ACME XP60: the Oberheim Xpander returns, pre-orders open

The 1984 Oberheim Xpander, six analog voices with no keyboard and one of the deepest modulation systems of its era, is coming back under another name. German workshop ACME Synthworks has opened pre-orders for its XP60, a desktop recreation of the Xpander architecture, according to the official instrument page and the pre-order listing in its shop.

A recreation, not an emulation

ACME is clear on this: there is no software emulation and no FPGA recreation (a reprogrammable chip that mimics circuits). The XP60 keeps the original dual-processor design, which is why it is billed as 100% compatible with Xplorer, the go-to SysEx editor for the Xpander. The signal path is analog throughout.

• Six analog voices, each with two VCOs (voltage-controlled oscillators).
• A 15-mode multimode filter built around the AS3372, a modern reissue of the original CEM3372 chip, voiced towards the character of late Rev D Xpanders.
• A Turbo mode that makes LFOs, lags (the voltage smoothers used for portamento) and envelopes about 50% faster.
• Three display sections, in OLED, VFD (vacuum fluorescent) or LCD, with modern switches and encoders.

Inside one voice

The front panel keeps the Xpander’s block diagram: two VCOs, a VCA dedicated to frequency modulation (routing VCO 2 into VCO 1 or into the filter), the multimode VCF, then two VCAs in series before the voice output. Every voice has its own modulators. The envelopes add a delay stage before the attack (DADSR); if envelope stages are new to you, our guide to the ADSR envelope walks through them.

Programming works as on the original: a page-based system where you pick a modulation source, then a destination, while six encoders set the values on screen. ACME says it kept that logic intact. It is powerful, but this is not a knob-per-function synth.

Connections and format

The official spec sheet lists no USB port: the instrument is driven over DIN MIDI or CV/Gate. Per-voice CV and Gate inputs let a modular system play each voice directly, one voltage per note.

Who is it for?

For players who know the Xpander and want its modulation depth without the risks of a forty-year-old instrument, and for studios looking for six analog voices with separate outputs and CV control. The individual outputs let the XP60 take one voice per sequencer track. It is not an instrument to learn synthesis on, though: page-based programming takes time. For a first purchase, see our guide to choosing a first synth: analog, digital or hybrid.

What does it cost?

ACME Synthworks’ shop lists three prices, including 19% German VAT:

• OLED: €2,799 (€2,352.10 before tax);
• VFD: €3,149 (€2,646.22 before tax);
• LCD: €2,699 (€2,268.07 before tax).

Pre-ordering requires a 50% deposit; the balance and shipping are due before dispatch. The shop listing says deliveries start in November 2026, for a first batch capped at 50 instruments across all versions. Outside the European Union, import taxes and customs duties are paid by the buyer. ACME notes that it is not affiliated with Oberheim; Oberheim and Xpander are trademarks of their respective owners.

What does it compete with?

• Oberheim OB-6 Desktop: also six analog voices, but a 2-pole SEM-style filter and far simpler modulation. More immediate, less deep.
• Behringer UB-Xa D: sixteen voices in the spirit of the OB-Xa for much less money, but an older Oberheim design with less modulation than the Xpander.
• An original Xpander: the same architecture, keyboardless in both cases, but a 1984 instrument where servicing and display reliability are real concerns.

The XP60 stands out for its claimed faithfulness to the Xpander, its 15 filter modes, and its per-voice outputs and CV inputs. It loses on ergonomics, which remain those of a 1984 instrument, and on the lack of USB. Its six-voice count is best read with the caveats in our article on polyphony and voice count.

Official page and pre-orders: xp60.acme-synthworks.com. More recent analog instruments are in our polyphonic synths section.