Update: "To my knowledge, the first Omnichord was introduced in 1981 (1982 in the western hemisphere). I think the 1975 model as advertised is as credible as a 1975 Buchla 200E. :-)
Update: Picture from Pimp Daddy Nash. That ain't made in 1975. That's just crapy advertising. Lame.
Update: Make sure to check out the comments of this post. I can't get through the title link to check it out for myself, but according to Pimp Daddy Nash (gotta love that alias : ) ), this unit has midi. One slight problem, midi didn't come out until 1983...
Update: From Bryan Carrigan via AH:
"Here's a track made with the omnichord beat, pad, and harp pretty exposed in the intro. These are great for writing songs!
click on "tutelary genius"
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/uhp"
Retro Thing has a post up on the Suzuki Omnichord, now the Suzuki QChord. The post got me wondering when this thing originally came out and if it was analog to start. Sure enough it was. The title link will take you to a site that has more info and shots, and actually has one for sale.
"Suzuki OmniChord OM-300 Model Analog Keyboard Synthesizer, c. 1975 (yeah right, this is the later model with midi), made in Japan, serial # 06300, ivory plastic finish, original box case."
Update via temp1 in the comments: "Hi, the brown Omnichord OM-27 (ca. 1981) pictured is my Omniconcertino, that I modified with all the upholstry-tacks as body contacts and a guitar-pedal delay.
"The Omnichord will be re-produced to commemorate the 70th anniversary of our company.
In the 1980s, the electronic musical instrument 'Omnichord' gained tremendous popularity among gadget-loving music lovers for its quirky look and tone. We have been receiving requests to resurrect the Omnichord for a long time. And this year, 2023, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Suzuki Musical Instruments Manufacturing, we will reproduce the Omnichord! It is scheduled to be released around the fall of 2023. We will update the information on this page from time to time. *The photo is the old model OM-27.
It was developed as an electronic musical instrument with an automatic accompaniment function (auto bass chord) equipped with a harp sensor. Anyone can easily play chords, including those who are new to musical instruments and those who are less adept with traditional instruments. It is played using multiple chord buttons lined up in the centre and a touch sensitive strum plate on the right. Whilst pressing the chord buttons, tap the plate with your finger or slide up and down to play 4 octave sounds to effectively accompany a song. Not only is it easy to play, but its unique appearance and tone makes it a hidden favorite both in Japan and overseas for artists who want to try something different and for non-musicians who want to play music!
Originally development started with a request from an overseas sales company to make an electronic musical instrument like an auto-harp. It started with the electronic musical instrument 'PC-27' and the first Omnichord 'OM-27' was born with improvements to the interface and functions. Since then, as technology has advanced, we have created numerous models through trial and error in adding more chords, timbres, and designs."
"At NAMM 2024 we met up with Yu Horiuchi from Suzuki who introduced us to the new re-issue of the Suzuki Omnichord. Originally produced in 1984, the OM-108 has been improved with new features, like on board strummable and syncable drum pads, of which Yu gave us a splendid demonstration.
The Omnichord can transmit midi through its 5 pin din port, and it looks like it will be an excellent way to get some expressive strumming into our lives.
Suzuki Omnichord Available: July 2024 Price: 800 USD
"Released by Suzuki in 1993, the Omnichord Model OM-250m is an electronic musical instrument. The first Suzuki Omnichord models were introduced to the world in 1981.
This is a fun and quirky instrument that even a first time novice user (as seen here in this video!) can make some danceable fun tunes. Please don't take this video too seriously and enjoy some of the variety of sounds it's capable of.
Built-in Rhythms include:
Rock 1, Rock 2, Rock 3, March, Jazz, Country, Bluegrass, Bossanova, Samba & Waltz
Wanting to purchase one? Get on our notification list by emailing with subject "Suzuki Omnichord OM-250m stock notification" to:
notify@retrogearshop.com
"Accordo is a retro inspired chord machine in the vein of the Suzuki Omnichord. Select the root note from the keyboard and choose from 8 different chords, then use the strum strip to play the chord just like an autoharp. Includes a built in rhythm machine and adjustable effects like wah and reverb.
Features & Adjustable Settings:
• Use the strum strip to strum chords or use chord buttons for full chords
• Built in rhythm machine with 10 drum patterns
• Combine chords. For example, hold down the "min" and "7th" buttons for a minor 7th chord.
• Separate tone shaping for chord buttons and strum strip.
• Volume balance between chord buttons and strum strip
• Sustain length for strum strip.
• Reverb for both chords and rhythm machine.
• Master volume
• Rhythm volume
• Tempo for rhythm machine
• Swing for rhythm machine"
"Carol Brown" (Choir of Ex Girlfriends) - Flight of the Conchords
YouTube Uploaded by McTezTube on Feb 15, 2009
According to the auction below: "If you listen carefully you'll hear that the song is played on an OMNICHORD OM-27 (Same model as the one you're bidding on)."
"Stunning Electronic musical Instrument, beautifully Modified in all the right places by Dave Squidfanny.....
The OMNICHORD is a unique Analog (Analogue) Synthesizer originally built in 1981 by Suzuki. It's part Electronic Touch Harp, Part Chord Organ and Part Analog Drum Machine with Rhythms with Accompaniment and a built in speaker. It's been used by David Bowie, Jarvis Cocker (from Pulp) and Flight of the Conchords.
This is the original Gold & Brown Omnichord, looks very Classy.
There is nothing quite like a psychedelic Omnichord.
Needless to say, this very special machine has had some stunning modifications and is now capable of producing a whole range of other-worldly sounds previously un-imagined by the original engineers......
Each Section of this Omnichord synthesizer has been modified in the form of Upgrades, Expanded Features, New Sounds, Additional Modulation and Expressive Control.
This includes Metal Touch points, New Knobs, New Switches (including Rotary Knobs) & Beautiful Flashing LED lights......
LED Lights are moused in Chrome Bezels and modern LED's are used in Warm White, Yellow, Amber & Red, to suite the Brown and Gold case of the Omnichord.
The LED brighness has been set to comfortable levels.
The Various new modifications and features are breifly described below
------------------------------------------------------------ METAL TOUCH POINTS -
An array of Shiny Metal touch points allow a whole new way of playing the Omnichord.
Use fingers to connect the points on the Right of the machine with any of the points on the left of the machine for bleepy Squarewave tones, Bass tones and Chord Tones.
The top Row of 12 Points will change according to which Chord is being played, and will always stay in tune with the chord, in a similar way to the harp. The Bottom Row of 4 Metal Points are Bass tones, and will modulate when using the Omnichord in Accompaniment mode.
7 Points on the right will connect the tones through various parts of the Omnichord's analog circuitry, and produce different effects, ranging from straight amplification, crunchy Distortion and Ring Modulated & Filtered synth tones.
3 x Touch Points on the right of the the machine can be used to trigger the Omnichord's analog drums with fingers, and also make screechy analog oscillation noise from the 'Hats' circuitry.
To the right of the Harp plate are an additional pair of Touch points which can be used to modulate the Omnichord's pitch. These provide really expressive control and can be used for similar results to a whammy bar on a guitar and will produce Hendrix-esque mind-bending.....
Metal Touch Points are firmly Bolted to the case & Securely Glued with no chance of them ever coming loose.
ANALOG DRUMS -
The Omnichord has a built in Analog Drum machine, and provides warm punchy Rhythms with Chord / Bass Accompaniment. There are 6 preset patterns (Rock, Latin, Swing, Etc.). These patterns cannot be edited, however I have installed 6 x Metal Switches above the rhythm buttons which allow these preset patterns to be combined & Locked with each other. This allows a whole range of unique & complex Rhythmical Structures to be created......
4 New Soft-Touch Knobs Allow the Analog Drum sounds to be tweeked. Controls affect Decay and Resonance for the Bass, Snare, Claves and Hats.
A cool feature with this Omnichord is that the Analog Drums can also be played with your fingers by using the Metal touch points on the right of the machine (see start of video).
An additional Switch has been added to this machine, just above the Chord Volume Knob, which will mute / Un-Mute the bass line.
LFO Modulator -
Additional LFO circuit has been installed in this machine to allow very impressive modulation capabilities..... The Large Knob is used to alter the LFO RATE, the signal can then be used to drive the Omnichord's Pitch, which will affect the Chord, Bass, Harp and Touch Points. It will not affect the tempo or the rhythms, which makes it a very useful feature for performance. A custom Gold Knob Changes the LFO Rate & Black & Grey soft-touch knob controls the LFO Pitch depth. When turned fully anti-clockwise the LFO Effect will be turned completely Off.
The LFO also has a small flashing bi-colour Green & Red LED Light which indicates the Rate.
SONIC GLITCH -
This is a very special feature for this Omnichord, which produces a psychedelic array of unique techo-esque sounds from the Omnichord's preset Harp / Chord & Bass.
Sounds range from Bubbly Echos, Sweet Arpeggios & Syncopated Modulation to De-tuned Notes, Dark Ring Mods & Watery Dis-chord.
Many of the Glitches create subtle effects and cross-modulation, some create dramatic wierdness and analog effects.
Use the pair of Silver Rotary Knobs on the right of the machine to select the required 'Glitch', and the metal toggle Switch to active the effect. Each Rotary knob can be used individually or both Knobs can be used at once for increasingly dramatic results....
Once the required effect is selected, the switches can be used as part of a live performance.
There are a total of 20 Sonic Glitches which are spread over both Rotary Switches.
A bi-colour LED will light up Green / Red to indicate that the glitches are active."
via this auction "ORIGINAL ADVERTISING FROM THE 1980S STATED THE FOLLOWING INFO ABOUT THE OMNICHORD Sound Like a Pro-even if you have never played before! For the hidden musician in all of us. Suzuki brings you the exciting new OMNICHORD-the accompaniment musical instrument that anyone can easily play the very first time. If you love music but don't know one note from another, Omnichord now makes it possible for you to sound like a Pro-even if you never played before! STRUM THE SONIC STRINGS TOUCHPLATE- JUST LIKE A GUITAR! Omnichord automatically plays the background music to your favorite songs by providing 36 major, minor or 7th chords that you select. Also choose from drum patterns or activate the walking bass line. Omnichord can even be strummed like a guitar with the amazing 'Sonic Strings' touchplate. Just select a chord and run your fingers along the electronically charged touchplate. Omnichord does the rest, producing 4 full octaves of your pre-selected chord. Its beautiful professional sound is played through its own built in speaker and internal amplifier. Omnichord is so versatile. it's like playing guitar, organ, piano, bass and drums all the same time! And for concert hall sound, Omnichord can be plugged into your own stereo sound system. MAKE MUSIC INSTANTLY WITH THE ELECTRONIC MUSICOMPUTER OF THE FUTURE! Powered by batteries or optional AC adapter, Omnichord is completely portable and always in perfect pitch. Quality constructed from unbreakable plastic, Omnichord is packed with the latest, state of the art electronics and includes instruction manual and 1 year warranty. Musician or non-musician alike will be delighted by just how much music this new compact musicomputer can make. Use your Omnichord with Suzuki's specially written Sing-A-Long Songbooks. They contain no traditional music notation-only the words and chord symbols of today's most popular songs. If you know your A B C's it's that easy to make music instantly and play your favorite songs- electronically. So just for fun at your next party, get-together or social event, bring out that hidden musician by bringing out the best musician in the house- YOU!"
"The OMNICHORD is a unique Analog (Analogue) Synthesizer originally built in 1981 by Suzuki. It's part Electronic Touch Harp, Part Chord Organ and Part Analog Drum Machine with Rhythms with Accompaniment and a built in speaker. It's been used by David Bowie, Jarvis Cocker (from Pulp) and Flight of the Conchords.
There is nothing quite like an Omnichord.
Needless to say, this very special machine has had some stunning modifications and is now capable of producing a whole range of other-worldly sounds previously un-imagined by the original engineers......
Each Section of this Omnichord synthesizer has been modified in the form of Upgrades, Expanded Features, New Sounds, Additional Modulation and Expressive Control.
This includes 35 Metal Touch points, 10 New Knobs, 28 New Switches (including Rotary Knobs) & 27 Beautiful Psychedelic LED lights......
METAL TOUCH POINTS -
An array of Metal touch points allow a whole new way of playing the Omnichord. Use fingers to connect the points on the Right of the machine with any of the points on the left of the machine for bleepy Squarewave tones, Bass tones and Chord Tones. The tones are harmonically arranged in a similar way to the Harp.
The top row of 12 points are fixed tones. The centre Row of 12 Points will change according to which Chord is being played, and will always stay in tune with the chord, in a similar way to the harp. The Bottom Row of 5 Points are Bass tones, and will modulate when using the Omnichord in Accompaniment mode.
5 Points on the right will connect the tones through various parts of the Omnichord's analog circuitry, and produce different effects, ranging from straight amplification, crunchy Distortion and Ring Modulated & Filtered synth tones.
To the right of the Harp plate are an additional pair of Touch points which can be used to modulate the Omnichord's pitch. These provide really expressive control and can be used for similar results to a whammy bar on a guitar and will produce Hendrix-esque mind-bending.....
FLASHING LIGHTS -
Beautiful modern LED lights indicate various activity within the Omnichord's circuitry and flash along with the sounds.
The LED Lights also serve to divide the metal touch points and make performance more accurate.
Pink Lights represent the Drums & Chord sounds.
Green & Blue Lights Indicate the LFO rate.
Purple Lights indicate the Bass
ANALOG DRUMS (left Photo Above) -
The Omnichord has a built in Analog Drum machine, and provides warm punchy Rhythms with Chord / Bass Accompaniment. There are 6 preset patterns (Rock, Latin, Swing, Etc.). These patterns cannot be edited, however I have installed 6 Metal Switches above the rhythm buttons which allow these preset patterns to be combined with each other. This allows a whole range of unique & complex Rhythmical Structures to be created.
5 New Soft-Touch Knobs Allow the Analog Drum sounds to be tweeked. Controls affect Decay and Filtering for the Bass, Snare, Claves and Hats. Yellow knob provides Decay for the Chord when used in Accompaniment mode.
SONIC GLITCH (Right Photo above) -
This is a very special new feature for this Omnichord, which produces a staggering array of unique techo-esque sounds from the Omnichord's preset Harp / Chord & Bass.
Sounds range from Bubbly Echos, Sweet Arpeggios & Syncopated Modulation to De-tuned Notes, Dark Ring Mods & Watery Dis-chord.
Use the Rotary Knobs to select the required 'Glitch', and the metal toggle Switch to active the effect. Each Rotary knob can be used individually or all 3 Knobs can be used at once for increasingly dramatic results....
Once the required effect is selected, the switches can be used as part of a live performance.
There are a total of 27 Sonic Glitches which are spread over the 3 Silver Rotary Switches.
LFO Modulator -
Additional LFO circuit has been installed in this machine to allow a whole range of very impressive modulation capabilities..... The Large Knob is used to alter the LFO RATE, the signal can then be used to drive the Omnichord's Pitch, which will affect the Chord, Bass, Harp and Touch Points. It will not affect the tempo or the rhythms, which makes it a very useful feature for performance. A soft-touch knob controls the LFO Pitch depth when turned fully anti-clockwise will turn the effect off.
A pair of metal toggle switches allow the LFO to be used as a Gate / Chopper for the Chord & Bass.
Another Soft-Touch Knob allows the LFO to act as a Linier Volume Gate and can create a nice basic rotary speaker effect.
LFO Circuit has a Switch (above the large Rate Knob) to turn the circuit ON/OFF.
The LFO also has a small flashing Green LED Light which indicates the Rate.
Additional controls in the photo above are -
A pair of Switches which are used for cutting cirtain elements from the Bass Accompaniment.
Bass Volume Knob (Red Knob) can also be used to completely mute the bass.
Master Pitch (yellow knob) is used to tune / de-tune the machine.
New controls are all arranged in a logical and instinctive order, with juist a little practice you'll quickly understand their functions."
"Suzuki Omnichord System 200m OM-200m Synthesizer & Drum Machine w/ MIDI OUT. Tested and works. Comes with 2 operational manuals and a Omnichord Spoken Here songbook"
"In this video, I am controlling my PX-5S synthesizer with a Suzuki Omnichord OM-300 hooked up via MIDI. The audio of the Omnichord is patch into the PX-5S and everything is recorded using the PX-5S built in recorder."
"Original 1984 Suzuki OmniChord Synthesizer. Complete with Carry Case, Footswith Pedal, A/C Power Adapter, and Instruction Booklet. Superb Condition with Original Plastic Overlay.
*OmniChord Synthesizer System Two, Model # OM-84...Guitar, Organ, Piano, and Bass Drums, All-in-One.
*A/C Adapter Model: OCA...Use to Prolong Battery Life or use for Extended Periods of Play.
*Footswitch Model: OFS-2...Chords in Memory can be played back with your Foot, leaving your Hand Free to Play Melody and Strum the SonicStrings.
*Modular Carry Case Model: OMC-2...This Durable case in Constructed of Unbreakable Plastic with Enough Storage for System and Accessories. Padded Storage case is Perfect for Transport."
"This is a demo of a Suzuki Omnichord OM-200 M (1989) being used as a MIDI controller for a Korg EX-800 (1984) polyphonic synth module, the little brother of the Poly-800. This is a powerful combination in which the Omnichord's ability to send out humanistic cascades of tones really complements the Korg's unique 6-pointed (ADBSSR) envelopes, highly resonant filter and loud pink noise generator."
This is the "original" omnichord (well, it was the beginning of the evolution of the omnichord). This is the first of it's kind, and it then led to the future production of the Omnichord which has more features/options.
I sent this to Suzuki to have the power source modified. Being that this is from the late 70's, the battery compartment had a very old terminal for AA batteries. I could barely get today's AA batteries to fit in, and when they did, they were almost impossible to get them back out. The connection was also undependable and the batteries often felt hot. So about a year ago, I sent it to Suzuki and "Franz"(I guess he is known as the omnichord guy) replaced the AA terminal with a 9-volt. This is much more convenient for quickly swapping batteries out if you were to play it on stage. The battery life seems to be unaffected by replacing the AA's with one 9-volt. Franz from Suzuki thought, if anything it might last longer. He tested it for 4 hours and said it still played(battery didn't die)... After being serviced, the battery door hasn't stayed on as well as it used to..."
"Replacement main board for an Omnichord 200 M. This is unused new old stock, so it is in perfect working order. Bring your Omnichord up to perfect working condition again for wayyyy cheaper than it costs to buy a new one!!
There are only a small handful of these parts still available worldwide, and this is one of the very last ones. Ordered from Suzuki in the UK, and selling here at a reduced price. Suzuki UK only has 1-2 of these remaining and will not be making any more.
Please note this board is only for Rev B and later. For it to work with a Rev A, additional parts are needed. Most 200-Ms are Rev B or later.
I simply bought the wrong part, and didn’t want to pay to return it to the UK, so I figured I’d sell it here instead. Simple replacement process, but a tech may be needed depending on the buyer’s level of experience.
FOLKTEK MODIFIED OM27 OMNICHORD w/ case, power supply & manual.
This is a rare OM27 Omnichord by Ben Houston of Folktek. Ben dosn't seem to do many OM27s any more, just the 84s and I prefer the glitch functions of the OM27 to the 84 personally, great options for lo-fi ambient music. So I present to you a fairly rare item in excellent shape.
CONDITION:
This Omnichord has seen 2 years of light studio use and has never been gigged. It's physical condition is terrific. Original function of this machine is intact.
GLITCH FUNCTIONALITY:
Check out the video below for a hands on demo.
The glitch functionality Ben has added includes hands-on pitch down, fixed pitch down/up, 4 shred/tonal shaping contacts, individual note control, an amp section. All built utilizing a lovely one of a kind etched copper interface.
SHIPPING IS FREE WITHIN THE US.
This device was made to last. It has been tightly assembled, designed with thought and built with solid parts."
Uploaded by benpumpkin on Jun 3, 2008
"Omnichord modified by Ben Houston. Check out Folktek.com and ariusblaze.com"
Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
YouTube Published on Aug 9, 2012 by squidfanny squidfanny (RSS)
"Mega-modded Omnichord Synthesizer.
Hacked, Circuit Bent, Modded & Stuffed full of funky new circuitry.
Similar mods to my previous 'Steam-Punk' Omnichord, but with this one I also went a bit mental with additional circuitry - there's a Filter with LFO, Space Echo (analog delay), a comprehensive Rhythm Patch-Bay & an integrated Step-Sequencer....
The Step Sequencer can be used to generate custom rhythms, or just add additional beats to the preset rhythms. It also has a row of switches, dedicated envelope generator (sonodrome's 555 envelope generator) and Knob to allow sequenced Pitch Modulation. Yes, can now program tempo Synced Pitch twisting :)
Best of all, the sequencer can be used to twist & Modulate the ECHO, in the same way as the pitch modulation!!!
Check out the mental astral sounds that a Twisted Echo can produce..............
Cool eh?
This Omnichord has been another epic project, the machine was in a very bad way when I got it - power-amp & logic clock were both busted, and there was heat damage to the board too. All these faults were caused by a combination of wrong polarity power supply, and suzuki's decision to omit a polarity diode on the machine :( I mean seriously man, a diode costs about 1 penny.... Perhaps Suzuki were cashing in on the repair business too?
Anyway, I replaced an IC to make the chord generator chips work again, repaired the heat damage on the board, and replaced the busted power-amp with an array of transistor amps to retain the vintage sound. Also gave it a new set of caps, and added about 30 little caps to remove the unwanted triggering Clicks / Pops. It's still a bit noisy, but certainly an improvement on the original.
There are metal touch points dotted around this machine that will generate bleepy tones, and modulating squarewaves. Depending on which touch-points are used, you can generate pleasing clean tones, dark bass or varying types of distortion. Combine this with the Glitch Controls to prodcuce bleepy arpeggios, some lovely techno-scrobber sounds and de-tuned discord.
I think this will be my final Omnichord OM-27. Reckon I've exhausted the circuit bending potential for this machine, so next Omnichord's gonna be a different model."
Update: two pics and additional details via this auction.
"Internal Speaker & Battery compartment have been removed to make way for various new Knobs, Switches, Metal Bolts, Metal Touch-Points, Buttons & Flashing Lights. The machine is powered with a standard 12 volt adapter. Audio is provided by a 1/4" Jack Socket on the front of the machine. I do not have the Rubber Pick for this machine - to use the harp-plate you'll need to press quite hard or just lick your finger. Apart from this, the machine functions just as a standard Omnichord OM-27, with no functions or features affected. Inside the machine is an arsenal of funky new circuitry, this includes a Filter & LFO, an Analog Delay (SPACE ECHO) and an Integrated STEP-SEQUENCER for creating original Rhythms, or adding to existing rhythms. The Step-Sequencer can also be used to program Pitch-Modulation, AND also to Modulate the ECHO RATE. Both the Sequencer-Pitch Mod and the Sequencer-Echo Mod have a dedicated envelope generator and an 'Amount' Knob for Pitch-Up or Pitch-Down."
via this auction "Here, we have a modified and improved Suzuki Omnichord Om-84.
It features touch tone igniters for a variety of musical sound producing possibilities. Thick and juicy tones - -
Bottom pads are smooth and crisp, the top section is more clashy/crunchy/distortiony. Tones may also be tuned with the Sonic Strings voice knob. You can activate as many pads at a time, producing beautiful swarms of butterflying drones and harmonical noise. Possibilities are endless.
Functions originally without usage of touch pads.
A simple instruction manual will be included as well.
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