Five synths Tom Oberheim couldn’t release under his own nameMusic fans all over the world love the Oberheim synth sound, whether they know it or not. Used famously by Van Halen, Prince, Herbie Hancock, Gary Wright, Tycho, and on soundtracks such as Stranger Things, the synths from Tom Oberheim’s catalogue are beloved for the rich, bold and luscious tones they produce.
Although Tom founded Oberheim Electronics in 1969, he also released a handful of synths under some lesser-known brands: Marion Systems and SeaSound. By the mid-1970s, Tom was making future classic synths like the SEM, 4-Voice and OB-X, but by 1985 the company was struggling. Following legal battles, the Oberheim name was sold to the Gibson Guitar Company, which went on to release Oberheim-named synths. Tom didn’t see his trademarked surname return to him until 2019.
READ MORE: Tom Oberheim at 90: “I can never retire, first of all”
In the interim, Tom created Marion Systems in 1987 and SeaSound in 2000, working on and contributing to new products. Here are the synths that Oberheim released during those wilderness years.

 
Marion System MSR-2

By the 1990s, rack mount synths were the format of choice for many developers. Famed for having the Oberheim sound inside a 1U rack, the 1994 Marion Systems MSR2 was 16-part multitimbral and featured some complex routing and programming capabilities as well as MIDI, of course. Though it looks unassuming, this rare module is beloved by anyone lucky enough to own one. It represented a first step into the new world of rack-mount modules as opposed to the standalone synths previously designed by Oberheim.
Marion Systems ProSynth

Released in 1995, the Marion Systems ProSynth followed soon after the MSR2. Another rack module, it aimed to capture analogue sound and feel in digital technology without using samples. It was 8-voice polyphonic but otherwise quite basic, with just a stereo out, no headphone port, no sampled waveforms or effects. Its 8 sounds could each be triggered by a separate MIDI channel, though the lack of separate channel outputs hobbled this feature somewhat.
There was a lot of stuff that was still pretty new at the time, including split and layer of sounds, 200 factory and 200 user presets, stack and detune of up to four voices and the synth was praised for its bass and lead sounds in particular. Compared to some of Oberheim’s best, though, it’s not generally considered a classic and is exceptionally rare.
tomoberheim.com SEM Pro

In 2010, Tom released an updated version of his hugely famous SEM (synthesizer expansion module) under the “tomoberheim.com” banner.
Using similar circuitry to the original, including the same multimode VCF and voice architecture, it came in three versions – the Patch Panel, MIDI-to-CV and the Pro, which included 21 patch points, a preamp, transposition and a MIDI-to-CV interface. The patch panel version featured 33 jacks and introduced new internal modulation techniques, as well as deep interfacing capabilities with Eurorack modular synths.
Marion Systems TVS Pro

Having reintroduced the SEM, Oberheim then revisited one of his personal favourites of his designs, the Two Voice, in 2016. Where the new SEM had practically been a recreation of the original, this time he went further. Essentially two SEMs chained together, now they could be controlled by the integrated Fatar touch sensitive keyboard and a new sequencer module.
The new sequencer was two-channel with 16 steps that could be chained together into songs, sample and hold and a ratchet mode. The hardware had 56 patch points, MIDI in, out and thru as well as six discrete audio output jacks. Performance options were stepped up, with both SEMs playable in unison, duophonically and via pitch and mod wheels.
Sequential OB-6

A collaboration between synth legends Oberheim and Dave Smith, the OB-6 took the classic Oberheim sound with its true voltage-controlled oscillators, 2-pole filter and amplifiers and added modern enhancements such as studio-quality effects, a polyphonic step sequencer, arpeggiator and more.
With a sound inspired by Oberheim’s original SEM, the OB-6 took a hands-on approach, putting basically all its features within easy reach including 500 factory and 500 user presets, a Manual mode for more creative sound shaping in real time and of course a four-octave, semi-weighted keyboard with velocity and channel aftertouch. After this, Oberheim would regain the rights to use his name again when releasing hardware.
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