Synthesist tom noise shared this overview and walkthrough demo of the new Behringer UB-Xa.
The Behringer UB-Xa is unofficial copy of the classic Oberheim OB-Xa, enhanced with 16-voice polyphony and polyphonic aftertouch.
Topics covered:
0:00 – Introduction
1:20 – Overview and structure
3:30 – Presets loading and writing
5:43 – Shift mode und secondary functions
10:10 – Víntage Atrophy Modes
13:00 – Oscillators
17:50 – Unison and poly voice count
20:38 – Portamento and Portamento Bend
22:05 – Filters
23:16 – Envelopes, LFO
27:20 Modulation Matrix
31:50 – Voice Panning
33:29 – Arpeggiator
34:50 – Chord Memory
35:30 – Sequencer
38:00 – Performance Section
40:00 – Split / Double Modes
44:53 – Outro Jam
Check out the video and share your thoughts on the Behringer UB-Xa in the comments!
Wow looks like this B company instrument has been promoted from knockoff to unofficial copy! Which seems fair given the improvements like double the voices, polyphonic aftertouch, built-in MIDI, and more preset storage. Really tempted by this one.
This indeed goes way beyond the original. Rather impressive.
It’s disgusting, supporting things like this is what’s killing the once highly principled music business
The highly principled business starting with Moog and ARP infringing on each others patents and ending with price fixing from Yahama, Korg, Fender, and Roland.
https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=price+fixing+musical+instruments&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Crocodile tears are still salty.
Emphasis on the word once. The article you linked is current. Besides, both can be considered disgusting at the same time.
What is disgusting about supporting an instrument that emulates a classic polyphonic synth and does so at a price that is less than a quarter of the price of the somewhat inferior emulation by the manufacturer of said classical synth (OB-X8)? Additionally, when, exactly, was the “music business” highly principled?
Yeah, the new synth by Tom Oberheim sounds “god tier”….while this sounds just “great”. The price for each is on par and they both have their strengths and weaknesses. I would love to own either, would prefer Tom’s new synth…but probably will end up with Uli’s.
I’m one of those poor sods who was working in a music store at the time “Jump” appeared. I not only got sick of the song, I got even more sick of hearing dweebs make a bee-line for the Oberheim and mangle that legendary opening. Saturdays were the worst! I’m just not a potential buyer. We’ve reached Oberheim Saturation.
I tend to agree with OB-* saturation. I have eight VST emulations (many of which are so good that I’d be surprised if they could be distinguished from the hardware OB-* synths they emulate in a properly conducted A/B comparison), which, other than lack of space, is why I won’t be purchasing a UB-Xa. If the desktop eventually materializes, I could probably be persuaded to pick up one of those.
In your opinion, which OB synth VST emulation is the best?
For best sounding and most flexible I think it’s is a toss-up between SonicProjects’ OP-X Pro 3 and the Tom Oberheim endorsed GForce OB-X. However, I do feel that the OP-X Pro 3 is a lot more flexible and can do a lot more than just the OB-X and OB-Xa (e.g., other same period polysynths). Synapse Audio’s Obsession is still a contender, but it hasn’t been updated in a while but still sounds fantastic, IMO. Finally, the (essentially) free emulation, DiscoDSP’s OB-Xd v3.1 is amazing. It definitely is their best emulation yet. I only downloaded it a couple days ago so I haven’t had a lot of time to play with it. At first blush, I think it is going to be about the same caliber as the SonicProjects and GForce synths, and the more I play with it, the more impressed with it I become. As I kind of alluded to above, I haven’t heard anything from the UB-Xa that any of the four plug-ins I mention here can’t do. Also, I doubt that anybody could tell any of them from real Oberheim hardware in an honest blind A/B/C/D/O-1/O-2/O-3 test.
Oberheims only saturate a little bit. Less is more.
Regarding market saturation, since 2016 there’s been the ob6, obx8, and now this. Ì’m not including boutique efforts, unless that obx rack-clone materializes. So, 3 hw ob synths in 7 years, and now it’s saturated. Hmm. But then again, moog saturates a lot more in their ladders…
i had an OB-Xa in 1984, sold long ago. and now i enjoy nostalgic feelings with my UB-Xa. it is great. of course, classic oberheim sound is past, it’s neither present nor future. same goes for mini moog, prophet and jupiter. we heard enough of them. but this is not the point of clones. clones let you enjoy the original machines’ vibes without the price tags or the technical issues of vintage equipment. i own a 1985 solton programmer 24, and it is a real diva. working properly is hit or miss. i remember my OB-Xa back in the day – most of the time i kept the panel unscrewed. there was always some calibration to be made inside. i will not buy vintage any more. i better go for clones.
Admin: Personal attack deleted (name-calling, abusive language).
Keep comments on topic and constructive.
Terrible company, sketchy ethics, shoddy products.
It would not matter is they cloned/knocked-off all my favorite vintage instruments, I will never share my hard-earned funds with them.
This is just a personal opinion.