Molten Music Technology’s Oberheim TEO-5: Analog Goo in a Plastic Shell

The Oberheim TEO-5 isn’t just another synth on the table—it’s the one people keep coming back to at Molten Music Technology’s Synth Picnic. Among a spread of gear, some cheaper, some flashier, the TEO-5 consistently gets the nod for its warmth and that elusive Oberheim sound. There’s a tactile magic here: the build, the knobs, the keyboard—all ooze a quality that’s hard to fake, even if the case is more plastic than posh.

What really sets it apart is the way it wraps you up in a blanket of analog goodness. Players talk about the feel, the sound, and the way it just sits above everything else in the room. Sure, there are synths with more voices or wilder features, but when it comes to pure, gut-level satisfaction, the TEO-5 keeps winning hearts. Robin’s not wrong: this thing’s got vibes for days.

Let’s talk numbers: five voices. In a world of infinite polyphony, that sounds like a punchline. But the TEO-5 turns this supposed weakness into a creative weapon. You can’t just smear endless chords—every note counts, every voice stolen is a new opportunity for happy accidents. It’s a throwback to the Prophet 5 days, where restriction breeds invention, not frustration.

Robin points out that the TEO-5 handles voice allocation with surprising grace. Hold a note and bash away on the rest of the keyboard, and the original note hangs on for dear life instead of vanishing into the ether. It’s a subtle thing, but it changes how you play. Instead of endless pads, you get punchy, intentional lines. If you’re after a synth that forces you to play smarter, not lazier, this is your jam.

Diving into the guts, the TEO-5’s oscillators are classic Oberheim: two per voice, with triangle, saw, and square waves ready to blend or stack. There’s no fancy mixer—just on/off switches and menu diving for levels—but the payoff is in the sound. Detuning the oscillators gets you instant grit, and pulse width modulation is on tap for those who like their waveforms a bit wobbly.

The SEM filter is the star of the show. It’s a 12dB two-pole design, smooth as silk and stable as a brick wall. Crank the resonance and you won’t lose your bass or send it into self-oscillation madness. Instead, you get a filter that morphs between low pass, notch, and high pass, with a band pass hiding in the menu for those who dig deeper. It’s not wild, but it’s lush—think velvet glove, not iron fist.

Here’s where things get spicy. The built-in effects on the TEO-5 aren’t just tacked on—they’re essential. Reverb, tape delay, chorus, flanger, phaser, distortion, and even a rotary speaker effect all live here, and they’re actually good. Robin’s clear: the synth sounds great dry, but the effects push it into ‘can’t-stop-playing’ territory.

Tweak the reverb or slap on some distortion and suddenly you’re in a different sonic postcode. The effects are easy to dial in and add a massive amount of playability. If you’re the type who wants instant vibe without a pedalboard the size of a coffee table, this is your shortcut. The TEO-5’s effects don’t just polish the sound—they make it addictive.