Arturia OB-Xa V

[PAK]

I would never switch my LinnStrument for a ribbon equipped CS-80 keyboard. Controllers have advanced big time, but electronic musicians seem a bit conservative.

I don't think it's so much that, more that many learn an instrument (piano etc) then have varying degrees of trouble trying to adapt. The Linnstrument is cool, but maybe more towards a pedal steel guitar form factor than some piano players might be able to manage..

No wonder they long for old technology and can't let go those collection of black and white switches...

Well, though it limits things, there's still ways to try and improve them! That said, they're usually pricey (Roli stuff is coming down in price). But often it seems like it's going in the opposite direction lately.. Now aftertouch is starting to disappear, much less Poly AT! Velocity response is bloody awful on a lot of keyboards too.

But to have a synth, which makes good use of those features, can only help. And at least it hopefully won't be limited to the tiny amount of CS-80 owners (Only about ~700 out there apparently)

[Arashi]

Now aftertouch is starting to disappear, much less Poly AT! Velocity response is bloody awful on a lot of keyboards too.

Yep. Some of them at least have a few velocity response settings. I'm never fully satisfied with any of them, but it's better than being stuck with one bad default.

The quality of aftertouch is usually an even worse situation. My NI Komplete Kontrol S49 has pretty good aftertouch within a certain range (by which I mean it has a smooth response curve that I feel I can actually control, and doesn't wildly jump with a tiny change in pressure)…but I can't get values over about 110 without exerting an unreasonable amount of force.

My only other current keyboard with aftertouch is an Arturia KeyStep. It's a miracle that something this small even has it, and that's the nicest thing I can say about it. It's not terrible, and they even offer different response curve settings for it, but it's pretty hard to control the amount, and the build quality of these things is such that it's not consistent across all the keys. Some of them only work if you press the key dead center. I actually managed to improve this by jamming a thick strip of cardboard between the top of the keys and the outer case, which braces them when pressing down on the front lip of a key so they still make contact with the aftertouch strip. Good enough for a cheap little controller.

I believe the legends that poly AT actually exists, but I've never used it. Seems like it would take a lot of practice to use it effectively. No idea what I'd do with MPE, but maybe if I tried it I'd like it.

[Gamma-UT]

I believe the legends that poly AT actually exists, but I've never used it. Seems like it would take a lot of practice to use it effectively. No idea what I'd do with MPE, but maybe if I tried it I'd like it.

It’s something that can work very well on pads. Map P-AT to filter or volume and change the pressure with each held note over time to emphasise the different notes, like a pressure arpeggio. Very handy for building tension as you can have a dissonant note that’s filtered at first that you slowly bring out by upping the pressure on that key. Easier with a thumb than a pinkie but if you’ve got reasonable practice at building up the strength in the pinkie, on something like a VFX it’s all doable. Less so on a Roland A90 where you need a sledgehammer for the AT.

[ValliSoftware]

I just picked this up yesterday but noticed something today.
It says it's on sale for $149 but I bought it yesterday for $49.

I also have the V7 collection but I could have sworn that it did say $49 while I wasn't logged in.

That's the reason I decided to buy it.

Wow, sometimes quick decisions pay off.

[zerocrossing]

I would never switch my LinnStrument for a ribbon equipped CS-80 keyboard. Controllers have advanced big time, but electronic musicians seem a bit conservative.

I don't think it's so much that, more that many learn an instrument (piano etc) then have varying degrees of trouble trying to adapt. The Linnstrument is cool, but maybe more towards a pedal steel guitar form factor than some piano players might be able to manage..

No wonder they long for old technology and can't let go those collection of black and white switches...

Well, though it limits things, there's still ways to try and improve them! That said, they're usually pricey (Roli stuff is coming down in price). But often it seems like it's going in the opposite direction lately.. Now aftertouch is starting to disappear, much less Poly AT! Velocity response is bloody awful on a lot of keyboards too.

But to have a synth, which makes good use of those features, can only help. And at least it hopefully won't be limited to the tiny amount of CS-80 owners (Only about ~700 out there apparently)

I think maybe the issue people have here is that people think that an old technology like the standard music keyboard is worse than newer stuff like the Linnstrument or Rise. When I got my Rise 49, I was instantly in love with it... but not for everything. For some sorts of instruments, it’s kind of terrible. The idea that I could get rid of my Novation 61 flew right out the window, but for what it’s good for, it is great and I love that thing. The Novation has since been replaced by a General Music S2. Man, that’s what a keyboard should feel like. The aftertouch (available as poly or channel) feels wonderful, so organic, like a musical instrument should feel like.

Anyway, I’ve given up using the Rise on anything that’s not specifically set up for MPE use. It’s actually frustrating, because they didn’t design it to have a pressure threshold, and that’s super important, unless you want whatever you have assigned to it to be activated all the time. The thing that’s probably for me is the Expressive E Osmose, but I need to have at least one 61 key controller and I don’t have the room for two.

So, considering that the Roli, Linn, Hydrasynth all offer their take on aftertouch, and the Novation keyboards have... I think the NI Kontrols do too... I’m not sure why you think aftertouch is disappearing. If anything, it’s experiencing a bit of a resurgence.

[PAK]

So, considering that the Roli, Linn, Hydrasynth all offer their take on aftertouch, and the Novation keyboards have... I think the NI Kontrols do too... I’m not sure why you think aftertouch is disappearing. If anything, it’s experiencing a bit of a resurgence.

I didn't quite mean it in the unobtanium sense - I was meaning more that it's treated as if it should only be a premium feature, and often excluded where you might not expect it to be, as some of these products aren't cheap.

EG You'll get the Montage with it, but Mod-X without. The Fantom 8 with it, but the RD 2000 without, etc. Roland even made their first MIDI 2.0 keyboard controller and didn't include it. I didn't check, but it's likely only the upper end of NI's keyboard range will include it(?)

Point being, it's not really going in the right direction when you want to see a very basic expressive feature as "standard". Instead they're taking the little bit available away, and treating cheap aftertouch strips as if they're some sort of expensive premium add-on! Indeed, it's all the more insulting when so many implementations suck. Which means, when they do bother, they provide a bad user experience - and create people who wonder why you'd bother with the feature!

What hope that they'll ever find ways to evolve the traditional form factor (IE Keep things much more towards a regular keyboard action than ROLI etc) and figure ways to implement things like left / right motion, or touch sensitive surfaces - where you can change the sound based on touch position? Not much when the few dollars, an AT strip adds, renders the product "premium". The Osmose does look very interesting, but it's still pricey and not really something which is likely to be a mass-availability product. But it's a hopeful start. Otherwise, a few things like triple sensors aside, the whole area is something which really hasn't evolved much in several decades. Poly AT being a case in point - people thought it was the start of more expressive keyboards, not the end!

But you're right to point out there's a whole bunch of stuff going on once you break away from a piano form factor and the usual suspects, and hopefully that'll lead to more things being expressive in future. MIDI 2.0 also holds the potential to remove a lot of the kludge needed to get this stuff working (multiple channels over MIDI 1.0 etc), though you'll still need the instruments to offer good support, both in terms of features and sound design.

Maybe, with Behringer actually doing a Poly AT action, if it's good we might even start to see it in affordable controllers from them, which will hopefully force others to adapt and offer more..

[zerocrossing]

So, considering that the Roli, Linn, Hydrasynth all offer their take on aftertouch, and the Novation keyboards have... I think the NI Kontrols do too... I’m not sure why you think aftertouch is disappearing. If anything, it’s experiencing a bit of a resurgence.

I didn't quite mean it in the unobtanium sense - I was meaning more that it's treated as if it should only be a premium feature, and often excluded where you might not expect it to be, as some of these products aren't cheap.

EG You'll get the Montage with it, but Mod-X without. The Fantom 8 with it, but the RD 2000 without, etc. Roland even made their first MIDI 2.0 keyboard controller and didn't include it. I didn't check, but it's likely only the upper end of NI's keyboard range will include it(?)

Point being, it's not really going in the right direction when you want to see a very basic expressive feature as "standard". Instead they're taking the little bit available away, and treating cheap aftertouch strips as if they're some sort of expensive premium add-on! Indeed, it's all the more insulting when so many implementations suck. Which means, when they do bother, they provide a bad user experience - and create people who wonder why you'd bother with the feature!

What hope that they'll ever find ways to evolve the traditional form factor (IE Keep things much more towards a regular keyboard action than ROLI etc) and figure ways to implement things like left / right motion, or touch sensitive surfaces - where you can change the sound based on touch position? Not much when the few dollars, an AT strip adds, renders the product "premium". The Osmose does look very interesting, but it's still pricey and not really something which is likely to be a mass-availability product. But it's a hopeful start. Otherwise, a few things like triple sensors aside, the whole area is something which really hasn't evolved much in several decades. Poly AT being a case in point - people thought it was the start of more expressive keyboards, not the end!

But you're right to point out there's a whole bunch of stuff going on once you break away from a piano form factor and the usual suspects, and hopefully that'll lead to more things being expressive in future. MIDI 2.0 also holds the potential to remove a lot of the kludge needed to get this stuff working (multiple channels over MIDI 1.0 etc), though you'll still need the instruments to offer good support, both in terms of features and sound design.

Maybe, with Behringer actually doing a Poly AT action, if it's good we might even start to see it in affordable controllers from them, which will hopefully force others to adapt and offer more..

Oh, yeah, you’re right. I remember discovering it and I thought that it was just a new thing that synths were just going to have. When I bought some Edirol controller that didn’t have it, I was actually confused. I kept pressing and finally hit the manual to find out that it didn’t have it. Went right back. I think that was at the beginning of manufactures removing it. I guess people weren’t using it. Not sure. When a synth doesn’t have it, it feels wrong to me. I’m not even sure how anyone could use it and not think it’s brilliant. I mean, it’s like having a spring loaded mod wheel on every key. Maybe It’s because I’m a guitar player that I feel that way. I hate mod and pitch wheels.

Maybe Behringer will come out with a decent one and we’ll be able to breathe a bit easier. I was without my S2 for 3 months while they repaired it. Doubled the cost of the S2, but what was my choice? I’m not holding my breath, though. I feel like a good quality poly-aftertouch enabled keyboard is always going to be an expensive object.

[smellypants]

So now that Arturia released more closely matched comparisons, is it safe to say this is an elite (Repro, The Legend etc.) quality emulation... Or no.

Cheers

https://www.arturia.com/products/analog ... ia#compare

Heres the link if anyone didn't see

[Yorrrrrr]

No.

[dune_rave]

from time to time I check what's new in vcollection. Once had this bundle, but not anymore. This OB is a nice addition, but imho not that cool as their DX7,CZ,Synclavier synths. Someone could create a comparison video with OP-X PRO-II, even if they are different beasts.

[smellypants]

If no, does this mean that the v collection 6 & 7 additions are not either?

I saw Urs place the buchla easel up there with the repros, legends and tal...

How could they regress?

Cheers

[AnX]

So now that Arturia released more closely matched comparisons, is it safe to say this is an elite (Repro, The Legend etc.) quality emulation... Or no.

well, if all notes are using a common voice, the answer is no.

[Jet Set]

For this synth -

I am liking the vibes it’s giving - instant 80s

BUT - placing it in tracks is a bit tricky.

I find I like it best when I put a nice preamp after it - Arturia 1973 or a nice Valve emulation.

Followed by a touch of Lo-Fi like RC 20

And maybe some Valhalla delay

THEN we’re cookin.

But that applies to a lot of synths for me (U He being the main exception, as Repro is pure magic without any assistance)

[Rends]

If anyone would create famous 80s hits presets pack i would buy it!

[AnX]

I think they did that on the OP-X?

just copy them