OM36 & OM84
Following
the success of the OM27 two new Omnichords landed on Planet Earth in
1984,
possibly delivered to 'Mork' in
person by a Vulcan Princess named T''Pau? These new versions; System
One (OM36) and System Two (OM84) were released simultaneously (err...that
means together).
Like the OM27 with its 27 chords, the original Suzuki technical bulletin revealed the name of the OM36 and OM84 directly related to the amount of chord variations available to the Omnichordist. Three rows of newly designed rubber chord buttons provided 36 major, minor and seventh chords for the OM36 and 84 major, minor, seventh (M & m), augmented and diminished chords for the OM84. As it happened, the production release of the OM-36 increased the playable chord number to 84. The new chord button layout has remained with us on almost all proceeding models including the latest version (QC1)
This model was finished in Beige with matching chord buttons, and panel controls. In addition to the extra chord buttons, 10 new rhythm styles were included with auto accompaniment, alternatively the chords could be played in manual mode. Like the OM27, the OM36 had one strumplate voice with sustain.
Available
in Ivory or Grey with colour coded controls, strumplate and chord
buttons, the OM84 was a giant step forward. In addition to all the
features found on the OM36 the System Two includes twin strumplate
voices with variable sustain. The two sounds could be mixed via a
double rotary control giving many new possibilities for the
SonicStrings. The Chord buttons had an interesting new feature; two
colours were used to mimic the layout of 19 piano keys. (C-G). The
biggest new addition was the on board Chord Computer allowing the
user to record a sequence of chords which could be started and
stopped via panel buttons or optional footswitch.
Both models packed a whopping 2 Watts which is surprisingly loud!
| OM-84 | OM-36 | |
| SonicStrings Strumplate | 2x Harp Sound, 4 Octaves | Harp Sound, 4 Octaves |
| Chord Buttons | 84 chords (Major, Minor, 7th, Major 7th, Minor 7th, Aug., Dim. | <- |
| Keyboards | C-g (19 keys) | - |
| Chord Transpose | Select x 12 | - |
| Rhythms | Rock 1, Rock 2, Blues, Tango, Latin, March, Swing, Disco, Country, Waltz | <- |
| Controls | Master volume, Coaxial volume for keyboards and chords, Sustain, Coaxial volume for Voice 1 and 2, Rhythm volume & tempo | Master volume, Sustain, Chord volume, Rhythm volume & tempo |
| Switch Buttons | Power switch (with pilot lamp), rhythm select & 5 rhythm switches, Auto-Bass Sync switch, Chord memory ON/OFF switch (with pilot lamp), Playback/Record switch, Repeat/Delete switch & Playback/Enter switch. | Power switch (with pilot lamp), rhythm select & 5 rhythm switches, Auto-Bass/Manual chord switch, Chord hold switch. |
| Auxiliary Jacks | AC adapter jack, Output jack, Foot pedal jack | AC adapter jack, Output jack |
| Speaker | Built in 9.2cm speaker | <- |
| Body Colour | Grey/Ivory | Beige |
| Power | 12V D.C. 1.5V battery x 8pcs (SIZE C, R-14) or use Suzuki Adapter (DC12V, 400mA) | <- |
| Output | 2W | <- |
| Net Weight | 1.4kg | <- |
| Dimensions | 520 x 280 x 48 mm | <- |
- OCA Mains Adapter
- OMC-2: Hard Shell Plastic case that was advertised as indestructible...they are still with us some 30 years later so maybe the claim was true!
- OFS-2: Footswitch for starting and stopping the Chord Sequencer
- OSH-84 Songbook (Omnichord Spoken Here)
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..Next Models: OM-100 & OM-200M