Look into the guts of a Memorymoog and then look at the OBXa. The MM is a total nightmare synth. You just happened to receive an OBXa that needs servicing. Once serviced, it is an absolute heavenly instrument. The round-robin it does across the voice boards is superb and makes it sound so much alive.
I agree 100% with your points that this was the ultimate "rock" synth and the pinnacle of synths for us rock players. I happen to play rock. Not synth pop, techno or rap that seem to be the most common synth music formats in today's age.I never got to try an OB-Xa, but I did get to spend a few hours in the mid 90s with the last version of the OB-X, the OB-8. It was a great synth and I had a blast with it. I considered buying it ($1300) fully working from a reputable music store with hard case. The issue was the synth was wider than most keyboards. I drove, and still drive, average sized sedans. With the hard case, it didn't fit in my trunk. As a gigging musician (my only use for it), that was a big problem. It was also fairly heavy, another problem. As a stage prop, the OB-X/Xa/8 have a very pleasant look to them. In today's age, that would be the biggest benefit to me now. Soft synths have done a pretty good job of capturing these sounds extremely close. Especially for the fidelity we need for live performance in the mix of a rock band. Though it lacks the coolness factor, and maybe in the studio some of the magic, for my use the software is the way to go. A lot less to carry, cheaper, and avoiding maintenance and tuning issues they are known for. Back about 1995 my laptop had a direct line-in port, and I made wave files of many of the patches from the OB-8 in case I ever wanted to use them with a sampler or compare them to soft synths. I didn't hear anything out of it I couldn't closely replicate in today's OB inspired VST's, but it was a lot of fun playing with it. If I could choose only one vintage synth to own, this would be it. It would probably stay at home though.
Really loved this feature, Zach! So cool that you didn't hesitate to share your honest opinion about this often revered vintage instrument... Huge fan of your sonic exploration videos, pls keep em coming! 👍
This looks just like the OB-Xa some winery was selling out of Wisconsin for $6k when I was looking for one a month or so ago. "Recapped and most pots replaced...sounds great!" the seller claimed.
Ha, you're right, I see the mark on the top. Almost bought this one. I have another a traded a Moog One 16 V for and it has all original hardware, sounds fantastic! Yes, bought another Moog One 16V, couldn't live without it! Cheers!
Even if this synth needs a calibration or repair, I am glad you showed us that these things can be way out of whack even when we pay good money for one and everything seems working. It's good to know by in the comments that this is a common problem that takes some good money and finding the right person to fix. I have never seen anything but praise for this synth and no one talking about how the oscillators or voices getting out of tune on this thing isn't an easy fix. More info needs to be out there about the downsides of owning different pieces of gear. For example, everyone now knows the Juno-106's voices can go bad and there's new parts and places to take it for repair. Every video and comment section helps and pushes the culture forward if you look at it in context.
^ Between the Ob-6, the forthcoming Sequential and Behringer re-issues, this question seems like it can't be answered until after those two come out, otherwise you're risking overpaying for a sound you'll be able to get in the next two years for presumably much less.
Nice video. I repair these beasts. You forgot to mention the OB-SX that came out between the OB-X and OB-Xa. It's actually an easy unit to repair and keep in tune. You don't have to worry about loading memory. The circuitry is basically straight forward and schematics are all over the internet. The filter selection and blending is where it gets the following. I has a powerful low end brass and string sound compared to most synths from this time period. The unit you have sounds absolutely horrible. After the unit warms up you need to press the Auto tune button to calibrate the voices. If any voices are bad the unit will automatically reduce the voices and still play without missing notes. You said you bought the unit, curious what you paid for it. Your opinion is always great to hear! Cheers!
(preface - you need to have your key scaling adjusted on this OBXa- you can do it yourself if you're patient. One of your voices is not scaling properly - hence the wounded duck sound occasionally). While I agree with your take that the Oberheim sound is a Prog-Rock late 70's thing, when I think of Oberheim, I hear Thompson Twins Doctor Doctor, Laurie Anderson "O Superman" (the dark synth arpeggio at the end), Talk Talk, and quite a bit of Portishead (the TVS-1a).
I read down on some of the comments and noticed this unit was up for sale for a while on Reverb and Ebay, I almost bought it. It mentioned the unit was recapped. Depending on the brand and type of caps used, the tone will change and even give the unit a thinner sound. The materials used in these types of caps were different 40 years ago. Yes, have a good tech take a look at it but it may just need to be Auto tuned after warm up. If some of the voice cards LED's are out, it may just mean the VCO threshold for locking is beyond the tuning voltage of the Op Amps. It's still an awesome instrument, there aren't that many around any more. Get that paint job fixed too it looks terrible! LOL Cheers!
Curtis 3320. Nuff said. You can't argue with those Tom Sawyer filter sweeps.😄 I'd say it'd be well worth it to get this thing serviced/calibrated (if you can find a good person these days to do so). 👍
I bought one in the 90s with a MIDI kit added for around $1200 or so. Good sounding, but one of the voice cards sounded wrong (supposedly happened during shipping) so I sent it back and went with a Jupiter 6 instead (no problems, built like a tank).
@@starduststereo Yeah that would be interesting. From what I remember, the Oberheim of course had its signature sound. Big airy and fizzy pads/strings. It seemed present in any sound you made. The modulation and variety of sounds was smaller, but good. The Jupiter 6 has a lot more synthesis options, modulation, split keyboard, etc. and can make a wider variety of sounds. But it takes more finesse and skill to coax them out. Otherwise it’s easy to make it sound harsh.
I love the oberheim timbre. in my synth setup I got it by purchasing a Matrix 6R. that's enough to get that crisp osc sound in your stystem and you don't have to have another keybed and another huge synth and spend that much. I bought and sold a M6R 25 years ago and missed it every year until I finally bought another one that popped up for sale. I would never sell that unit.
exactly why i am buying one... gonna grab that and a Korg MS-20 to have my mono.bass kinda sorted.. till i have more money to buy crazier stuff... like moog one. cheers
I think people are missing the point of this video -- the question is if it's worth it. I think that matter is rather subjective, but provided serviceability and opportunity costs of other synths of the era, one has the wonder if it's truly worth it. I'm sure those who collect for the sake of collecting will say otherwise and I don't fault them for it because I certainly have my own pets and labors of love, but it's one thing to buy something for the sake of collecting or for a project and something else completely if you're being pragmatic.
This is one of the very few vintage instruments that I would (and eventually will) pay thousands of dollars for. I love all synths but this one seems to fit my forte' perfectly.
Zach, I had an OB-Xa for years and never had an issue with the auto tune or tuning. The one you are playing is painful to listen too. I love your videos but I'd pull this one, get it serviced, then start again. This serves no purpose as it sounds just so bad.
If the average OB-Xa sounded like that, they'd wouldn't have the rep that they do. The tuning is FUBAR on yours, sadly. Would be great to get it fixed and then do a follow-up video!
Yep it's waaay off, was going to say the same thing ;) The detune knob needing to be at about 2 o'clock for it to be in tune is another sign that a service & calibration (likely voice card rebuild) is desperately needed on this example. Follow up video for sure!
So true. Synthchaser has a great video on his YT channel detailing a full calibration. These can be 'whipped into shape' and produce sound as they were meant to.
FYI, if an Andromeda dies, it's likely you literally CAN'T fix it. It has a ton of custom DSP chips that are utterly unsourceable now unless you have a spare Andromeda to salvage from... The chips and parts in the OB can be difficult to find, but not impossible like the A6. Also, it doesn't sound as good IMO and due to the A6's massive depth, it is time consuming and tedious to program (A6 and OB-Xa owner here).
@@vegettoblue8705 The effects section has dsp... but that's not what I was intending to highlight. Sorry, I should have used the word "Proprietary" to refer to many of the chips in the A6 instead of referencing one type. Apologies for the confusion!
Buying an original vintage synth is like buying a vintage car or a guitar for that matter, your investing your money in a piece of history. These beasts are now around 40 years old, being electronics based that means they demand some TLC to maintain their usability, electrical components decay and will eventually need to be replaced its just a simple fact of life. To even ask the question "is it worth it" says more about you than the instrument in question. Tom Oberheim was a genius, Oberheim synths were ground breaking and he was pushing the boundaries of the known and understood science of the day to create these wonderful beautiful historical instruments. The question should not be "is it worth it" but "I am so honoured to be the proud and loving owner" some might argue owner is not the right word but custodian.
One of the dumbest moves I ever made was to sell my OBX. It was THE fattest sounding synth I ever heard, as I had friends who used Prophet 5's and the like, and was able to compare. The OBX had a definite quirkiness to it, and it's drifting tuning, to me, was part of it's charm. I do have to say though that your OBXa is way out of calibration and does not sound anything like it's supposed to. You MUST get that beast serviced to be able to accurately report on it's sound. After you do this, I'm pretty sure you'll find that it IS the beast that the synth world knows it is.
@@starduststereo From what I've heard, the OB-X had a thicker fatter sound than the OB-Xa, but honestly, I never got much chance to play one for very long. I DID have the opportunity to play around with the OB-8, and while it is loaded with more bells and whistles, it's sound was losing even more of that thickness and fatness of the original OB-X. This was most likely due to better control of drifting oscillator pitch, which I believe is also the case with the OB-Xa. The slight randomness of the pitch on the OB-X gave it a unique and distinct personality that no other synth has been able to emulate. The raw oscillators were so very thick sounding that it's tone was unmistakable.
As many others here stated the obvious regarding your unit needs service, there is one thing here that sounds awesome (and exactly because of this) and that is UNISON. It sounds better than on my unit as your voice cards are out of tune :) I wish this could be programmed like on the OB-8 and M-12
Gotta wait to judge that particular OB-Xa until you can get it serviced, likely with a voice card rebuild. It desperately needs it. Perfect excuse for a second video 😁 The Memorymoog is & was way more unreliable than the OB-Xa, it didn't work right out of the box. Can't fault your OB-Xa for being a 40+ year old synth that hasn't been calibrated since Regan was in office 😆.
I knew your answer the second I saw the state the synth is in. I was caught up in the GAS mania for this synth as well until I made peace with the fact I'll probably never have to spare cash to get it. Btw "The Oberheim Sound" is a myth. Tom said it himself in an interview. It was probably invented by some Plague Doctor on Reverb trying to overcharge people.
The synth is out of tune. But I do agree that the OBXa isn't good for everybody. The cs80 and Jupiter 8 were better synths in my thoughts. But that synth you played is out of tune
CS-80 is super expensive and if you have one, calibration and maintenance is a PITA and also super expensive. Im waiting to see how the Behringer DS-80 turns out... ;-)
@@symbiat0 Yep.. Sold my CS80 a year ago... Great to play, but saying I owned one (wank wank, know what I'm saying) didn't outweigh what else could fill the void, little lone the upkeep. Maybe a Deckard one day for me.
Zach's OB-Xa needs far more than a calibration. Likely a recap of all the voice cards and power supply, then a calibration is warranted. I think his opinion of the OB-Xa is going to drastically change once he gets the synthesizer serviced.
Wow, that thing really is dreadfully out of tune! Had an OB-Xa about 20 years ago - sold it as it was getting hard to maintain even back then, but it truly was a wonderful synth.
Never played one, or even heard one live. So can’t have a solid opinion, No doubt it’s a powerful synth but I do think it’s one of those instruments that really has it’s desirability cranked up because of who used it and it’s impact on music at the time. I agree with you the prophet (& to me the Jupiter 8) do deserve the acclaim - personally don’t see the Xa/8 in the same league.....really want to have a chance to play the modern Behringer version to see if I feel different about it. Thanks
Its blatantly obvious that the OBXA is seriously out of tune , it needs a good service and then needs to be played through a good effects unit to thicken the sound , and even then it will never quite sound like a Prophet 5. The OB8 which was released a couple of years later ( and looks almost identical ) was much more stable , had more features and had a sweeter sound. Nevertheless , out of all the early 1980s monster polys , when someone mentions the OBXA , this is the one that still sends a shiver down my spine !
“” fattest sounding synth ever”” Jean Michel Jarre….nothing more to say . And for me most important synth in history with the cs80 and Memorymoog for its use on 1984 Album by VH
The amount of disinformation in your video is mind boggling. The OB-Xa was used on far more Pop, Synth Pop, and Contemporary albums than Rock albums. Granted Van Halen's "Jump" and "1984" made the OB-Xa a Rock icon, but that is an infinitesimal sampling of the broad use of the OB-Xa in music. One listen to almost any Brit Pop/Synth Pop record from the 1980's and you'd be hard pressed not to hear an OB-Xa. Prominent users include Prince, The Thompson Twin, Inxs, Alphaville, Japan, Simple Minds, Christopher Cross, Barbara Streisand, David Foster, Talk Talk, Icehouse, New Order, Depeche Mode, Lyle Mays, Tangerine Dream, Missing Persons, Queen, Human League, Madonna, SOS Band, The System, The Pointer Sisters, Gap Band, Sheena Easton, Olivia Newton John, Mathew Wilder, Michael Jackson, O.M.D, Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre, Michael Boddicker, Erasure, Whitney Houston, Quincy Jones, and just about any song that Stock, Aitken, and Waterman ever produced. The list goes on and on. Another laughable conclusion you espouse is that the OB-Xa is worse than the Memorymoog regarding tuning and reliability. A properly serviced OB-Xa will give you many years of trouble free use. The Memorymoog on the other hand is always touch and go unless you replace the original internal trim pots with high quality trim pots. Tuning, or lack thereof, was and is one of the Memorymoog's Achilles Heel. Get your OB-Xa serviced! I cant stress this enough. Whoever you purchased that OB-Xa from sold you a synthesizer in major need of a service. Revisit the OB-Xa after it is properly serviced, then give it a fair assessment based upon it being 100% functional. It is the right thing to do.
😔 true…planning on getting it serviced…will make an interesting follow up video hopefully 🙏🏼- heard you are one of the best in the works for repair - too bad you’re in California 😔…so far!
@@asoundlab This is why you are the best. It will be a grand slam for you due to the educational service for us all. Before and after comparison will be well worth it. We all have to get word out on how good this channel has become.
The number one reason you shouldn't have made this video is that your OB-Xa is in major need of a service and calibration. The tuning on your OB-Xa is so far off, it sounds atrocious. Get it serviced, record an updated video, and let the world know what an OB-Xa is truly supposed to sound like. Tom Oberheim is probably cringing right now listening to your horribly out of tune OB-Xa. I know that I am.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
Look into the guts of a Memorymoog and then look at the OBXa. The MM is a total nightmare synth. You just happened to receive an OBXa that needs servicing. Once serviced, it is an absolute heavenly instrument. The round-robin it does across the voice boards is superb and makes it sound so much alive.
Looking forward to the follow up video once it's had a service! Great video none the less. They're getting better and better my man
I agree 100% with your points that this was the ultimate "rock" synth and the pinnacle of synths for us rock players.
I happen to play rock. Not synth pop, techno or rap that seem to be the most common synth music formats in today's age.I never got to try an OB-Xa, but I did get to spend a few hours in the mid 90s with the last version of the OB-X, the OB-8. It was a great synth and I had a blast with it. I considered buying it ($1300) fully working from a reputable music store with hard case. The issue was the synth was wider than most keyboards. I drove, and still drive, average sized sedans. With the hard case, it didn't fit in my trunk. As a gigging musician (my only use for it), that was a big problem. It was also fairly heavy, another problem. As a stage prop, the OB-X/Xa/8 have a very pleasant look to them. In today's age, that would be the biggest benefit to me now. Soft synths have done a pretty good job of capturing these sounds extremely close. Especially for the fidelity we need for live performance in the mix of a rock band. Though it lacks the coolness factor, and maybe in the studio some of the magic, for my use the software is the way to go. A lot less to carry, cheaper, and avoiding maintenance and tuning issues they are known for. Back about 1995 my laptop had a direct line-in port, and I made wave files of many of the patches from the OB-8 in case I ever wanted to use them with a sampler or compare them to soft synths. I didn't hear anything out of it I couldn't closely replicate in today's OB inspired VST's, but it was a lot of fun playing with it. If I could choose only one vintage synth to own, this would be it. It would probably stay at home though.
Really loved this feature, Zach! So cool that you didn't hesitate to share your honest opinion about this often revered vintage instrument... Huge fan of your sonic exploration videos, pls keep em coming! 👍
Thanks 😊
This looks just like the OB-Xa some winery was selling out of Wisconsin for $6k when I was looking for one a month or so ago. "Recapped and most pots replaced...sounds great!" the seller claimed.
Ha, you're right, I see the mark on the top. Almost bought this one. I have another a traded a Moog One 16 V for and it has all original hardware, sounds fantastic! Yes, bought another Moog One 16V, couldn't live without it! Cheers!
Even if this synth needs a calibration or repair, I am glad you showed us that these things can be way out of whack even when we pay good money for one and everything seems working. It's good to know by in the comments that this is a common problem that takes some good money and finding the right person to fix. I have never seen anything but praise for this synth and no one talking about how the oscillators or voices getting out of tune on this thing isn't an easy fix. More info needs to be out there about the downsides of owning different pieces of gear. For example, everyone now knows the Juno-106's voices can go bad and there's new parts and places to take it for repair. Every video and comment section helps and pushes the culture forward if you look at it in context.
OB-Xa reissue imminent from Oberheim / Sequential....👀
^ Between the Ob-6, the forthcoming Sequential and Behringer re-issues, this question seems like it can't be answered until after those two come out, otherwise you're risking overpaying for a sound you'll be able to get in the next two years for presumably much less.
obx8 out now discrete circuitry like the obx, but has both type of filters , can play all versions of the obx
Nice video. I repair these beasts. You forgot to mention the OB-SX that came out between the OB-X and OB-Xa. It's actually an easy unit to repair and keep in tune. You don't have to worry about loading memory. The circuitry is basically straight forward and schematics are all over the internet. The filter selection and blending is where it gets the following. I has a powerful low end brass and string sound compared to most synths from this time period. The unit you have sounds absolutely horrible. After the unit warms up you need to press the Auto tune button to calibrate the voices. If any voices are bad the unit will automatically reduce the voices and still play without missing notes. You said you bought the unit, curious what you paid for it. Your opinion is always great to hear! Cheers!
(preface - you need to have your key scaling adjusted on this OBXa- you can do it yourself if you're patient. One of your voices is not scaling properly - hence the wounded duck sound occasionally). While I agree with your take that the Oberheim sound is a Prog-Rock late 70's thing, when I think of Oberheim, I hear Thompson Twins Doctor Doctor, Laurie Anderson "O Superman" (the dark synth arpeggio at the end), Talk Talk, and quite a bit of Portishead (the TVS-1a).
It's not as bad to service as he is making it sound. They can be made to be very stable.
I have the OB-8 It had PLL tuning, so not tuning issues, basically a revised OBX-a.
I'll never forget the NAMM show where the exhibitors were trying to massage this thing back to life in a hotel room, but they never could.
I read down on some of the comments and noticed this unit was up for sale for a while on Reverb and Ebay, I almost bought it. It mentioned the unit was recapped. Depending on the brand and type of caps used, the tone will change and even give the unit a thinner sound. The materials used in these types of caps were different 40 years ago. Yes, have a good tech take a look at it but it may just need to be Auto tuned after warm up. If some of the voice cards LED's are out, it may just mean the VCO threshold for locking is beyond the tuning voltage of the Op Amps. It's still an awesome instrument, there aren't that many around any more. Get that paint job fixed too it looks terrible! LOL Cheers!
Curtis 3320. Nuff said. You can't argue with those Tom Sawyer filter sweeps.😄 I'd say it'd be well worth it to get this thing serviced/calibrated (if you can find a good person these days to do so). 👍
I bought one in the 90s with a MIDI kit added for around $1200 or so. Good sounding, but one of the voice cards sounded wrong (supposedly happened during shipping) so I sent it back and went with a Jupiter 6 instead (no problems, built like a tank).
would be cool to see these two compared
@@starduststereo Yeah that would be interesting. From what I remember, the Oberheim of course had its signature sound. Big airy and fizzy pads/strings. It seemed present in any sound you made. The modulation and variety of sounds was smaller, but good.
The Jupiter 6 has a lot more synthesis options, modulation, split keyboard, etc. and can make a wider variety of sounds. But it takes more finesse and skill to coax them out. Otherwise it’s easy to make it sound harsh.
I love the oberheim timbre. in my synth setup I got it by purchasing a Matrix 6R. that's enough to get that crisp osc sound in your stystem and you don't have to have another keybed and another huge synth and spend that much. I bought and sold a M6R 25 years ago and missed it every year until I finally bought another one that popped up for sale. I would never sell that unit.
exactly why i am buying one... gonna grab that and a Korg MS-20 to have my mono.bass kinda sorted.. till i have more money to buy crazier stuff... like moog one. cheers
this sounds so great - way better than any competitor for me.
I think people are missing the point of this video -- the question is if it's worth it. I think that matter is rather subjective, but provided serviceability and opportunity costs of other synths of the era, one has the wonder if it's truly worth it. I'm sure those who collect for the sake of collecting will say otherwise and I don't fault them for it because I certainly have my own pets and labors of love, but it's one thing to buy something for the sake of collecting or for a project and something else completely if you're being pragmatic.
This is one of the very few vintage instruments that I would (and eventually will) pay thousands of dollars for. I love all synths but this one seems to fit my forte' perfectly.
Zach, I had an OB-Xa for years and never had an issue with the auto tune or tuning. The one you are playing is painful to listen too. I love your videos but I'd pull this one, get it serviced, then start again. This serves no purpose as it sounds just so bad.
You could also make a short version of this video:
Is it worth it? Yes!
Absolutely worth it, if one has that amount of dosh to spare!
If the average OB-Xa sounded like that, they'd wouldn't have the rep that they do. The tuning is FUBAR on yours, sadly. Would be great to get it fixed and then do a follow-up video!
Yep it's waaay off, was going to say the same thing ;) The detune knob needing to be at about 2 o'clock for it to be in tune is another sign that a service & calibration (likely voice card rebuild) is desperately needed on this example. Follow up video for sure!
So true. Synthchaser has a great video on his YT channel detailing a full calibration. These can be 'whipped into shape' and produce sound as they were meant to.
Planning on doing so…thanks for the feedback
@@asoundlab looking forward to it!
I ll buy an Andromeda A6 , but this has a big pallete of sounds compared to other ones from the same era imo
FYI, if an Andromeda dies, it's likely you literally CAN'T fix it. It has a ton of custom DSP chips that are utterly unsourceable now unless you have a spare Andromeda to salvage from... The chips and parts in the OB can be difficult to find, but not impossible like the A6.
Also, it doesn't sound as good IMO and due to the A6's massive depth, it is time consuming and tedious to program (A6 and OB-Xa owner here).
@@SacSynths_Jack_Z DSP ?? Where are those chip used?
@@vegettoblue8705 The effects section has dsp... but that's not what I was intending to highlight. Sorry, I should have used the word "Proprietary" to refer to many of the chips in the A6 instead of referencing one type. Apologies for the confusion!
I’ve always preferred the OBX, so I just started collecting modern SEM Pros with midi and control them from an Oberheim xk
What woukld you say is the main difference between this and the OB-X?
@@starduststereo the obx used all discrete components on the voice cards. very rich deep raw sound
Buying an original vintage synth is like buying a vintage car or a guitar for that matter, your investing your money in a piece of history. These beasts are now around 40 years old, being electronics based that means they demand some TLC to maintain their usability, electrical components decay and will eventually need to be replaced its just a simple fact of life. To even ask the question "is it worth it" says more about you than the instrument in question. Tom Oberheim was a genius, Oberheim synths were ground breaking and he was pushing the boundaries of the known and understood science of the day to create these wonderful beautiful historical instruments. The question should not be "is it worth it" but "I am so honoured to be the proud and loving owner" some might argue owner is not the right word but custodian.
One of the dumbest moves I ever made was to sell my OBX. It was THE fattest sounding synth I ever heard, as I had friends who used Prophet 5's and the like, and was able to compare. The OBX had a definite quirkiness to it, and it's drifting tuning, to me, was part of it's charm. I do have to say though that your OBXa is way out of calibration and does not sound anything like it's supposed to. You MUST get that beast serviced to be able to accurately report on it's sound. After you do this, I'm pretty sure you'll find that it IS the beast that the synth world knows it is.
How would you compare the OBX to the OBXa?
@@starduststereo From what I've heard, the OB-X had a thicker fatter sound than the OB-Xa, but honestly, I never got much chance to play one for very long. I DID have the opportunity to play around with the OB-8, and while it is loaded with more bells and whistles, it's sound was losing even more of that thickness and fatness of the original OB-X. This was most likely due to better control of drifting oscillator pitch, which I believe is also the case with the OB-Xa. The slight randomness of the pitch on the OB-X gave it a unique and distinct personality that no other synth has been able to emulate. The raw oscillators were so very thick sounding that it's tone was unmistakable.
As many others here stated the obvious regarding your unit needs service, there is one thing here that sounds awesome (and exactly because of this) and that is UNISON. It sounds better than on my unit as your voice cards are out of tune :) I wish this could be programmed like on the OB-8 and M-12
you guys could have cleaned it up prior to the video, no?
Gotta wait to judge that particular OB-Xa until you can get it serviced, likely with a voice card rebuild. It desperately needs it. Perfect excuse for a second video 😁
The Memorymoog is & was way more unreliable than the OB-Xa, it didn't work right out of the box. Can't fault your OB-Xa for being a 40+ year old synth that hasn't been calibrated since Regan was in office 😆.
Holy untuned oscillators, Batman!
😂😂😩😩😩
I knew your answer the second I saw the state the synth is in. I was caught up in the GAS mania for this synth as well until I made peace with the fact I'll probably never have to spare cash to get it. Btw "The Oberheim Sound" is a myth. Tom said it himself in an interview. It was probably invented by some Plague Doctor on Reverb trying to overcharge people.
its one of those synths that are meant to be in songs, in the mix, with other instruments, and sounds goofy on its own. ie A+++
reissue plz.. we're waiting..
The synth is out of tune. But I do agree that the OBXa isn't good for everybody. The cs80 and Jupiter 8 were better synths in my thoughts. But that synth you played is out of tune
CS-80 is super expensive and if you have one, calibration and maintenance is a PITA and also super expensive.
Im waiting to see how the Behringer DS-80 turns out... ;-)
@@symbiat0 Yep.. Sold my CS80 a year ago... Great to play, but saying I owned one (wank wank, know what I'm saying) didn't outweigh what else could fill the void, little lone the upkeep.
Maybe a Deckard one day for me.
Love mine... But the upkeep is one of the worst to deal with.. I have a lot of other vintage synths, but the OBXa really takes work....
Yes and as soon as Sequential reissues it, my credit card will leap from my wallet.
It doesn't sound right and needs a calibration. I own an OB-8.
Zach's OB-Xa needs far more than a calibration. Likely a recap of all the voice cards and power supply, then a calibration is warranted. I think his opinion of the OB-Xa is going to drastically change once he gets the synthesizer serviced.
@@analogsynthaficionado6027 I agree!
I hope so! Looking forward to hearing it after it gets fixed.
This is....hmm... well, how to say, a quite unique. :-D
Wow, that thing really is dreadfully out of tune! Had an OB-Xa about 20 years ago - sold it as it was getting hard to maintain even back then, but it truly was a wonderful synth.
Never played one, or even heard one live. So can’t have a solid opinion, No doubt it’s a powerful synth but I do think it’s one of those instruments that really has it’s desirability cranked up because of who used it and it’s impact on music at the time. I agree with you the prophet (& to me the Jupiter 8) do deserve the acclaim - personally don’t see the Xa/8 in the same league.....really want to have a chance to play the modern Behringer version to see if I feel different about it. Thanks
Weird, I have an Xa and a Prophet 5. Guess which one gets used more?
Its blatantly obvious that the OBXA is seriously out of tune , it needs a good service and then needs to be played through a good effects unit to thicken the sound , and even then it will never quite sound like a Prophet 5. The OB8 which was released a couple of years later ( and looks almost identical ) was much more stable , had more features and had a sweeter sound. Nevertheless , out of all the early 1980s monster polys , when someone mentions the OBXA , this is the one that still sends a shiver down my spine !
“” fattest sounding synth ever”” Jean Michel Jarre….nothing more to say .
And for me most important synth in history with the cs80 and Memorymoog for its use on 1984 Album by VH
Van Halen 1984
The amount of disinformation in your video is mind boggling. The OB-Xa was used on far more Pop, Synth Pop, and Contemporary albums than Rock albums. Granted Van Halen's "Jump" and "1984" made the OB-Xa a Rock icon, but that is an infinitesimal sampling of the broad use of the OB-Xa in music. One listen to almost any Brit Pop/Synth Pop record from the 1980's and you'd be hard pressed not to hear an OB-Xa. Prominent users include Prince, The Thompson Twin, Inxs, Alphaville, Japan, Simple Minds, Christopher Cross, Barbara Streisand, David Foster, Talk Talk, Icehouse, New Order, Depeche Mode, Lyle Mays, Tangerine Dream, Missing Persons, Queen, Human League, Madonna, SOS Band, The System, The Pointer Sisters, Gap Band, Sheena Easton, Olivia Newton John, Mathew Wilder, Michael Jackson, O.M.D, Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre, Michael Boddicker, Erasure, Whitney Houston, Quincy Jones, and just about any song that Stock, Aitken, and Waterman ever produced. The list goes on and on.
Another laughable conclusion you espouse is that the OB-Xa is worse than the Memorymoog regarding tuning and reliability. A properly serviced OB-Xa will give you many years of trouble free use. The Memorymoog on the other hand is always touch and go unless you replace the original internal trim pots with high quality trim pots. Tuning, or lack thereof, was and is one of the Memorymoog's Achilles Heel.
Get your OB-Xa serviced! I cant stress this enough. Whoever you purchased that OB-Xa from sold you a synthesizer in major need of a service. Revisit the OB-Xa after it is properly serviced, then give it a fair assessment based upon it being 100% functional. It is the right thing to do.
Will do so! :)
You're not old enough to appreciate how lucky you are just to be able to touch it. ruclips.net/video/I95zWD3QHRE/видео.html
Why even post this? Your unit needs servicing badly.
😔 true…planning on getting it serviced…will make an interesting follow up video hopefully 🙏🏼- heard you are one of the best in the works for repair - too bad you’re in California 😔…so far!
It's shocking he would demo an Oberheim is such bad shape. Not like him at all.
Sorry 😞 you don’t know what you don’t know - going to do a follow up video after I get it serviced :)
@@asoundlab This is why you are the best. It will be a grand slam for you due to the educational service for us all. Before and after comparison will be well worth it. We all have to get word out on how good this channel has become.
The number one reason you shouldn't have made this video is that your OB-Xa is in major need of a service and calibration. The tuning on your OB-Xa is so far off, it sounds atrocious. Get it serviced, record an updated video, and let the world know what an OB-Xa is truly supposed to sound like. Tom Oberheim is probably cringing right now listening to your horribly out of tune OB-Xa. I know that I am.
That’s my plan :)
I disagree. Demonstrating what to expect when purchasing a 30-40 year old analog synth that needs servicing is exactly why this video should exist.
You got your OB-Xa demo ready to go? You wanna show us how you do it?
“It’s a rock synth”,,,,,
Dud, it's way out of tune, no way to demo it