Oberheim OB-X8

[Aliens]

Not interested in a 6k synth, not because I can't afford one, but my hardware days are long behind me, with my only piece a 61 key controller. It's nice, and with a lotto win, I'd happily have one, a p10 and moog1 to look at while they gather dust, just because.

If I were to go out the box again, with my 6k, I'd prefer four of Behringer's sub 1.5k versions of the p5, obx-a, cs80 etc. especially if they're all 16 voice poly and bi-timbral - Like having 8x 8 voice classics.

[chk071]

The sound demos on Oberheim's site are awesome.

https://oberheim.com/

[lfm]

Or wait for UB-Xa and have plenty cash left overs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfCjPOsqsb4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnHxCNLRJAg

From summer 2021, so when chips shortage fixed in production. A desktop module prototype is already on the rise too.

[OllieBoi]

Here’s the difference between KVR and Gearspace: Gearspace has nearly 100 (!) threads (not posts) on the OB-X8. And this is before the synth has even been released. KVR has 2 threads. Not a lot of love for high end hardware around here. LOL.

[cryophonik]

Looks cool, but not $5K cool, to me. I’m sure they’ll sell this synth faster than they can produce them, but I’m just not really an Oberheim guy. I had myself convinced that I wanted an OB6 last year, but after spending an hour with one, I completely lost interest. It’s almost as though anything with “OB” in the name stopped envisioning any sound that could be created past 1989. Aside from brassy pads and strings (which, frankly, any synth will do), I just never hear anything from Oberheim that other modern analogs don’t do much better. YMMV, of course.

[cryophonik]

Here’s the difference between KVR and Gearspace: Gearspace has nearly 100 (!) threads (not posts) on the OB-X8. And this is before the synth has even been released. KVR has 2 threads. Not a lot of love for high end hardware around here. LOL.

No surprise there, it’s always been that way. KVR is a software-centric forum, whereas Gearspace is far more hardware-centric.

[AnX]

Here’s the difference between KVR and Gearspace: Gearspace has nearly 100 (!) threads (not posts) on the OB-X8. And this is before the synth has even been released. KVR has 2 threads. Not a lot of love for high end hardware around here. LOL.

Multiple threads about the same subject are not allowed here (amongst other things)

I very much doubt there are nearly 100 threads (not posts) ar gearslutz, but I really can't be fucked to look

[chk071]

Or wait for UB-Xa and have plenty cash left overs

It's the OB-Xa though, not the great OB-X.

[chk071]

Here’s the difference between KVR and Gearspace: Gearspace has nearly 100 (!) threads (not posts) on the OB-X8. And this is before the synth has even been released. KVR has 2 threads. Not a lot of love for high end hardware around here. LOL.

KVR Audio is mainly a software forum. Gearsl... ahem... space is mainly a hardware forum.

[zvenx]

Not sure I agree with that at all.. Gearspace has quite a few hardware and quite a few software sections.
I do think kvr is more hobbyist/less music professionals than gearspace, so the amount of money that users would spend on gear may be higher on gearspace which may lead to more hardware talk there than here... but...

rsp

[Vectorman]

It's a wonderful and inspiring thing to see Tom Oberheim working with Sequential to bring out a proper new OB series synth for the first time in four decades. A few years ago, I would've thought it unlikely we'd ever see this OR a new Prophet 5. But here we are. (Nice to see at least a few cool things happening in these f-ed up times.)

For my part, it would be hard to justify sinking $5K into a character piece...something that wouldn't likely be a constant/core part of my sound (it would be different if I was scoring Stranger Things or something). Granted, I have done that in the past, like with that Prophet VS I got back in 1987, which I guess was at least $5K in today's dollars accounting for inflation. But those were different times. You couldn't get something that sounded remotely like a Prophet VS except by buying a VS. It's not like today where there are a ton of other choices (both hardware and software) at all sorts of price points to satisfy a given desire.

According to a GS member who is a bit more in the know about Behringer products, it sounds like more demos of the UB-Xa may be coming very soon. I also saw a comment on GS to the effect that one of the retailers informed them pre-orders on the X8 are already getting backed up for months, so there will presumably be a fair bit of time for prospective buyers to weigh options if Behringer provide enough info and sound samples for more informed choices.

[OllieBoi]

Here’s the difference between KVR and Gearspace: Gearspace has nearly 100 (!) threads (not posts) on the OB-X8. And this is before the synth has even been released. KVR has 2 threads. Not a lot of love for high end hardware around here. LOL.

Multiple threads about the same subject are not allowed here (amongst other things)

I very much doubt there are nearly 100 threads (not posts) ar gearslutz, but I really can't be fucked to look

I misspoke. There are 100 pages of posts in a single OB-X8 thread on Gearspace. Sorry for the confusion.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Not sure I agree with that at all.. Gearspace has quite a few hardware and quite a few software sections.
I do think kvr is more hobbyist/less music professionals than gearspace, so the amount of money that users would spend on gear may be higher on gearspace which may lead to more hardware talk there than here... but...

rsp

Nowadays, hardly anyone is producing music without software, so Gearspace has certainly kept up with the times. But back in the day, it was very much the hardware snob forum. But the entire industry is using ITB tools and Gearspace reflects that. But yeah, KVR is definitely still more of a software-first forum.

As to the OB-X8 itself...just haven't heard anything from it that does it for me. I'm just not an Oberheim sound guy I guess. I don't really love any of the OB-X range softsynths either. But I really love the Sequential/Prophet sound, and if TAL's J-8 is anything like that hardware, then yes to the Jupiter too! Not to mention Juno's which I've played and enjoy for what they are. So I've got no gas for this one at all, whereas the day they announced the Rev. 4 I had decided where my next annual bonus was going (and that's exactly where it went). If Behringer ever get their version out (pizza is coming) then maybe I'd consider that just because of the relatively low price, but I've got no interest at all in spending 5k on this. But if you're an Oberheim fan and could swing it, I could totally understand why someone would jump all over it.

[kritikon]

There might be 100 pages but still only a tiny fraction of them are likely to buy an OBX8.

I think there's quite a divide even amongst hw owners too - I know I'm not the only one who never got to like the sound of Moogs, and it seems that often the Moog lovers also love Oberheims etc...similar style of sound I guess. I've never bought a Moog and unless they drastically change their style I'm unlikely to in the future. Same applies to Oberheim and to a great extent Sequential too - though I think Sequential are offering more on their latest synths. I never seemed to be able to get the weird or hard sounds I wanted out of Moogs or Oberheims. Used to apply to Sequentials but they've upped their game IMO (though still considerably over-priced).
I could be persuaded to buy a Sequential. Not a Moog, unlikely an Obie - and they're pig ugly as well. At least they didn't make go faster stripes on this one (worst design ever for a synth).

I'm with Cryophonik - fat brass and saw pads - meh. May as well get anything made in the last 40 yrs for that. Must admit though, the only demos I've seen so far are particularly bad ones. It must be capable of more.

[cryophonik]

Not sure I agree with that at all.. Gearspace has quite a few hardware and quite a few software sections.
I do think kvr is more hobbyist/less music professionals than gearspace, so the amount of money that users would spend on gear may be higher on gearspace which may lead to more hardware talk there than here... but...

rsp

Mmmmm, that’s not impression of GS at all. I used to be very active there and my observations were that the majority of active users were guys who would go and buy their first hardware synth (Korg Electribe FTW!) or tube preamp and suddenly become an expert in all things hardware. Certainly, there were/are some true pros and big names in the industry, but most users were just know-nothing know-it-alls who liked to bitch and whine about everything because that makes them seem superior and “more pro-er-er”.