders work. Not to mention the output had become incredibly noisy. Noisy to the point that it sounded like the hiss of a cheap guitar amp. Also one of the oscillators completely died and by that time and another $500 later, I just threw my hands up in the air and sold it to a guy I knew in town who had more money to be able to fix it. It got to the point where I simply couldn't afford the cost of any more repairs. Now you know why I hate Arp, will always hate Arp, and my opinion that they are unreliable pieces of garbage still stands.

[Dirty Halo]

Originally Posted by Necron 99

It was a number of issues that came one after the other. When I first recieved it, the keyboard was not triggering properly. You would hit a key and the note would stick and drone on until you either hit another key or switched it off (and no it was not an ADSR issues where the release was pushed to the max either). So I bring that to the one guy that knows anything about fixing electronics in my town and he is able to fix that. Then there was the issue with the sliders in which many were so gunked up that many could hardly move and there were a few that were immovable. I tried cleaning them with rubbing alcohol and q tips, but that didn't help. That forced me to ship the synth out of state (not cheap) to a guy that was more experienced with fixing synths. So then he recommends replacing all of the sliders with new ones which I did but the cost of new sliders which had to be shipped from the U.K. and labor ended up being $500 not to mention the cost of shipping the damn thing back to me. So now I get it back and all of the sliders are nice and new and moving wonderfully. Then I noticed that no sound would change when moving many of the sliders. So I shipped it off again and it was once again not cheap. So after a bunch of B.S. it comes back again and this time half the sliders work. Not to mention the output had become incredibly noisy. Noisy to the point that it sounded like the hiss of a cheap guitar amp. Also one of the oscillators completely died and by that time and another $500 later, I just threw my hands up in the air and sold it to a guy I knew in town who had more money to be able to fix it. It got to the point where I simply couldn't afford the cost of any more repairs. Now you know why I hate Arp, will always hate Arp, and my opinion that they are unreliable pieces of garbage still stands.

I really feel sorry for you, you're truly missing out.

To the OP- As you can clearly see, the guy tried ONE (out of now many made between 1972 and 1981 and now "hates" and will always "hate" Arp ... as opposed to the rest of us here who have had amazing experiences.

As for my "questionable tech" ... that pretty much reveals how little you know about ARPs, as opposed to your small town local electronics guy

Sorry man, but tht kind of polar blanket thinking just isn't productive.

Thing is, it doesn't affect me on bit... but you, on the other hand, are really missing out on one of THE best synths out there.

You should really do yourself a favor and try again. Seriously, you might be pleasantly surprised!

-a

[NWSooner]

Sounds to me more like you needed a better synth tech. When I buy vintage synths I always get them checked, recapped, bushings replaced if needed, etc. My ARP 2600 and Odyssey have been completely reliable so far, so my experience has been different.

[Necron 99]

Originally Posted by Dirty Halo

As for my "questionable tech" ... that pretty much reveals how little you know about ARPs, as opposed to your small town local electronics guy.

Thing is, it doesn't affect me on bit... but you, on the other hand, are really missing out on one of THE best synths out there.

You should really do yourself a favor and try again. Seriously, you might be pleasantly surprised!

-a

The reason I said your tech was questionable was because I could find no information on this Dave White that you praise so much. You also don't need to feel sorry for me because now I own a Voyager and have never been happier with it.

Even if I could afford to "try again" with another Arp Odyssey I would rather spend that money on building a nice Eurorack modular that could have even more capabilities from modern companies that are making quality products (Harvestman comes to mind). Then if there was an issue I could send the module back to that company to get it replaced/repaired without spending an arm and a leg.

Finally it is just your opinion that Arp Odyssey's are "one of THE best synths out there". I've heard better. The Arp sound in my opinion is not that unique. The only positive aspect of Arp is that it is duophonic as somebody had mentioned earlier. Even that in this day and age is still not that big of a deal considering you can easily multitrack any analog mono synth and get great results.

[dlmorley]

Originally Posted by Necron 99

The Arp sound in my opinion is not that unique. The only positive aspect of Arp is that it is duophonic as somebody had mentioned earlier. Even that in this day and age is still not that big of a deal considering you can easily multitrack any analog mono synth and get great results.

I'd accept many points but not this!

Look at the odyssey compared to most other mono synths (well duo!) ESPECIALLY ones of that era.

It's duo
It has a Ring Mod
It has Sample and Hold
It has amazing flexibility in routing.
It has PWM
It has a hi pass and lo pass filter
It has Sync

It's a pretty serious little synth so to say that it's only advantage is duo is wrong.
Others may have most the features above, some like the minimoog have very few of them (well none!) , but there is a reason it is a classic.

Oh and David White is a telephone and e-mail man. He doesn't website. I have bought and sold lots with him including my Odyssey which has a factory fitted second VCF with notch/band/hi pass and 12/24db lp

[LotuZia]

Short : Completely different sound than a D, so yes its worth it.

[RobJB06]

Love my MK3 Odyssey, so flexible and awesome sounding. Completely different sound to my Midimoog.
Id love a Mk3 Arp 2600 but i missed that boat it seems!

[clusterchord]

Rob, you look ravishing on your new avatar




@ Necron99: while i understand your frustration, and honestly id be pissed too, but i think your hatred is misplaced. you should be kicking the ass of that S.O.B. tech that took your money, made you ship back n forth, and did abolsutely nothing beside phuking up. he's a scam artist and uncompetent idiot. its not a fault of the synth or ARPs in general.


that being said, altough circuits themselves are ok, i agree ARPs sliders are not really the most solid or durable in the world. not that it cannot be remedied one way or another, but statistically looking number of ARPs that developed problems with sliders is much greater than, for example, Rolands from the same era. not that it would stop me from getting one.

im thinking more n more to fk off with this clone filter business ive been into lately, and pick myself an Axxe mkII again... while theyre still so so reasonably priced. need to sell something..

i mean, this was rather disapointing (wait till he starts using resonance round 2:40):

[RobJB06]

She's a hottie, no doubt!

Originally Posted by clusterchord

Rob, you look ravishing on your new avatar

[bloodsample]

Originally Posted by clusterchord

to the OP:

Wrong guy, I'm the OP

Originally Posted by RobJB06

She's a hottie, no doubt!

mm yes, quite the looker. Fat and warm, just the way we like em'



Thanks all for your help/opinions/experiences/etc. I will go check it out in person hopefully tonight. I will report back. Any final words of advice before I go? Anything particular I should watch out for?

Cheers!

[shaft9000]

Originally Posted by Necron 99

Honestly, I can get Arp Odyssey sounds on my Voyager just by switching the filter from 4 pole to 2 then using just sawtooth and square waves. I'd say save your money and get something more reliable.

i don't believe you. LOL

really, though -
i have a voyager here w/ a 2600 and solus. voyager gets nowhere near as aggro and blasting as either ARP.
sure you can push 'towards that sound' using a Voyager and specific programming tricks, but the ARPs do it from the get-go and have faaar more range in that aggro/nasty territory than the pleasant well-behaved voyager ever could hope for.
there's worlds of character in the upper frequencies in ARP. just like very few synths can match a Moog bass, ARP is even more special in the highs, to me.

[Zombie H]

it does say serviced locally and spare parts so should hold resale at that amount? 2.2k?

[gordonmerrick]

Originally Posted by shaft9000

ARP is even more special in the highs, to me.

Yes. This.

[clusterchord]

Originally Posted by bloodsample

Wrong guy, I'm the OP

wooo hoooo fast fingers slow brain .. yea i meant the necron99 guy, not you

Originally Posted by bloodsample

mm yes, quite the looker. Fat and warm, just the way we like em'

yes, i feel the love already...

[NWSooner]

Originally Posted by clusterchord

i mean, this was rather disapointing (wait till he starts using resonance round 2:40):

Sounds really close without resonance. With resonance the difference is like night and day. The clone doesn't sound nearly as alive as the 4075.

[clusterchord]

exactimundo



my only other option is 4075 clone by Rob Keeble (from AM Synths) sold as Bananalogue LPFA.. dunno if that's any better.

[bloodsample]

So.. I just bought it

Thanks again for all your help and knowledge!

I'll post pics in the feb 2012 new gear thread.

[Zombie H]

Cool was it that one for sale in Villeray? I would have been tempted if not for the Macbeth stuff coming out and the SOFV

[bloodsample]

Originally Posted by Zombie H

Cool was it that one for sale in Villeray? I would have been tempted if not for the Macbeth stuff coming out and the SOFV

Hey, yeah that's the one, got it down to 1900$, which I think is fair considering what it's going for on ebay these days. Looks in pretty good condition too, but only time will tell... *crosses fingers*.

[Dirty Halo]

Originally Posted by bloodsample

Hey, yeah that's the one, got it down to 1900$, which I think is fair considering what it's going for on ebay these days. Looks in pretty good condition too, but only time will tell... *crosses fingers*.

Congrats, you'll be a happy man!

Which version did you get, again?

-andrews

[JEBEQ]

Originally Posted by bloodsample

So.. I just bought it

Thanks again for all your help and knowledge!

I'll post pics in the feb 2012 new gear thread.

Congrats!!
I think you will very happy with it. Also if you ever have any mods done, The audio path upgrade is a nice one to have.

[bloodsample]

Everything seems to be working fine with this synth, but one thing I noticed is that there is some pretty obvious noise on the outputs. As soon as I plug the synth in I can see a little noise in the levels of the DAW. Anyone know of this issue? Is this common and easy to get repaired? Or is this the sign of something more major?

The seller said he got it serviced recently and I believe him since everything else looks really new and functions very well. But how could the tech not have caught this noise? I hope this isn't something that can't be fixed.. Maybe it's something on my side? I doubt it because I plug the exact cable from the odyssey to the voyager and the noise is gone.

Originally Posted by Dirty Halo

Congrats, you'll be a happy man!

Which version did you get, again?

-andrews

MKII 2813

Originally Posted by JEBEQ

Congrats!!
I think you will very happy with it. Also if you ever have any mods done, The audio path upgrade is a nice one to have.

Forgive my ignorance but what does this upgrade do?

[NWSooner]

Originally Posted by bloodsample

Forgive my ignorance but what does this upgrade do?

The version of this upgrade that CMS does is described as:

AUDIO PATH UPGRADE V2.0 - ALL MODELS - 2800 thru 2813 -125.00, all others 99.00

This mod replaces critical signal path components in the synthesizer section of your Odyssey with audiophile grade components. Low end response is improved resulting in a more accurate wave shape. High end response is also Improved. This mod now includes a high-pass filter bypass switch. Analysis using a good quality oscilloscope on the output of a stock Odyssey reveals that when the high-pass filter slider is all the way down, the circuitry is still removing quite a bit of low end from the signal path.

[JEBEQ]

I actually got my audio path upgrade done at Kurt's keyboards and Amps in Arizona. CMS also performs the upgrade but unfortunately when I was trying to get in touch with them they never responded and from what I here from other people response time can be forever. I also had the High pass filter turn into a Band Pass filter.
You don't have to get any upgrades done they are just optional, The Odyssey sounds great just as is.

[bloodsample]

Thanks for the info, good to know such an upgrade exists. Is this a standard procedure? Can any (good) local tech do it?

I still have this little noise issue, it's like a hum that's present even when no notes are played. Any ideas about this?

[clusterchord]

id try new capacitors first. there aren't that many in this monosynth.


with vintage character machines, tad bit of noise goes with the territory. but excessive noise means malfunction or old leaked capacitors. i dont own an ARP, but in practice ive never managed to hear noise on my SEM or minimoog. i would expect a serviced arp to be the same way. dunno.


im never sure what to think about these audio path upgrades. so far what ive heard, if they work they change the original sonics too much for my taste. or they dont work and change almost nothing. also, i think theyre overpriced for parts cost and work involved. but ymmv.

[JEBEQ]

Originally Posted by clusterchord

im never sure what to think about these audio path upgrades. so far what ive heard, if they work they change the original sonics too much for my taste. or they dont work and change almost nothing. also, i think theyre overpriced for parts cost and work involved. but ymmv.

I had mine done and I can tell you from actually owning an Odyssey and not hearing from others, It still sounds like an Odyssey and no sonics have been changed. What it does sound like is a bit more musical and much much nicer low end, I have always thought Odysseys were missing this.
As far as price goes CMS charges $99.00 and I believe I paid $60.00, I don't really think that is that much to pay for this great upgrade.