[3][4] Building on the technology developed for their Polyphonic Synthesizer Programmer, Oberheim designed the OB-1 with the ability to store and recall up to 8 instances of its sound settings, making it the world's first completely programmable synthesizer.

A slightly updated version, the Oberheim OB-1a, was introduced in 1979 that features the grey color scheme of its polyphonic sibling, the OB-X.

The voltage-controlled filter is switchable between either 2- or 4-pole, with frequency cutoff and resonance controls.

[1][2] Notable users of the OB-1 include Vince Clarke and the bands Tangerine Dream, Rush, and The Grid.

[3] A 2014 feature on the French radio station France Inter claimed that the OB-1 had been used by Star Wars sound engineer Ben Burtt to create the voice of R2-D2, and that the name of another Star Wars character, Obi-Wan Kenobi, derives from a transliteration of "OB-1".