Word soon spread of Oberheim’s design skills and it wasn’t long before he was supplying the ring modulator to jazz musicians, recording studios and even the composer of the movie soundtrack forOberheim Electronics was born. The company saw modest growth through the early 1970s until Oberheim hit on the idea of making products to feed the growing demand for electronic music: synthesizers.
Commercial success followed and soon Oberheim’s company had grown to nearly 100 employees and was posting annual revenues in eight figures. Oberheim and his team found themselves at the top of the heap in the hottest new category in the musical instruments industry. A decade of success followed along with countless hits inspired by his unique-sounding instruments.
However, by the mid-1980s, the winds of change were blowing through the music industry. Tastes were changing and the Oberheim sound needed to evolve. A crucial new development project hit some delays and the company started to stretch its line of credit. Oberheim was led to believe by his advisors that foreclosure of the company was the only way to avoid putting his family home at risk.
But as with vinyl records, classic cars and fashion, everything old eventually becomes new again. Starting in the mid-2000s, a new generation of players and producers started to rediscover the evocative sound from these legacy machines and enthusiasts began bringing some of them back to life.
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