Uli Behringer updates us on the UB-Xa Oberheim OB-Xa clone
Behringer UB-Xa latest render · Source: Behringer
Behringer UB-Xa render · Source: Behringer
Head of Behringer and dangerously addicted to sharing on forums Uli Behringer has unloaded a welcome update about the proposed Behringer UB-XA synthesizer. Developed as a re-imagining of the classic Oberheim OB-Xa this is one elusive synthesizer that everyone seems most excited about. Well, don’t hold your breath.
Behringer UB-Xa update
In a post on his favourite board at Gearslutz.com he tries to let us down gently but the reality is that all his synth engineers at Midas are busy making digital mixers that actually make Behringer money. Many of the synthesizer projects don’t really do that to the point where they are losing them money. That’s not a problem to Uli because they are “labour of love” projects and something they are passionate about – but they also have to keep the lights on. That’s fair enough.
Here’s what he said:
When I announced the project some time ago, I mentioned that it would take at least a year as it is a “labor of love” and our Midas engineers would do this as a side project since their main priorities are with digital mixing consoles.
Because of their high workload, the development of the UB-Xa had unfortunately stalled for quite some time.
Good news is that the team is working on it again and we have just finished all schematics and the mechanical design while the team is now focusing on the board layout and firmware. This is a major job and don’t expect anything soon, however we are confident that we will deliver this project as promised and hopefully at a price which will make everyone happy.
In order to maintain the integrity of the original sound design, we’ve been using 3340 and 3320 VCO’s and VCF’s but replaced the outdated digital section with very powerful ARM Processors.
This project is all about retaining the integrity of the original sound design while adding modern functionality such as Midi, USB, etc.
Thanks for your patience.
Uli
He then added:
Unfortunately we don’t have any time line or price indication at this stage; frankly the project is still far from completion.
As I stated multiple times, many of our synthesizers are not very profitable and at times even loss leaders. Synths are my absolute passion and since we’re a privately owned company, we’re able to pursue these “labor of love” projects. Luckily the team supports me in my mission as they are equally passionate synth nuts 🙂
As you can imagine, we need to ensure our R&D teams primarily focus on products that’ll keep the light on for Midas and our 100 engineers in Manchester. Their main focus is designing highly complex Midas Digital Mixing Consoles. The upside for you is that these are world-class engineers who help with these synth designs.
As you can easily see, we’re offering our synths at extremely low prices simply because we want to empower musicians to enjoy music without breaking the bank. This is something I am very passionate about.
Now, I wonder how the Relic-6 is coming along?
More information
- Uli’s post on Gearslutz.
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One response to “Uli Behringer updates us on the UB-Xa Oberheim OB-Xa clone”
UB-Xa Keyboard only as long as you remake the original style for the most part. If it’s the body type of the deepmind, I’m not sure it would do the original justice. It should be beefy and big. Full keyboard etc.
If not, then a desktop is a fair compromise and would lower cost.