audiobriefs
9:08in productionCh. 1 · Second out the gate/ 9:08 · ceiling 15 min
Synths & drum machines

Oberheim DMX

Oberheim

The DMX doesn’t simulate a drummer—it simulates how a drummer *fails* on purpose, and that’s why it still hits.

The Oberheim DMX is a programmable digital drum machine introduced in 1980. It was the second commercially sold digital drum machine after the Linn LM-1. It used sampled sounds of real drums stored in EPROM chips on removable voice cards. It offered 24 drum sounds derived from 11 original samples and supported up to 8-voice polyphony. It included humanizing features like rolls, flams, and timing variations. It was designed to interface with the OB-Xa synthesizer via the Oberheim Serial Buss and marketed as part of 'The System' alongside the DSX sequencer and OB-Xa or OB-8. It was widely used in 1980s new wave, synth-pop, and hip hop recordings.

Synths & drum machinesDrum machinesThe eightiesSamplingDrum machines across the network →
Chapters & takeaways5
  1. 1:06
    Second out the gate

    It was the second commercial digital drum machine—and it arrived in 1980 with no compromises on sampling fidelity or programmability.

  2. 2:20
    Plug-in drums

    Real drum samples live on EPROM voice cards—swap them to change the kit, tune each voice individually, and trigger rolls or flams without programming.

  3. 3:02
    Eight voices, no more

    24 sounds from 11 samples, maxed at 8 voices—one per card—so every hit is discrete, defined, and uncluttered by aliasing or compression.

  4. 4:18
    Built for the System

    It only breathes fully inside 'The System': wired directly to an OB-Xa or OB-8 via Serial Buss for zero-latency sync and unified control.

  5. 5:42
    On the charts, not in the lab

    It shaped the backbone of new wave, synth-pop, and early hip hop—not as a novelty, but as the first reliable source of sampled groove with attitude.

Worth your time?

Yes. Use the whole thing.

4/ 5
What works
  • delivers punchy, gritty sampled drums with immediate humanising
  • rolls, flams, timing shifts that lock into groove faster than any contemporary machine
  • OB-Xa Serial Buss integration gives deterministic timing and system-wide control unmatched in 1980
What does not
  • simulate a drummer
  • allow sample editing
  • support velocity sensitivity
  • offer more than eight simultaneous voices
Use it if
  • producer working within a vintage Oberheim setup
  • crate-digger seeking original DMX textures
Skip it if
  • modern beatmaker needing flexibility
  • modern beatmaker needing editing
  • modern beatmaker needing DAW integration
The written brief1 min read

What it is and what it was built for

A programmable digital drum machine introduced in 1980. Built to be the rhythmic core of Oberheim’s ‘The System’—paired with the OB-Xa or OB-8 synth and DSX sequencer via the proprietary Serial Buss.

How it works, in terms a player would use

It loads drum sounds from removable EPROM voice cards. Each card holds one drum voice. It offers individual tuning per voice and a swing function. Rolls, flams, and timing variations are built-in humanising tools.

What it does better than anything else

It delivers punchy, gritty sampled drums with immediate humanising—rolls, flams, timing shifts—that lock into groove faster than any contemporary machine. Its OB-Xa Serial Buss integration gives deterministic timing and system-wide control unmatched in 1980.

What it does badly

It cannot layer or edit samples. Voice cards are fixed. There is no velocity sensitivity. The 8-voice polyphony limits dense patterns. No external sample import or real-time parameter automation.

What people made with it

Van Halen’s ‘Jump’, New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’, Herbie Hancock’s ‘Rockit’, Madonna’s ‘Into the Groove’, Prince’s ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, Phil Collins’ ‘Sussudio’, Stevie Nicks’ ‘Stand Back’.

Who should use it, and who should not

A producer working within a vintage Oberheim setup. A crate-digger seeking original DMX textures. Not a modern beatmaker needing flexibility, editing, or DAW integration.

Is it worth your time

Yes—if you need authentic 1980s digital drum textures with tactile programming and tight Oberheim-system integration. No—if you require sample editing, MIDI sync, or more than eight simultaneous voices.

Same bench · Synths & drum machines4 of 40
9:20
ARP 2600ARPThe ARP 2600 is a foundational analog synthesizer designed for education. Its semimodular architecture, front-panel signal graphics, and duophonic voice count reflect its classroom purpose—not stage use. Its original filter was replaced after a patent dispute. It teaches synthesis more directly than any contemporaneous instrument, but offers no polyphony, no presets, and unstable tuning.
8:47
Roland CR-78RolandThe CR-78 is historically singular: the first microprocessor-based drum machine and the first to allow user-programmable pattern creation. Its analog synthesis yields 14 fixed drum sounds. Its four-note polyphony defines its rhythmic ceiling. It does not offer sound editing, velocity layers, or sample playback. It belongs in rooms where constraint is compositional strategy—not a flaw to be patched.
8:36
Yamaha CS-80Yamaha · 1976The Yamaha CS-80 is an analog synthesizer introduced in 1977. It supports true 8-voice polyphony, with two independent synthesizer layers per voice each with its own set of front panel controls. It has a layered keyboard that is both velocity-sensitive and pressure-sensitive, with polyphonic aftertouch and a ribbon controller for polyphonic pitch-bends and glissandos. Production of the instrument ceased in 1980.
9:20
Casio CZ synthesizersCasioThe Casio CZ series is a line of low-cost, digitally implemented phase distortion synthesizers introduced by Casio in 1984. They simulate analog filter behaviour without physical filters, using digital phase distortion instead. Each oscillator plays waveforms in series—not parallel—enabling sub-harmonics but restricting waveform pairing. Polyphony drops from eight to four voices when using two oscillators per voice. They were built for amateur musicians, prioritising affordability and portability over expressive control or sonic flexibility.
Up next in Audio

Fender Duo-Sonic

Fender · 8:18

The Duo-Sonic isn’t cute — it’s calibrated for small hands and zero tolerance for tremolo.

Play nextBack to Synths & drum machines
8:18