In his latest video, Starsky Carr talks with Paul Whittington from PWM Instruments about their upcoming reissue of the OSCar synthesizer.
The Oxford Synthesiser Company introduced the OSCar synth in 1982. It’s a 2-oscillator hybrid monosynth, with digital oscillators and a resonant multi-mode filter.
Video Summary:
The legendary OSCar synthesizer is back! In this video, I’m joined by Paul from PWM Instruments, who recently acquired the rights to the Oxford Synth Company. In this he talks us through their new synth – a modern recreation of the iconic OSCar – a secret weapon for artists like Jean-Michel Jarre, Ultravox, Stevie Wonder, Orbital, and Underworld – and explains how the new OSCar stays true to the original’s gritty charm while adding modern upgrades for today’s producers.
Its currently at prototype stage – but the proof of concept has been demonstrated, so the next stage is to mould it into a commercial product.
Availability:
The OSCar reissue is currently in the prototype stage, with a release expected sometime in 2026.
OSCar image via Brandon Daniel
Cool! As an Ultravox fan, I first heard about the OSCar decades ago. Billy Currie replaced his Odyssey with an Oscar on their Lament tour. See 1:17 in this clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmBZV15vKyw
The part at 1:50 in this song is Billy Currie on the OSCar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRfliKxD8mY&list=RDeRfliKxD8mY&start_radio=1
that was unintentional funny
technician on the dials: squeak, squeak, squeak
musician on the dials: sings opera
^^
2500 $ for the Oscar reissue? This guy is dreamin.
Nobody never will pay that amount. The Oscar is amazing, but it’s not the Minimoog, the P5 or the OBx
It look like the guy was not very suxcesfull with his synth Mantis, already a semi clone of the Oscar, so he have thought to clone directly the Oscar, now that the Oscar’s father is dead, Chris Hugget.
He did not understood the functionality of the rubber frame…
it protect the panel and the pots, and you can place another keyboard on top of it
i think this project will be not suxcessful and it will be abandoned before the end
I suspect there are still quite a lot of people around who’d like to try an Oscar, and this would represent an opportunity to buy one that’s new, relatively more affordable, and likely much more reliable than anything on the secondhand market. As a lifelong fan of the Wasp and Chris Huggett, I wish them success and will be very tempted if they manage to produce it.