# GForce Software OB-E



## el-bo (Feb 23, 2021)

GForce Software







www.gforcesoftware.com


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## Technostica (Feb 23, 2021)

Mac only.


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## el-bo (Feb 23, 2021)

Technostica said:


> Mac only.


Interesting! Didn't pick up on that part.


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## Michel Simons (Feb 23, 2021)

Technostica said:


> Mac only.


Weird. Saves me some money.


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## kgdrum (Feb 23, 2021)

What I love about OB-E is it sounds potentially like a real Oberheim in other words a fat luscious synth! I played with some great synth players back in the day who played Oberheims and this evokes the kind of sound I remember.
OTOH I’m sure people will probably disagree with me but when PA released Knifoneum I wasn’t really impressed with how it sounds (from the demos I heard). To my ears it sounds ”artificially thick” like they put a sub on it or something, it’s too fat and unwieldy to my ears.
The OB-E on the other hand sounds thick juicy,authentic & so damn seductive............
I’m already a GForce customer and a Mac user and imo the decision to release OB-E as Mac only makes absolutely no sense!
They are probably shutting out about 50%-60% of their potential user base, a very very strange move by GForce imo.
I would think the additional revenue would more than pay for the cost of hiring a coder who used (from my limited understanding) the JUCE framework which is cross platform for Mac/Windows even if it was just a one shot hire to develop OB-E.
Even with the intro pricing and the additional discount GForce is giving customers that completed their recent survey it’s still pricy but damn it does sound GORGEOUS! 😘🎶🎶🎶


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## Monkey Man (Feb 23, 2021)

KG and I have had this conversation over at GearSlutz, but my answer's worth repeating IMHO:

The company's gonna wait to see if the PC market's hungry-enough. If the appetite's there, it'll be ported.


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## EvilDragon (Feb 24, 2021)

That's a fait accompli statement. They painted themselves in a hole with a young dev that has no cross-platform experience and apparently hasn't heard of JUCE. All their other plugins are cross-platform, the market is there for them to take, but they instead opted to piss off a decent chunk of their userbase. I used to cheer for them, but the way they rolled out OB-E by building up hype without stating in advance it won't be available for both platforms predominantly used in music production, is not admirable at all. This is how you lose customers.


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## Monkey Man (Feb 24, 2021)

Indeed MK; it's hard to imagine how they allowed this to happen.

The user base and sheer quality of their VI's will ensure ongoing success 'though IMHO, so at this point I reckon they'd already been thinking, "What were we _thinking?_".


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## el-bo (Feb 24, 2021)

EvilDragon said:


> the way they rolled out OB-E by building up hype without stating in advance it won't be available for both platforms predominantly used in music production, is not admirable at all. This is how you lose customers.


I doubt it was a calculated move to increase hype. More likely, they didn't want the negativity such a move could potentially generate to plague them for the entire period of development. 

And I'd be curious to know how many customers they'll lose.


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## tf-drone (Feb 24, 2021)

Hi,

it is a pity. OTOH, there are more than enough synths on the market, so I just klick the upper right button when it says Mac only. Reminds me to re-visit Wokave's SAM in this case.


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## Pier (Feb 24, 2021)

EvilDragon said:


> They painted themselves in a hole with a young dev that has no cross-platform experience and apparently hasn't heard of JUCE.


Is this speculation?

GForce is not a new software company after all, and nobody in their right mind would release a virtual synth just for macOS.

What would make sense to me is that the Windows version wasn't tested and they wanted to have more time before releasing it.


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## Replika (Feb 24, 2021)

Customer Get’s an email from GForce about the new OB-E, reading it… yea. wonderful features, nice GUI so excited.. whoohoo excitement grows, it’s finally here.. Wow, gotta get this.. Checks price in the email, ok nice. See’s discount.. ok nice, email also says don’t forget your single use loyal customer coupon for an extra 30lbs off on top of the intro price. More excited, no brainer, gotta go get this now. Last line of email says MAC ONLY..... Sh….**, whaaaa. Mac snobs strike again. OMG really in today’s music market? Email says “We need to assess the demand for the PC market…” Whaaa.. Really….. I am just dumbfounded, boggled, mind blown.. profoundly disappointed, anticipating this release for so long.


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## ed buller (Feb 24, 2021)

EvilDragon said:


> That's a fait accompli statement. They painted themselves in a hole with a young dev that has no cross-platform experience and apparently hasn't heard of JUCE. All their other plugins are cross-platform, the market is there for them to take, but they instead opted to piss off a decent chunk of their userbase. I used to cheer for them, but the way they rolled out OB-E by building up hype without stating in advance it won't be available for both platforms predominantly used in music production, is not admirable at all. This is how you lose customers.


Totally agree...An act of surprising idiocy from a long term player.....what on earth where they thinking. I know of two composers who still use Mac's...against the 30 plus that don't !

best

e


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## EvilDragon (Feb 24, 2021)

Pier said:


> Is this speculation?
> 
> GForce is not a new software company after all, and nobody in their right mind would release a virtual synth just for macOS.
> 
> What would make sense to me is that the Windows version wasn't tested and they wanted to have more time before releasing it.


Nope, there's no Windows version AT ALL currently. Confirmed by GForce support.


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## mscp (Feb 24, 2021)

ed buller said:


> Totally agree...An act of surprising idiocy from a long term player.....what on earth where they thinking. I know of two composers who still use Mac's...against the 30 plus that don't !
> 
> best
> 
> e


Nice. Over here, I'm one of the few who use PCs. The rest are all Macheads.


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## mscp (Feb 24, 2021)

Most developers I know claim that writing DSP code for Windows is more "challenging" than writing for MacOS. I'm not a developer, so I didn't bother asking for reasons. Perhaps they just want to see how popular this thing becomes before spending time/money on a W10 version?


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## Pier (Feb 24, 2021)

Phil81 said:


> Most developers I know claim that writing DSP code for Windows is more "challenging" than writing for MacOS. I'm not a developer, so I didn't bother asking for reasons. Perhaps they just want to see how popular this thing becomes before spending time/money on a W10 version?


There shouldn't be any difference, as far as the DSP code.

There are differences in writing UI but JUCE already solves that for you too and AFAIK is used by plenty of plugin developers.


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## easyrider (Feb 24, 2021)

GForce Software







www.gforcesoftware.com


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## mscp (Feb 24, 2021)

easyrider said:


> GForce Software
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Great reasons.


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## Bernard Duc (Feb 24, 2021)

tf-drone said:


> Hi,
> 
> it is a pity. OTOH, there are more than enough synths on the market, so I just klick the upper right button when it says Mac only. Reminds me to re-visit Wokave's SAM in this case.


Don't you mean the upper left button??


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## Raxel (Feb 24, 2021)

Here is the developer's explaination on the Windows issues:


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## Pier (Feb 24, 2021)

Raxel said:


> Here is the developer's explaination on the Windows issues:



I wonder why he is saying the PC version would be a "huge job".

Are they doing their own GUI framework from scratch?


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## kgdrum (Feb 24, 2021)

Pier said:


> I wonder why he is saying the PC version would be a "huge job".
> 
> Are they doing their own GUI framework from scratch?


I think so Mario aka Evil Dragon said as much,to paraphrase:they have a young in-house coder that is Mac oriented and as far as anyone can tell is not familiar with the JUCE framework which offers cross platform compatibility.


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## EvilDragon (Feb 24, 2021)

They're probably using Apple's UI frameworks directly (using Metal APIs, Swift etc). The whole preset browser is .aupreset format only instead of a cross-platform format, etc.

They did hire two developers to do the ports, and an internship position to help those devs out with the porting is also open (JUCE knowledge required), so they are not gonna go Mac-only really. It's just gonna take time for the ports.


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## Pier (Feb 24, 2021)

EvilDragon said:


> They're probably using Apple's UI frameworks directly (using Metal APIs, Swift etc). The whole preset browser is .aupreset format only instead of a cross-platform format, etc.


Jesus if that's the case what a terrible idea and waste of money.


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## easyrider (Feb 24, 2021)

Graeme Rawson emailed me:​Thank you for your interest in OB-E. We are very keen to bring OB-E to PC as soon as we can. However it is no simple task and I'm afraid that we are not committing to a timeframe


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## Technostica (Feb 24, 2021)

On the one hand they are saying that the majority of their users are McPeople, but they are also saying they will release a Windows version.
But, they seemingly haven’t used cross platform tools, so the Windows version will be more expensive to develop due to this and also released much later.
It seems an odd business decision!
I have zero interest in buying this but did enjoy their documentary which they recently made available on YT for free.


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## kevinh (Feb 24, 2021)

Agree they should’ve used JUCE from the start but as a Mac user there are tons of plugins that are PC only that i’ve had to hear about over and over. i’ll enjoy this one to myself for a while hehe


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## Michel Simons (Feb 24, 2021)

kevinh said:


> Agree they should’ve used JUCE from the start but as a Mac user there are tons of plugins that are PC only that i’ve had to hear about over and over. i’ll enjoy this one to myself for a while hehe


That cat got my tongue...


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## Mark Schmieder (Feb 24, 2021)

Could've sworn I offered my services pro bono last summer while I was out of work, as I was doing JUCE help for another small vendor at the time. Maybe the email bounced.

As someone who has done a fair amount of DSP coding on three platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows) and in three computer languages (C, C++, Java), I can vouch for the platform issue being primarily related to GUI stuff, and to a somewhat lesser degree the VST spec -- all of which JUCE takes care of!

At any rate, I spent a few hours last night with the OB-E demo, going into single-voice mode so I could compare directly against SEM-V and the Brainworx emu, on custom patches I came up with on my own (as most of the presets suck for all of these VI's).

OB-E blew me away with its cleanness, three dimensionality, organic phrasing, etc. Also, it was musical at almost any setting; whereas I find it really hard to get SEM V to sound good on my own presets so I usually search hard for cherries in the preset packs.

I'm not going to buy it though, as I've noticed a trend where several vendors release similar products in previously uncompetitive spaces, all within a short span of each other. More often than not, I like one or two that come after the "early bird". My guess is there's a lot of industry leaks, and some vendors rush to market as it can have a big impact on overall sales.

I wouldn't hold my breath on this one being available for Windows, based on what has been said so far by all parties (including the vendor). What I mean by that, is it's long-term not short-term.

I'm currently on macOS but have been seriously considering switching to Windows due to the pandemic, as I find it harder to do development work on a Mac, which didn't matter pre-pandemic when I went into the office and used Windows Remote Desktop on the Mac. I am holding off on buying single-platform products as a result.


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## Mark Schmieder (Feb 24, 2021)

BTW that's the first animated GIF I've ever seen that made me laugh instead of getting nauseous and annoyed.


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## Lode_Runner (Feb 25, 2021)

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but from the developer's statement I see they view developing for Windows as being way more effort for a much smaller user base, and consider that to be not worth their time unless there's significant sales in the Mac market first. While I understand they are a business and need to prioritise their efforts, I feel that there's more than enough Windows users out there that the effort wouldn't be likely to be loss making, just less profitable.

As a Windows user I'm getting the message that they don't value Windows based customers as much as we don't bring in as high returns, and that they'll only be creating plugins for Windows going forward as an afterthought... eventually.... Given that's the approach they've chosen I'm unlikely to be paying attention to their product announcements going forward as it'll mostly be news about Mac plugins I can't use, with an occasional announcement hidden amongst it about a Windows release way after the fact, so even if they do eventually release for Windows I probably won't notice because I've stopped paying attention.

Oh well, there's still Synapse, U-He, Tal, Xils etc.

Edit - I think I've slightly misunderstood. They're not being as dismissive of the Windows market as I initially thought, just prioritising Macs for their current phase of development of their in-house development tools. Still disappointed though.


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## EvilDragon (Feb 25, 2021)

Mark Schmieder said:


> I wouldn't hold my breath on this one being available for Windows, based on what has been said so far by all parties (including the vendor).


There will be a Windows version. They have already filed me in as a beta tester for when it happens.


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## Mark Schmieder (Feb 25, 2021)

In the second half of my statement (not part of your quote; you might not have refreshed first) I added clarification that it would come, but later vs. sooner. Good to hear you'll be on the beta team.

And for all the Windows users who are in a huff, the shoe used to be on the other foot for around 15 years or so. I was frankly surprised when dual platform became the norm (and this was before JUCE came along), much less when macOS became slightly dominant in the audio software world.


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## Pier (Feb 25, 2021)

EvilDragon said:


> There will be a Windows version. They have already filed me in as a beta tester for when it happens.


Jesus Dragon, how do you get all these beta invites?


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## zvenx (Feb 25, 2021)

Bribes...I kid, I kid. 
rsp


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## kgdrum (Feb 25, 2021)

Pier said:


> Jesus Dragon, how do you get all these beta invites?


Why ruin a great name? It’s Evil Dragon! 🤘


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## Mark Schmieder (Feb 25, 2021)

Hah, that's funny! I started turning down beta testing and feedback requests myself, as I was just too busy. It's pretty much a full-time job (and then some), with some of the vendors.

Many vendors require us to sign an NDA that is permanent and that states that we are not to state publicly that we are or were part of the beta team. It's a big commitment; not a perk!

It's probably been two years now since I last accepted a beta testing request vs. turning it down. I've decided instead to put my pro bono time into GitHub open source code contributions, helping small vendors with technology shift strategies and implementations, and occasionally doing audio demos for new products.


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## Pier (Feb 25, 2021)

Mark Schmieder said:


> Hah, that's funny! I started turning down beta testing and feedback requests myself, as I was just too busy. It's pretty much a full-time job (and then some), with some of the vendors. Most of them require us to sign an NDA that is permanent and that states that we are not to state publicly that we are or were part of the beta team. It's a big commitment; not a perk!
> 
> It's probably been two years now since I last accepted a beta testing request vs. turning it down. I've decided instead to put my pro bono time into GitHub open source code contributions, helping small vendors with technology shift strategies and implementations, and occasionally doing audio demos for new products.


Personally I'd be more than glad to beta test for U-He.


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## kgdrum (Feb 25, 2021)

Pier said:


> Personally I'd be more than glad to beta test for U-He.


U-he has open beta tests all of the time,currently Hive2 is in beta.


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## Pier (Feb 25, 2021)

kgdrum said:


> U-he has open beta tests all of the time,currently Hive2 is in beta.


Yeah but before the public betas that they do private betas.


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## EvilDragon (Feb 25, 2021)

Mark Schmieder said:


> I've decided instead to put my pro bono time into GitHub open source code contributions


Hey, you're welcome over at Surge Synth Team if you want to check out how we do.


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## kgdrum (Feb 25, 2021)

Pier said:


> Yeah but before the public betas that they do private betas.


They probably choose people for subsequent “private” Beta tests after interacting and noticing users contributions and input in the open beta’s


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## Mark Schmieder (Feb 25, 2021)

Surge Synth Team


We maintain and contribute to awesome open source audio plugins!




surge-synth-team.org





Hey EvilDragon, I'll check them out. I was expecting multiple job offers this week, but barely missed a couple of them, so I may go back to open source mode for a while as I'm burnt out from so many all-day interviews and live coding challenges in multiple technologies, disciplines, and domains!


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## zvenx (Feb 25, 2021)

I think I had this convo with someone here who can chime in if they want to clearly, but I don't think I have ever seen a beta nda that requires I never identify myself as a beta tester if i so choose.
Rsp


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## Mark Schmieder (Feb 25, 2021)

I am speaking from personal experience. But I will not fall for the bait and name the vendors.


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## EvilDragon (Feb 25, 2021)

Mark Schmieder said:


> Surge Synth Team
> 
> 
> We maintain and contribute to awesome open source audio plugins!
> ...



Yep understandable. Over at SST we're all about having fun with code.


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## el-bo (Mar 4, 2021)

Catching up on Sonic Talk podcasts, while out walking, and heard Dave Spiers' explanation of the current no-Windows situation. Around the 11-minute-mark:


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## mladi (Mar 6, 2021)

Phil81 said:


> Great reasons.


..isn't that so?


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## Mark Schmieder (Mar 16, 2021)

And of course now we have the new one from Cherry Audio for $29, which I bought yesterday. Haven't had a chance to use it yet, and already deleted my demo copy of OB-E so won't be the one who does a direct shootout. Instead, I'm doing a shout-out.


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## vitocorleone123 (Mar 16, 2021)

I have a PC, so whatever. But I also have no problem running a “96 voice” SEM using 12 instances of bx Oberhausen with 8 voices per, which cost me $15, and, to my ears vs online videos, sounds better per voice. It also isn’t that hard on my PC unless I enable 16 voices for each.

Even if this was available, I think it’d be a hard sell to my wallet.


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## grabauf (Feb 22, 2022)

*GForce Software* today announce the OB-E V2.
It's now available for PC as a VST3.


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## kgdrum (Feb 22, 2022)

grabauf said:


> *GForce Software* today announce the OB-E V2.
> It's now available for PC as a VST3.


Yes this looks like a nice update which is free if you already have OB-E 👍





more info here: 




_"I was pretty amazed by OB-E, it was pretty damn close right out of the shoot. It was “wow!“. I like listening to that. With OB-E v2, it’s like you have the hardware with you” Tom Oberheim, Synth Pioneer_

*London, 22.2.22 – Tom Oberheim and GForce* Software present Oberheim OB-E v2. An even more authentic emulation of the Oberheim® 8-Voice, and the first ever software instrument with Tom’s personal endorsement*.

Last year, as we neared the release of OB-E®, we were contacted by Marcus Ryle on behalf of Tom Oberheim. Marcus is a co-founder of Line 6® but also a former Oberheim Developer who contributed to the OB-Xa, DSX, DMX, OB-8, Xpander and Matrix 12. Through Marcus, OB-E found its way to the ears of Tom Oberheim and they were both impressed enough to suggest a collaboration to refine the instrument and release an update carrying their full endorsement.

Despite receiving several Best Soft Synth 2021 awards, working under the guidance of Tom and Marcus, we further enhanced the already incredible sounding OB-E. Refining the Detune feature and adding a new Vintage knob, dials in more realistic musical inaccuracies in line with the original instrument for a truly authentic 8-Voice experience. We’ve taken time to get this right and implement it in a way that does not compromise the sound of your existing presets. Your track will sound the same, if you want it to…


"The first time I heard OB-E I knew it was special. Its authentic tonal character and musicality makes it the closest thing to analog hardware that I’ve ever experienced. It’s been really gratifying to refine this powerful foundation with GForce Software in order to capture the few remaining nuances of component tolerances and calibration that add just a bit more magic into this very impressive piece of software.” _Marcus Ryle, Former Oberheim Developer and co-founder of Line 6_.

The 8-Voice is not simply eight identical SEMs put together. The interaction of those 8 independent, and slightly different Synthesizer Expander Modules, plays a major role in making the 8-Voice’s sound so incredibly beautiful. The injection of these authentic inaccuracies into each of the eight SEMs in OB-E takes it to another level, one that blurs the lines between the hardware, and makes OB-E v2 the most authentic emulation of the Oberheim SEM sound and 8-Voice instrument.

Additional features include a new reverb, 100+ new patches making a new total of 700+ Patches. You now have the ability to Zoom on the sequencer, in addition to a crazy new Drum Mode which enables each SEM to be played by a dedicated key. We also added 10 drum kits presets to get you started. If you were looking for a new analog sounding drum machine, give it a go, this might surprise you. . 

Existing OB-E owners will be happy to discover that OB-E v2 comes as a free update. PC users, we hope, will be happy to discover that it’s now PC compatible. (see, we told you we love you too).

"As synthesizer obsessives and fervent electronic music historians, collaborating with both Tom and Marcus to realise this latest version of OB-E has been a genuine ‘pinch-me moment’ for all of us at GForce Software. We have deep respect for all the synth pioneers’ immense influence on our lives and this journey and collaboration has been a huge honour.” _Dave Spiers & Chris Macleod, co-founders of GForce Software Ltd._

*Whilst the Oberheim branding has been displayed by other software manufacturers before, this was at the time the trademark was owned by Gibson, and Tom had no involvement. Gibson had the good grace to give Tom back his trademark in 2019 enabling him to start a new journey.

Oberheim OB-E v2 – key features

[New] 100+ New presets
[New] Vintage knob & Refined Detune parameter
[New] Matrix Reverb
[New] Drum Mode and 10 drum kits presets
[New] PC support, VST3 and Apple Silicon Native
[New] Sequencer Zoom
[New] Flexible scaling UI
An authentic sounding emulation of the Oberheim® 8-Voice
700+ factory Patches designed to fit in a mix, all tagged and categorised
Librarian for easy access to the presets (Arrow Keys Navigation)
ZOOM enlarges an individual SEM filling the UI with front & rear panels side by side
Group and Offset mode to edit all SEMs at once, Individual SEM Copy/Paste/Save
Upper/Lower SEMs can be Split across the keyboard
Multi-faceted analogue style sequencer
Extensive Velocity & Aftertouch modulation, Pan and Volume per SEM
Polyphonic aftertouch and MPE.

Price
Oberheim OB-E v2 is £179.99 / $199.99 with an intro price of £119.99 / $139.99

Oberheim OB-E v2 is a free update for current OB-E owners

Compatibility
Mac: Standalone Application, AudioUnit, AAX, VST and VST3
PC: Standalone Application, AAX, VST and VST3


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## EvilDragon (Feb 22, 2022)

grabauf said:


> It's now available for PC as a VST3.


Not just VST3, but VST2 also - just FYI.


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## Pier (Feb 22, 2022)

Edit:

That reverb holy moly


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## Wes Antczak (Feb 22, 2022)

I guess it was not yet good enough to be released for PC, but now it is! I have downloaded the demo to compare with the one from Cherry Audio and yes, when installing you have a choice between VST2, VST3 or both. The reverb does sound rather good.


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## dnblankedelman (Feb 22, 2022)

So, I just picked this up for the first time (didn't have V1) and wanted to share two small things:

When I played the patch "Lyle's Legendary Lead" (especially playing a higher D then A), I had a really strong emotional response. I grew up in high school with exactly that sound in my ears and I miss him quite a bit.


It took me much longer to find this than I want to admit to, so perhaps it will save someone else some time: if you happen to be playing the standalone version (for example to audition the patches) and you find none of the patches that use the sequencer appear work, open the sequencer (little yellow triangle at the bottom right) and turn off "DAW SYNC". With no DAW to sync to...no sequence to play or sound will be forthcoming when this is on. Perhaps this advice is in the manual and I just missed it, but that took a bit of head scratching.


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## EvilDragon (Feb 23, 2022)

Regarding 2. yes that is mentioned in the manual, but I suggested to their support that in case of standalone, this parameter should just be disregarded in order not to have patches that don't sound at all. I urge everyone to do the same.


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## gamma-ut (Feb 23, 2022)

zvenx said:


> I think I had this convo with someone here who can chime in if they want to clearly, but I don't think I have ever seen a beta nda that requires I never identify myself as a beta tester if i so choose.
> Rsp


The thing about NDAs is that management often don't read them that carefully and just pick them off the shelf and use them even if they had different intentions in mind. I have in a number of cases flat-out refused NDAs with daft provisions or struck the provisions out to get a different one.

One common missing element is a time limitation - the idea is you don't talk about the product before launch but after launch it's fine and indeed it could be tricky if you don't disclose an involvement afterwards...but the NDAs don't reflect that. Often what some managers will try is "It's OK, we don't mean it." They don't expect the reply "So, why do you want me to sign this document with legal force?"


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## Jotto (Feb 23, 2022)

dnblankedelman said:


> So, I just picked this up for the first time (didn't have V1) and wanted to share two small things:
> 
> When I played the patch "Lyle's Legendary Lead" (especially playing a higher D then A), I had a really strong emotional response. I grew up in high school with exactly that sound in my ears and I miss him quite a bit.
> 
> ...


I just love that sound. Lyles lead. The question is… can you use it? I dont think i could


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## dnblankedelman (Feb 23, 2022)

Jotto said:


> I just love that sound. Lyles lead. The question is… can you use it? I dont think i could


No, you are absolutely right, But I will play it for myself now and then.


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## Sergievsky (Feb 23, 2022)

I thought I dodged this during Black Friday…but with the update & the sentimental endorsement from T.Oberheim, well, why the hell not. Who cares if I don’t need another softsynth that I don’t have time to fully learn & use. 😬 I don’t mind supporting a company that acuurately recreated in software a dream synth of mine.


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## Bee_Abney (Feb 24, 2022)

I need to sell some of my soft synths, not buy more.

But... This is all kinds of chills and wows.


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## Bee_Abney (Feb 24, 2022)

Simeon seems to like this one! Fewer 'innaresting's and more unequivocal positives!


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## Monkberry (Feb 24, 2022)

I've been waiting for this one. Thought the Windows version was abandoned but here it is and an intro price of $139. 700 patches is a fair amount. A much needed distraction from the brutal invasion of Ukraine. I'm gonna build a patch that evokes the Havana Syndrome and send it to Putin!


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## Bee_Abney (Feb 24, 2022)

Simeon has confirmed to me that I can quote him as calling the sound not only fat but also phat.


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## b_elliott (Feb 24, 2022)

Am I mistaken to believe the OB-E is simulating the same machine as Arturia SEM V and Brainworx bx_oberhausen?


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## Bee_Abney (Feb 24, 2022)

b_elliott said:


> Am I mistaken to believe the OB-E is simulating the same machine as Arturia SEM V and Brainworx bx_oberhausen?



I wondered that; I have bx_oberhausen which sounds terrific, but it has far fewer parameter controls and so I would think far fewer parameters. It does also have a very big analogesque sound.


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## zvenx (Feb 24, 2022)

b_elliott said:


> Am I mistaken to believe the OB-E is simulating the same machine as Arturia SEM V and Brainworx bx_oberhausen?


I dont have arturia but I do the bx. They are emulating one of the 8 modules.. that is this one has 8 such modules of the one they are emulating, afaik.

The original sem module was monophonic, arturia and brainworks emulated that and made it polyphonic in software.

In the hardware world after Tom had done the sem, he made a 4 and 8 voice synth comprised of 4 and 8 sem modules respectively. This emulates the 8 sem modules version.

Hope that makes sense.
Rsp


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## b_elliott (Feb 24, 2022)

zvenx said:


> In the hardware world after Tom had done the sem, he made a 4 and 8 voice synth comprised of 4 and 8 sem modules respectively. This emulates the 8 sem modules version.
> 
> Hope that makes sense.
> Rsp


Thanks Bee and zvenx.
I managed to unearth the original "shootout" 'tween SEM V and bx_oberhausen. 
Personally I adore the Arturia model which surfaced yesterday for me via presets within the Analog Labs V demo I downloaded.
Now there are 3 emulations to choose from plus the OB-6 emulation.


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## Saxer (Feb 24, 2022)

Noodling... just one patch... could do this for hours...


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## Bee_Abney (Feb 24, 2022)

Saxer said:


> Noodling... just one patch... could do this for hours...



I know this is based on an older hardware synth, but to me it sounds like Model 72 and Dune had a baby, delivered by DIVA.

Nice noodles. Which is also what I had for dinner.


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## vitocorleone123 (Feb 24, 2022)

This is the best sounding (to me) SEM emulation to date. Oberhausen WAS the best (to me), and still sounds good and is a steal if you get it for $20 or less. Side-by-side you can hear the difference, though. And, OB-E uses half the CPU on my system with 1 module on OB-E vs Oberhausen in mono mode.

The UX is certainly more complex, and the price is premium. However, even Mr Tom Oberheim says it sounds close to the hardware (which I've never used) to the point where he and a former Oberheim engineer gave some pointers and got Tom's name on there.

It's at the top of my "if/when I eventually buy another synth plugin" list (I've been stripping out plugins right and left to a more reasonable number). The price makes it less of a casual purchase, however.

I also should say it's very different sounding than my OB-6 (which I still prefer). The software output is darker as well as less lively. I'm sure many will prefer the first and not care about the second thing. I just didn't want something that strongly overlapped with my OB-6, so the OB-E stays on my To Get list.

The worst thing about the demo, and the reason I stopped using it, is because there's no way to create an init patch without manually resetting every single control every single time. Just plain old bad UX that seems more driven by Marketing than Design. Which I'm sensitive to.


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## grabauf (Feb 24, 2022)

Any comparisons to the Cherry Audio Eight Voice?


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## zvenx (Feb 24, 2022)

grabauf said:


> Any comparisons to the Cherry Audio Eight Voice?


I own both.....after buying this and playing it for a day, I took the Cherry Audio out of my first call template......ymmv.

It isn't that the CA one is bad at all, for me this is just a gorgeous sound. (The oberheim sound...SEM even up to the OB-8, were my favourite analog sounds), this is the best of all of the software versions I have heard.

I do prefer the UI/UX of the Cherry Audio one though.
rsp


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## Banquet (Feb 24, 2022)

Saxer said:


> Noodling... just one patch... could do this for hours...


That is gorgeous! Like Bee, I'm really trying to not buy more VST synths as I have so many and don't use them as much as sample based libraries, but I'm really struggling to not buy this - I love the sound.


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## MLaudio (Feb 24, 2022)

Just downloaded the demo. Am i correct in saying you can't initialize the synth in demo mode? I'd like to try building and feeling the workflow rather than demoing a small selection of presets.. Any info is appreciated .


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## Banquet (Feb 24, 2022)

MLaudio said:


> Just downloaded the demo. Am i correct in saying you can't initialize the synth in demo mode? I'd like to try building and feeling the workflow rather than demoing a small selection of presets.. Any info is appreciated .


I believe that is true unfortunately


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## EvilDragon (Feb 24, 2022)

You can press the Mono or Poly buttons below the parameter display and that initializes the sound.


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## Banquet (Feb 24, 2022)

EvilDragon said:


> You can press the Mono or Poly buttons below the parameter display and that initializes the sound.


I think I read those buttons don't work in demo mode


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## EvilDragon (Feb 24, 2022)

Hmmm oh well. I just bought it straight away anyways


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## vitocorleone123 (Feb 24, 2022)

Banquet said:


> I think I read those buttons don't work in demo mode


Correct. There is no way, other than manual, to create an init patch. Which is one reason why I didn't buy it straightaway.


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## MLaudio (Feb 24, 2022)

Unfortunately, this may prevent me from buying it. We will see though, ill still dig into a bit and see how the GUI and flow feels. Thanks everyone for the replies.


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## José Herring (Feb 24, 2022)

Saxer said:


> Noodling... just one patch... could do this for hours...


Damn it man! I was soooo trying not to buy this. But it just sounds too good.


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## Saxer (Feb 24, 2022)

José Herring said:


> Damn it man! I was soooo trying not to buy this. But it just sounds too good.


I'm sorry! I owe you a beer!


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## Jotto (Feb 25, 2022)

First time that i have really felt that a softsynth is a real instrument


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## Jotto (Feb 25, 2022)

dnblankedelman said:


> So, I just picked this up for the first time (didn't have V1) and wanted to share two small things:
> 
> When I played the patch "Lyle's Legendary Lead" (especially playing a higher D then A), I had a really strong emotional response. I grew up in high school with exactly that sound in my ears and I miss him quite a bit.
> 
> ...


Have you checked out the Lamenting the loss of Lyle patches?


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## Monkberry (Feb 25, 2022)

zvenx said:


> I own both.....after buying this and playing it for a day, I took the Cherry Audio out of my first call template......ymmv.
> 
> It isn't that the CA one is bad at all, for me this is just a gorgeous sound. (The oberheim sound...SEM even up to the OB-8, were my favourite analog sounds), this is the best of all of the software versions I have heard.
> 
> ...


After learning the OB-E UI yesterday, I have to agree that the CA Eight Voice is easier to get around on. I love the sound of the reverb in OB-E and it has more movement in its sound but I have much more to learn. Thankful for the zoom buttons! Cherry Audio synths are a fantastic value though. There's always room for one more if it brings me inspiration to write!


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## b_elliott (Feb 25, 2022)

For the curious, bx_oberhausen available for 29.99 (coupon ANY-2999-1) with PB's current sale. Not too shabby as its sound seems as rich as the other emulations mentioned above.


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## dnblankedelman (Feb 25, 2022)

Jotto said:


> Have you checked out the Lamenting the loss of Lyle patches?


I have, thanks.


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## Bee_Abney (Feb 25, 2022)

b_elliott said:


> For the curious, bx_oberhausen available for 29.99 (coupon ANY-2999-1) with PB's current sale. Not too shabby as its sound seems as rich as the other emulations mentioned above.



It's a great synth, and Plugin Alliance's frequent sales shouldn't obscure the quality of the plugins they sell.


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## muziksculp (Feb 26, 2022)

It's time to enjoy this beauty


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## Pier (Feb 27, 2022)

Saxer said:


> Noodling... just one patch... could do this for hours...


Really beautiful stuff.

You do realize there are many of us trying to resist the temptation, right? 😂


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## Bee_Abney (Feb 27, 2022)

Pier said:


> Really beautiful stuff.
> 
> You do realize there are many of us trying to resist the temptation, right? 😂



"Try not. Only buy." Satanic Yoda.


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## Saxer (Feb 27, 2022)

Don't resist. Thank me later.


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## Pier (Feb 28, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> "Try not. Only buy." Satanic Yoda.


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## vitocorleone123 (Feb 28, 2022)

Pier said:


> <snip>


A huh huh huh.
Its nothin' a little music can't help.
Rockin'
Rockin' and Rollin'.
Down to the store, I'm strollin'
But the OB-E pokes at my head;
Not fun!
I said, "OB-E, mmm! Buy it now!"

(horrible adaptation of the classic song by Bad Lip Reading)


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## Bee_Abney (Feb 28, 2022)

There are only four Star Wars films, and Bad Lip Reading made one of them.


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## Bee_Abney (Feb 28, 2022)

I didn't have much time today, but I did download the OB-E demo. I wanted to see what it has to offer that would directly relate to my current musical explorations.

Chiefly, I'm looking for big, powerful analog sounds to create dense, heavy music. OB-E excels at all of that, but is somewhat inclined to excel at pretty sounds. That's nice too, but not my focus. I am trying to develop a sound that has a lot of density without losing clarity, taking elements I like from early metal, playing them with synths and samples, but achieving something of the clarity of the better numetal (also old now..) and something like Outkast. 

I compared OB-E to bx_oberheim, which does nasty more easily, but can't match OB-E for power (and certainly not versatility). I tried playing multiple instances of bx_oberheim at the same time. It troubled my CPU, but not OB-E, which easily still sounded fuller and more substantial.

I compared it to Model 72 and Zebra2, which both do dark more easily. Model 72 had the power and physicality, but not the depth or width. Zebra, as always, sounded like it would be much, much easier to mix into a larger arrangement.

Day 1, interim conclusion: buy it. I either buy it now or buy it later.

I shall continue my investigations.


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## Bee_Abney (Feb 28, 2022)

This is a very useful tour of the OB-E for those who, like me, find it useful to hear the range of what an instrument can do whilst lying still, brooding over my resentments and planning dire wickedness.


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## zvenx (Feb 28, 2022)

Apart from everything else it is one of the very very very few synths with a built in Reverb that I actually really like.
rsp


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## Bee_Abney (Mar 1, 2022)

Day 2 of research. This time I compared what I can achieve with OB-E to Bazille, Knifonium, Lion and Thorn as well as sampled synths.

None of them have the sense of size and aliveness of OB-E, but all of them got me closer to the sounds I'm currently looking for.

Interim conclusion from Day 2: buy it eventually or just give in to its greatness.

OB-E might improve my sound, but it would do its best work if I let it transform my sound. Or use it for other, less personal, things.


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## vitocorleone123 (Mar 1, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> Day 2 of research. This time I compared what I can achieve with OB-E to Bazille, Knifonium, Lion and Thorn as well as sampled synths.
> 
> None of them have the sense of size and aliveness of OB-E, but all of them got me closer to the sounds I'm currently looking for.
> 
> ...


My OB-6 goes more extreme in several ways than the OB-E, but, even still, without the limited mod matrix, effects, and analog distortion, the OB-6 would definitely be a more "polite" synth - like the OB-E. I do sometimes wish it had 8 voices, though!

Do you have more success with 24db filters? Here's a track I did using the OB-6 for every synth sound except for the drums with its 12db filter. On your Density Scale (tm), how dense is this? The music, not me!! Ha. Just trying to hone in more on what you're seeking.


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## Bee_Abney (Mar 1, 2022)

I'll try focusing on the 24 dB filters tomorrow.

I love your track! It's definitely heading in the sort of direction I'm looking to explore. Here's an earlier track of mine made with Diva only (and only the soundset Sylphs by Subsonic Artz). I'm still figuring things out about what I'm aiming for, so your track was a big help to me.


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## dunamisstudio (Mar 1, 2022)

Arturia SEM will just have to do it for me, I just can't keep buying synth VSTs. I can raise its voice count but doesn't as many controls.


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## vitocorleone123 (Mar 1, 2022)

dunamisstudio said:


> Arturia SEM will just have to do it for me, I just can't keep buying synth VSTs. I can raise its voice count but doesn't as many controls.


If you LOVE the SEM sound, genuinely love it, then the OB-E seems worthwhile. Or if you are a collector, of course. I'm still on the fence, like Bee_Abney. I'll probably get it... some time. But I have plenty of synths already, and am still trying to get rid of some synth plugins in the mean time. And if you already have something similar that you're happy with, software or hardware or both, then that lessens the urgency.


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## EvilDragon (Mar 1, 2022)

dunamisstudio said:


> I just can't keep buying synth VSTs.


Lies! LIES I TELL YA!


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## Junolab (Mar 2, 2022)

I really love the sound, but I'm on the fence as well. Mostly just because I'm really waiting for a high-end synth controller platform that can give me the best of both worlds with physical controls in a proper synth layout but with the convenience of a softsynth. The more recent synths releases (plugins) have really blurred the lines between hardware and software IMO (and they're properly been more than fine in a mix for quite a while)


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## Bee_Abney (Mar 2, 2022)

Day 3 of my trial of OB-E in order to see if could give me something that I'm missing and which I have a direct interest in using.

Today, I got some very nice sounds out of OB-E of just the sort that I might want. Rich, bassy, scary and noisy. Still, however, these sounds seem like something that I would use to layer with other sounds rather than as being my main focus. But sometimes it can be the details round the edges of the main sounds that make a real difference.

I played a lot with the filters and also tried switching off the effects. It turns out that, lovely as it is, the reverb has to go for me. I liked what I was getting much better once it was switched off. I also tried adding some external effects. I'd already tried EQ (with high and low filters too) and saturation; this time a added a greater range of static and modulated filtering, as well as some more full-on distortion. My conclusion, as with the internal effects, was that switching all of this off gave me the results I really enjoyed. I did also use some of the internal modulation, and I liked those results better.

Today I did some comparisons, and some layering, with DIVA, Dune, Falcon, Omnisphere, Soundpaint (synth sounds only), Halion, MSoundFactory and Bazille. Yes, I own all of those synths. No, I don't know how to use them all. Yes, I have other synths too.

Shame and guilt of having too much, spending too unwisely, and giving too little back to the world aside - that's right, I'm putting that aside! - this was a good bunch to compare it with. Unsurprisingly, as good as Falcon sounded, it doesn't have convincing analogue-sounding filters. So it sounded best for my purposes to use it for layering, or to use sounds made from organic/acoustic samples. Soundpaint sounded great, but most sounds are initially too quiet and need turning up. It has so much of the life of the instruments sampled. But, sadly, none of the danger. It does lack the fully dangerous quality of a synth that could start squealing or issuing smoke at any time. OB-E captures some of that (indeed, set the filters right and you might accidentally propose to your dog).

Dune 3 always sounded so big to me, but it sound tiny compared to OB-E. But, of course, they aren't like-for-like instruments. They both good at lush, almost shimmering pads, though. MSoundFactory was a struggle for me, as I am not fully confident with it. At least with the sounds I made, they would need layering for the sort of analogue-esque sound I'm looking for. But I expect the synth can achieve something closer to what I'm looking for. Halion sounded gorgeous, but rather wrong. Like Falcon, though, incorporating acoustic samples into the synthesis could be very useful.

DIVA was a big winner for me, which wasn't a surprise. It is designed to do something closer to what I'm looking for than is Zebra. And it definitely delivers. It didn't sound quite as alive and physical as OB-E, but could probably more closely approximate this.

Bazille, however, was easily the winner of the bunch. I made a patch that, on wouldn't quite work as a lead or a bass, but would be perfect for filling out a dense, analogue arrangement. With some modulation, it was every bit as lively as OB-E. It does, of course, sound very different. But, if I had to choose one synth for what I'm trying to do, out of all the ones I've tried, it would be Bazille.

Conclusion. At the end of all this, I have to say that OB-E is a genuinely fantastic soft synth, going about as far as a soft synth can (which may not be very far) to sounding like a physical analogue synth. It is distinctive, yet has some versatility. It can sound nasty. Hooray!

It can add dimensions to my sound that I cannot achieve with any of the other synths I have. A certain halo of high end (even with the high end rolled off somewhat) that Dune can do, but with even greater body and vitality.

Will I buy it? I don't really want to buy anything right now, and yet sales and introductory prices keep happening to change my mind. I am also interested in Palindrome II by Soundpaint, and some of the synthier SA libraries by Spitfire. Not to mention Arturia's new granular plugin. And then there is the Physical Audio sale.

But, one can't have everything, let alone everything right now. So, I may get nothing. But, if I were to spend around £120 at the moment, OB-E would, I believe, be the smart option for the music I am working on right now.

If this helped or interested anyone, great! If it annoyed anyone...


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## Pier (Mar 3, 2022)

Behringer is releasing a 2 voice SEM copy for $299:















Behringer 2-XM, replica of the Oberheim Two-Voice analog Synthesizer for Eurorack


Behringer 2-XM is a replica/clone of the legendary Oberheim Two-Voice analog poly Synthesizer with a 32-point patch bay for Eurorack.




www.synthanatomy.com


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## Bee_Abney (Mar 3, 2022)

Pier said:


> Behringer is releasing a 2 voice SEM copy for $299:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Very appealing.


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## dunamisstudio (Mar 3, 2022)

That might be the first Behringer synth I'll get.


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## Zedcars (Mar 13, 2022)




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## elucid (Mar 15, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> I'll try focusing on the 24 dB filters tomorrow.
> 
> I love your track! It's definitely heading in the sort of direction I'm looking to explore. Here's an earlier track of mine made with Diva only (and only the soundset Sylphs by Subsonic Artz). I'm still figuring things out about what I'm aiming for, so your track was a big help to me.



Love this piece of music! It got my attention straightaway and kept it - I like that and it’s unusual. Really interesting stuff.


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## Bee_Abney (Mar 15, 2022)

elucid said:


> Love this piece of music! It got my attention straightaway and kept it - I like that and it’s unusual. Really interesting stuff.



That's very kind of you to let me know. We all need a bit of encouragement from time to time!

Well, that and devastating but accurate criticism of where we can improve...


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## rectifried (Apr 23, 2022)

I dont know if I have a lot of VI synths ,... Zebra2, Omni2... then all those Komplete things that .. hmmm..well I use Kontact mostly lol... got SonicProjects OBx a long time ago but have to use a wrapper in protools
But this?.. It is amazing. Just stunning. bought


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