From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Odyssey by ARP Instruments, Inc.
Synthesis type:		Analog Subtractive
Polyphony:		1-2
Oscillators:		2
VCA:		AR, ADSR
LFO:		Sine, Square, S&H
Keyboard:		37-key
Left hand control:		Pitch
Velocity sensitive:		{{{velocity}}}
Aftertouch:		{{{aftertouch}}}
External control:		CV/Gate
Memory:		none
Onboard effects:		none
Produced:		1972 - 1981

The ARP Odyssey was an analog synthesizer introduced in 1972. Responding to pressure from Moog Music to create a portable, affordable (the Minimoog was US$1,495 upon release) "performance" synthesizer, ARP scaled down its popular 2600 synthesizer and created the Odyssey, which became the best-selling synthesizer they made.

The Odyssey is a two-oscillator analog synth (the Minimoog has 3 oscillators and its sound is considered "fatter"). The Odyssey was the first synthesizer with duophonic capabilities (the ability to play two notes at the same time). Many cite ARP's semi-modular 2600 as the first duophonic synthesizer; however, the 2600 was originally shipped with a monophonic controller keyboard, with a duophonic keyboard not being released until after the Odyssey's release. One potential appeal of the Odyssey is the fact that all parameters, including a resonant low-pass filter, a non-resonant high-pass filter, ADSR and AR envelopes, triangle (not sine) and square wave LFO and a sample-and-hold function, are editable with sliders and buttons on the front panel.

There were many versions of the Odyssey over the years.

Contents 1 ARP Odyssey models 1.1 Odyssey Mk I (Model 2800) 1.2 Odyssey Mk II (Model 2810-5) 1.3 Odyssey Mk III (Model 2820-2823) 1.4 Trivia 1.5 Effects 2 Notable musicians/bands who used the Odyssey 3 External links

• Produced between 1972 and 1974.
  These original white-faced Odysseys used a 2-pole VCF filter design similar to old Oberheim SEM modules.
• Later Mark Is were made with the black and gold color scheme, and some may also have the CV/Gate/Trigger interface jacks installed (ARP mod kit #6800101).

• Produced between 1974-76.
• The Odysseys I and II look and feel virtually the same. The main difference between them are the addition of CV / Gate control and a new black & gold color scheme. Some of these had a beefier 4-pole VCF. This filter 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. The similar 4072 was featured in the 2600, Omni, Axxe, Solus and others.
• Many other design and constructional changes are also evident between Odyssey models besides the appearance and filters used. These include case welding, different keyboard actions, VCO designs and even slider types used.
• Mk II Odysseys also have XLR outputs.

• Produced from 1976 to 1981.
• The Mk III featured the new 4075 filter design. The rest of its specifications are virtually identical to the Odyssey 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. It also used a unique ARP pitch-bender design called the PPC (Proportional Pitch Control), where three pressure-sensitive buttons are used to control bend up, down and vibrato; older Odysseys used a simple knob for pitch bending. The Odyssey Mk III is the most common Odyssey model.

In some of the earlier models, some of their circuitry (the Odyssey's 4023 filter) was encased in resin, a trick ARP used often in their earlier years to maintain temperature stability (or as some say, to guard trade secrets). For whatever reason they did it, having their circuits enclosed in resin makes it difficult, if not impossible, to repair some units. In 1976, Viacom used a Odyssey Mark II for its V of Doom music.

• Switchable between sawtooth, square, and pulse waveforms with oscillator sync, a ring modulator, and pink or white noise.
• Pulse-width can be modulated manually or with the LFO or the ADSR envelope generator. There is a (static) high-pass filter, as well as a voltage controlled low-pass self-oscillating filter.
• The filter can be controlled by either of the two envelope generators, an ADSR (attack, decay, sustain, release) and a simple AR (attack, release) and modulated by the LFO, sample-and-hold, the keyboard, or a separate CV (pedal) input on the back panel.

• 4hero
• 808 State
• ABBA
• Alphaville
• Bomb The Bass
• David Bowie
• Dave Brubeck
• Bob Casale of Devo
• Camel
• Chemical Brothers
• Chick Corea
• Tom Coster with Carlos Santana
• DJ Aakash
• ELO
• Electronic Dream Planet
• The Enid
• Joe Walsh (background riff behind the guitar solo of "Life's Been Good")
• John Entwistle and Pete Townsend of The Who
• John Evan and Dave Palmer with Jethro Tull
• John Foxx
• Herbie Hancock
• David Hentschel on early Elton John recordings
• Jefferson Starship
• Kansas
• Ron Levy of the B.B. King Band
• LTJ Bukem
• Gary Numan
• Nine Inch Nails
• R.E.M.
• Florian Schneider of Kraftwerk
• Styx
• Tangerine Dream
• Billy Currie of Ultravox
• Dave Formula of Magazine
• Evan Doorbell
• Ryuichi Sakamoto and Haruomi Hosono of Yellow Magic Orchestra
• Jon Lord of Deep Purple
• The Human League - "Love Action"

• Odyssey entry at Synth Museum
• Odyssey entry at Vintage Synth Explorer
• RetroSound-ARP Odyssey
• SDIYcut (a very seducing cardboard model of the white Odyssey can be found on that site)