It’s normally a fairly simple task for us to write an introduction to a GForce instrument manual because each of our instruments is inspired by an original that we share a serious passion and enthusiasm for. As such, we’ll normally wax lyrical about an instrument’s history, character, sound and operating anomalies, while at the same time talking in reverential tones about the person who designed and created it.
Initially, the impOSCar2 introduction seemed slightly more difficult. We had already covered most of the historical ground in the original impOSCar manual, plus, in contemplating the journey from that instrument several questions took root.
To us, OSCar® designer Chris Huggett was not just a technical genius, he was one of those exemplary Brits who built something unique and then had the courage of his convictions to compete in a market still fresh and exciting, but also a market increasingly dominated by the less fiscally challenged American and Japanese – In short, a market starting to brim with hyperbole and me-too acronyms.
Being British ourselves, we’re genetically impervious to hype, but could there be a parallel with the impOSCar being built with a slavish attention to detail by genius number cruncher, Jon Hodgson, as well as being the embodiment of our own spirit of adventure during the fresh and exciting days of plug-in instruments?
We know the original impOSCar was a tribute to those plucky Brits like Chris who, in turn, helped us define our own ethos, namely, one of a small, fiercely independent company, keen to operate on our own terms. So could it be that in the same way the OSCar appeared to put the pursuit of sonic excellence above calculated financial considerations imposed by corporate bean counters, the impOSCar was born of the same ideal?
After the M-Tron and Oddity, the impOSCar was our flagship polyphonic synthesizer, and it quickly became evident that the time and care put into developing it had paid off, revealing a synth oozing character and embraced by both the intelligentsia and the pundits.
Naturally, there was some initial scepticism, and we clearly remember standing at our NAMM booth while an equally passionate OSCar owner berated us, demanding to know why “companies like yours put GUIs, representative of classic instruments on their instruments, while they sound nothing like the originals?” He then begrudgingly took up our challenge to play and listen to it only to emerge from headphones twenty minutes later, grinning from ear to ear, saying, “Holy Shit....you nailed it!”
impOSCar went on to achieve the accolade of becoming the longest-running Best Commercial Instrument Plug-In at KvR Audio, as well as winning Electronic Musician’s Editor’s Choice Award for product of the year along with Future Music’s Platinum Award, to name but a few. While these awards were flattering and a testament to the care and attention to detail that went into developing the instrument, it’s an instrument’s enduring usage that defines the great from the good. Thankfully, it’s undeniable that the impOSCar has been used in droves by everyone from hobbyist musicians to top-flight international artists and has adorned countless hits. Hell, it even had its own catchphrase!
So here we are several years later, with the impOSCar2 picking up the torch that’s shone brilliantly over the last few years. Having garnered so many ideas and good feedback over these years, we decided that we’d remain true to ourselves and turn a heroic update into an Olympic marathon.
Not for us the quickest and easiest route to market. Instead, we made a conscious decision to take time to do the things we wanted to do and to do them to the best of our ability.
After the success of impOSCar2, there was a clear need for a follow-up. Jon kindly provided the impOSCar2 code to the new GForce Software team, and with his support, the instrument was smoothly transitioned to our new framework. Ensuring compatibility with the previous version, we started augmenting impOSCar3 in pure GForce tradition.
impOSCar3's oscillators have been augmented with fully editable 256-step wavetables drawn as shapes or edited as partials.
We've added 450+ new factory Patches and our powerful browser to allow easy navigation through the vast array of included patches—over 1800 in total.
Additionally, 4 new macros, a new reverb, an improved layout, a user-designable LFO editor, aftertouch control, undo & redo, a fully scalable UI and more. Finally, we’ve simplified the operation of the instrument whilst keeping all its depths and compatibility with legacy impOSCar2 patches.
Legal: All trademarks, service marks and company names are the property of their respective owners. OSCar is a trademark of Oxford Synthesiser Company Limited.