Oberheim OB-X8

[lfm]

Another vintage OB-Xa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIz4OA_tUyk

Don't know what the secret is, but there is no sharp edges anywhere.
Just loveliness everywhere.
I guess you pick presets that are, but still.

Is there a general rolloff above 10k-12k or something?
Some frequency compensation curves or similar, that a simple saw just silk?

Even when he started with just a raw oscillator there was nothing that annoys.

A bit like the Bass boost button on DeepMind, suddenly matched like a loudness control on hifi gear that just smooth things out.

And the trick I do with Polybrute that gets it into Oberheim territory, Steiner filter as HP, and cutoff at lowest and some resonance to boost low end. Then this in series with Ladder filter for the usuall stuff.

[_leras]

Another vintage OB-Xa

Don't know what the secret is, but there is no sharp edges anywhere.
Just loveliness everywhere.
I guess you pick presets that are, but still.

Is there a general rolloff above 10k-12k or something?
Some frequency compensation curves or similar, that a simple saw just silk?

Yeah, that sounds sick. Just hugely full and lush.

I do hope some OB-X8 videos come out with that type of sound. It has multiple filters so probably has a broader range than is in videos so far.

Not that I'm looking to drop £5k on a synth anytime soon.

[chk071]

The OB-X is moar better than the OB-Xa.

Oh wait, I already wrote that. Nevermind...

[lfm]

The OB-X is moar better than the OB-Xa.

Oh wait, I already wrote that. Nevermind...

..and the proof is......where?

Listening to stereo image I get a flashback to Nordlead actually.
On NL you have mono out unless you engage Unison also, then one voice i sent to left and one out of phase to the right. You have 20 voices so that is usually no problem.

I will make some experiments in daw, take stereo out with panned voices on Polybrute and Prologue and swap phase on one channel and see if that is closer to OB-Xa stereo field.

But how the low end works is mysterious on OB-Xa. You have something you might replicate in another synth in middle octaves, but then you hit the lower octaves and up comes something from the underworld.

If the sweep of filter really has a boost in low end somehow, part of character?

As I mentioned before DeepMind has this Boost button, that really make sound more pleasing to ears.

Will be interesting to have more stuff on UB-Xa and see how they manage to replicate the goodness of Oberheim.

One thing that I find interesting is that both Dave and Tom collaborated making OB-6, Dave did P6 and yet they both make reissues of originals pretty much also with REV4 and X8????

What does this tell us?

Why did they not accomplish to replicate what they did back then when making OB-6 and P6?

Did they do all amp stages with germanium transistors back then, or - and now do op-amps all the way?

It raise some questions, doesn't it?

Will X8 replicate vintage Xa when all is that setup or is this not doable anymore?

I remember an interview Dave Grohl had with Rupert Neve in the documentary SoundCity, and Dave bought that Neve console and setup at home at his place(if you haven't watch it).

Ruper Neve explained some of the magic in the Neve console, one thing was 90V inside, and another was transformers used for joining channels as I understood it - and that brought some lovely harmonics in the process.

So many things involved what makes up high end gear.

Price tag on REV4 and X8 should guarantee that no effort was spared to bring back the genuine article.

But why was it not captured with P6 and OB-6?
- was the knowhow with the exployed engineers no gone?

We will see if any OB-X8 demos that make jaw dropping continue from this OB-Xa demo above....

[chk071]

The OB-X is moar better than the OB-Xa.

Oh wait, I already wrote that. Nevermind...

..and the proof is......where?

Opinion is proof.

Well, of course it's just my taste. Although... objectively... well... isn't the filter of the OB-Xa a bit bland?

[lfm]

The OB-X is moar better than the OB-Xa.

Oh wait, I already wrote that. Nevermind...

..and the proof is......where?

Opinion is proof.

Well, of course it's just my taste. Although... objectively... well... isn't the filter of the OB-Xa a bit bland?

I could not tell about that.

What this guy above and also J3PO posted before about his is that very limited what sounds it is good for, one trick pony compared to modern synths.

Had plenty fun trying to replicate on Polybrute and Prologue, and did not succeed in that effort, but found new territory anyway with loveliness that I will use on those synths.

Doing mono panning of voices does not create the same stereo field as OB-Xa do, so will see if my hunch with Nordlead style will make something like that in a daw. It's a bit of the same vibe, I think how it hit your ears.

[vitocorleone123]

The OB-X is moar better than the OB-Xa.

Oh wait, I already wrote that. Nevermind...

..and the proof is......where?

Opinion is proof.

Well, of course it's just my taste. Although... objectively... well... isn't the filter of the OB-Xa a bit bland?

I tried to love the Xa in software and just…. Couldn’t. Sold off my Obesssion and uninstalled the Arturia one. None of the videos make me do anything other than say, “oh, that’s nice” - wouldn’t go out of my way for just an Xa.

[DJMaytag]

I never really had much list for the Moog One, as it seems a good bit more difficult to program, but the ease of which you can program an OB-X8… it would be VERY tempting to sell off something like my Minimoog or Cirklon and try to spring for this new Oberheim. It sounds incredible from ALL the demos that I’ve listened to this far.

[_leras]

Had plenty fun trying to replicate on Polybrute and Prologue, and did not succeed in that effort, but found new territory anyway with loveliness that I will use on those synths.

This is why it's always worth trying to make or recreate sounds, and exploring synths. Just finding sweet spots!

[trackbout]

Killer demo from Jamiroquai dude:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhWYVVHweOc

[cryophonik]

A few nice sounding patches there, but most sound pretty vanilla and boring to me. I really do wish I could hear this supposed magic in OB synths, but it's just not there for me.

[zvenx]

Like everything else it is matter of taste.
For me the OB sound is THE sound of all vintage synths.
But I do get it isn't for everyone, hence they had the jupiters and the prophets etc.
rsp

[Jim Roseberry]

I've got the P10, OB-X8, and MoogOne.
Got the P10 and OB-X8 thinking I'd sell the MoogOne.
Spent more time getting to know the MoogOne... and decided to keep it.

MoogOne has some quirks.
If you don't have realtime compensation enabled, low notes get a bit too (IMO) out of tune.
Raw oscillators aren't as fat sounding as mono Moog synths (Matriarch, Mini).
There's a lot of gain to toss around... so noise-floor can start to creep up.

MoogOne is capable of far more than either the P10 or OB-X8:
With three oscillators, MoogOne can sound thicker/fatter than either P10 or OB-X8
MoogOne has both State Variable and Ladder filters (series or parallel routing)
MoogOne has three synth engines (P10 and OB-X8 essentially have two)
MoogOne has four LFOs and advanced Mod Matrix (with scaling)
I have the 16-voice MoogOne. Coming from a "workstation keyboard" background, it feels far less limiting than either the P10 (10 voices) or OB-X8 (8 voices).
MoogOne has more advanced envelopes (can control slope/curve)

IMO, The charm of the P10 and OB-X8 is their classic sound, and the simplicity/immediacy.
By today's standard, these aren't deep/complex synths.
The P10 has a single mono output... with zero onboard effects.
The OB-X8 has a stereo output (for voice-spread)... with zero onboard effects.
Both the P10 and OB-X8 have a knob/button per-function UI (for the most part).
I've got software synths that are similar and far more flexible (higher polyphony, effects, etc).
The P10 and OB-X8 (to my ears) have a little something extra that the soft-synths don't.
The sound seems a bit more complex.

Some have described the MoogOne as more "modern" Moog (a la Subsequent) than vintage Moog (Mini).
I think there's some truth to that, but the MoogOne sounds (to my ears) a lot better than Subsequent.
The Matriarch oscillators/filter sound more classic Moog.
If you want MoogOne to sound more like that, run the filters in series (SVF>LF).

The OB-X8 filter sounds unique (hard to describe).
There's a character on the bottom-end that the others don't have.
Dark/full... growly (all over-used adjectives)
The OB-X8 does (IMO) have a propensity toward synth-brass type sounds.

Soundwise, the P10 is somewhat between the MoogOne and OB-X8.
Prophet sounds (to my ears) are a little less recognizable than Oberheim.
There's no stereo anything with the P10.
You either have to rely on outboard processing... or double-track parts.

The modern "classic" synths are certainly a luxury purchase.
Not very practical (expensive, bulky, limited, etc) compared to other options.
You start collecting hardware synths... and your rig can quickly get a lot more complex.
You'll need more mixer inputs, more effects, more cables, more...
Ironically, before I started this new "collection", I'd pared-down my rig and got rid of a 16-channel Neve summing mixer (used for keyboards and guitar processors).
Now, I'm needing more mixer inputs... thinking about adding a BiG SiX to submix keyboards.
More bulk and More expense
I could use a cheap Mackie, but that (IMO) somewhat defeats the whole purpose.

[cryophonik]

Like everything else it is matter of taste.
For me the OB sound is THE sound of all vintage synths.
But I do get it isn't for everyone, hence they had the jupiters and the prophets etc.
rsp

Yeah, I totally get it and I'm not trying to knock OB synths or people who like them! I honestly do wish I liked them. I've probably listened to more OB-6 demos than any other synth on the market just trying to convince myself that I need one (module) sitting next to my P6 and Rev2, but I just never get there. As for the OB-X8, it's certainly a lovely instrument and I'd probably give it the same attention I keep giving the OB-6 if there was a module available for it. I simply don't have room for another keyboard (hell, I really don't even have room for another module ), so I really haven't given it much thought.