Layering the UB-Xa

Here's a quick video on the subject of layering presets, which is something that makes a lot of sense to do when you have a synth like the UB-Xa that has 16 fully analogue voices of polyphony at your disposal.

[@123asteele]

What’s your opinion on the OB-X8 versus the UB-Xa?

[@TimShoebridge]

I have no real opinion because I don't own and haven't played an OB-X8 🤷‍♂️ But they are very different instruments in totality. The OB-X8 provides the SEM filter option which I have personally always attributed to being the "Oberheim" sound. I have that same sound in my OB6 already which is why I have been content to not buy an OB-X8. Obvs I'd love to own one but money doesn't grow on trees! The UB-Xa doesn't have the SEM option, but it does have double the polyphony plus poly after-touch. Both are desirable things. I think this whole A vs B debate is going to get even more crazy when Behringer launch their UB-X (or whatever they will call it). We're at risk of tying ourselves up in knots arguing which is better (whatever "better" means!)

[@reecedeyoung6595]

​@@TimShoebridgeno SEM filter is a deal breaker 😔 although I probably couldn't justify buying a 16 voice poly

[@kujumz806]

@@TimShoebridgedespite the heritage, the filter in the OB6 is actually pretty different than the OBX8s

[@kevinnolan3592]

@@TimShoebridge Oberheim indicated they spent over $3 million reverse engineering the OBXa to achieve a very similar sound. they also used 20 OBXa owner beta-testers. So whether it sounds like an SEM filter synth is one thing, but they stand over this sounding like - an OBXa!

[@EnervatedSociety]

@@reecedeyoung6595 The Oberheim OB-Xa (personally my favorite synth) and OB-8 did not have SEM filters, they have Curtis VCOs/VCFs so you would expect a clone/remake/whatever of an OB-Xa to have Curtis based VCOs/VCFs, which the UB does. No surprise there. The UB-X will be SEM based, supposedly. The OB-X8 has "SEM/OB-X-lineage" VCOs/VCFs and they added the Curtis filter to cover some Xa, 8 territory.

[@klstay]

I really wish they had put a second set of outputs on this for the second layer; particularly as there are no onboard effects and it would have been ideal to send each layer to different effects chains IMHO.

[@Dr.TeaseMedia]

Thanks again Tim for this illuminating video on Layers (Doubles). This is going to add even more fun playing this gem.

[@kevanbarrett7411]

Thanks very much for this Tim. I was becoming a little frustrated with trying to save and then find a layer (double). Look forward to more from you on the UBX-A 😀

[@legosteveb]

Hey Tim, love your videos. When I first received my UVXA I wasn’t that impressed with the presets. Then I discovered the modulation matrix and the drift/vintage/atrophy parameters. I felt they were kind of hidden in the menu. I’d love to see an exploration of these so-called hidden parameters. Thanks for the many hours of education and entertainment!!!

[@danielsonderhoff5882]

I watch your contributions with great interest, even though hardware synths haven't been my thing for a long time. I have plenty of virtual synths and samplers, such as Omnisphere or those from Native Instruments. Especially this contribution about layering shows me how limited hardware synths can be. I'm also not a performer, but rather a 'recorder' and sound designer. With virtual synths in a DAW, I have much more creative possibilities, especially when it comes to layering. I can control it more differentiatedly across the various tracks of the DAW. Your contributions, ideas, and experiments inspire me to implement these ideas with my virtual synths."

[@exhumus]

This is high on my want list. And as an added bonus I can go straight from my late 80s Roland rack gear to this without having to wrap my way around a horrible complicated hi res display confusing me with too much useful information.

[@Waldemar_la_Tendresse]

Lovely pad, and of course as always a great and informative video.

[@ZTAudio]

Stellar as usual Tim.

[@KaeRZed]

Very nice video, as usual... Many thanks ! 👍

[@pawnotdaw4559]

That is a rather nice sounding synth.

[@DavidJKellett]

Another great video. I’ve been mostly working with Pad type sounds with my UB-Xa so far. This video makes me want one make some pluckier sounds. ( as does Vykaar Tone’s video “Behringer UB-Xa does Tangerine Dream riffs”) This synth has a lot of possibilities.

[@mick3950]

Great video Tim ,much to my surprise this synth sounds exceptionally good,never expected this well presented .as ever thank you .

[@leftmono1016]

Why surprised? Behringer normally do a pretty decent job.

[@Mchannemann]

Good video Tim 🎉🎉

[@lefunghi6151]

Clicked for cool UB-Xa content, left sad that I got reminded that I will probably never be able to own a Voyager XL :D. That thing towering above the Behringer just looks stunning.

[@oldunclemick]

Great real-world usage content Tim 👍

[@uhoh007]

I'm enjoying the UBXA alot. Hidden in the simple settings are some unusual ones, and it has numerous quirks, such as the voice panning which is global....per atrophy. Spreading the voices makes a giant difference. The balance of layers can be mapped to MIDI, and could be saved in that way. It gives me GAS for an A6....and what would be so nice...an A6 remake with CV access to as much as possible, and as long as I'm dreaming, the Osmose keybed. Even just Osmose bed over a fully analog synth without digital roadblocks...not to say the Osmose we have now is anything but incredible. Eurorack suggests the complexity which keyboard synths lack...but my acoustic piano delivers. Thanks for the tips on saving layers!

[@SrNutritivo]

Dang... for some years my only "analog" poly has been my beloved Nord Lead 2X... It's about to change...

[@christianthompson1473]

It's good to point out how difficult it is to manufacture a 16 voice vco synth 👍

[@Sonikbytes]

It's cool that UB allows you to have one of two sound on each separate audio channel although in mono that way you can apply FX independently to each layer! It's tricky to set up with mod matrix

[@TheadventuresofMrTibbs]

Hey Tim, great video, I love Behringers philosophy, it gives skint people the chance to own some funky and sometimes clunky gear! Anyway, off topic but I’ve managed to work my nuts off and just purchased the UDO Super Gemini, such a complete synth. It would be amazing if you could get hold of one, I would to hear your thought on it, one day maybe!

[@martinlubitz3171]

Thanks Tim🙏🏻🎶

[@Wainster]

Congrats Tim, sounds mega, a keeper!! Hopefully even more reliable than the vintage model with being based on newer technology.

[@ProfessorSynth]

Thanks Tim 👍

[@kierenmoore3236]

Thanks, Tim! Is the sound/heft a bit lightweight, for a 16-voice VCO synth? How does it compare to the Moog One in that respect? Cheers!

[@deantiquisetnovis]

Hmmm, I was under the impression that the Mod section never gets saved. Good to know it does at least get saved in split and layer patches. I did use the layering for creating the Polymoog Vox Humana sound. The video can be found on my channel

[@EnervatedSociety]

So another one to add to the update. Balance control saved with Double/Split preset. Work around for now, save the level/volume at the individual preset level. If you're going to use those particular presets only in a Double then I guess you're good, otherwise you'll just have to adjust the balance every time you call up that Double preset.

[@annother3350]

and balanve as mod destination

[@simoningate2056]

Nice video Tim. One thought (may be wrong) if you programme the levels of each of the patches and then save them - wont that be similar to setting the balance (obvious a bit more pfaff) and the ability to save the balance would be simpler?

[@sandkipper1]

Based on my experience, Nord seem to be among the few hardware companies (I know of) that have nailed multitimbral implementation (from setup to saving). When I save a multitimbral setup with the A1 it saves everything (including balance, effects and individual patches) without affecting the presets you may have started with. Nonetheless, the UB is very nice (though not having on-board effects is disappointing). Thanks for another great video!

[@UBERLADEN69]

What kinda twat expects a proper synth to have onboard FX, lol

[@skyreadersociety6183]

I have a question concerning editing each layer (i.e cutoff resonance, etc.) while in double mode: Is it either pressing the upper or lower button and then tweaking the knobs?

[@annother3350]

yes

[@TimShoebridge]

Yes, but you have to remember to save the individual preset you tweaked.

[@thedarklandsmusic]

interesting video

[@paulmcmc4005]

Nice one Tim🫡

[@Tonepusher]

That thing is a beast. Behringer is changing the game right now and I like that hehe

[@furiobisotti8150]

Tim... if I read well on many pages this device has no effect. What were you using during the test?

[@TimShoebridge]

That's correct. No effects built in. I'm just using a Lexicon multi effects unit to add some reverb. Not a fancy expensive Lexicon, just an MX unit.

[@furiobisotti8150]

@@TimShoebridge Good to know... thanks

[@TheTerracide]

One of the reasons is that it adds a lot of more hardware making it a lot more expensive and we only have 10 fingers to play.. So for most is 8 enough. I would rather have a UBXA 8 voice for 999 instead of 1300 for a 16 voice but maybe that's just me. Most aren't going to layer sounds ever... In their life.

[@TimShoebridge]

Agree. The digital age of massive polyphony has spoiled us. When the Jupiter 4 was originally released there were not too many complaints 😂

[@TheTerracide]

UBXa, Prologue 16, REV2 16, Moog One 16?

[@eriklucasmusic]

Moog is coming out with a new flagship synth soon…

[@GeorgeLocke]

Evidently Arturia is making a 16 voice polybrute....

[@ingolf7411]

Don´t forget the Summit 😉... (ok, it´s a hybrid)

[@TheTerracide]

​@@ingolf7411summit is digital only has analogue filters

[@ingolf7411]

@@TheTerracide I know ... but despite the DCOs ... it´s a wonderful synth 😉

[@swanofnutella4734]

You can't hard-pan patches? That seems like an egregious oversight. Layering a hard panned patch with a nearly identical patch the other side was one of the main things I was looking forward to doing with this.

[@bbaudio4341]

You can hard-pan voices. Set 1-8 voice left and 9-16 right in the voice menu. Save it in the Atrophy menu. Sounds lush!

[@NTRSN-Archive]

It’s work a bit the same with the Matrix 6

[@michaelpierce3264]

shame only 35 locations

[@bobdillan5391]

Smile more Tim!

[@hal7112]

Outside of London, Berlin and LA there's none of these synths actaully available. My local music retailer (Toronto) has 302 Behringer products listed but when you filter by in stock items only the number is 4. It seems to be Behringer's new business model to release an insane amount of products in limited runs to short their own supply of what appears to be a huge catalog but doesn't actually exist as available units in people's hands. And to see youtubers willfully contributing to the illusion of these synths, leaves a bitter taste in one's mouth. They're just selling pre orders for Behringer in this most duplicious and deceitful of marketing campaigns. Bad music karma on all of you.

[@Dr.TeaseMedia]

This not completely true. I received mine just last friday 16 feb 2024. And I live in Boekel, the Netherlands, of all places. I must admit this is great value for money and I have played it many hours with just as much fun as all my Moog synthesizers.

[@crhkrebs]

Why expect a music store to keep inventory on every product a manufacturer makes? Put your name on the waiting list at Cosmo and you will receive yours in due time. Did you not think this would be a big seller? And a vendor like Sweetwater will get a lot more product than Cosmo, simply due to volume of sales.

[@sandkipper1]

There are heaps in Australia.

[@oldunclemick]

If Behringer were shorting to make more money, I think they'd be charging more for their products.

[@christianthompson1473]

Why not order from andertons uk insteadof moaning? Its in stock now!

[@aardvarkmindshank]

No, it’s not multitimbral. It’s bitimbral and that’s a shame with 16 note polyphony. Not very helpful for live sequenced work.

[@TimShoebridge]

Multi = more than one

[@0x0777]

No offense but sounds flat and lifeless like a VST.

[@EnervatedSociety]

I see comments like yours from time to time on random hardware synth regardless of make and or quality and I always wonder how people get there. I'd love to get a bunch of you in on a blind listening test. To be fair to you, this video is not a showcase of what the synth is capable of sonically. I did (we actually, 8 of us, but I'll speak for myself) blind test that included the OB6, X8 and UB and I failed it bad. It was a two part blind listening test. Choose your favorite sound out of 3 sounds, from best to worst, guess which synth each is. Repeat 15 times. Personally I picked the UB and X8 pretty evenly. Mistaking one for the other and choosing both as my fav sound from the sets of 3. For whatever reason I picked the OB6 dead last all 15 times. The bias is real. I should do another one and include a few VST's. That'll shake things up.

[@RolandFrasierEPIC]

Thanks for doing these Tim. Do you have a Patreon where we could support you on this stuff?

[@oldunclemick]

​@@EnervatedSociety people often compare raw unprocessed sounds with the sounds they heard on mixed and mastered classic albums which often had synths playing through miked amps, heavy EQ, etc. Even Michael Jackson fell into that trap with the Synclavier sound he wanted for Beat It.

[@christianthompson1473]

​@@EnervatedSocietythat's why no one does youtube blind testing! The bias is in the eyes and mind , not the ears 😂

[@christianthompson1473]

I have a ubxa and it sounds warmer and more vintage than my prophets.