Oberheim OB-Xa

The Oberheim OB-Xa is an 8-voice polyphonic analog synthesizer, released in December 1980 by Oberheim electronics. The OB-Xa was Sting’s main synthesizer with The Police between 1981 and 1984.

Sting initially worked with the Oberheim OB-Xa during the recording of Ghost In The Machine. It was probably one of the new "toys" that members of the band were offered by manufacturers at the time. Sting especially taking an interest in polyphonic synthesizers like the Oberheim led to a more synthesizer-oriented direction on the album as a result. The Oberheim appears as synthesizer textures on "Invisible Sun" (which was written as a chord sequence on the synth) and probably "Spirits In The Material World".

In the studio & examples
According to Hugh Padgham, Sting never really liked spending ages programming a synth (the Oberheim OB-Xa in this case) to get particular sounds he wanted. Instead he'd say he wants roughly such-and-such and runs through the different presets available on the synth until he found something, then he'd record it.

On Ghost In The Machine, the OB-Xa seems to be used for rather straightforward string textures, like in "Invisible Sun", which was originally written as a chord sequence on the synth. And possibly appears on "Spirits In The Material World" as well.

By Synchronicity, Sting had started operating the Oberheim in conjunction with the DSX sequencer, and started to experiment further with the Oberheim sound-wise. For example, the Oberheim synth portamento in "Synchronicity II" (just before the final chorus) and the percussive sequencer patterns in "Synchronicity I" and "Walking In Your Footsteps".

In addition to songs from those albums, "How Stupid Mr. Bates" (which The Police recorded for the Brimstone and Treacle soundtrack) features Oberheim OB-Xa filter modulation, which the whole song appears to have been built around. Sting might have had the Oberheim interfaced with his Moog Taurus I pedals so he could sustain the D note when the backing tracks were cut live.

Live
The OB-Xa's live debut was on the 22 August 1981 concert at the Liberty Bell Park, Philadelphia, having replaced the Minimoog. Sting also played "Invisible Sun" on the synth, while Danny Quatrochi would handle the song's bass parts offstage.

On the Synchronicity tour, the OB-Xa was accompanied with the DSX sequencer. Sting had already devised sequences for "Synchronicity I", "Walking In Your Footsteps", "King Of Pain" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger". For all Oberheim equipment on the tour (the OB-Xa included), data cassettes were used to reprogram them for each song. In the OB-Xa's case, the tapes stored data for specific patches.

Sting also had an Oberheim OB-8 but didn't seem to use it on tour.

Post Police
It was thought that the Oberheim OB-Xa was given to Kenny Kirkland (who used one on Sting's Dream of The Blue Turtles tour). Apparently - from Danny Quatrochi's memory - the Oberheim was given to a repair shop in London, but had either been stolen or sold off to someone else and it was never seen again.