Suzuki OM108 Omnichord [OM-108]

PLEASE NOTE: The gig bag and strap pins are out of stock at present. We have the Omnichord and Power Supply in stock though. Call 01524 410202 if in doubt re stock.

Here at Promenade Music, we absolutely love everything about Omnichords.

What is an Omnichord?
In case you don’t know, an Omnichord is an electronic musical instrument by the Japanese company Suzuki that has automatic accompaniments (auto bass chord) and is equipped with a harp sensor [called a strumplate]. Simply press a chord button and slide your finger on the strumplate… it’s pretty much as simple as that! With very little practice, you can play accompaniments to songs almost instantly. The Omnichord has a built-in speaker and you can play it anytime and anywhere. It’s small, lightweight, easy to carry, and can run on either mains with a dedicated AC adapter [sold separately] or on battery with eight AA batteries [sold separately]. You can use its own built-in speaker, connect to an external amplifier or headphones, and perform anywhere you want. They’re perfect for when you’re practicing in the studio, performing at a live venue, or just playing a favorite song in your bedroom.
Although it has a built-in speaker,

Will I be able to play an Omnichord if I have zero musical experience?
Yes! The Omnichord is so simple to use and doesn’t have a display like many electronic instruments. The settings you make will sound without any programming and the layout is intuitive and easy to understand for those with no experience of music. At the same time, these tactile controls allow professional musicians and song writers to perform and compose in real time, while creating sounds on the panel. It can be used like a keyboard or rhythm machine, and you can also expand the tones with MIDI OUT. The attractiveness of an Omnichord is that whatever your ability or interest, you can make your own kind of music!

Have I heard an Omnichord before?
Probably. David Bowie opened his 2001 ‘Concert for New York City’ benefit gig at Madison Square Garden playing an Omnichord and performed Paul Simon’s ‘America’ [sat cross legged on the stage floor]; Damon Albarn used an Omnichord on the “Clint Eastwood” track from the ‘Gorillaz’ album in 2001; Brian Eno played an Omnichord on the live track ‘Miss Sarajevo’ by U2 under the pseudonym ‘Passengers’ with Bono and Luciano Pavarotti in 1995; Jenny Omnichord [please check her out here] uses one as her main instrument; Eurythmics used one on their UK #6 hit “Love Is a Stranger” in 1983 from their ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)’ album; Joni Mitchell played one on her “The Only Joy in Town” track from her 14th album ‘Night Ride Home’; and others to have used omnichords over the years include everyone from Dolly Parton and Red Hot Chili Peppers, to Ringo Starr and Richard Hawley.

So, let’s talk about the latest omnichord….
The Suzuki OM-108 Omnichord

The OM-108 Omnichord has 38 Chord Buttons and a Strumplate so when the ‘keyboard button’ is turned on, you can play selected chord buttons like a keyboard or drum pad. At the same time, a new feature has been added allowing drum pads to be assigned to the strumplate and auto-off touch pad. The strumplate is one of the Omnichord’s major features. If you slide your fingers on the strumplate while holding down a chord button, the chord and corresponding arpeggio will sound, similar to a harp, across four octaves.

The OM-108 Omnichord has 12 Different Chord Keys including C, F, G, Bb, D, Eb, A, Ab, E, Db, B, F#

The OM-108 Omnichord has 9 Different Variations of Chords including: Major, Minor, 7th, Maj7th, Min7th, Augmented, Diminished, Sus4, add9. You can play 108 chords just by pressing one to three chord buttons; and the chords Sus4 and add9 have now been added on the OM-108.

The OM-108 Omnichord has 10 Different Strumplate Tones [Sounds] for main and sub tones over a 4-octave range. The tones include: Omni 1, Omni 2, Harp, Celeste, Piano, Guitar, FM Piano, Organ, Vibes and Banjo. Please note, the famous ‘omni 1’ and ‘omni 2’ which were on the OM-84 are back and reproduced using analog circuitry. In addition, there is also the ‘FM Piano’ which is an electric piano that was all the rage in the 1980’s, and there’s the ‘celeste’ and ‘harp’ tones from Omnichords from the past. Suzuki have carefully selected these ten tones and they represent popular instruments from the past, whilst still resonating with today’s music scene. Sub Voice Tones include: Omnichord (+ vibrato), Mellow Synth. Synth. Strings, Orch. Strings

The OM-108 Omnichord has 10 Rhythm Styles including: Rock 1, Rock 2, Slow Rock, Country, Swing, Disco, Hip Hop, Funk, Bossa Nova, and Waltz. These rhythm patterns correspond to a variety of music styles, and for the first time – on any Omnichord – there is a trap beat ‘hip hop’ style pattern. Although some rhythm styles share the same name as the past models, we have updated many, by incorporating a rhythm pattern that is more current. It integrates multiple functions that allow you to change the way you play chords and rhythms, such as playing at free tempo, adding bass accompaniment, or starting with a drum prelude.

The OM-108 Omnichord Variable Volume Adjustment so each of the 10 tones can be layered with a second tone and the ‘Main’ and ‘Sub’ voice volumes can be controlled with individual knobs. For example, when a voice [let’s say the harp] is selected as the ‘main voice’, another voice [let’s say synth strings] can be assigned to the ‘sub voice’ section. You can create your own sound by adjusting each volume control, thus changing the balance between the two voices. Each main voice is pre-assigned with a tone as a sub voice that will resonate beautifully when layered.

The OM-108 Omnichord has Built-in 4.3-Watt Amplifier and 10cm Speaker and there’s also a mono line-out socket and a headphone output on a stereo mini jack. When connecting to an external speaker, you can turn on/off the sound produced by the speaker on-board the OM-108. Suzuki listened to the request of Omnichord players globally who wanted to monitor their own sound during live performances.

The OM-108 Omnichord has Lots of Control including: MIDI OUT, Master Volume, Chord Volume, Main Voice Volume, Sub Voice Volume, Sustain, Rhythm Volume, Tempo; and there are ‘Button Controls’ for Power on/off, Chord, Keyboard on/off, Voice Select, Rhythm Select, Chord-Manual/Auto, Chord Hold, Rhythm-Start / Sync Start. ‘Other Functions’ include: Instant OFF, Transpose, Octave Shift, ON/OFF SPEAKER, and Master Tuning. Via the MIDI OUT, you can send chords, strumplate, and drum performance information via MIDI OUT. Strumplate tones can be sent on two separate MIDI channels, allowing for the layering of tones using external MIDI sound sources.

The OM-108 Omnichord has Plays on Batteries… Although the spec says that you can get “approximately 8 hours on continuous battery operation time”, this depends on how you are using it [i.e. how loud you have the volume] and how good a quality the batteries are you are using. We offer no guarantee that you will get 8 hours use.

The OM-108 Omnichord’s Size and Weight… The OM-108 is 45.7cm wide, 25cm deep, 5.18cm high, and 1.2kg [around the same as a bag of sugar]

Suzuki OM-108 Omnichord Optional Extras
Mains Adapter: The AD3-1210A mains AC adapter is for the 220-240V UK market. But please remember, the AC adapters designed for earlier Omnichords cannot be used with the OM-108.

Gig Bag: The OGB-108 gig bag has metal fittings and a strap length of 74cm – 135cm. The external dimensions are 49cm wide, 26.5cm deep, 10cm high, and the weight is 540g [1.19lb]. The bag can store the mains AC adapter and a cable but the OGB-108 IS NOT suitable for earlier Omnichords.

Strap Pins: The OSB-108 are 2 strap buttons with screws that fit to the OM-108 Omnichord. By installing the strap buttons to the body of the OM-108, you can attach any
commercially guitar strap.

Take a look at the Suzuki OM-108 Omnichord Brochure

Now sit back and watch some OM-108 Omnichord Videos … Video 1 [You can play accompaniment straight away, even if you have never played a musical instrument before] … Video 2 [sound of the classic OM84 is reproduced wuth analogue circuits] … Video 3 [Equipped with both retro and new tones] … Video 4 [Layer function that creates expression of sound] … Video 5 [Updated rhythm selection with popular drum beats] … Video 6 [Adding sus4 and add9 allows OM 108 to play 108 chord] … Video 7 [Sensitive strumplate that fully expresses light touch playing] … Video 8 [Possible to play the melody using the chord buttons] … Video 9 [Equipped with a drum pad for the first time, and it can also be played with a strumplate] … Video 10 [Expand sound with MIDI OUT] … Video 11 [Can be switched to OM-84 drum kit].

About the Suzuki Omnichord… Released in 1981, Omnichord became extremely popular, especially in Europe and America as a new musical instrument that anyone could enjoy – anywhere. Due to the unique electronic sounds that are reminiscent of the 80’s, Omnichord has a cult status around the world. It not only appears in recorded music [see above], but also in publicity photos from the 80’s, and featured in the titles of songs and albums. The Omnichord name was discontinued after the OM-300 was released in 1996, but its popularity endured the test of time, and now, over 40 years later the Omnichord returns with this OM-108.

For more information, please call us on 01524 410202 or email us at [email protected]