Firmware update feature requests/bugs

[JimDaneker]

On day 3 with this beast and starting to discover a few things that I hope might be addressed in a firmware update. Thought I'd start a thread here so people can add to it! My unit is on OS 1.0.0.2 as of these notes:

1. It would be great to have the screen show parameter/value changes when operating controls. It shows value changes in Page 2 mode, but it would be great in normal mode too.

2. It would be WONDERFUL to be able to cycle through all 6 filter models without having to enter Page 2, and display them on the OLED as you do that.  Instead of the filter LEDs just being dark for the Page 2 modes, maybe they could blink in different ways to indicate the SEM modes?

3. We need a linked mode to edit both layers simultaneously when in Double mode; as of now you can only edit one layer at a time.

4. Transpose should go more than 1 octave in each direction... at least two?

5. The Arpeggiator should show a BPM display when spinning the Rate knob

6. Is it possible to swap pitch & mod levers in software? 40 years of pitch bend on the left and mod on the right is really tough to unlearn ;-)

7. Pan Mode (Page 2) doesn’t transmit any MIDI CC when you change it - it only sends NRPN. This happens in both single and Double modes.

8. The sustain pedal doesn’t work when the arpeggiator is running. Maybe I'm missing something with how that works?

9. There’s a user on the big GS thread (Mr Analog) who made an excellent list of other ideas that could make the Page 2 parameters much faster/easier to access…

[creativespiral]

Feature Request to Improve Aftertouch:

Change the Globals #5 - Key Aftertouch to be a 0-100 or 0-127 value rather than a bit ON/OFF.   At 0 it would off, at 127 it would be full on, but allow the user to dial values in between -- to determine just how much total modulation should be applied when the aftertouch / channel pressure is fully applied.   

When doing sound design for vibrato type of effects, you rarely want that much pitch modulation...  if we have a way to set the max, the aftertouch on this instrument will be much more useful.  Same for Filter Cutoff modulation... much more useful if aftertouch max modulation value can be defined by user. 

[creativespiral]

Feature Request to Improve Keyboard Velocity Options:

Similar to the request above regarding Aftertouch, it would be nice if there was a way in MISC menu to set how much of the velocity (0-100%) is multiplexed with the Filter Cutoff and/or Amp Envelope.   (in the above request, I should have mentioned MISC menu, per patch, rather than global menu option. 

It's really nice to have the modern keybed with velocity and aftertouch!  great feeling board! -- might as well take advantage of modern firmware control options and give users the ability to dial in how much the velocity and aftertouch affects the output values... rather than having them set to all-or-none. 

I want to scale down aftertouch output for most vibrato applications.. and same with velocity to filter or amp.  Want there to be a baseline amount, and just have a moderate amount of dynamics with playing velocity.

[bradcrislermuscleshoals]

Great list, Jim.

On day 3 with this beast and starting to discover a few things that I hope might be addressed in a firmware update. Thought I'd start a thread here so people can add to it! My unit is on OS 1.0.0.2 as of these notes:

1. It would be great to have the screen show parameter/value changes when operating controls. It shows value changes in Page 2 mode, but it would be great in normal mode too.

2. It would be WONDERFUL to be able to cycle through all 6 filter models without having to enter Page 2, and display them on the OLED as you do that.  Instead of the filter LEDs just being dark for the Page 2 modes, maybe they could blink in different ways to indicate the SEM modes?

3. We need a linked mode to edit both layers simultaneously when in Double mode; as of now you can only edit one layer at a time.

4. Transpose should go more than 1 octave in each direction... at least two?

5. The Arpeggiator should show a BPM display when spinning the Rate knob

6. Is it possible to swap pitch & mod levers in software? 40 years of pitch bend on the left and mod on the right is really tough to unlearn ;-)

7. Pan Mode (Page 2) doesn’t transmit any MIDI CC when you change it - it only sends NRPN. This happens in both single and Double modes.

8. The sustain pedal doesn’t work when the arpeggiator is running. Maybe I'm missing something with how that works?

9. There’s a user on the big GS thread (Mr Analog) who made an excellent list of other ideas that could make the Page 2 parameters much faster/easier to access…

[JimDaneker]

10. Double mode presets are merely "pointers" to single patches, which you learn the hard way after crafting something you love in Double mode, saving it, and coming back to find your edits gone. This makes a real headache out of patch management - reminds me of the Roland JX-10 where you have to keep track of the single patches that make up your "Doubles."

I wish Double presets stored everything necessary to recall them - both layer's patch data along with the Double settings. As of now you have to essentially store 2 single patches with their edits AND the Double patch that points to them.

Hopefully this can be addressed!

[creativespiral]

10. Double mode presets are merely "pointers" to single patches, which you learn the hard way after crafting something you love in Double mode, saving it, and coming back to find your edits gone. This makes a real headache out of patch management - reminds me of the Roland JX-10 where you have to keep track of the single patches that make up your "Doubles."

I wish Double presets stored everything necessary to recall them - both layer's patch data along with the Double settings. As of now you have to essentially store 2 single patches with their edits AND the Double patch that points to them.

Hopefully this can be addressed!

+1  --  Saving the additional data on a per DOUBLE / per SPLIT basis would be excellent.   A modern improvement with no downsides.   Just add the ~1.2kb to the .syx data payload for those programs.   As-is, its a pain to keep track of changes to patches -- if you ever go to reorganize, it would be a nightmare to keep track of everything and remap all the doubles/splits.   Would be much better if once you save a double it won't be ruined if you go back to change a single that it includes. 

Also, often the patches need adjustments to sound good in context of a stack, but those same adjustments would ruin the sound of the single they are based on. 

[Quatschmacher]

10. Double mode presets are merely "pointers" to single patches, which you learn the hard way after crafting something you love in Double mode, saving it, and coming back to find your edits gone. This makes a real headache out of patch management - reminds me of the Roland JX-10 where you have to keep track of the single patches that make up your "Doubles."

I wish Double presets stored everything necessary to recall them - both layer's patch data along with the Double settings. As of now you have to essentially store 2 single patches with their edits AND the Double patch that points to them.

Hopefully this can be addressed!

+1  --  Saving the additional data on a per DOUBLE / per SPLIT basis would be excellent.   A modern improvement with no downsides.   Just add the ~1.2kb to the .syx data payload for those programs.   As-is, its a pain to keep track of changes to patches -- if you ever go to reorganize, it would be a nightmare to keep track of everything and remap all the doubles/splits.   Would be much better if once you save a double it won't be ruined if you go back to change a single that it includes. 

Also, often the patches need adjustments to sound good in context of a stack, but those same adjustments would ruin the sound of the single they are based on.

It’s a frustration of the P10 too.

The Summit does this quite well: a multi patch prompts you to pick two single patches to populate it, and the multi then becomes its own entity and any edits are saved separately and do not affect the patches from the “single” banks. (The only thing I haven’t worked out if is possible is to export one of the two pstchs in a multi to save as a single patch in the “single”bank.

[thaJeztah]

Ok here's a quick feature request:

I'd love a (page 2) option to control the number of voices assigned to each part in split mode.  Split mode is awesome, but sometimes 4 voices is not enough for chords, and too many for leads or bass.

If I were able to control this, I could (e.g) assign 6 + 2 or 5 + 3 voices (which would allow for most chords to be played, and still leaving 2 or 3 voices for a lead and unison to be used to make it a "fat lead")

For unison, I'd love to see something similar to the Jupiter 8's dynamic assignment (I think the Prophet 5 also has this?); playing a single key would give full 8 voices; playing a second node would give 2 x 4 voices unison, etc.

(would love to see that on the OB-6 as well!)

[Quatschmacher]

Ok here's a quick feature request:

I'd love a (page 2) option to control the number of voices assigned to each part in split mode.  Split mode is awesome, but sometimes 4 voices is not enough for chords, and too many for leads or bass.

If I were able to control this, I could (e.g) assign 6 + 2 or 5 + 3 voices (which would allow for most chords to be played, and still leaving 2 or 3 voices for a lead and unison to be used to make it a "fat lead")

For unison, I'd love to see something similar to the Jupiter 8's dynamic assignment (I think the Prophet 5 also has this?); playing a single key would give full 8 voices; playing a second node would give 2 x 4 voices unison, etc.

(would love to see that on the OB-6 as well!)

That would be lovely but I think it might be an inherent limitation of the arrangement of the voices being on two boards, each with four. Similar to the P10 having five on each board.

[thaJeztah]

That would be lovely but I think it might be an inherent limitation of the arrangement of the voices being on two boards, each with four. Similar to the P10 having five on each board.

Possibly, yes.

I was hoping that the design allows for each voice could be controlled individually (given that each voice also can be calibrated, vintage adjusting each voice individually, and panning is controllable per voice). Perhaps that's only calibration points, and not suitable for "switching patches", but we can hope 🤞🤞🤞

[LPF83]

For unison, I'd love to see something similar to the Jupiter 8's dynamic assignment (I think the Prophet 5 also has this?); playing a single key would give full 8 voices; playing a second node would give 2 x 4 voices unison, etc.

On the P5/10, it's not quite the same as dynamic unison like the JP8.  There is a poly unison mode which is a fixed two voices per key played, and then you can use the program number keys to increase the detune spread of the voices (in addition to the vintage knob and osc 2 tuning), so on a Prophet 10 it's an effective 5 notes polyphony when enabled so that would be only 4 on the OB-X8 if it adds PU2 mode.  It's very fat and powerful sounding, but I find only the first three settings of detune are musically useful so I wish the detune level was more granular and dropped off logarithmically.

[agavephoto]

I can think of some uses where having the sustain pedal (or any pedal) affect just the upper or lower patch when using double or split mode would be useful (but don't take away affecting both!).

+ infinity for an indication on the screen when the stored value is reached on the knobs like the OB-6.

Many other great suggestions so far from everyone.

[SnipeUout]

Would love to be able to hold the page 2 button and turn a knob or touch something like OSC 2 or Noise and for it to bring up the page 2 parameter.

[kyps]

Hi there
 For me cool features would be :

- when you make an init patch I will love to choose which synth i want (and not go to page 2 to select ob8 or obx envelop)
I mean, you will be able to choose ob8 and it will apply the envelop and the filter type
Or if you want obx mode,
Example : init patch ——> obx mode / ob8 mode (include filter and envelop type)

- pan spread with 0-100%

- choose to retrigger envelop or not in poly mode (like a digital synth…. I know it’s not obxishhh but it’s an obx8 2022)

- full volume press once // half volume oscillator by pressing two time the oscillator section

- random detuning oscillator only (not like the vintage knob because it affect filter and envelop too)

- it would be super cool to choose in the vintage mode different taste like :
Vintage mode page 2 —->
1) affect only oscillator
2) oscillator + filter
3) oscillator + filter + envelop
4) filter only
5) filter + envelop
6) envelop

- adjust the vintage mode like : soft / medium / hard

- no need to go to the page 2 for select all the filter but press only the button (someone already wrote it )

- more arpegiator mode (forward/reverse) etc

———————
Bugs section :

- I have some trouble with ob8 envelop
- when I change the mod one time the osc2 go up without any cause

[SProkai]

RFE - I would love a more ‘traditional’ arp latch mode.  Set it on and it’ll arpeggiate all notes held and remain playing when all keys are released.  Then press new notes and they make a new arpeggio (as opposed to adding the new notes to existing arpeggio).  Korg synths do this and it’s amazingly musical and playable.

RFE - when syncing to an external clock make the arp rate knob be a clock divider/multiplier.

Kudos - the hidden arp transpose options are super cool.  I don’t have anything like that on other synths and they open up a huge variety of arp musicality.  Well done!

[The Real MC]

RFE - I would love a more ‘traditional’ arp latch mode.  Set it on and it’ll arpeggiate all notes held and remain playing when all keys are released.  Then press new notes and they make a new arpeggio (as opposed to adding the new notes to existing arpeggio).

Already does this

[SProkai]

RFE - I would love a more ‘traditional’ arp latch mode.  Set it on and it’ll arpeggiate all notes held and remain playing when all keys are released.  Then press new notes and they make a new arpeggio (as opposed to adding the new notes to existing arpeggio).

Already does this

Hmmm…  I couldn’t figure it out. From what I can tell reading the guide and mucking around with it, you have to hold some keys down then hit the Master Hold button.  This will play those notes and allow you to play additional notes added to the arp (which is very cool).   Let me be more detailed in what I’d like it to do (and if it does this, I could use some help figuring out how):  enable arp and latch, hold down 8 notes on the keyboard and the arpeggio starts, remove hands from keyboard and the arp continues to play.  Then play another bunch of notes and release for a new arpeggio.  Make sense?  Cheers!

[sundi0]

My requests are for MIDI patch changes.
1/ have a page 2 function that allows you to send a different patch change number (on a different channel) from the main patch change sent. This way if you use the same effects on several different patches you could send a PC to your effects module per patch.

2/ When in Double or Split mode have a page 2 setting that allows you to pick a MIDI Chanel for each along with a patch change, octave transpose, and use/disable sustain pedal setting (make sure the key zone in the splits follows what is sent out over MIDI). This would allow you to layer the internal sounds with other hardware and call up those patches in a live situation.

[jlabbott777]

It is a small thing…but could we have an option to reverse the direction of the mod as you can the pitch bend

[Scott McAuley]

1. It would be good if additional banks were available for saving patches, as it stands its tricky for patch management if we are having to save over the remaining spaces over the 5 banks currently available. is it possible to add additional empty "User" slots seeing we just scroll using the Bank Knob and screen anyway?

2. also great if an insert character option was available when naming patches

3. more range on the transpose

4. Tempo info on screen for Arp.

5. When in DinSync mode would also be good if the arp tempo changed the time divisions from 1/1 through to 1/64 (T&D)

6. Different hold options in menu 2 to give us the old way and the more standard hold functions. with the hold button being so far away from key bed, at times I feel like I need 3 hands.

7. OSC1 and OSC2 Buttons, can these be set to act as "if held down, and Freq knob turned while holding" - Freq knob then acts as Osc1 or Osc2 Gain Knob depending on which one we hold?