OB-Xf by Surge Synth Team

[EvilDragon]

The option that was added in Surge is also in OB-Xf (as it was also added to OB-Xd v3), it's the Push button when you're in 2-pole mode.

We don't plan on adding a bunch more parameters, though. It's supposed to be a straightforward synth, not a micromanagement bonanza.

Also note that this is not an exact emulation, it's an inspired by, so there is no guarantee nor intention to match the sound with a particular OB series synth very closely. We gladly leave that part to GForce.

[brok landers]

The option that was added in Surge is also in OB-Xf (as it was also added to OB-Xd v3), it's the Push button when you're in 2-pole mode. [...]

That's absolutely great to hear. But please, one Thing:
That filter relies on the fact, that one can control the Input of the filter. Or, like i said, enough gain on the osc vca's. For that filter this is very important. In Surge the osc gain can get loud enough. If that's the case with OB-XF, i am am a happy camper.

[EvilDragon]

Mixer goes from unity gain all the way down to -inf, as it stands. Same as in Surge, in fact (minus the difference in the scaling of the parameter).

[benedettodue]

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3. Basic Chorus, Delay, Reverb (from SurgeFX) would be a really nice addition.
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As OB-Xf is not a pure emulator the use of "standard" effects (Chorus, Delay, Flanger, Reverb,...) would be an important step forward more than welcome.
I would also add arpeggiator.

[digitalboytn]

While you're at it,you may as well add a second storey,two more bathrooms and a jacuzzi

Ohh...and let's not forget the underground wine cellar and the billiard room

[baconpaul]

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3. Basic Chorus, Delay, Reverb (from SurgeFX) would be a really nice addition.
----

As OB-Xf is not a pure emulator the use of "standard" effects (Chorus, Delay, Flanger, Reverb,...) would be an important step forward more than welcome.
I would also add arpeggiator.

Serious question. Are you making electronic music in an environment where these features aren’t in your rig already? Every daw I have plus surge and airwindows let’s me arpeggiste, flange, and reverb to my hearts content already.

We’re not going to add these things to obxf in our fork but I’m curious where the demand comes from. Workflow? Patch management? Etc…

And again not being rude just trying to understand why “here’s a good sounding synth let’s add vintageverb on a send” (or airwindows reverbs if you want foss) isn’t the answer.

Thanks!

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

For me, having built-in FX in a synth plugin is a massive advantage, both for workflow and for sound design. When FX are part of the instrument, every preset can be crafted to sound polished and inspiring straight away. It is like getting a cake that already has the right amount of sugar and frosting in every bite, instead of having to decorate and flavor it yourself every single time.

This also makes a huge difference for workflow. When a synth that has built-in FX, I can browse through presets and instantly hear the sound as the designer (sometimes me) intended, without having to mess around with my DAW’s FX chains or loading extra plugins. If you're using a synth that doesn't have FX built in, every time you change a preset you have to decide whether to adjust the external reverb, tweak the delay, or maybe turn things on or off. That gets old really fast, especially when you're just trying to get inspired or work quickly. The creative process flows a lot better when the patches just sound right out of the box, allowing you to focus on the music/composition, not sound design.

Another point is that many classic synth sounds are inseparable from their effects. Think about Juno chorus, or the CS-80 Vangelis type stuff (even Softube went so far as to add a 224-style verb to their CS-80 and they're typically known for NOT doing that). Those elements are part of what make those patches so recognizable and satisfying to play. When a sound designer puts together a patch and dials in the FX, they're creating a finished product that you can drop straight into a track. Sometimes the effects are so integral to the sound that swapping them out for so-called “better” third-party FX doesn't actually improve things, and in some cases it makes the patch lose its character.

Also, from a practical perspective, there's really no good way to have an entire FX rack update in your DAW with every preset change in a VSTi that does not have FX built in. You'd have to set up complicated FX chains and automation, or be constantly toggling things on and off. That is just not realistic when you're quickly auditioning sounds, or when you're in "composition mode" not "mixing mode". Having built-in FX solves this problem. Each preset can have its own set of effects that are tailored for that patch, and you get the full experience instantly.

Example:

Patch A - Bass - just a tiny bit of ambience
Patch B - Pad - chorus, long delay, and long reverb - sounds lush
Patch C - Sync Lead - bone dry
Patch D - Short pluck - tempo sync'd delay
Patch E - Juno Keys - Chorus and reverb

So even though I've got a massive FX library, I MUCH PREFER synths with built-in FX. You get more inspiring presets, smoother workflow, and patches that are truly finished and ready to go, instead of something you have to keep tweaking and “fixing” just to hear the designer’s original intent.

Sometimes I think forum guys (I'm going to guess 90% of people here are dudes, seldom for the better), myself included, have a natural tendency to be a little snobby about things and say things like, "I prefer synths with no FX, I'll add them myself from my immaculately curated FX library, and uniquely patch everything in, just like an engineer in the 80s." Like it's some masculine competition thing, making you tougher ("walking 3 miles to school uphill in a snowstorm"), and better at music than people who want built-in FX. But the older I get, and the less time I get to work on music, I'm less dogmatic and snobby, and just want convenience over all else.

[baconpaul]

Yeah I was thinking about the juno chorus when I posed my question. An integral part of the synth. I sort of concluded it was an integral part of the performance device - like when you took a juno to a gig you just needed an amp not an outboard rig - but the same isn't true in a performance context with electronics (just set it up in MainStage) or electronic composition.

But i figured 'patches sound good out of the box' was also a big part of the demand.

Anyway, obxf 1.0 won't have effects. And I'd be surprised if we did the work to add them. But we do have the surge effects factored as a library mostly (although haven't factored the chorus yet!) which is how we get them shared across surge and short circuit. So maybe one day a volunteer would do the integration. Not impossible in the future but not on the roadmap for this project which is really a sort of constrained push to make the open source version of the synth runnable and bug fixed.

[Michael L]

'patches sound good out of the box' was also a big part of the demand.

Yes
Some need FX to sound good, some don’t.
Lots of examples both ways.

[dellboy]

Just to balance things out, I dislike FX in synths. If I demo a synth and every patch is drowning in FX I look for a global switch to turn it off. Apparently that makes me a "snob", so "snob" I am then

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Don't get me wrong, there are times where I want a Global FX Power switch and don't want FX on per patch.

But the convenience of having FX built-in far outweighs not having them. With U-he synths, for example, the FX are damn good. I don't feel the urge to replace RePro FX.

[baconpaul]

Just to balance things out, I dislike FX in synths. If I demo a synth and every patch is drowning in FX I look for a global switch to turn it off. Apparently that makes me a "snob", so "snob" I am then

Yeah it’s the criticism of modular I hear a lot also - basically ambient modular music in the common failure mode is just a very expensive reverb excitation source. And I do wonder many synths which have fx heavy presets especially with lots of reverb and delay sound good played solo but get muddy in mixes.

But this is an insane thing to post in kvr. I’ve almost deleted it. Please don’t hijack our thread! lol. (EDIT: I was referring to *my* comment about ambient modular as an insane thing to post, not anyone else's. Sorry for the ambiguity)

And there’s a bit of “What’s the product”. Like I said the motivation here is to have the open source side of this wonderful product in better shape as some new team members showed up and wanted to do that.

[dellboy]

Just to balance things out, I dislike FX in synths. If I demo a synth and every patch is drowning in FX I look for a global switch to turn it off. Apparently that makes me a "snob", so "snob" I am then

Yeah it’s the criticism of modular I hear a lot also - basically ambient modular music in the common failure mode is just a very expensive reverb excitation source. And I do wonder many synths which have fx heavy presets especially with lots of reverb and delay sound good played solo but get muddy in mixes.

But this is an insane thing to post in kvr. I’ve almost deleted it. Please don’t hijack our thread! lol

And there’s a bit of “What’s the product”. Like I said the motivation here is to have the open source side of this wonderful product in better shape as some new team members showed up and wanted to do that.

My apologies, I was responding to the previous post. Would you like me to delete it? What I meant to say is, by all means have FX, but please give a global switch to turn the FX off. Thanks for the synth by the way, I have it running fine in Windows 11 Ryzen 7. Are there any patches kicking around? Or is it make our own?

[onerob]

Perhaps, rather than thinking of a bank of available FX and all that implies, just do chorus. (Of course, it's easy for me to say 'just do'). I'm one of those people who like to supress reverb and delay when auditioning a patch, as I want to hear what the synth is doing underneath it all. But chorus is like milk in your coffee, butter on your bread etc..

[baconpaul]

Just to balance things out, I dislike FX in synths. If I demo a synth and every patch is drowning in FX I look for a global switch to turn it off. Apparently that makes me a "snob", so "snob" I am then

Yeah it’s the criticism of modular I hear a lot also - basically ambient modular music in the common failure mode is just a very expensive reverb excitation source. And I do wonder many synths which have fx heavy presets especially with lots of reverb and delay sound good played solo but get muddy in mixes.

But this is an insane thing to post in kvr. I’ve almost deleted it. Please don’t hijack our thread! lol

And there’s a bit of “What’s the product”. Like I said the motivation here is to have the open source side of this wonderful product in better shape as some new team members showed up and wanted to do that.

My apologies, I was responding to the previous post. Would you like me to delete it? What I meant to say is, by all means have FX, but please give a global switch to turn the FX off. Thanks for the synth by the way, I have it running fine in Windows 11 Ryzen 7. Are there any patches kicking around? Or is it make our own?

Oh I'm sorry sorry. I was talking self deprecatingly about *my* post. "Say some opinion about modular on KVR is a good way to take your thread off rails". I see you may see it as talking about yours which wasn't my point.

Please keep participating! And sorry for the pre-coffe silly message. My bad.