Behringer UBXA

[Pidcin]

What are your thoughts on the Behringer UB XA ? How does it feel to have spent top dollar for a DSI and here comes Behringer making a clone of the OBXA for under $500? What are your predictions about the quality ? Do you think it’ll be comparable ? Do you think it’s blasphemy ? Do you intend on getting one ? What are your thoughts ?

[LoboLives]

It's a free market. Behringer is offering something Tom and Dave didn't and the public wanted. It's a totally different synth from the OB-6. Is it better or worse? I don't know. It's just different.

[DavidDever]

What are your thoughts on the Behringer UB XA ? How does it feel to have spent top dollar for a DSI and here comes Behringer making a clone of the OBXA for under $500? What are your predictions about the quality ? Do you think it’ll be comparable ? Do you think it’s blasphemy ? Do you intend on getting one ? What are your thoughts ?

How much are you getting paid?

No price has been set for the UB-Xa, and it's not due out anytime soon–thank you for playing. (Meanwhile, I'm enjoying my Pro-2 and its SEM filter, for which there is no Uli-flavored equivalent, and my Prophet-600, which uses the same CEM 3340 VCOs as the original.)

It's gotta offer something useful above and beyond the original Curtis-flavored synthesizer voice, else there are a lot of alternatives out there, if you don't mind supporting a smaller company and/or spending some $$.

[John01W]

There's no price set yet(thanks David)....It won't be the same.....OB6 is SEM/Discrete...Xa=Curtis......but honestly it will hurt OB6 sales........It won't help that you get a lecture when asking for enhancements(even little ones) for the OB6/P6 and you got Uli over there being open/asking for user input on features....There's whole threads on the 1 LFO thing at Gearslutz....

I'd rather give my money to DSI/Tom....I always liked to think that the reason the OB6 was a little bit more expensive than the P6 was because Tom was getting a little cut...., but who knows.  Tom's still making synths....it's a bit ugly/bad taste IMO.

[Pidcin]

There's no price set yet(thanks David)....It won't be the same.....OB6 is SEM/Discrete...Xa=Curtis......but honestly it will hurt OB6 sales........It won't help that you get a lecture when asking for enhancements(even little ones) for the OB6/P6 and you got Uli over there being open/asking for user input on features....There's whole threads on the 1 LFO thing at Gearslutz....

I'd rather give my money to DSI/Tom....I always liked to think that the reason the OB6 was a little bit more expensive than the P6 was because Tom was getting a little cut...., but who knows.  Tom's still making synths....it's a bit ugly/bad taste IMO.

Yeah! I agree and You know what , next on my list is an OB6. Every time I am at the music store I end up hogging it and spending almost all my time with it . Theres something magical about it . It’ll be a nice companion to my prophet 6, as it contrast it so well when in need of a bit more aggressive , raw in your face sounds that isn’t so warm . 

I thought based off the facts that they came out with a clone of the model D for $400 CDN; and those cost about $5000 that presummingly speaking the UBXA would sit in the same price bracket . So regardless of price , I will defiantly pick two of them up. Yes , two. One to keep in a box forever until they become a potential treasure , and one to play . And obviously I’ll have gotten the OB6 before hand . ahhh the gas.

And as for the guy up there asking how much I get paid and saying “thanks for playing “ aka what a waste of time / stupid question. I’m not sure why I’m getting a snarky remark and I don’t like it. So Let’s put it this way ,to answer your question so to speak  I most likely pay more taxes than you and your spouse gross . And that’s also a presumption. Crap, I just picked up a 88 Kronos 2, prophet 6, tempest and moog sub 37 alone from my OT hours from work all from  the past 5 months 
So don’t get smart with me .
I was simply curious to people’s responses and thoughts knowing DSI has one of the best OB synths available and here comes a big commercial company that’s used to making poo poo products , or at least not near the DSI quality and then POOF out of thin air , some serious analog synths that would potential steer new players to picking it up because of its inexpensive price point rather than investing in say dsi. It just upsets me . Don’t know why. I’m a snob. So be it .

Just my thoughts .

[DavidDever]

And as for the guy up there asking how much I get paid and saying “thanks for playing “ aka what a waste of time / stupid question. I’m not sure why I’m getting a snarky remark and I don’t like it.

That was not what was implied, by any stretch–there's a fairly wide audience here, from folks who buy their instruments used off Craigslist to those who buy them new-in-a-box from an authorized retailer (I've done both).

My tongue-in-cheek remark was referring to the incentivized "street team" of a certain multinational manufacturer whose posts seem to bubble up on the user forums every time there's a new product pre-announced. You have my apologies, if I wrongly implied that you were one of those paid shills (though they do post here, and brag about it elsewhere).

So Let’s put it this way ,to answer your question so to speak  I most likely pay more taxes than you and your spouse gross . And that’s also a presumption. Crap, I just picked up a 88 Kronos 2, prophet 6, tempest and moog sub 37 alone from my OT hours from work all from  the past 5 months 
So don’t get smart with me .

Yeah–probably not an appropriate discussion here; you're welcome to DM me if you need a further apology.

[Pidcin]

And as for the guy up there asking how much I get paid and saying “thanks for playing “ aka what a waste of time / stupid question. I’m not sure why I’m getting a snarky remark and I don’t like it.

That was not what was implied, by any stretch–there's a fairly wide audience here, from folks who buy their instruments used off Craigslist to those who buy them new-in-a-box from an authorized retailer (I've done both).

My tongue-in-cheek remark was referring to the incentivized "street team" of a certain multinational manufacturer whose posts seem to bubble up on the user forums every time there's a new product pre-announced. You have my apologies, if I wrongly implied that you were one of those paid shills (though they do post here, and brag about it elsewhere).

So Let’s put it this way ,to answer your question so to speak  I most likely pay more taxes than you and your spouse gross . And that’s also a presumption. Crap, I just picked up a 88 Kronos 2, prophet 6, tempest and moog sub 37 alone from my OT hours from work all from  the past 5 months 
So don’t get smart with me .

Yeah–probably not an appropriate discussion here; you're welcome to DM me if you need a further apology.

No problem . My apologies than as well. I don’t get paid by Behringer street team , or am endorsed by any musical company . I’m a road worker for the city.

“We built this city, we built this city on rock and roll”

-for real, we’ve built this city and its highways, roads, and institutional, commercial and industrial buildings and love what I do , love what I make, love the toys I get to acquire and love my 4 months off a year during the winter season to enjoy my toys .

Thank you for clarifying

[Sacred Synthesis]

What are your thoughts on the Behringer UB XA ? How does it feel to have spent top dollar for a DSI and here comes Behringer making a clone of the OBXA for under $500? What are your predictions about the quality ? Do you think it’ll be comparable ? Do you think it’s blasphemy ? Do you intend on getting one ? What are your thoughts ?

How much are you getting paid?

I took this question/comment as a harmless joke, nothing more.  He even added a smile to be clear that it was only a joke, and not a dig.

[chysn]

What are your thoughts on the Behringer UB XA ? How does it feel to have spent top dollar for a DSI and here comes Behringer making a clone of the OBXA for under $500? What are your predictions about the quality ? Do you think it’ll be comparable ? Do you think it’s blasphemy ? Do you intend on getting one ? What are your thoughts ?

How much are you getting paid?

I took this question/comment as a harmless joke, nothing more.  He even added a smile to be clear that it was only a joke.

Exactly. And also, it wasn't "how much money do you earn?" as much as it was "how much is Behringer paying you for your shill services?" I thought it was funny.

But seriously, you get what you pay for. Somebody who makes it rain as hard as you do should know that. It's a fair question, but I suspect that exactly zero OB6 owners are going to be all, "Damn it, if I had only held out for the Behringer!!!"

[Pidcin]

What are your thoughts on the Behringer UB XA ? How does it feel to have spent top dollar for a DSI and here comes Behringer making a clone of the OBXA for under $500? What are your predictions about the quality ? Do you think it’ll be comparable ? Do you think it’s blasphemy ? Do you intend on getting one ? What are your thoughts ?

How much are you getting paid?

I took this question/comment as a harmless joke, nothing more.  He even added a smile to be clear that it was only a joke, and not a dig.

The “ thanks for coming out comment “ was the comment in tangent with the assumption that I’m a paid vacuum sales Rep for Behringer that made it upsetting . Not the smiley face . I added a smiley face . You didn’t seem to like it , when I added a smiley face ?

And our conversation between himself and myself have been amended .

[Pidcin]

What are your thoughts on the Behringer UB XA ? How does it feel to have spent top dollar for a DSI and here comes Behringer making a clone of the OBXA for under $500? What are your predictions about the quality ? Do you think it’ll be comparable ? Do you think it’s blasphemy ? Do you intend on getting one ? What are your thoughts ?

How much are you getting paid?

I took this question/comment as a harmless joke, nothing more.  He even added a smile to be clear that it was only a joke.

Exactly. And also, it wasn't "how much money do you earn?" as much as it was "how much is Behringer paying you for your shill services?" I thought it was funny.

But seriously, you get what you pay for. Somebody who makes it rain as hard as you do should know that. It's a fair question, but I suspect that exactly zero OB6 owners are going to be all, "Damn it, if I had only held out for the Behringer!!!"

Not sure about that. I guess I make it rain. So I may as well let it pour and tell you , thanks for playing and fall you a glorified paid rep for Behringer masquerading as. DSI user and see how you like it . And I’m sure there will be others who can quantify that the UBXA as to be MAYBE a superior synth of the OB6 by the mere price tag vs quality ratio ,

If you had a chance to check out the model D Behringer model , you must be surprised that they packed all that quality ; and I know a lot of people who always GASd over the model D , can get it for 1/10 of the price and regardless if it hurts the pockets of moog and potentially offended those who own the remake of the model D having paid $5k,  I’m sure it would be upsetting to some of those users who have the real deal when a company comes out of thin air with a “clone” for 1/10 of the price that actually sounds more like it should cost sround 2-3k or more like in price range of the boutique range of synth .

It irked me . Bottom line . And I’m still going to buy a couple of them .

[DavidDever]

I’m a road worker for the city.

“We built this city, we built this city on rock and roll”

-for real, we’ve built this city and its highways, roads, and institutional, commercial and industrial buildings and love what I do , love what I make, love the toys I get to acquire and love my 4 months off a year during the winter season to enjoy my toys .

Thumbs up!

To your original question–I don't think that the UB-Xa will be as easy to economize on, given the voltage-control requirements for the Curtis-style / CoolAudio replacements, as well as the requirements to:

• make sure that the unit functions at its most basic level
• research and enumerate the behavior of the original
• engineer whatever control is required to match / deviate from that behavior
• productize the unit so that it can be built in reasonable quantities while keeping the labor costs low, e.g., calibration and test

So I'd guess that (at eight voices) it would be no less expensive than the DeepMind 12D desktop to produce, and probably more. But I could be wrong.

Meanwhile, I've been jones-ing for an OB-6 for the last two years, but have been putting it off until it becomes the so-called "last piece of the puzzle". It's very well engineered for what it does, elegantly (if not deceptively) simple inside, and is exactly the sort of thing that could be purchased, used, and maintained without a hitch for the next two or three decades.

While that doesn't make the Behringer devices any less well-engineered by comparison, they're also much more recent an enterprise, so the verdict is still out longer-term.

[LoboLives]

The Behringer may not have build quality or "name" factor but it will be closer to the classic OBXa than the OB-6. In fact it would actually be a lot closer to the REV2 than OB-6 as well.

I respect the OB-6 and maybe one day I may pick it up...but I ordered the Two Voice Pro instead because I already have a Prophet 6 and am also likely picking up a REV2...I just feel the OB-6 would be redundant at that point.

Honestly...I think if I were Behringer I would have started a subsidiary company to handle all the synth stuff because I think what's putting a lot of people off of anything they do is the name.

[Shaw]

So regardless of price , I will defiantly pick two of them up. Yes , two. One to keep in a box forever until they become a potential treasure , and one to play .

Buy one, save your money.  A $500 Behringer knock-off isn't going to become a collectors item anytime soon, or anytime ever for that matter.
Buy it, enjoy it, make music.  By the time it stops working, someone will have made something else you'll like more.

[Pidcin]

So regardless of price , I will defiantly pick two of them up. Yes , two. One to keep in a box forever until they become a potential treasure , and one to play .

Buy one, save your money.  A $500 Behringer knock-off isn't going to become a collectors item anytime soon, or anytime ever for that matter.
Buy it, enjoy it, make music.  By the time it stops working, someone will have made something else you'll like more.

You really think so ? I kind of feel that maybe since Behringer hasn’t done anything of this quality that perhaps in a while , they will become sought after like old Japanese fender strats , compared to their American counterparts . I’m not banking on it , but I just feel since it’s a unique and completely out of line product that they’re producing , that it’ll be a rare item in the future because they only make sub par equipment and this stands out like a shining star from their other product lines ... but at the price range having the second one may serve as a backup for when it does break hehe

[Pidcin]

The Behringer may not have build quality or "name" factor but it will be closer to the classic OBXa than the OB-6. In fact it would actually be a lot closer to the REV2 than OB-6 as well.

I respect the OB-6 and maybe one day I may pick it up...but I ordered the Two Voice Pro instead because I already have a Prophet 6 and am also likely picking up a REV2...I just feel the OB-6 would be redundant at that point.

Honestly...I think if I were Behringer I would have started a subsidiary company to handle all the synth stuff because I think what's putting a lot of people off of anything they do is the name.

Yeah! That’d be really smart . Usually when we hear Behringer we don’t think of high end quality gear , we think ... we’ll, other things , and not give it any attention. Having a different company shell their newer lines may have brought more attention to their product line . So I whole heartedly agree with you on that. 

I heard their model D clone and to be honest it’s remarkable ! I was super impressed and for the price point it’ll bring in a lot of new business . I’m curious if moog had to agree with this or is scratching their head asking how can they market a product after a product we sell , being the model d reissue ( whether or not they stopped their production and are selling off their last few reissued ) but still to say this is a moog clone ... using their name, the sound they designed and trying to profit off that , by underhanding and charging 1/10 of the price just raises some questions ... what are your thoughts ?

[Pidcin]

So regardless of price , I will defiantly pick two of them up. Yes , two. One to keep in a box forever until they become a potential treasure , and one to play .

Buy one, save your money.  A $500 Behringer knock-off isn't going to become a collectors item anytime soon, or anytime ever for that matter.
Buy it, enjoy it, make music.  By the time it stops working, someone will have made something else you'll like more.

And before I get them, for sure I’ll be bringing home an OB6. I absolutely adore and love it. LOVEEEE IT .

[Pidcin]

The Behringer may not have build quality or "name" factor but it will be closer to the classic OBXa than the OB-6. In fact it would actually be a lot closer to the REV2 than OB-6 as well.

I respect the OB-6 and maybe one day I may pick it up...but I ordered the Two Voice Pro instead because I already have a Prophet 6 and am also likely picking up a REV2...I just feel the OB-6 would be redundant at that point.

Honestly...I think if I were Behringer I would have started a subsidiary company to handle all the synth stuff because I think what's putting a lot of people off of anything they do is the name.

Oh man! The two voice pro! What another wonderful piece of gear ! I saw it at the moog audio store here in Toronto , and I had never heard about it prior and hear that synth was nothing short of a exceptional experience .

I can’t wait to get the OB6. I can’t stress it enough that it’s defiently my next purchase. It’ll be on a two tier rack with my prophet 6, like brother and sister . The OB6 and prophet 6 layered together is something I’m looking forward to as well. Just absolutely stoked . I can’t wait

[LoboLives]

The Behringer may not have build quality or "name" factor but it will be closer to the classic OBXa than the OB-6. In fact it would actually be a lot closer to the REV2 than OB-6 as well.

I respect the OB-6 and maybe one day I may pick it up...but I ordered the Two Voice Pro instead because I already have a Prophet 6 and am also likely picking up a REV2...I just feel the OB-6 would be redundant at that point.

Honestly...I think if I were Behringer I would have started a subsidiary company to handle all the synth stuff because I think what's putting a lot of people off of anything they do is the name.

Yeah! That’d be really smart . Usually when we hear Behringer we don’t think of high end quality gear , we think ... we’ll, other things , and not give it any attention. Having a different company shell their newer lines may have brought more attention to their product line . So I whole heartedly agree with you on that. 

I heard their model D clone and to be honest it’s remarkable ! I was super impressed and for the price point it’ll bring in a lot of new business . I’m curious if moog had to agree with this or is scratching their head asking how can they market a product after a product we sell , being the model d reissue ( whether or not they stopped their production and are selling off their last few reissued ) but still to say this is a moog clone ... using their name, the sound they designed and trying to profit off that , by underhanding and charging 1/10 of the price just raises some questions ... what are your thoughts ?

I believe the design of the Minimoog had fallen out of copyright.

My thoughts are, Made In America comes at a cost, even Made In Japan does and a lot of companies are switching their manufacturing to China, Malaysia, Korea for cheaper labor costs and even manufacturing of parts. Am I expecting top quality when I get Behringer? I don't know. I had to send my Prophet 6 in to get a new board and that costs me $4k and was made in the USA. The Oberheim I just ordered had the whole bend box disengaged when I tried it at Moog Audio in Toronto and that was made in the states and cost $5k. Food for thought.

My thoughts are get what you want and approach music your own way. For me there's no sense in having both a Prophet 6 and OB-6 because then it becomes redundant in terms of features and function. Even a Deep Mind 12 would be redundant. A REV 2 is bitimbral...so I can justify that. Should the new Korg or possible Arturia poly offer something different then I may look at those. Same as if DSI came out with a new Poly Evolver. Hell, if Behringer comes out with an ARP 2600 clone or even Jupiter 8 clone I may even look at those. I would rather have variety in terms of capabilities with each synth doing it's own thing and set them all up like an orchestra rather than relying.

In my opinion I actually believe Arturia has surpassed Moog in terms of innovation and actually is more in tuned to what synth head's want. Moog is living off it's name and it's past....and I think that might be to their detriment...go ask Gibson why they are selling their legendary Memphis factory.

[vinnyburns1@mac.com]

I am definitely interested in this UBXA but 'probably' only if it has a keyboard with 61 keys and 8 voices. Depends on the price what I would put up with being left out.
The same reasons I never bought the OB6 with it's 6 voices and an octave missing. It seemed the design had more to do with stuffing it into an existing specification and box (pro6) than giving the world the best new poly Oberheim flavour.
My prophet 08 has been 100% reliable and I have never had anything to fault it. In fact, I still love it as much as they day I bought it. Fantastic synth.
The expected snide remarks we always see about Behringer quality after the issues I have read about concerning the Rev2 in here to me are a little out of order. I really wanted the Rev2 but still holding off. People having to leave deposits and send boards back (from the UK) and replace them at home etc is not exactly what I would expect. Good job that was not Behringer.
I have an OB8 and love it. Had it serviced in the last year. Started having a few gremlins again. Only to be expected and is part of ownership of a big old poly synth. If I can replace that with something similar that is new, it's a no brainer.
Anyway, we will see what if anything happens. People seem happy with that Model D remake they did and the one comparison clip I heard sounded very good. It is tiny though. Not what I expected them to bring out. Same with the announcement of the string machine vocoder. The photo shown has an octave missing from the original so no one will be replacing any vintage instrument with it. They have said that is just the initial mock up and they are listening to all feedback for features.
Always seems there is a fly in the ointment. One day, someone will nail it. :-)
Still exciting times still with companies looking back to the great old synths that are just too cost prohibitive to own these days.
Have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with the Sledge for the money.