A3
OSC OSCar
Year of manufacture
1983
Production period
3(1983-85)
Polyphony
1
Oscillators
2(2 DCO)
Waveforms
14+2(2 Saw, 2 Variable Pulse, 5 Preset-, 5 User-Waveforms + PWM + Noise)
Modulation
1(1 LFO)
Filters
2(2 Low-pass -12dB/octave or 1 low-pass -24dB/octave, + switchable high- & bandpass)
Keys
37
Features
8(Glide, Pitch-, Mod-Wheel, Arpeggiator, Sequencer, Gate Time, Hold, MIDI)
Sound-Memory
36
Oxford Synthesizer Company's "OSCar"
The OSCar, developed and released by British “Oxford Synthesizer Company” in 1983 was a late arrival in the class of monosynths. With its digital oscillators and control system, it was way ahead of its time, or at least of its monophonic competition.
The 2 DCO, mono-, up to duo-phonic synthesizer offers all the standard waveforms, but with the option to create up to 12 user-generated waveforms using additive synthesis with up to 24 harmonic partials. Of the estimated 1000 units manufactured, only the latest 750 were equipped with MIDI. The OSCar’s filter consist of two 12dB/octave Low-, High- and Band-pass filter stages, which can be linked for steeper slopes, featuring an internal filter overdrive. Another feature, worth mentioning, is the internal sequencer, which stores up to 24 sequences and enables the OSCar to play duophonic, with both the sequencer and the keyboard in use.
The OSCar had famous users like Keith Emerson, Stevie Wonder, Orbital, BT or Jean Michel Jarre.