First, a grainy cell phone video with an equally grainy microphone will still make your content better than 99.999% out there and I hope you figure out the issue (it was rats eating my cables without me knowing they took up residence that did it to me once). You continue to explain things in both an approachable and highly useful way Tim. To me, your explanations remind me of catching those key words I know would mean I would like a particular wine back in my restaurant management days. I know, based on your explanation, I will like this synth. You bring so much knowledge to all of us, and I am very happy to see you are doing some "work" for company's like Cherry Audio. Unassuming intelligence in a strange and disjointed world, you actually calm those of us watching your videos down as we think of our next purchase (I agree about your point of there being way too much more to care about than Behringer keeping an esthetic for this synth). Keep up the great work Tim and thanks for all you do for us amateurs!
Many thanks for this interesting initial video about the UB-Xa in the usual quality and wealth of detail in the presentation. I'm already looking forward to the following videos, especially when I think about the Atrophy settings. You are certainly the right person to shed some more light on this. Thank you also for highlighting the difference with the Poly-AT.
Always interesting seeing and hearing your new toys Tim. I know your review will be as stellar, in-depth, entertaining as the standards you've set and maintained over the years. Congrats, it sounds mega!!
Thank you for lovely introduction! Im really happy to see PolyAT working like this. Really perfect design choice. Also I think it is a good thing to not include performace controls and performace LFO into presets, but fully understand the point and it might be a good thing to allow that through FW update and leave that on users.
I'm looking at the Ub-Xa as a possible midi keyboard controller as well as its musical instrument function. Thanks for going over the keyboard functionality, its very helpful. At its price point it seems to be the best bang for buck solution.
Love the production credits! 😂❤ Also love the Interstellar quotes. Beautiful. I used to quip, back 30-some-odd years ago when this thing was first announced and teased to the public, that, “I can’t wait to _not_ buy this!” Although this offering doesn’t change my opinion of Behringer as a company, I definitely award them a lot of points here. They obviously really did do their homework on this one and appears not to be the slap-dash also-ran that the vast majority of their offerings are. I won’t be getting one, but I think anybody that does is probably getting a pretty good piece of kit.
While I did comment on how I liked the way Tim presented his opinion, I do not 100% agree with the gist of the statement, because: Behringer's attitude towards people and companies in the business actually IS a part of what's wrong with this world.
@@gregmakesmusic8805I think, Tim wanted to avoid the odd B-bashing in the comments and therefore tried to get that matter out of the way right from the start. I guess, therefore he also chose this rather forward approach. Fine by me.
The Behringer haters might as well hang it up. Sure...they have cheap toys foe under $100.00. But they seem to take great pride in their flagship products...something I noticed with my first B synth, the Neutron. Even my $400.00 Pro 800 is a well built and wonderful sounding synth. Be well, Tim!
Helpful comment, thank you. Would you recommend the pro-800 as a first analogue synth? I’ve got a nektar p6 midi controller but the pro800 looks like a nice affordable way into analogue world. Does the pro800 integrate well into daws? Sorry if I’ve used clumsy/inappropriate terms- I’m not too familiar with the technicalities although I’ve played guitar and keyboards for many years. (Currently using logic 🙂) thanks again.
“Heavily inspired by certain classic vintage synthesizers from the very early 1980s??” nearly fell off my chair lol…Love the humor you sneak into these videos Tim! Keep up the great work!
I've heard lots of good things about the UB-Xa and so glad to hear they've done good work with the poly aftertouch. Aftertouch is such a key thing in expressive playing. When I'm building a software synth in VCV Rack or PureData, I always put a slew limiter on aftertouch, as so many keyboards fail to make the aftertouch something you can bring in gradually. At least with a slew limiter, you can force slower onset and release.
Such an awesome synth :) I ordered one last Friday and hope to receive in about a month.. that's what Thomann is indicating anyway. Can't wait to give it a good spin.. it sounds delicious in this video anyway!
Like I need another synth! I'm into sound and control and this one has unique control and sounds great. Your in depth description on aftertouch was excellent, thanks for that.
+1 for saying Behringer right and not calling it "Berrindjer" like so many on UA-cam wrongly do x3 Really well done overall in a way to make it an equally first out of the Box impression of what to expect.
Except...if you watch Uli Behringer in any video, he pronounces his own name as "Behrin-jer". Seeing as that's how he pronounces both his own name AND the name of the company he named after himself, I'm going to say that the owner of Behringer knows better how to pronounce his name than you do. Do a UA-cam search for "ULI BEHRINGER - AGRADECIMENTOS" and you'll hear him pronounce it.
Yes, Uli does that intentionally to connect with English-speaking customers. Uli Behringer has German roots, and that's why the name is pronounced the way Tim does.
@@ScottsSynthStuff Yes, because he wants to communicate with an international audience. Still in German it is a soft ending and not pronounced with a J (as in the wine maker). I'm actually struggling myself with using either or, so depending on the context I sometimes pronounce it like Tim, sometimes as ringer (of Notre Dame 😉 )
I go the other way - it's makes me twitch hearing you say it that way in English! 🤣The other way is the "correct" way to pronounce it in English, the hard g is the correct way in German - Uli seems to agree. I'm kinda the same, when I'm in a foreign country I'm happy to have my name pronouced the French/German/US way - all of which are different - makes me feel like I'm fitting in!
Hi Tim great video. For tweaking the AfterTouch response, Vel/Aft menu and then "AT Curve" - just soft medium and hard. The performance LFO settings are manual and you are right to assume the same as in the original. The performance panel settings can be saved within split/double programs - if that's any help to you at all.
It's an excellent sounding synth, I am acquiring a ASN Explorer for the PAT keybed for the teased and hopefully released UBXa module. Great vid once again Tim as usual!
Thanks Tim, very good overview of details which - to my knowledge - were not covered by others. If your studio is too crowded and that is the reason for the current disfunctionality, then please feel free to send over the excess gear, so that you can tidy up. All in your best interest, of course 😉
Tim, I'm so happy to be able to live vicariously through you, Oh man of means. I get the impression that you work very hard to earn your money. Anyway, YOU HAVE to buy the BEHRINGER MS-5 and do a review. LESS expensive than the UB, by far. Back when I had every HARDWARD synth except the CS-80 and the JUP 8, I used to SALIVATE over the SH-5 and SH-7; I never found one....and then I sold them all. I still miss my Andromeda. Mark
Nice overview. Totally agree the display placement, should have been centered. And overall the knobs are good feel, but the data select encoder is a but more wobbly than I'd like when pressed. I have issues that it sometimes will shift 1 value when clicked less than purely vertical. BTW- The aftertouch configuration is under accessed via the VEL/AFT button (Shift 2 in the "Available Preset Recall" section on the far right and you can select Hard, Medium or Soft for the AT curve, as well as the slew rate with the "AfterTouch Fltr" setting. Not the full configuration as the Hydra, but you have some choices for one's AT style.
There are barely reviews online, it’s even courageous to do one with all the hate going on. I think it’s a work of love with lots of input from the community. Thank you for your initial thoughts. If it sounds anything like an ob-xa I’ll take this one, can’t afford a 5k synth and life is too short to save up for one. I mean we even have MPE.
I noticed on their upcoming "JT-16" (Jupiter8 clone using the ubxa form factor) ...the display screen is at the center octave, just a pinch to the right of the center of the entire instrument. I own a Hydra49key, and space is scarse, so I had planned on getting the Desktop UBXa... but I might be tempted to get the keyboard version of the JT-16 one day.
Received mine today. I owned a four voice OB-X for about ten years, and missed the immediacy of programming it as well as the great sound. Based on a few hours getting to know it, the Behringer has everything I liked about the OB-X but with the extra features of the later OB-Xa and OB-8. The "atrophy" feature gets it into the "wobbly" territory of the OB-X which was constantly drifting because it used almost entirely discrete components unlike its mostly IC based successors. But with the Behringer, I'm hoping it doesn't just break down all the time like my Oberheim did.
Dear Mr. Shoebridge- thanks for this (and your many other) detailed video(s). I enjoy watching your channel for the calm, measured quality you bring to your in-depth analyses and reviews, which are mercifully devoid of the “hyper” or overly flamboyant style of some other reviewers. I am a semi-pro/ semi-amateur (😂) guitar player (I.e. I perform guitar parts in a Pink Floyd tribute band) who has an old Alesis 88 key Quadrasynth; it’s a monster from the 90s, and is great, but I am looking to get either the Hydrasynth Deluxe or the UB-Xa for 21st century conveniences, even though I realize that’s a bit of a contradiction in terms for the “U-Behr-heim”. I am aware of the differences between the two, and more importantly, the important similarities (polyphonic aftertouch). I noticed that you have done reviews on both these synths. Do you have a preference for one over the other e.g. feel, quality of factory presets/ patches, or ease of ability to create “realistic sounding” instruments like pianos and organs from these synths? Any notable/ glaring shortcomings that might make you choose one over the other? I realize this question might be akin to choosing a favorite child, but the reason I ask is because, like you, I do not perform keyboards live, and am primarily looking for a SINGLE “master synth” with great patches, that I could also use as a controller for other modular devices in my studio. I live in the USA, and so am uncertain of ASM vs. Behringer’s after-sale service (if ever needed) and whether that influences your decision in any way. Sorry for the long question/ comment, and thanks in advance. Cheers
Hey. Great to hear you enjoy the channel. The hydrasynth is definitely going to give you the widest range of sounds, you can coax some very nice organ sounds, electric pianos and even choir sounds out of it. The synth engine is very flexible allowing you to build your own wavetables from the factory waveforms provided. Working with digital synths is not for everyone, and I guess the question for you is how important is that warm, analogue, imprecise quality? Because it is that quality that you get from an analogue polysynth like the UBXA. If I was pushed, I think I would go with the hydrasynth for its flexibility, but I do think that pairing it with an all analogue polysynth is an amazing combination.
Hey Tim - thanks tor the review. I love your channel and I love how you see the world. I will offer some gentle push back. It’s not that a small group of people are angry that this looks and sounds like an Oberheim. It’s more that Uli’s moral character issues are becoming inseparable from the products he continues to release and few channel owners are speaking up about this. That’s where some of the anger stems from. In the end, as you already know, we are supporting individuals with our dollars. And for those who know Tom and Marcus, and more importantly their character, they are among the best in the business when it comes to integrity and truthfulness. That’s all. I know it’s just an instrument and I know your channel isn’t about character and people’s personal lives. Keep doing the fantastic work you’re doing. The world needs you.
What are these “moral character issues” you speak of? That he’s releasing products that look and sound like other, unaffordable by most, synths? Or is he a closeted Neo-Nazi womanizer?
What exactly has Uli done that is if such low moral character that you write a 150 word paragraph dedicated to it? Could you please also explain who Tom and Marcus is and how they’re involved. The reason I’m asking is because I ignore a lot of the drama (because it feels more like outrage for content creation) but I still see a lot of negative comments regarding Behringer but I never seem to get a comprehensive explanation as to why or it’s something about what seems to be feigned antisemitism. I’m glad you care about ethics (the world could need a lot of it right about now) but I suspect that you (like most people) are not being consistent in your application of those ethics. Cheers!
Stop buying Apple (sweat shops with anti jump barricades surrounding plants) Stop buying Amazon (Bezos billionaire + terrible work conditions) Don’t drive electric (the lithium mining conditions utilize children and are horrific) The list would go on forever, but for some reason virtue signalers only look at narrow minded singular issues and dig in their heels. Makes em feel morally superior.
Thank you for the video! The pressure on polyphonic aftertouch was quite interesting and also the part about the non-saveable performance section! I totally agree about the screen, they placed it on an awkward place. I would have preferred if it would be bigger and in a blue colour. Looking forward to the next video!
If you had to choose between the Moog One and the Waldorf MK2 what would be your pick. I plan on getting a MPC X SE to connect the keyboard to then then do all my editing in Fruity Loops. The Waldorf for me reminds me of a vst called ElectraX2. I understand the mapping and how get the sound I want. My only concern is that this is one of the best sounding keyboards on the market with rich mind blowing sound I can use to increase my style of production. I usually have 3 synths going at the same time per lead synth with delay reverb and 2 filters in automation. Same usually for the pads and plucks as well. Would the MK2 make the most sense to get or are their other keyboard you would recommend? I am looking for something with alot of warmth to it and clarity that I can cut away at to make a perfect track rather than always adding more to make a VST synth sound bigger. Thank you for your time!!
Hehe, congrats... I have mine since end second week Dezember, I was under the first get the delivery from Thomann... Was my Christmas Gift to myself, right time for the Fiesta... Very happy with it, cant get my fingers off it.
Wonderful timing; as recent days have narrowed choice down to UB-Xa. Will companion Deepmind 12 _ bringing OB-X8 tones aboard. THX Tim Shoebridge, looking forward to your follow-on impressions. 🙏🏻
The info about the aftertouch is very interesting. I keep thinking about eventually getting a Hydrasynth Explorer because I prefer minikeys and that seems to be the only option of poly aftertouch with minikeys. (Well...maybe the Lumi? But I haven't heard anything good about it.) But I think I'd prefer Behringer's implementation of aftertouch. Here's hoping they'll put out a poly aftertouch keybed with minikeys before the Hydrasynth makes it to the top of my purchase list.
Every time I watch another video of the UB-Xa, I get the uncontrollable urge to shell out cash. I have yearned for this sound ever since Thompson Twins in the early 80s, but space, people, space! Nice video though, and just another reason to want it. Trying my best to hold back the GAS.
Really nice to have time to watch your videos! Just a quick question: what type of lamp/light do you have on the lower side of the synth that´s above the UB-Xa?
Thanks for a great pre review review. I got mine yesterday and I'm also enjoying the fantastic sound and the wonderfully simple and direct UI. What reverb did you use in this demo? Sounds great.
I wish they would give you the option to open up the upper frequencies on the open filter more like ob-8x have more presence and sound less muddy in general.
I think if they didn't want to centre the display, it should've been OLED. Still a two line text display, but OLED. Then viewing angles aren't an issue. I wonder if it's possible to retrofit. I've put a two line OLED in my old Casio CZ-1, big improvement. A two line LCD like that really needs to be front and centre.
Regarding bringing musicians into developing phase… Thought Uli is a musician, have he ever touched the stuff he’s selling or is he only playing the originals in his museum?
At this price point with polyphonic after touch no one can really complain about a great new synth. I own the OB6 and the OBX8 and for those reasons don’t need another synth but the UBXA is fabulous at its price-point. I bought a Behringer 2600 because they did a great job and the Kong model 2600M misses out the features the keyboard added in their FS 2600 which is the ONLY reason I did not buy Kong - so by omitting features Behringer added, I bought the Behringer - nothing at all to do with price (as the OBX8 and OB6 ownership should indicate). My message to Behringer is to keep challenging the synths for price point. I own a CS80 but I am actually interested in a poly-aftertouch CS80 clone. The Super Gemini is an advancement of the CS80 and it’s an incredible synth beyond the CS80 but it is not a clone but rather a new and more powerful synth but when looking at “clones” in the true sense of the term, the UBXA clone of the Oberheim on the value and sound quality for the price and features, with respect to an original OBX or vintage models, is just unbeatable.
Hi Tim ! Thank you very much for your Film . I just bought UBXa and I'm testing the sounds. I have one Question, how can I Change the Banks Pages A B C D ? 😊
Behringer do a lot of cool things now! I wish they could add more flexibility to Pro-800 too. Modulation amount (from PolyMod) is very modest in the latest firmware. This makes some of my "very wanted effects" impossible to create. I could workaround this with LFO but it's only one for all 8 voices unfortunatelly. I've seen a website where several hardware mods for Pro-800 are described. And there is even a mod for doing this :)
I have a question about Analogue synths. It might be a stupid question so please, bare with me. Whenever I go through demonstrations of analogue synths from the price ranges of 500 to 5000, I tend to hear the same kind of sounds over and over and over again. So, if I want to get creative with sound, really shape some deep and wide and(especially) unique scapes, is there really one synth that can satisfy me? Do I have to go eurorack? Or should I just go digital, splurge there and get a great analogue filtersection seperatly? To warm it up again...I just don't know. I really want to explore but can not be bothered with detuning saw waves to get that little something extra out of the usual suspects of sounds. Do I have to wait for a spectral synth? Was there ever such a thing? Maybe I am just being wholy unrealistic anyways. Maybe I should go to bed.
So picking up on your "deep, wide and unique soundscapes" comment, yes actually digital technology can give you that wide range of sound generation capabilities, it allows you to explore and combine virtual analogue, additive, granular, FM, sample manipulation, physical modelling and more, all combined with comprehensive digital effects. You mention eurorack and of course that is an option to get as creative and unique as you want: the most powerful and creative modules available today are incidentally all built on digital technology. Or.... you can apply a layering / multitrack technique to build up complex soundscapes using whatever digital or analogue gear you already own combined with anything from a DAW or multitrack digital recorder or looper to a good old fashioned reel to reel. Some of the greatest soundtracks ever conceived used a fairly basic analogue synth, sequencers, some outboard effects and a multitrack recorder of some kind. Searching for that one single instrument to answer your prayers takes a lot of trial and error and may never be successful, an alternative might be to experiment with less capable instruments and play with the recording process itself......
@@TimShoebridge, thank you for the response. the "egg laying, wool/milk pig" thing is, likely, something a lot of beginners(lik me) are interested in. Hmmm....so a lot of it is in the fx. Right? That seems pretty logical. Wouldn't it be cool if there was something that plays like a keyboard synth but is just a fy monster? Like the prophet x only.....BIGGLIER! Pure Sound manipulation with weighted keys.
@@TimShoebridgeI'm hard to know if it's Iron or Aluminium. On my deepmind it's Iron, and for me sad because I have a old Dx 7, and just a lack of paint and with time all the button panel gone rusted. On the Deepmind, rack holes have no paint, so sometimes I would prefer plastic front panel, or why not, Wood. My Jupiter 50 is aluminium, so hope the next Behringer keyboard will jump the step over, that can be wood and just plate front for buttons. Also vertical racks are coming to a new birth, that yould be good for seeing the display, this lets me thinking about separate Keybeds, double keybeds, and a vertical wood rack that could support three expanders, one meter long, that would not need to change the internal architecture, can imagine in my dreams, UB Xa, and Behringer Jupiter 16 expanders , over a double poly aftertouch full 88 keybed. And place for integrated analog effects modules! So the question about plastic, Aluminium, metal should be part of future Behringer, and others like Korg, dilemnas 😊.
I didn’t know the atrophy settings were fully customizable. Distinct atrophy presets are enough to make this “vintage” feature better than the dry/wet knob we see on other synths, but full customization takes things to a new level. It’d be even better to have panel control over those settings-but I know that’s impractical!
I can’t really vibe with the lack of 8x8 patch selector. I want to be flying around on that sort of thing… Because that’s the best way to get live sounds
Seriously impressive keyboard for the price. Sounds and looks stunning. My only problem is that i'd rather have the UBX than the UBXa - and then the JT16 is the one i'm really interested in, and unfortunately i can't have them all..... I wonder how long we'll have to wait for the JT16?
Thank you Tim, great video as always! why do I think about Tangerine Dream while listening to these arpeggios? I mean general feeling not chords of course
Nice video - honest opinion - thought I was already subscribed - wasn't so now am. Agree with comment on using musicians - and with the "don't get angry" point - Oberheim/Sequential could have redone this - but decided to go for the bigger and much more expensive OB-X8. If you like the sound then this is a great buy. And for just under a grand you get poly aftertouch - so bit of a bargain.
the essential question is about the sounding of this machine (not on youtube, so the feeling, your feeling, in a studio or headphone) compared to Oberheim.
Thank you very much for playing my Pink Floyd preset. Great video, as always!
The Atrophy parameters are a genius touch! Well done Behringer🫡
Sounds great.👍
I love Tim's videos. Insightful, informative, and most of all, entertaining.
I'm assuming you've simply forgotten "musical".
Just got mine this week. I really don't care if it sounds identical to the Oby, this synth is absolutely beautiful in its own right. I love it.
Had mine since 1/10…such a beautiful unit. Behringer really did a great job with this unit. At $1200 there’s 0 complaints. Best synth for the price.
1200? Wow
Im so happy to read such a comment. So awesome it’s a great sounding synth with no complaints! And yes $1200 is a steal for such a synth reissue!
even the keybed?
@@fortheloveofnoise honestly I’m not a keybed snob. It’s just fine not having any issues at all.
I'd rather get a teo5
Love how you Zimmered it nicely, love the sounds and barbebone as it is the video is classy
First, a grainy cell phone video with an equally grainy microphone will still make your content better than 99.999% out there and I hope you figure out the issue (it was rats eating my cables without me knowing they took up residence that did it to me once). You continue to explain things in both an approachable and highly useful way Tim. To me, your explanations remind me of catching those key words I know would mean I would like a particular wine back in my restaurant management days. I know, based on your explanation, I will like this synth. You bring so much knowledge to all of us, and I am very happy to see you are doing some "work" for company's like Cherry Audio. Unassuming intelligence in a strange and disjointed world, you actually calm those of us watching your videos down as we think of our next purchase (I agree about your point of there being way too much more to care about than Behringer keeping an esthetic for this synth). Keep up the great work Tim and thanks for all you do for us amateurs!
Not only do i love your reviews Tim but you're playing is also great.
Many thanks for this interesting initial video about the UB-Xa in the usual quality and wealth of detail in the presentation. I'm already looking forward to the following videos, especially when I think about the Atrophy settings. You are certainly the right person to shed some more light on this. Thank you also for highlighting the difference with the Poly-AT.
Always interesting seeing and hearing your new toys Tim.
I know your review will be as stellar, in-depth, entertaining as the standards you've set and maintained over the years. Congrats, it sounds mega!!
Well produced and this seems to be better than what most were expecting ,
Thank you for this - very helpful & informative. Also I loved the snippets you played - very atmospheric and melancholy.
Thank you for lovely introduction!
Im really happy to see PolyAT working like this. Really perfect design choice. Also I think it is a good thing to not include performace controls and performace LFO into presets, but fully understand the point and it might be a good thing to allow that through FW update and leave that on users.
Liked this. Thank you. I was hoping for more info on the poly aftertouch and how it compares to other implementations, and you didn't disappoint.
Great Overview Tim , UB-Xa sounds great! Loving the Atrophy parameter options! Game changer!
I'm looking at the Ub-Xa as a possible midi keyboard controller as well as its musical instrument function. Thanks for going over the keyboard functionality, its very helpful. At its price point it seems to be the best bang for buck solution.
This is by far the best demo of it I’ve seen. Your choice of voicing makes it sound beautiful.
Thanks Tim. Very informative video. Your insight is always very much appreciated . Definitely interested in this.
Have been patiently waiting on our man in London's word on this one and am happy to see it passed muster.
Love the production credits! 😂❤
Also love the Interstellar quotes. Beautiful.
I used to quip, back 30-some-odd years ago when this thing was first announced and teased to the public, that, “I can’t wait to _not_ buy this!” Although this offering doesn’t change my opinion of Behringer as a company, I definitely award them a lot of points here. They obviously really did do their homework on this one and appears not to be the slap-dash also-ran that the vast majority of their offerings are.
I won’t be getting one, but I think anybody that does is probably getting a pretty good piece of kit.
Just when I had myself convinced I dont need this, you made me need this. You got lovely sounds out of it.
You make a good point about all the issues in the world and choosing to be very angry about a synth.
While I did comment on how I liked the way Tim presented his opinion, I do not 100% agree with the gist of the statement, because:
Behringer's attitude towards people and companies in the business actually IS a part of what's wrong with this world.
@@martattacks Same here! He surely meant nothing bad with it but I also thought it was a little bold to say so.
@@gregmakesmusic8805I think, Tim wanted to avoid the odd B-bashing in the comments and therefore tried to get that matter out of the way right from the start. I guess, therefore he also chose this rather forward approach. Fine by me.
Well, he's just addressing the often petty concerns of social media idiots that frequent comment sections user groups...
I love my UB-Xa so much
I see those machines - I feel happy. Arpeggiated lines like in the end just make me happy, as simple as they may be.
Brilliant précis as ever, Tim. This one is certainly on my later-base😊 thanks for your efforts👏🏻
The Behringer haters might as well hang it up. Sure...they have cheap toys foe under $100.00. But they seem to take great pride in their flagship products...something I noticed with my first B synth, the Neutron. Even my $400.00 Pro 800 is a well built and wonderful sounding synth.
Be well, Tim!
Helpful comment, thank you. Would you recommend the pro-800 as a first analogue synth?
I’ve got a nektar p6 midi controller but the pro800 looks like a nice affordable way into analogue world.
Does the pro800 integrate well into daws?
Sorry if I’ve used clumsy/inappropriate terms- I’m not too familiar with the technicalities although I’ve played guitar and keyboards for many years. (Currently using logic 🙂) thanks again.
@@mhoppy6639 I think it would make a great first synth!
“Heavily inspired by certain classic vintage synthesizers from the very early 1980s??” nearly fell off my chair lol…Love the humor you sneak into these videos Tim! Keep up the great work!
I've heard lots of good things about the UB-Xa and so glad to hear they've done good work with the poly aftertouch. Aftertouch is such a key thing in expressive playing. When I'm building a software synth in VCV Rack or PureData, I always put a slew limiter on aftertouch, as so many keyboards fail to make the aftertouch something you can bring in gradually. At least with a slew limiter, you can force slower onset and release.
The zoom sounded fine. Thanks Tim, your videos are always a treat.
Thx 🙏 for review and first impression of a synth which I will love to buy.. one day ❤
Top notch as always! Thank you so very much for sharing!
Dearest Tim, it was an absolutely lovely video!
I can not agree more with you about something that people can be concerned about! Any way thank for this information video!😊
Such an awesome synth :) I ordered one last Friday and hope to receive in about a month.. that's what Thomann is indicating anyway. Can't wait to give it a good spin.. it sounds delicious in this video anyway!
As always a great video Tim👍
Great video !! Thanks for making this one mines coming in today can’t wait.
What an extraordinary piece of hardware. Looking forward to own one this year. Tank you very much Tim.
I really enjoyed this video. Thanks for the overview!😊
Wow, I'm impressed to see you reviewing Behringer. Turn the other cheek I guess, you have taken the high road. I guess I should too!
Like I need another synth! I'm into sound and control and this one has unique control and sounds great. Your in depth description on aftertouch was excellent, thanks for that.
+1 for saying Behringer right and not calling it "Berrindjer" like so many on UA-cam wrongly do x3 Really well done overall in a way to make it an equally first out of the Box impression of what to expect.
I can only agree since I have the same last name 😊 A great first review by Tim, everything summed up perfectly.
Except...if you watch Uli Behringer in any video, he pronounces his own name as "Behrin-jer". Seeing as that's how he pronounces both his own name AND the name of the company he named after himself, I'm going to say that the owner of Behringer knows better how to pronounce his name than you do. Do a UA-cam search for "ULI BEHRINGER - AGRADECIMENTOS" and you'll hear him pronounce it.
Yes, Uli does that intentionally to connect with English-speaking customers. Uli Behringer has German roots, and that's why the name is pronounced the way Tim does.
@@ScottsSynthStuff Yes, because he wants to communicate with an international audience. Still in German it is a soft ending and not pronounced with a J (as in the wine maker). I'm actually struggling myself with using either or, so depending on the context I sometimes pronounce it like Tim, sometimes as ringer (of Notre Dame 😉 )
I go the other way - it's makes me twitch hearing you say it that way in English! 🤣The other way is the "correct" way to pronounce it in English, the hard g is the correct way in German - Uli seems to agree. I'm kinda the same, when I'm in a foreign country I'm happy to have my name pronouced the French/German/US way - all of which are different - makes me feel like I'm fitting in!
Hi Tim great video.
For tweaking the AfterTouch response, Vel/Aft menu and then "AT Curve" - just soft medium and hard.
The performance LFO settings are manual and you are right to assume the same as in the original. The performance panel settings can be saved within split/double programs - if that's any help to you at all.
Thanks Tim, great presentation
Subscribed! An honest review without the nonsense.
It's an excellent sounding synth, I am acquiring a ASN Explorer for the PAT keybed for the teased and hopefully released UBXa module.
Great vid once again Tim as usual!
Thanks Tim, very good overview of details which - to my knowledge - were not covered by others.
If your studio is too crowded and that is the reason for the current disfunctionality, then please feel free to send over the excess gear, so that you can tidy up. All in your best interest, of course 😉
Tim, I'm so happy to be able to live vicariously through you, Oh man of means. I get the impression that you work very hard to earn your money. Anyway, YOU HAVE to buy the BEHRINGER MS-5 and do a review. LESS expensive than the UB, by far. Back when I had every HARDWARD synth except the CS-80 and the JUP 8, I used to SALIVATE over the SH-5 and SH-7; I never found one....and then I sold them all. I still miss my Andromeda. Mark
Great video, excited for the desktop. Heard rumors it will have an OLED screen.
Nice overview. Totally agree the display placement, should have been centered. And overall the knobs are good feel, but the data select encoder is a but more wobbly than I'd like when pressed. I have issues that it sometimes will shift 1 value when clicked less than purely vertical. BTW- The aftertouch configuration is under accessed via the VEL/AFT button (Shift 2 in the "Available Preset Recall" section on the far right and you can select Hard, Medium or Soft for the AT curve, as well as the slew rate with the "AfterTouch Fltr" setting. Not the full configuration as the Hydra, but you have some choices for one's AT style.
Great video. Some beautiful sounds and great insights, brevity be damned. Looking forward to a more expansive tour of this synth.
Im not sure its the left/right location of the screen as much as the fact its flat and slightly recessed tgat is more problematic?
Added it to my wish list thanks to this.
Been hoping for an looking forward to videos on this one. 🎉
There are barely reviews online, it’s even courageous to do one with all the hate going on. I think it’s a work of love with lots of input from the community. Thank you for your initial thoughts. If it sounds anything like an ob-xa I’ll take this one, can’t afford a 5k synth and life is too short to save up for one. I mean we even have MPE.
I noticed on their upcoming "JT-16" (Jupiter8 clone using the ubxa form factor) ...the display screen is at the center octave, just a pinch to the right of the center of the entire instrument. I own a Hydra49key, and space is scarse, so I had planned on getting the Desktop UBXa... but I might be tempted to get the keyboard version of the JT-16 one day.
Received mine today. I owned a four voice OB-X for about ten years, and missed the immediacy of programming it as well as the great sound. Based on a few hours getting to know it, the Behringer has everything I liked about the OB-X but with the extra features of the later OB-Xa and OB-8. The "atrophy" feature gets it into the "wobbly" territory of the OB-X which was constantly drifting because it used almost entirely discrete components unlike its mostly IC based successors. But with the Behringer, I'm hoping it doesn't just break down all the time like my Oberheim did.
Dear Mr. Shoebridge- thanks for this (and your many other) detailed video(s). I enjoy watching your channel for the calm, measured quality you bring to your in-depth analyses and reviews, which are mercifully devoid of the “hyper” or overly flamboyant style of some other reviewers. I am a semi-pro/ semi-amateur (😂) guitar player (I.e. I perform guitar parts in a Pink Floyd tribute band) who has an old Alesis 88 key Quadrasynth; it’s a monster from the 90s, and is great, but I am looking to get either the Hydrasynth Deluxe or the UB-Xa for 21st century conveniences, even though I realize that’s a bit of a contradiction in terms for the “U-Behr-heim”. I am aware of the differences between the two, and more importantly, the important similarities (polyphonic aftertouch). I noticed that you have done reviews on both these synths. Do you have a preference for one over the other e.g. feel, quality of factory presets/ patches, or ease of ability to create “realistic sounding” instruments like pianos and organs from these synths? Any notable/ glaring shortcomings that might make you choose one over the other? I realize this question might be akin to choosing a favorite child, but the reason I ask is because, like you, I do not perform keyboards live, and am primarily looking for a SINGLE “master synth” with great patches, that I could also use as a controller for other modular devices in my studio. I live in the USA, and so am uncertain of ASM vs. Behringer’s after-sale service (if ever needed) and whether that influences your decision in any way. Sorry for the long question/ comment, and thanks in advance. Cheers
Hey. Great to hear you enjoy the channel. The hydrasynth is definitely going to give you the widest range of sounds, you can coax some very nice organ sounds, electric pianos and even choir sounds out of it. The synth engine is very flexible allowing you to build your own wavetables from the factory waveforms provided. Working with digital synths is not for everyone, and I guess the question for you is how important is that warm, analogue, imprecise quality? Because it is that quality that you get from an analogue polysynth like the UBXA. If I was pushed, I think I would go with the hydrasynth for its flexibility, but I do think that pairing it with an all analogue polysynth is an amazing combination.
Can’t wait for more future videos on this, outstanding as ever Tim 🫡
4:18 - actually you were correct the first time, it's an LCD. :) Although it's backlit with LEDs, so there is that.
Was waiting for this 😊 Thanks
Hey Tim - thanks tor the review. I love your channel and I love how you see the world. I will offer some gentle push back. It’s not that a small group of people are angry that this looks and sounds like an Oberheim. It’s more that Uli’s moral character issues are becoming inseparable from the products he continues to release and few channel owners are speaking up about this. That’s where some of the anger stems from. In the end, as you already know, we are supporting individuals with our dollars. And for those who know Tom and Marcus, and more importantly their character, they are among the best in the business when it comes to integrity and truthfulness. That’s all. I know it’s just an instrument and I know your channel isn’t about character and people’s personal lives. Keep doing the fantastic work you’re doing. The world needs you.
What are these “moral character issues” you speak of? That he’s releasing products that look and sound like other, unaffordable by most, synths? Or is he a closeted Neo-Nazi womanizer?
Then don’t purchase one. Problem solved.
What exactly has Uli done that is if such low moral character that you write a 150 word paragraph dedicated to it? Could you please also explain who Tom and Marcus is and how they’re involved. The reason I’m asking is because I ignore a lot of the drama (because it feels more like outrage for content creation) but I still see a lot of negative comments regarding Behringer but I never seem to get a comprehensive explanation as to why or it’s something about what seems to be feigned antisemitism. I’m glad you care about ethics (the world could need a lot of it right about now) but I suspect that you (like most people) are not being consistent in your application of those ethics. Cheers!
Stop buying Apple (sweat shops with anti jump barricades surrounding plants)
Stop buying Amazon (Bezos billionaire + terrible work conditions)
Don’t drive electric (the lithium mining conditions utilize children and are horrific)
The list would go on forever, but for some reason virtue signalers only look at narrow minded singular issues and dig in their heels. Makes em feel morally superior.
This is rediculus, people complain about moral uli this and that, but use their iphones and clothes that are made by child labor...😂
Thank you for the video! The pressure on polyphonic aftertouch was quite interesting and also the part about the non-saveable performance section! I totally agree about the screen, they placed it on an awkward place. I would have preferred if it would be bigger and in a blue colour. Looking forward to the next video!
If you had to choose between the Moog One and the Waldorf MK2 what would be your pick. I plan on getting a MPC X SE to connect the keyboard to then then do all my editing in Fruity Loops. The Waldorf for me reminds me of a vst called ElectraX2. I understand the mapping and how get the sound I want. My only concern is that this is one of the best sounding keyboards on the market with rich mind blowing sound I can use to increase my style of production. I usually have 3 synths going at the same time per lead synth with delay reverb and 2 filters in automation. Same usually for the pads and plucks as well. Would the MK2 make the most sense to get or are their other keyboard you would recommend? I am looking for something with alot of warmth to it and clarity that I can cut away at to make a perfect track rather than always adding more to make a VST synth sound bigger. Thank you for your time!!
Thanks for the review!
Great demo and impressions Tim!
Hehe, congrats... I have mine since end second week Dezember, I was under the first get the delivery from Thomann... Was my Christmas Gift to myself, right time for the Fiesta...
Very happy with it, cant get my fingers off it.
Sounds huge! thanks for the video 🤘
Wonderful timing; as recent days have narrowed choice down to UB-Xa. Will companion Deepmind 12 _ bringing OB-X8 tones aboard. THX Tim Shoebridge, looking forward to your follow-on impressions. 🙏🏻
The info about the aftertouch is very interesting. I keep thinking about eventually getting a Hydrasynth Explorer because I prefer minikeys and that seems to be the only option of poly aftertouch with minikeys. (Well...maybe the Lumi? But I haven't heard anything good about it.) But I think I'd prefer Behringer's implementation of aftertouch. Here's hoping they'll put out a poly aftertouch keybed with minikeys before the Hydrasynth makes it to the top of my purchase list.
3:40, sooooooo true, spot on.
sounds gorgeous Tim, great price too, thanks !
Every time I watch another video of the UB-Xa, I get the uncontrollable urge to shell out cash. I have yearned for this sound ever since Thompson Twins in the early 80s, but space, people, space! Nice video though, and just another reason to want it. Trying my best to hold back the GAS.
Really nice to have time to watch your videos!
Just a quick question: what type of lamp/light do you have on the lower side of the synth that´s above the UB-Xa?
Thanks for a great pre review review. I got mine yesterday and I'm also enjoying the fantastic sound and the wonderfully simple and direct UI.
What reverb did you use in this demo? Sounds great.
I wish they would give you the option to open up the upper frequencies on the open filter more like ob-8x have more presence and sound less muddy in general.
One Atrophy Profile choice should be “BROKEN”. This would emulate several of my vintage synths!
Its beautiful
I think if they didn't want to centre the display, it should've been OLED. Still a two line text display, but OLED. Then viewing angles aren't an issue. I wonder if it's possible to retrofit. I've put a two line OLED in my old Casio CZ-1, big improvement. A two line LCD like that really needs to be front and centre.
Regarding bringing musicians into developing phase… Thought Uli is a musician, have he ever touched the stuff he’s selling or is he only playing the originals in his museum?
At this price point with polyphonic after touch no one can really complain about a great new synth. I own the OB6 and the OBX8 and for those reasons don’t need another synth but the UBXA is fabulous at its price-point. I bought a Behringer 2600 because they did a great job and the Kong model 2600M misses out the features the keyboard added in their FS 2600 which is the ONLY reason I did not buy Kong - so by omitting features Behringer added, I bought the Behringer - nothing at all to do with price (as the OBX8 and OB6 ownership should indicate). My message to Behringer is to keep challenging the synths for price point. I own a CS80 but I am actually interested in a poly-aftertouch CS80 clone. The Super Gemini is an advancement of the CS80 and it’s an incredible synth beyond the CS80 but it is not a clone but rather a new and more powerful synth but when looking at “clones” in the true sense of the term, the UBXA clone of the Oberheim on the value and sound quality for the price and features, with respect to an original OBX or vintage models, is just unbeatable.
Hi Tim ! Thank you very much for your Film . I just bought UBXa and I'm testing the sounds. I have one Question, how can I Change the Banks Pages A B C D ? 😊
@@DanielDapin hold shift then press the preset +/- buttons 👍
@@TimShoebridge Thank you very much 🙏
That intro…❤
Behringer do a lot of cool things now!
I wish they could add more flexibility to Pro-800 too. Modulation amount (from PolyMod) is very modest in the latest firmware. This makes some of my "very wanted effects" impossible to create. I could workaround this with LFO but it's only one for all 8 voices unfortunatelly.
I've seen a website where several hardware mods for Pro-800 are described. And there is even a mod for doing this :)
I have a question about Analogue synths. It might be a stupid question so please, bare with me. Whenever I go through demonstrations of analogue synths from the price ranges of 500 to 5000, I tend to hear the same kind of sounds over and over and over again. So, if I want to get creative with sound, really shape some deep and wide and(especially) unique scapes, is there really one synth that can satisfy me? Do I have to go eurorack? Or should I just go digital, splurge there and get a great analogue filtersection seperatly? To warm it up again...I just don't know.
I really want to explore but can not be bothered with detuning saw waves to get that little something extra out of the usual suspects of sounds. Do I have to wait for a spectral synth? Was there ever such a thing? Maybe I am just being wholy unrealistic anyways. Maybe I should go to bed.
So picking up on your "deep, wide and unique soundscapes" comment, yes actually digital technology can give you that wide range of sound generation capabilities, it allows you to explore and combine virtual analogue, additive, granular, FM, sample manipulation, physical modelling and more, all combined with comprehensive digital effects.
You mention eurorack and of course that is an option to get as creative and unique as you want: the most powerful and creative modules available today are incidentally all built on digital technology.
Or.... you can apply a layering / multitrack technique to build up complex soundscapes using whatever digital or analogue gear you already own combined with anything from a DAW or multitrack digital recorder or looper to a good old fashioned reel to reel. Some of the greatest soundtracks ever conceived used a fairly basic analogue synth, sequencers, some outboard effects and a multitrack recorder of some kind.
Searching for that one single instrument to answer your prayers takes a lot of trial and error and may never be successful, an alternative might be to experiment with less capable instruments and play with the recording process itself......
@@TimShoebridge, thank you for the response. the "egg laying, wool/milk pig" thing is, likely, something a lot of beginners(lik me) are interested in. Hmmm....so a lot of it is in the fx. Right? That seems pretty logical. Wouldn't it be cool if there was something that plays like a keyboard synth but is just a fy monster? Like the prophet x only.....BIGGLIER! Pure Sound manipulation with weighted keys.
“There is so much shit going on in the world to be angry about, not something like this”. Great sentence.
Great work Tim and yes there’s plenty of shit going on without arguing over synths! Sounds wonderful btw!
Sounds nice, mine arrives tomorrow!
Really waiting for this beast to hit the market. Love my Deepmind 12.
I really really am not into Behringer ... but the "Deepmind" is a great synthesizer ... so is the "UB-Xa".
It has technically hit the market, you just can't buy one. 🙃 I've been on backorder since November and will likely be until May or June.
DM6 -12 club! ❤
maybe i missed the info, plastic or metal chassis?, thnaks tim.
Metal. And some nice polished wooden end cheeks 👍
@@TimShoebridgeI'm hard to know if it's Iron or Aluminium. On my deepmind it's Iron, and for me sad because I have a old Dx 7, and just a lack of paint and with time all the button panel gone rusted. On the Deepmind, rack holes have no paint, so sometimes I would prefer plastic front panel, or why not, Wood. My Jupiter 50 is aluminium, so hope the next Behringer keyboard will jump the step over, that can be wood and just plate front for buttons. Also vertical racks are coming to a new birth, that yould be good for seeing the display, this lets me thinking about separate Keybeds, double keybeds, and a vertical wood rack that could support three expanders, one meter long, that would not need to change the internal architecture, can imagine in my dreams, UB Xa, and Behringer Jupiter 16 expanders , over a double poly aftertouch full 88 keybed. And place for integrated analog effects modules! So the question about plastic, Aluminium, metal should be part of future Behringer, and others like Korg, dilemnas 😊.
I didn’t know the atrophy settings were fully customizable. Distinct atrophy presets are enough to make this “vintage” feature better than the dry/wet knob we see on other synths, but full customization takes things to a new level. It’d be even better to have panel control over those settings-but I know that’s impractical!
I can’t really vibe with the lack of 8x8 patch selector. I want to be flying around on that sort of thing…
Because that’s the best way to get live sounds
Seriously impressive keyboard for the price. Sounds and looks stunning. My only problem is that i'd rather have the UBX than the UBXa - and then the JT16 is the one i'm really interested in, and unfortunately i can't have them all..... I wonder how long we'll have to wait for the JT16?
Thank you Tim, great video as always! why do I think about Tangerine Dream while listening to these arpeggios? I mean general feeling not chords of course
Nice video - honest opinion - thought I was already subscribed - wasn't so now am. Agree with comment on using musicians - and with the "don't get angry" point - Oberheim/Sequential could have redone this - but decided to go for the bigger and much more expensive OB-X8. If you like the sound then this is a great buy. And for just under a grand you get poly aftertouch - so bit of a bargain.
Great man and great video
Not saving the performance section is a bummer but the rest seems great. Can the screen colour be changed in settings?
I was hoping you would do a video on this. Great stuff Tim. Just saw them tease the Jupiter 8 clone, will that be of interest to you as well?
the essential question is about the sounding of this machine (not on youtube, so the feeling, your feeling, in a studio or headphone) compared to Oberheim.
Great video. Mine arrives Wednesday. Good to know about the Performance LFO quirks before mine arrives.
Thank for this first impression. Ich know your Situation. I always rebuildt my Studio 😂