Why I Love My Oberheim OB-Xa

[@jbooks888]

I bought an OB Xa way back in 1983, when they were the latest greatest thing. I was the bass player in a band and I played a few chords on keys here and there (the guitarist played bass pedals to fill in.) At first all the guys said I was mad for spending $6,300 on a synth but when they heard it they were all blown away.

[@RipperFromYT]

In 2024 money that's almost $20,000! So yep, you were mad!!

[@MattJohnsonJamiroquai]

Fantastic video mate! You get great tones out of it

[@100states6]

yes thats true!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Absolutely stunning. Such a perfect sound. I've played the Eight Voice, OB-8 and Xpander but never this is or the OB-X. They remain on the bucket list.

[@station2station544]

Agreed, Alex. I've owned the TwoVoice, OB8, and Xpander. Never an OBXa. This is pure Laura Anderson, being her primary synthesizer (not sampler or Synclavier). The dark ending synth line in O'Superman is an OBXa.

[@AlexBallMusic]

@Snake Plissken I haven't seen those comments, but the problem with the Internet is that it is also accessible to those who want to pour out bile, hate and jealousy and so these kind of nonsensical comments happen. There's no reasoning with folk like that and in fact, a response is the one thing they crave, so it's best ignored.

[@drsamurai009]

I know the new X8 has the functions of an OB-X, but playing an original OB-X is on my bucket list too :)

[@buttersstoch4694]

So hearing the Oberheim's in a concert hall is other worldly. The thick rich sounds of the Monster Oberheim synth's that Geddy Lee used in the late 70's to early 80's were to me the most wonderful synth sounds in the world! Thank you for sharing your Ob-xa with us!

[@jamesmeeker6933]

My two favorites were always the Prophet 5 and OB-Xa. Great polysynth team. Very complimentary sounding.

[@MelloCello7]

Everything that youve said expressed everything that I felt as a classical cellist and pianist getting into the world of Synthesis, and I too discovered that I gravitated towards the Oberheim sound. In particular, the Ob Xa and the Eight voice are by my favorite analogue synths to ever hit the market, and I very much appreciate your incredibly in depth loving approach to explaining why this instrument is so cherished to us. I appreciate it almost as much as I do your playing! Hearing you play, I know that this instrument is in the right hands Keep being a legend Julian🙏

[@lnerell]

Watching your video I have to correct one thing. Oberheim was not acquired by Gibson in 1985, I should know as i was an employee at the time. Oberheim electronics became Oberheim ECC, a new company set up and run by Tom's lawyers. Gibson did not take over Oberheim until 1989/90 after the second bankruptcy. Tom left before the second bankruptcy, around 1987/88.

[@VintageSynthesizerSolutions]

Fantastic video! Both you and Matt Johnson consistently impress with your incredible talent for getting the best sounds out of a synthesizer! ...and just listen to the sound of those tact switches!

[@PelicanMultimedia]

Great video! I actually reverse-engineered my OBXa back in 1984-85 to add features that were missing in the original Z-80 microprocessor assembly code, most notably programmable volume per patch. This was needed because (for example) a flute patch was much, much softer than the loudest horn patches, and switching from one to the other during live performance required a panic reach for the master volume control. In the process I discovered a number of software "bugs" that existed in the original XaC0 EPROMS. I was able to fix some of them, but not all. The one you point out, that the voices retrigger when pressing the HOLD button, was one I had noted but could not fix easily. Another one was how voices were erroneously assigned to the next note played in Split and Double modes. But stepping back. the subtle variations that came out of those analog voice cards (each of which had 8-10 adjustable potentiometers) were extraordinary, and you are right, this sort or randomization would be painful to duplicate in a full digital recreation. I also wholeheartedly agree that the OBXa was the sweet spot of the OB-X/OBXa/OB 8 line. Oberheim got too digital in the OB-8; portamento for example was now digital rather than analog. By the way, the companion DSX sequencer, the forerunner to all things MIDI, was programmed by Marcus Ryle, who later moved on to Alesis and then eventually founded Line 6. His name is in the source code of the DSX!

[@kurtyhearty]

Love this, Oberheim should’ve hired you👍

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

Very interesting.

[@GradyBaby13]

Your presentations, knowledge, audio, speaking........are incredible! Thanks for all your hard work.

[@raffaelesantabarbara1449]

Very glad Oberheim is back. The OB sounds are just magical.

[@xntricity6446]

Enjoyed your presentation thanks. I'm hopeful the Ub-Xa will be on par, I think it will to be fair.

[@SamLibman]

I have one, and I love it. The sound is great, and it’s much more flexible than the OB-Xa, especially in modulation. Now I’d still love to have a real one from Oberheim, but for my purposes and for a more modern day application the Behringer has been exactly what I wanted it to be.

[@ModePhaser]

I typically can't sit through these sorts of videos, but this beautiful synth sounds so amazing and it's in very capable hands which made sitting through this an absolute joy. Thank you.

[@1881Gordon]

Probably the best OBX-a demo out there. I have been Educated, Entertained and Impressed. Brilliant!

[@midnightsocean2689]

What a beautiful sound. Very well said. Very chill and enjoyable video. Most people I know who love analog synths, fell in love with them when they heard them in person.

[@peterkadarmusic9728]

I have an OB-8 and I love it. These are magical sounding instruments. Now that Tom got his name back, I hope that he revisits these instruments like he did his Two Voice Pro. Alternatively, if Sequential could do for the OB series what they did for their Prophet 5/10, that would also work. These synths are glorious and special sounding; it would be a shame for their sound to be lost to the sands of time as components degrade and wear out. Not everything has been cloned with modern chips yet. Also, your playing is wonderful, musical, and always a pleasure to listen to. Cheers man!

[@grantgladden4093]

Have you seen the UbXA announcement from Behringer?

[@peterkadarmusic9728]

@@grantgladden4093 I have. It looks promising. It will be interesting to see how well they do with something that ambitious.

[@sK3LeTvM1]

There is nothing like a 'magical' sound. Magical is your personal interpretation. There are no calibrated measuring devices that can measure 'magic' or 'warmth' in a sound. If you think the OB sounds magical, than I need to say that my Summit and many other digital synths I own, simply leave the OB completely in the dark when it comes to magic... see what I mean ? For some reason or another, people get lyrical about mythical or magical powers of vintage synths. There are many (scientifically proved - plse do some research) explanations why 'vintage-believers' try to justify their believe. However, scientific blind-test studies have long proven insights that people can not hear the difference between analog or digital synths. Check Andrew Scheps youtube on the analog myth. These are literally his words : 'Analog is a myth. Not only a myth, but a gigantic myth' Some years ago there was another blind test between Stradivari and cheap violins where as the outcome was simply shocking : (please keep in mind that sonic differences between acoustic instruments are way more pronounced than electronic instruments) The majority (85%) of experts pointed to the cheaper violins as the better sounding ones while the Stradivari is considered as the best sounding violin in the world... But what does that mean ? As soon as people see the instrument, they hear different. So observation (hearing) is influenced by seeing. Believe me if I tell you that I will make a sound on i.e. a Novation Summit, and you will believe you hear an OB8 if I cover the Summit and play it via midi on an OB... And you'll get as lyrical because you believe you hear an Oberheim. Just to give you an idea : back in the late 80's I owned a professional recording studio that was filled with synths like the OB8, PPG2.3 + Waveterm, Matrix12, a Memory and MiniMoog, Rhodes Chroma & Polaris, Jup8, String Ensemble, Prophet 5 & V,... Simply because that were the available synths at that time. Every time I fired up the studio, it was a always the question which synth would not work and needed repair. Nowadays, people ask me how I get my bass so fat in my mixes. Nothing more than a Novation V-Station with a Waves Maxxbass plugin. No way you can make any MiniMoog sound that fat. But know-how is way more important than whatever instruments you own. Instruments are not magical. That is a misunderstanding that holds musicians from being magical.

[@BlackMan614]

@@sK3LeTvM1 Don't know if referencing Andrew Scheps in this argument is relative. He has a slew of videos using his massive eurorack ANALOG synth. He IS in the box mixing but he doesn't discount analog synths (modern ones) completely - quite the opposite.

[@sK3LeTvM1]

@@BlackMan614 This is the FPGA area. Those synths sound even more analog than real analogs... Give the Novation Summit a try and you'll understand.

[@jordanrattanavong2655]

Haha I bought one of your preset packs earlier and when I installed them I realized I had already purchased them. They’re so good though I’m not even mad.

[@PacificIslandDrive]

Great video! Though I’d love to own an original OB-Xa, I’m extremely pleased with my Sequential OB-6! With the newly added ‘vintage’ mode’, along with its stereo-panning capabilities, the OB-6, captures that classic 80’s Oberheim SEM sound, with updated features, and its own unique Oberheim sound.

[@st0rmchild]

Absolutely. The OB-6 is one of the best modern analog synths, and the vintage mode update gave it even more character. Future classic, IMO.

[@johnniecristaldi]

@ghost mall Yessssss!!!

[@johnniecristaldi]

@ghost mall wow! They went up an extra $500 this month. Tbh, it was the vintage mode that sealed the deal for me.

[@LiquidAudio]

Definitely one of the most beautiful sounding synths, such gorgeous lush sounds. Great playing!

[@maarzt]

Gorgeous. Your playing is magnificent. The evolving chords and the way you play the parameters themselves. I'm going to learn how to do this. Inspired!

[@McEnroe911]

Great playing, great instruments, great hair... this man has it all.

[@TonySway]

OB XA sound is Undeniable!! Great chords man!, Prince knew what was up!

[@WrvrUgoThrUR]

He certainly did!! I salivate over that OB-Xa bass sound on Vanity 6’s ‘Nasty Girls’.

[@TonySway]

@@WrvrUgoThrUR Yes that was Indeed funky!!

[@manuel_salazar_work]

What a talent you have. Thanks for the explanations about the OB-XA. And for all the ideas in how to use the modulation. I'm learning to use it with the Arturia version.

[@st0rmchild]

Arturia did a really good job on OB-Xa V. The latest version added voice dispersion, which can really make it come to life.

[@dags1965]

Fantastic stuff - can’t wait for the OBX reissue! Love the sounds you expertly coax out of this wonderful machine!

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

I have Obsession VST an emulsion of the OBxa, sounds epic to Me instantly inspired Me to make music with it straight away. Software cant copy the real thing but it's pretty nere.

[@toomuchtoofast4533]

I’ve been a proud owner of an early serial number OBXA w 120program chip set since 2005. She just broke down again, and it’s really really difficult finding people to work on these now. They’re either booked up or just don’t work on Oberheim. Just treat her kindly, don’t move her and keep creating like a mad scientist! Great to see you love this board as much as myself. Since Oberheim isn’t reissuing this EVER, I’m willing to give the Ubxa a Chance next year when released.

[@compucorder64]

Love it, the stereo voicing of the OB-XA gives me the tingles. This whole video should be on the Unintentional ASMR channel :) Great accent, good voice tone and nice and slow and calm.

[@rccc5806]

Even through tiny speakers, after making it clear what you mean with the "sound", I could hear it. It's like it's alive.

[@drsamurai009]

Fantastic deep dive into this wonderful old machine! Not that I would ever discourage someone from owning such a beautiful sounding synth like the Xa, but I have to give you props for showing it's quirks and it's reliability warts. In the mid 80's I bought two used classic synths. A Prophet 5 Rev 3.3 and an OB-Xa. Both had 120 patch memories and served me for live shows back in the late 80's/early 90's, and both were in and out of the shop very regularly fixing all sorts of different issues like voice tuning faliures, DAC failures, (too far) off calibrations between voices due to capacitor and other parts on the voice card failures, stuck on voices and more. The Prophet 5 survived all it's repairs and growing pains of replacing weak link components and I still have it today. The Xa got to the point where it could not be fixed and I sadly gave up on her. These 40 plus year old machines sound fantastic, and if they've survived this long, they are probably pretty stable, but anyone thinking of getting one of these should absolutely be prepared for a level of upkeep and maintenance that a modern synth will likely not have. When you described and showed it misbehaving, that is real. These old machines are like vintage cars, a dream to play when they're working, and a potential expensive nightmare if something fails. Modern gear holds up far better. Even my synths from 30 years ago, a Wavestation and a K2000, have been fine their entire life. I've only had to replace the screens which faded and lost their backlight, and the memory battery, nothing more. I'm optimistic about the new Rev 4 and the X8 reliability though, and they sound amazing. Dave and Tom sure know analog synths and they are worthy of their lineage. Even my newer analog gear like my Sub Phatty and Korg Odyssey have been fine for several years without a failure or even a hiccup. If only older analog synths had the reliability of the modern analog machines.

[@chrisstrobel3439]

In the 80’s I had an OBXa on loan from a friend who worked at Sightsinger music in So.Cal. Took it to a restaurant gig at the Orange Hill in Orange, CA in its Anvil ATA case and it worked fine the whole night, took it home and the next day popped it out of the case and set it up in the living room and it wouldn’t power on, it blew its power supply for no apparent reason, cost me $400.00 in 1980’s dollars to replace it. I gave it back and bought a Jupiter 8 which never gave me problems. That experience has always soured the OBXa for me. No way would I pay the ridiculous prices these days for an OBXa OR Jupiter 8, to these 60 year old ears my plugins sound just as good if not better with their modern digital effects. Everybody who’s anybody in the LA studio scene I know who is still alive and working, who still owns Oberheim, Roland, Sequential, etc. synths has them packed away in storage and uses plugins or modern hardware. I do enjoy watching videos like this though and reminiscing of the old days so thanks 👍

[@electrowayne2918]

Can you tell your friends with the units in storage to contact me ??😀

[@mirkocaserta]

Who needs asmr videos when you have 33 minutes of Julian playing an OB-Xa?

[@Dudderlyful]

It's about 50% of that, but yes!

[@kvmoore1]

Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video and thoroughly go through this synth, not only it's features, but actually demonstrating everything it is capable of while programming it on the fly. I have been eyeballing the new OB-X8 and the UB-XA and this original OB-XA gives me a solid perspective of the type of sounds those new synths are trying to mimic and what clearly defines the Oberheim sound. I have to say, I'm very impressed with what I heard so far from the new OB-X8 (which is supposed to be capable of emulating all three of the classic early 80's OB symths). Excellent playing too, BTW.

[@markcampbell8460]

Great video, thanks for posting! I was lucky enough to get my OB-Xa for $500, way back in 1992. It's been one of my favorite synthesizers ever since.

[@Swanlord05]

Wanna sell it to me for 500?

[@markcampbell8460]

@@Swanlord05 Nope.

[@skyrocketautomotive]

This was a truly beautiful retrospective on Oberheim as a company, as well as a damn good review of the OB-Xa, I can only hope to one day own one, but for now great videos like this will do nicely. Thank you!

[@_P_M_]

The Holy Grail. I've been in love with them since the Rush Signals album. I'll likely never get to own one unless Behringer makes a rack version.

[@Jimbo386000]

It looks like they are making a rack version. I hope it actually comes out.

[@station2station544]

Hopefully a precursor to a Sequential OBX(a). Maybe J3PO knows something we do not. He did for the Prophet5/10 rev4. Priming the pump?

[@station2station544]

@@embodie_breaks7089 right?

[@deanrinehart]

This could be titled “OBXa Quirks The New One Won’t Have.”

[@station2station544]

@@deanrinehart Ha, precisely. I challenge J3PO to come in this thread and say "I swear on the life of my OBXa, that I am not aware of any upcoming Oberheim-style synthesizers being released by Sequential."

[@TheRealKICKZ]

Perhaps this already is the new reissue that he is playing. Just a thought.

[@station2station544]

@@TheRealKICKZ the mystery deepens.

[@TheForgottenLyrics]

What a treat to get to hear a vintage synth played by J, my day has been blessed.

[@100hundert]

That intro gave me immediate goosebumps ❤

[@MrFunktone]

Amazing sound! Great to see you creating sounds on this wonderful machine

[@rixcom7621]

OB-SX between OB-X and OBXa. Own them all, great video!

[@JusTVIDSE]

Man those patches are beautiful

[@dalehubert-c9b]

Cant wait for your upcoming comparison to the OBX8!!

[@antonhoward7968]

I love the sound of of these Oberheims.

[@jeffreyneedham5326]

Ah, the voodoo that is the Xa! I love that you showed it behaving “normally”. I had to replace all the (socketed) TTL in the tune bus to get that to stop happening. Also, one needs to “reseat” all the socketed ICs every so often. It does not like California heatwaves. And those pin headers are a whole other episode. Mine has a new Synthchaser power supply as well as Encore MIDI which removes the battery, old logic and old processor to reduce strain and remove parts that will fail. As much a pre-emptive reliability “upgrade” as a MIDI retrofit. I now have RevJ TL081s on the voice cards that now also feed Alpha RPAR (modern fabbed) 3360 voice summers. Both improve the upper midrange and high frequency performance and so expand the pallet. It now shimmers and the 2-pole has a rich midrange once you get the 40 year old opamps out of the way. I replaced the 3320s on the 2 pole side with Alpha AS3320s as the Xa 2-pole is superb. Owning one is great, but it requires more care and feeding than a Rev2 Prophet5 and that’s a dead chicken voodoo synth too. I love them both, but they are not consumer products. They require commitment

[@bengsynthmusic]

Interesting. I heard Ob-X is far more unreliable. How is the heat sync?

[@jeffreyneedham5326]

​@@bengsynthmusic Most Xs were built in the late 70s and the Xa was mostly early 80s, and a few years can make a difference in terms of reliability. NONE of these instruments were designed to last 40+ years. Yes, the voice cards are very different, but much of the common analog and digital (the "left" slab of boards) are very similar. Also, the "forest" of voice tray pins are common, and problematic, in both. The heat sink on the Xa is very good, unlike the P5r2 and the Prophet VS, where there only a few sq. inches to sink a 5V rail being pulled from either a 36V or 18V secondary. Lots of reflected chassis heat, which shortens the life of many components. In terms of their massive sound, an Eight Voice, X and Xa are all mono synths trying to pretend to be poly synths. Synths like the P5, Jupiter-6 and OB-8 all have voice BOARDs. It is subtle, but the X and Xa are very much like the original SEM poly topology, just with voice cards that did benefit from the Common Analog section. However, the X/Xa are derivative attempts to map the original SEM voice. The voice card in both the X and Xa are the same physical dimensions, so Tom et al. had to (quite quickly, from what I had read) extend the original SEM voice without re-designing the voice tray layout. That mandated integration. CEM was the best option at the time. A little TMI, but I have own my Xa for decades, so they need care and feeding.

[@masonkiller1]

This sounds are incredible! Can listen to this all day

[@ChrisHillUK]

Great video! Really interesting, great synth sounds and some beautiful playing.

[@retrosound72]

nice demo. great synth.

[@a1artist]

The Oberheim OBXa was Miles Davis' favorite synthesizer!!!!

[@unlikelycontender2229]

Really enjoyed this video, really interesting, thanks man.

[@isicle]

could listen to you talk about your gear all day. please do more!

[@TwoThreadsAhead]

Some of the most spectacular music I have ever had the privilege of hearing was made with this synthesizer

[@Bernd_Bruening]

Great video! Interesting approach. The OB-Xa is such an outstanding synth.

[@rolandmarckwort]

Such a huge gorgeous sounding machine!

[@rahard]

I always love the way you explain these gems.

[@HumanThoughtExpression]

What a lush sounding synth, great demo!

[@muco007]

Sold mine last year, no regrets. It's a beast (takes up so much space), and you will be learning how to solder capacitors etc or at least taking it in a lot for maintenance. It does sound amazing, but sounds better wet with effects. The panning of voice boards is awesome though. I just didn't use it as much as a real player like J3PO so I figured it's best to sale to someone who would get more use out of it. I still think the OB-X is the one to get though (not the OB-Xa). OB-Xa is based on Curtis CEM ICs vs the discrete OB-X + X-Mod. I prefer the rawer X sound. If there was ever a modern version that sounds as wide, fat and warm I'd buy it in a heartbeat, fingers crossed! Thanks for your demo and walkthrough!

[@AdamBorseti]

Looks like you got your wish with the OB-X8

[@swancakes]

Great overview and absolutely beautiful beast. Def my favorite poly. Wish software could sound (and feel) this good!

[@electrowayne2918]

Uh oh ..Careful.. you just summoned the “ I bet you in a mix you couldn’t tell “ crowd with this comment 😂

[@swancakes]

@@electrowayne2918 it’s so fizzy tho!

[@electrowayne2918]

It is! And I need tom to reissue this asap. I don’t want the behringer attempt. I’ll enjoy my P5 for Now. But nothing like a oberheim

[@trumjohannsmancave]

So gorgeous!!😍 Cheers from Stockholm🇸🇪

[@MikkelGrumBovin]

Beautiful played , You have the gift of a listener 🤔👍

[@H-4-D3423]

Another great vid Julian. Whilst owning an original analogue OB-Xa must be a real treat, it certainly has its quirks. Whilst my next comment may not be popular amongst purists, I can't help but relish the release of the Behringer modern take. For many, owning an original will never be possible. But I can see why so many fans asked for this synth to be crafted together. It can put out some really gorgeous harmonics. So in the next 3-6 months, there are going to be some really excited people who can buy something that keeps the memory of the OB-Xa sound fresh for many years to come. Not quite the same as owning an original, but pretty close. Certainly a fantastic synth.

[@anthony_shay]

This is the best video on OB-Xa. Love the sounds, the history, the why it’s great. Bravo!

[@exmachinema]

Nice review/demo -- never knew how the sustain pedal worked on this, what a great idea! Thanks!

[@diablovarulf6568]

Absolutely awesome

[@RayC234]

OMG that thing is magical.

[@mulkytool]

Not sure if this was intended but this was actually a really good sound design tutorial

[@marzzz1]

Can't wait to find out if the thing that I think that you know is really the thing that I think that you know...!

[@JoseGonzalez-do1rs]

Very nice video and proof of love

[@MrFladire]

Would you be able to do a comparison of the Behringer ub-xa to this? Early on in the video you mention the prophet would be your go to more often, I would love to see whether the modernized additions to the ub-xa like 16 voice and polyphonic aftertouch would help to breach that gap while maintaining the unique personality of an oberheim.

[@scarcam]

When Herbie Hancock guested on Simple Minds' "New Gold Dream" track Hunter and the hunted, I read somewhere he played the solo with one of these. Killer solo!

[@josesvintagekeys]

a question that has kept me busy for some time. I once read that it was actually a Rhodes Chroma. Since it had a Rhodes keyboard and was velocity sensitive it sort of fits the sound of the solo. Herbie was recording the Lite me up album...and that was not credited for using a Chroma (Synclavier and Jupiter 8) - anyway his next album - Future Shock - does mention the Chroma. And Herbie was an endorser. If you listen to some of the Chroma demo it does have the feel and sound of the solo on H and the Hunted. Bottom line: whatever it was: the OBXa is great....says the OB8 owner :-)

[@routinehead2481]

My gosh that sounds so good! Goosebumps!!!!!!!

[@a1artist]

Thanks for the great review of the Oberheim OBXa. I have had one for many years (plus the system), and I run into the same problems with the synth. Hopefully, when I turn it on again, it will play correctly. Maybe its "mood" will be better. Thanks again, Al

[@cecilkeebler4254]

Love the sounds. I went in on Abstrakt Instruments VS-1 on KickStarter. The project has been delayed a bit, but they are making progress and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

[@st0rmchild]

Oh nice! Didn't know they were working on that. They did a great job on Avalon. Looks like this one will continue the tradition of adding modern features to a classic synth. It's hard to tell from the renders, but it looks like all the knobs are encoders (i.e. endless knobs)? That could be pretty cool if done well. They'd always be in the right position, and can be as precise as you want.

[@tomlavelle8340]

Wow! I love your OB-Xa, too!!

[@BurghNation-ze6et]

This synth could make an insane video game soundtrack

[@MandelscapeDA]

Love this also want more from the TWO VOICE PRO

[@rembrandvandooren8027]

AWESOME! my OBXa sounds also great!! ♥

[@mexton]

Sounds Beautiful!

[@ianparker5007]

Love this style of video!!! Keep these up

[@amonster8mymother]

I've never actually played an OBXa in real life but with my other synths I'm seeing the voice panning as an issue. Very interesting video. ❤

[@prodigalretrod]

And it just looks so damn cool.

[@billrebsamen1810]

Beautiful! I was gifted with Memorymoog Plus (which I immediately had fully restored). Lots of similarities with the OBX and OBXa... especially the "sustain pedal" function. That was hard for me to wrap my head around! Ha!

[@alistairsteadman3765]

A great presentation and lovely production. Thanks. Many years ago I had an OB8 with the page 2 functionality which expands the modulation options and added a bunch of other really useful stuff. All possible because there was a lot more software (and less physical components) under the hood. Rather usefully mine had the page 2 functions silkscreened onto the front panel. I didn’t own the synth for very long and today I’d spend a lot more time digging into its possibilities. But what I remember is that it always sounded so big, say compared to my JP-8 which can do big and subtle equally well. It’s also a large instrument and small spare bedrooms here in the U.K. don’t lend themselves to massive synths 😂. But undoubtedly the OBxa and OB8 are great synths and I’d certainly like to spend some time with an OB8 again 👍🏻.

[@getjervis]

Amazing, thanks for sharing. I recently reviewed the Memorymode for Thomann Synthesizers -absolutely loved your sound design for that! I also mention the drawback of owning a vintage instrument is that you need a good electronics engineer on speed dial - you must have a great one!

[@topofthemornintoya]

Totally misread this as the Behringer reissue. was shocked!

[@Winterdagen]

It sounds absolutely amazing!

11:39 that's a great design, to have the sustain pedal behave like that, also: Awesome chords

[@AlexRubenstein]

This video means that the secret synth lords behind the scenes are preparing us for a big surprise soon, I suspect.

[@markaprill6501]

Great player with one of the best sounding synths ever made….what’s not like here. It just sounds great. I have seen your 2 voice video can you imagine the 8 voice sem monster?

[@brianmartin7710]

sounds sooooo good.

[@eddievanheinous666]

I've always lusted after one of these. Since I'll never own one, I can't wait for the Behringer clone. Shame it won't be a module.

[@dangonser965]

I can understand how you feel about it. The synth makes you a better player due to its incapsulating sound. I just bought an obx8 and I just play and it puts me in a state of awe. I know you have been making plugins for the obx8 if this your they sound really good

[@MrJeffBinder]

Dope video, my friend. Thank you. Not goin lie your logo kinda looks like The Oberheim one from far. Maybe subconsciously.

[@Lfunk1983]

I’ve owned a few Oberheim synths, and the OBXA is the one I held onto the longest and played for about 15 years. The sound is UNREAL in person. They are very very unreliable - that was the ONLY downside along with the weight of course lol. It needed repair more often than any other instrument I’ve ever owned. I eventually sold it for $6k to a gent who repairs them for a living and wanted to own one long term. But the knobs, the engineering, the tangible connection you feel when playing is unforgettable… an enjoyable ride all the way for sure. Good to know other people still appreciate the OG (gotta say some plugins and the OBX8 are terrific and get you close to that sound)

[@stevemariman8769]

The sounds from that synth are so completely soothing, therapeutic, and hypnotic. Incredibly stable components working so discreetly together. Have you tried tuning it to A=432? Something sounding that beautiful at A=440, might be somehow more so at 432. I notice a deeper dimension to hearing sound, at that tuning on my Yamaha MOXF synth, and as fantastic as it is, the Oberheim synths always grab my ears immediately, in a relief-behind-the-eyes, real kind of way that I could listen to until I fall asleep!

[@alexxx101]

brilliant! great job!

[@HatiMoser]

Thank you for sharing !

[@wedream2]

Many years ago I walked into Goodman Music in West LA and demoed the OB-8, Jupiter 8, and Memorymoog. I preferred the sound of the OB-8. It's my favorite analog synth. I liked the Memorymoog the least. The filter sounded too harsh. The additional features on the OB-8 more than make up for the decrease in fatness compared to the OB-Xa. You can play a single mono voice on the OB-8 by putting it in unison mode and going into page 2 and turning off 7 of the voices.

[@mikecorbett5831]

Great video! Thanks.

[@MrUniq]

OMG..i wish these sythns were available for the average consumer..i'd spend days on end just belting out tunes on something like this!! How lucky to even own one.

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

There is it's called software, get your self a decent 49 midi keyboard from Arturia or Native instruments you get Ableton lite included and buy the Synapse Obsession VST which is a very nere sounding emulsion of the OB xa all for less then $300.

[@KeysBeMe]

Not quite the same as the original but thank goodness for Arturia's take on this great sounding classic synth. Great content!

[@st0rmchild]

I really like the Arturia version. It's one of their best emulations to date. Synapse Obsession is great too.

[@st0rmchild]

What a beauty.