These videos are great because you run through the synth and how it works while casually dropping LEGENDARY FUNK SINPPETS throughout the video. Amazing.
This sounds amazing. I am not sure if I ever heard a VST sounding like this before and one with such fine grained individual voice control. Your creativity is awesome and really shows off what this can do. Thanks!
Wow, the GForce guys really nailed it with this thing. Thank you for this demo. I had not heard that his was released, and it looks to be a very flexible piece of kit! Cheers, Alex!
I saw GForce release their video on this via UA-cam push notifications, then was pleasantly surprised when your notification popped up as well moments later. 😬👍 Simply _stellar_ content *as always* Alex! Cheers
God this sounds amazing. Congrats to Dave. And also because I don't think I've said this before, your compositions and mixing are always fkng ace. EDIT: whoa I was expecting it to be at least £100 more
Best plug since Vacuum Pro, Repro, Legend or Diva. Small, fast, well behaved. Works in every DAW and host I tried ... and it sounds bloody fantastic. Especially Unison.
Interesting and sounding very organic for a softsynth - I guess this is partly due to the competent presenter. Why anyone would release a VST for Mac Only is beyond me...
Because they made a mistake basing this decision on a survey of CURRENT users of their software. They didn't anticipate the huge demand for possible future buyers of NEW customers since this was such a great sounding Synth.
@iRockOnline That is exactly what they said when questioned about it. They made a survey for their current users of their plug-ins that still are quite good(but a bit old now), yes, but in no way even close to the OB-E seen here! It is hilarious. There has been a sh-tstorm from the vast majority of potential buyers that use Windows. www.gforcesoftware.com/blog/ob-e-the-pc-version/ Quote: " We recently did a series of surveys with our customers and found a huge majority are Mac users. So, as OB-E evolved into the very special monster that is it, we decided to release it as Mac only and see what the reception was. " But in the final paragraph they seem to feel the pressure from PC-users (and missed opportunity of sales) : "Finally, we want to to allay fears that just because OB-E is Mac only at present, it doesn’t mean we’re dropping PC. Right now OB-E offers a glimpse into a new generation of instruments that we hope to bring to everyone as soon as is practical." I am just dumbfounded that they simply dropped a huge potential customer base that is on PC and Windows. I mean it is way, way more people using PC:s and Windows in all types of settings from the most bog-standard cheap laptop to top notch settings like Hanz Zimmers studio complex all built around Windows machines. Mac mostly cater for only the professional or the rich homestudio guys. Not the masses! Even if it would be smaller, it would still be a missed opportunity and crossdeveloping isn't that hard these days with the same Intel instruction sets, with the caveat that it was custom made for the M1 chip architecture (Which would make it not run on most Mac either, since most of them are based on exactly the same hardware as the Intel platforms)
@@Rialas You can build a custom windows PC cheaper than a MAC and with more processing power. When Mac users stop sucking Apples tits and stop this stupid elitism in the graphic design and audio engineering fields than I will be ready to talk. Until then, anyone who plans on playing many PC games or building their own desktop, should absolutely go the windows route.
This video hits different after the recent news about Daft Punk. Hearing the synthy demos reminds me of when I first discovered discovery, and all the other albums (I just wanted the pun OK?) and how they where a big reason for me to fall in love with synthesisers from the beginning. Little Arvid’s synth journey began with heavy Daft Punk inspiration. Also, that unison mode demo was awesome. That alone makes me want to get this. Has been some time since I last bought a softsynth
I've stopped buying plug-ins a few years back, but as I already own both Gforces's ImpOSCar 2 and VSM I'm really tempted by this bad boy (or should I say 8 bad boys). Great video Alex, many thanks for your demo.
well, they were forerunners.... but this move (Mac only).... nah, not the smartest move,.... they need to do better to get back where they were before Arturia came along
I like VSTs with quirky onboard sequencers. It can really give character. The D16 Phoscyon 303 emulator is a prime example of how the interface workflow impacts composition just like the original 303. Plotting sequences straight into a DAW just isn't the same.
Dave and Chris do some great software synths... I am not disappointed with this one either. I love when Dave visits Sonic State, he always witty and informative. And of course this is a lot easier to tame than having to chase 8 physical SEMs
@@christopheroliver148 I wrote to their customer support about this and they said they're currently evaluating the opportunity. Also it's in the FAQ on their website.
@@BoopPOPO They are not stupid at all, they're some of the nicest and smartest people I've met in the industry who have survived two decades with good reason. There are very good reasons as to why that will become apparent in due course. Don't jump to conclusions. By all means ask questions or express desires but don't be an arse.
@@AlexBallMusic Not saying they are bad people and appreciate the history lesson. Iit's not the end of the world. I have many of their plugs. But thanks, I'm sure they can and would take some value away from SOME criticism for a half alienated audience launch. If too ambitious to handle, their initial comms have not reflected that fact.
Nice one! I am not going to wade through all the comments, but someone else may have already suggested "why didn't they make a Mac/PC version of the 4 voice first, and then follow it up down the line with the 8"?
The voice count wasn't the reason that it was released for Mac first so that wouldn't have been the solution. There's a link to the reasons in the pinned comment. I understand PC users disappointment that it's currently only Mac but there are logical reasons as to why.
@@johnharris8813 Fair enough! Synth videos do have the nicest comment section. Actually I recently started listening to the SonicState podcasts and one of the guys who runs GForce is on a lot, he does give some insight into the struggles of software development. This thing sounds great for sure!
@@davetbassbos It wasn't. VHS was better in every regard, which is why it won. Larger cassette shells, simplified transport, cheaper, no difference in quality, easy to retrofit into camcorders - the list goes on.
Sometimes new toys make you appreciate your old toys and a bit of ingenuity! I took the time to make an Oberheim(ish) 8 Voice sound on PC using Reason 11 and the good ol' Subtractor Synth that's been in there since the year dot: soundcloud.com/coldstorage/oberheim-8-voice-subtractor
Everything from luscious to filthy. The first demo at 1:06 reminds me of Larry Fast / Synergy. I wonder how Geert Van Schlänger would schwing with an OB-E.
@@AlexBallMusic Just whip out the green screen and make an ‘Alex Ball Reacts’ version. Call it an ADSR (Alex' Default Settings Reaction) Video… ;-) Or even better, ask Geert if he can react to the shexinesh of the preshetsh.
Was at the GForce Studio back in the Fall of 2019... got to play their 8-voice .... what a beast. Had a peak of the OB-E’s early development... Dave & Cris and Team are top tier along with Urs/uHe. Amazing how far developers have come..... crazy great times.
@@covett It's not abuse. It's just that we all want an opportunity without needed to switch platforms. If it were the other way around, then Mac people would rightly complain.
Lol.. A lot of us Windows users would like to be on Mac but just cannot justify the price of Apple's hardware. I built a high end ish PC for music production for £550 which I'd it was a Mac would be about 1600 plus. Realistically, Apple couldn't give a flying fig about the fact that so many people cannot afford their gear.
The only VSTs I've bought are a pair of Cherry offerings - DCO-106, and Eight Voice. DCO-106 is so bang-on a copy of the Juno that it's eerie sometimes, and I can only guess (never having encountered the monster Oberheim in real life) that they've done as well with Eight Voice. It's one of the most powerful and versatile plugins in my collection.
Sounds great but yeah, I'm a PC user. With companies like Arturia around with the V Collection and Roland doing the cloud thing $129 is high compared to what you get in a $3-500 Arturia bundle or $20 a month sub. If you were going to make software for only one computer format, It seems like maybe G-force went mac, because if you are going to way overpay for your computer you have a little extra money. Not that $129 is expensive but compare that to 28 fantastic instruments in the Arturia V collection. There are single synths that are popular that are more like Diva, Synthmaster, Serum etc that are popular but those are very deep multi-architecture synths or in Serums case the most popular of the hip wavetable style in used mainstream EDM. If you pay $3000 for a mac that can be built as a $1000 PC maybe you wont think to hard on the $129. It could also be Mac is still (undeservedly) seen as the professional audio choice and so maybe get it into the pros hands first before the PC version to gain street cred. For what it's worth the 16 core PC I built for under $2000 is a monster capable of handling anything I throw at it including 100s of the hungriest plugins at 128 buffer.
I used to use Macs until about 10 years ago when I started builiding my own PCs and getting twice the computer for half the price. Can't say I've ever noticed much of a difference in terms of user experience or whatever they call it. One could argue Macs were better back in the day, but that was a long time ago. Now, all I see is loads of Maccies complaining about half their programs breaking with an OS change. All that being said though, a rather prosperous mate of mine lent me a Mac a while back, running Opus Modus and Numerology, two Mac only programs that I loved. So I have been considering getting a decent second hand Mac to run those. Wouldn't get one just to run a vst though. That's f***ing dry. What were they thinking?
As a Windows user, I've just saved myself 129 beer tokens. Hurrah! I have bx Oberhausen, the Syntronik OBXa, that nice Arturia SEM, Oberon 8, and DiscoDSP's lush OB-Xd, so I'm not shy a few instances of Oberheimliness, which can be stacked and layered in my DAW of choice, while drinking beer.
As good as this sounds, and it does sound incredibly close to a real Eight Voice as I was fooled by Dave Spiers Unison Patch Design video recently, I cannot bring myself to moving a mouse to tweak virtual knobs. The hands-on experience is as important, if not more, than just the sound.
That's always a personal choice. I guess 99.9% of us will never have access to an Eight Voice, so this is the way in though. Worth mapping a controller.
@@AlexBallMusic Considering the rarity and very high premium of such a beautiful beast, I agree that the next best thing might be this software with a controller. But VA still comes in second next to the real thing for me. But that's only my personal opinion. I guess I'll have to wait for B to clone it perhaps? Great little video by the way, thanks for sharing.
Hi Alex, I'm not really good at creating synth sounds, but I'm more into just composing music. Do you think that there will be many presets for this synth available for sale or on the internet in the future?
How can a synth be knighted? OBE?! Fer chrissake, *_I_* could get knighted and I'm an American! EDIT: Love the little tunes, as usual. Dude, you know how to get your groove one!
I'm glad they explained themselves why they released it for Mac only, but the reason was strictly that the chosen development tools were Mac only. They basically have said if this product becomes popular, they will make a PC version. These are the same reasons given why some iOS products are "iPad only" when it seems crazy as an iPhone user I can't run a lot of them even though my iPhone has far more power than older iPads that can run a lot of synths. This product being "Mac only" is the opposite trend of most VST synths. This is one of the few examples of a VST synth that is Mac only. There are plenty of PC only VSTs, and I'd expect that to continue. If this product required one of the new M1 Macs, it would make a little more sense from a hardware point of view. PC makers say not to worry, that Apple has stretched the truth about M1 performance, and that PC makers will continue to compete with advanced processors. The price of the new M1 Macs are not too unreasonable vs older Macs, but I really have little interest in Mac's and prefer how PC's work without Apple's restrictions. However, if the Mac hardware could 100% operate as a PC clone & run Mac, with advanced processors and duel boot between Mac OS and Windows 10, it would be a lot more tempting to consider buying one. There are a few Mac only programs I wouldn't mind running, but far more PC only programs I could never give up. But don't worry PC users, I really doubt OB-E is going to do a lot of new things or better things than the great Oberheim VST's we already like the OP-X II Pro, and Arturia's SEM, OB-Xa & Matrix 12. I'd think Arturia's SEM would have similar abilities as OB-E. A small handful of people might be tempted to buy a Mac because of OB-E, but you can bet overall, there are going to be a lot more interesting VST synths that are PC only than Mac only, and also that the PC releases are generally first. PC's have even better programs than Mainstage available. Before buying a Mac for VST's, but sure to watch the UA-cam video titled "Why iMacs are NOT the best laptops for music producers" which I found interesting. And as much as I like my iPhone, I dislike being restricted into doing things "Apple's way". Apple is also very bad at retaining compatibility in their computers for very long. They always want to sell you something new, and have you re-buy your software over and over. By comparison, I'm still able to run a lot of Windows software, including VST's, that are 20 years old with Windows 10. Try that on a Mac. And hardware compatibility is retained a lot longer too. A PC just seems like a better long term investment to me. For my needs, and many others long term compatibility is more important than top performance. Who wants to keep buying their software over and over? Even an older PC can generally do what I need in the world of VST synths.
Thanks for the overview, Great sounding vst- well done to Gforce! .....but it does seem a weird to make it Mac only, clearly a dealbreaker for a lot of us?
@@AlexBallMusic if they come with "Windows is not powerfull enough, so u need a Apple"... well.... sigh, rubish *looks at his dual Xeon 12-core, 32Gb machine*
@@johnharris8813 I think GForce will make a statement explaining their reasons. It's probably not appropriate for me to try to answer on their behalf right now.
The price is very good, and I can understand being on only one platform initially, but failing to support Windows at sometime in the near future is a significant marketing mistake. The music world is not exclusively MacOS.
I've historically had both Mac and PC setups but am currently entirely PC so I'd love a Windows version, but obviously I'm not the developer and don't have the years of end user data they have. I don't it's a flippant decision.
@@AlexBallMusic In my case, I don't even have a Windows box, but I can often run VSTs I've licensed on my Linux boxes via WINE. There is no similar support for MacOS plugins. The only Mac on my net is a very old headless mini with not much memory I was given a while back. Its only reason to exist is supporting GUI for Clozure Common Lisp. Whether or not the decision is flippant, it is hurtful.
“The way I’m going to demonstrate it, is the way I always do on my channel...” Me: Ah yes, he’s gonna review the sounds with his face! 🙂 “...I’ll make a series of short demos, followed by a brief explanation...” Me: 🥺 Still a superb demo, though!
I bet no one can set the VCF Frequency knob to 417 Hz, 432 Hz, 528 Hz or 777 Hz can someone please tell me why? if you ask me its a real but Silent Frequency War going on!!!!
@@AlexBallMusic i wouldn't expect it on the 3310. I would expect it on the operating system that the majority of people in the world use to get their work done, especially when the alternative is to buy overpriced and underperforming devices from a manufacturer that is extremely anti-repair.
bought this - thought the arp lines are fantastic - however dont like the pads and dont like the bass - but man - getting a super arp line going is so easy and it sounds great - they you just double it up or triple it up with 3 instances of the 8 sems - thats like 24 sems making one arp line - i think for that its fantastic - the delay sound great too - but yes - bass and pads are not nice in my opinion - but yes arp lines are great - i am gonna try combining it with my real SEM patchpanel at some point to see if they go together well - i think it sounds pretty close to my sem
@@AlexBallMusic oh fair enough - I dont know - for starters I have never been that much of fan of the appraised oberheim pad - like in all the vst's - the oberheim pad - a dull pad . bass i dunno , I am luck to have a sh2 and that bass is what i am really after. I added my real SEM to the arp lines i made on the vst and it goes well together - the real SEM is much brighter and bolder - too bold most of the time - the two seem to go together well.
Mac only? In 2021? Come on Dave, not all of us are hipsters with deep pockets! I've been buying G-Force products since they were sold in stores. I have the box for Oddity, impOSCar, Minimonsta and then I ordered VSM and Oddity 2 digitally. All on Windows! Granted, I'm using mostly hardware these days, but still - if I was going to buy this, I couldn't. Judging by the announcement email, I doubt it will be a Mac exclusive for very long though. I have complete confidence in the boys at G-Force, even though they've slighted us poor windows peasants. Lol
I don’t need this software.. but since you made a video I bought it. I was going to buy the polybrute but I think I’ll settle for this using my deluge plugged into my keylab 61 mk2 as the sequencer.
Definitely sounds killer. Great demo. I'd just like to throw out there that, PC users who need a similar sound while they are waiting, should check out Synapse Audio's Obsession.
I don't agree. I think it sounds rich and full. It also has a lot of randomness to it that makes it feel real. It was good enough to totally con everyone in the GForce revelation video.
@@AlexBallMusic Gotcha. I agree, that video cause some commotion. But, still I just did the exercise just right now, I went over a few of your other videos and the sound is rich/wholesome, the tracks amazing. But these sounds did not have that "spark" imo
its not very often i see a vst synth and think "i absolutely need that right now" so i got very excited and pulled my bank card out only to find that theres no windows version and there wont be one for the forseeable future. im happy for mac owners but im not running a mac partition just for one synth...... poop!
@@AlexBallMusic Great! At least some Geert music with real pubic hair from the 70s! (& I've no clue what the "Pro Synth Network livestream" is, anyway I'll connect with my TV Teletext to know what's about...)
Right. You know theres also disposable music not made with VST's? Also 5 years is a good run... My Mac Pro is still rocking 12 years later! But , I digress, When Nothing works again, your suggesting also a Guitar wont play anymore after 5 years? ( I know .. exaggeration) but its still a tool to write music, right? Ive never Understood the "Must Get Every Plug In" mentality... Too me its connected to the the loop, preset headspace...... Chasing the latest isnt what this is all about, is It? So many of the mustard race talk about the apple obsolesense factor , becuase you cant upgrade.. Yeh thats fair, But reminded yourself because you can for the latest and greatest means what? For music? why would you care , seems its not a problem that your computer cant run VST's.
@@Rhythmattica But the sheer quantity of music has gone up too. Besides, who doesn't use a daw in 2020? Can you still open projects from 12 years ago I wonder. I am glad to hear the mac is going strong.
@@PorchBass Yep. I can. Multiple OS's , backed up.. plus Still Got my Atari, PC and G5. .. Also backing up my 1K floppy library, Syquest and zips onto a SCSI2SD for the ASR10... So point being, ?? Nothing. Tech always will have its work arounds.. But my Basses , Guitars and keyboards (except the equivalent emulations...lol) need not. Cheers
![GForce Oberheim OB-E Plugin for MAC, Windows - Tutorial and Demo [Endorsed by Tom Oberheim!]](/img/n.gif)
Oh wow this sounds gorgeous! 10% VST, 90% Alex Ball.
Well, the VST helped. 😉
I never watch softsynth videos.... But I NEVER miss one of Alex's videos!
Thank you. Plus, this is not your average softsynth...
Same and here plus I'm normally not interested in proprietary software, but with Alex' videos I know they're always worth watching for the music.
These videos are great because you run through the synth and how it works while casually dropping LEGENDARY FUNK SINPPETS throughout the video. Amazing.
This sounds amazing. I am not sure if I ever heard a VST sounding like this before and one with such fine grained individual voice control. Your creativity is awesome and really shows off what this can do. Thanks!
Wow, the GForce guys really nailed it with this thing. Thank you for this demo. I had not heard that his was released, and it looks to be a very flexible piece of kit! Cheers, Alex!
It's pretty peachy indeed.
It was only released today, so you're actually one of the first in the queue to hear :-)
Glorious OB-E sounds, Alex. You make it 'more than Cherry...' Plus that snare at 4:00 is killer.
Even though I don't own a Mac, this video is a great look at how to try and replicate those "Alex Ball phat 80s" chords. Excellent demo as always.
The voicings are revealed. ;)
I saw GForce release their video on this via UA-cam push notifications, then was pleasantly surprised when your notification popped up as well moments later. 😬👍
Simply _stellar_ content *as always* Alex!
Cheers
Thank you.
God this sounds amazing. Congrats to Dave. And also because I don't think I've said this before, your compositions and mixing are always fkng ace.
EDIT: whoa I was expecting it to be at least £100 more
Thank you. Yes, incredible job on this one. A long time in the works.
Always thought your vids were criminally under viewed, now you’re racking up 1k views in an hour. Yeeeeh boiii!
Best plug since Vacuum Pro, Repro, Legend or Diva. Small, fast, well behaved. Works in every DAW and host I tried ... and it sounds bloody fantastic. Especially Unison.
Hey Alex! Great demo! I always enjoy your songs and they always exemplify the instruments and there original times!
Great video, I was aware of the synthesizers, but not of what Gforce was doing. Thanks Alex.
They've been at it a very long time. Top guys.
Outstanding demos and review Alex!
They've released it a few weeks back for PC as well, and it's bloody gorgeous.
Interesting and sounding very organic for a softsynth - I guess this is partly due to the competent presenter. Why anyone would release a VST for Mac Only is beyond me...
because windows is shit
Because they made a mistake basing this decision on a survey of CURRENT users of their software.
They didn't anticipate the huge demand for possible future buyers of NEW customers since this was such a great sounding Synth.
@iRockOnline That is exactly what they said when questioned about it. They made a survey for their current users of their plug-ins that still are quite good(but a bit old now), yes, but in no way even close to the OB-E seen here!
It is hilarious. There has been a sh-tstorm from the vast majority of potential buyers that use Windows.
www.gforcesoftware.com/blog/ob-e-the-pc-version/
Quote:
" We recently did a series of surveys with our
customers and found a huge majority are Mac users. So, as OB-E evolved
into the very special monster that is it, we decided to release it as
Mac only and see what the reception was. "
But in the final paragraph they seem to feel the pressure from PC-users (and missed opportunity of sales) :
"Finally, we want to to allay fears that just because OB-E is Mac only at
present, it doesn’t mean we’re dropping PC. Right now OB-E offers a
glimpse into a new generation of instruments that we hope to bring to
everyone as soon as is practical."
I am just dumbfounded that they simply dropped a huge potential customer base that is on PC and Windows. I mean it is way, way more people using PC:s and Windows in all types of settings from the most bog-standard cheap laptop to top notch settings like Hanz Zimmers studio complex all built around Windows machines.
Mac mostly cater for only the professional or the rich homestudio guys. Not the masses!
Even if it would be smaller, it would still be a missed opportunity and crossdeveloping isn't that hard these days with the same Intel instruction sets, with the caveat that it was custom made for the M1 chip architecture (Which would make it not run on most Mac either, since most of them are based on exactly the same hardware as the Intel platforms)
@@Magnus_Loov Today you don’t have to be rich to own a Mac.
@@Rialas You can build a custom windows PC cheaper than a MAC and with more processing power. When Mac users stop sucking Apples tits and stop this stupid elitism in the graphic design and audio engineering fields than I will be ready to talk.
Until then, anyone who plans on playing many PC games or building their own desktop, should absolutely go the windows route.
Wow... This is absolutely Brilliant! Dave nailed it again on this.. Excellent demo too!! As usual! 😉
This video hits different after the recent news about Daft Punk. Hearing the synthy demos reminds me of when I first discovered discovery, and all the other albums (I just wanted the pun OK?) and how they where a big reason for me to fall in love with synthesisers from the beginning.
Little Arvid’s synth journey began with heavy Daft Punk inspiration.
Also, that unison mode demo was awesome. That alone makes me want to get this. Has been some time since I last bought a softsynth
Yes, a sad week in synth land.
I bloody love this! Great video as always Mr Ball.
I've stopped buying plug-ins a few years back, but as I already own both Gforces's ImpOSCar 2 and VSM I'm really tempted by this bad boy (or should I say 8 bad boys). Great video Alex, many thanks for your demo.
Best VST I`ve seen in a very long time especially as we can`t realistically do this in hardware even if we wanted too !
I stumbled upon their "tuning the 8-voice" video earlier and saw your comment and thought "hmm of course" and now here we are. Of course!
ohhh shiit babe drop everything new alex ball upload
Me too. I love these videos.
Don't drop the synth!
@@AlexBallMusic to late :S
My bloody word!! LOL
Ahhh... the sounds. Goosebumps now.
Great company and awesome sounding product! Excellent video!
Sounds so good! Gforce are second to none!!
They are indeed.
well, they were forerunners.... but this move (Mac only).... nah, not the smartest move,.... they need to do better to get back where they were before Arturia came along
Always good plugs agree.
@@RichardDenRooyen1973 unless of course they’re fine with where they are and where they’re going.
@@AlexBallMusic yeah, love my VSM... I’d spring for this too but I’ve bought four synths already this year. I’ve got the space though...
nice intro to the synth-thanks
The best original bit I know is at the end of side 1 of Rush's Hemispheres album. Oooooh! Suits you sir!
I like VSTs with quirky onboard sequencers. It can really give character. The D16 Phoscyon 303 emulator is a prime example of how the interface workflow impacts composition just like the original 303. Plotting sequences straight into a DAW just isn't the same.
Not to forget D16's LuSh-101 with its multiple layers!
Looks & sounds amazing 🤩
GREAT PRESENTATION OF A GREAT SYNTH. THX
...and the oscar for best synth demo/overview goes to...Alex Ball 🏆
Dave and Chris do some great software synths... I am not disappointed with this one either. I love when Dave visits Sonic State, he always witty and informative. And of course this is a lot easier to tame than having to chase 8 physical SEMs
I'm really sad this is mac exclusive but they said there's a not so small probability there will be a windows version in the future.
Citation needed. (I'll temper my views if there is good reason to believe this.)
@@christopheroliver148 I wrote to their customer support about this and they said they're currently evaluating the opportunity. Also it's in the FAQ on their website.
@@melonenstrauch1306 what a stupid logic they have
@@BoopPOPO They are not stupid at all, they're some of the nicest and smartest people I've met in the industry who have survived two decades with good reason. There are very good reasons as to why that will become apparent in due course.
Don't jump to conclusions. By all means ask questions or express desires but don't be an arse.
@@AlexBallMusic Not saying they are bad people and appreciate the history lesson. Iit's not the end of the world. I have many of their plugs. But thanks, I'm sure they can and would take some value away from SOME criticism for a half alienated audience launch. If too ambitious to handle, their initial comms have not reflected that fact.
Amazing video as always. Love what you do sir! Hope we meet at some point once life allows :-)
Nice one! I am not going to wade through all the comments, but someone else may have already suggested "why didn't they make a Mac/PC version of the 4 voice first, and then follow it up down the line with the 8"?
The voice count wasn't the reason that it was released for Mac first so that wouldn't have been the solution.
There's a link to the reasons in the pinned comment. I understand PC users disappointment that it's currently only Mac but there are logical reasons as to why.
Mac only!? 😭
No Betamax version either.
@@johnharris8813 Well Betamax was technically superior to VHS, so I think he's trying to say PCs are better than Macs (just a theory)
@@johnharris8813 Fair enough! Synth videos do have the nicest comment section. Actually I recently started listening to the SonicState podcasts and one of the guys who runs GForce is on a lot, he does give some insight into the struggles of software development. This thing sounds great for sure!
@@davetbassbos It wasn't. VHS was better in every regard, which is why it won. Larger cassette shells, simplified transport, cheaper, no difference in quality, easy to retrofit into camcorders - the list goes on.
Sometimes new toys make you appreciate your old toys and a bit of ingenuity! I took the time to make an Oberheim(ish) 8 Voice sound on PC using Reason 11 and the good ol' Subtractor Synth that's been in there since the year dot: soundcloud.com/coldstorage/oberheim-8-voice-subtractor
Everything from luscious to filthy. The first demo at 1:06 reminds me of Larry Fast / Synergy. I wonder how Geert Van Schlänger would schwing with an OB-E.
I think Geert likes eight at a time.
Wait, no face reviews? I feel lied to, this was supposed to be an Alex Ball's video!
Can't face review from a screen recording. :(
@@AlexBallMusic Just whip out the green screen and make an ‘Alex Ball Reacts’ version.
Call it an ADSR (Alex' Default Settings Reaction) Video… ;-)
Or even better, ask Geert if he can react to the shexinesh of the preshetsh.
Was at the GForce Studio back in the Fall of 2019... got to play their 8-voice .... what a beast. Had a peak of the OB-E’s early development... Dave & Cris and Team are top tier along with Urs/uHe.
Amazing how far developers have come..... crazy great times.
Link: www.gforcesoftware.com/products/ob-e/
@@covett It's not abuse. It's just that we all want an opportunity without needed to switch platforms. If it were the other way around, then Mac people would rightly complain.
@@johnharris8813 It was a joke given that every other comment was about Windows. No harm meant, apologies if it came across that way.
Lol.. A lot of us Windows users would like to be on Mac but just cannot justify the price of Apple's hardware.
I built a high end ish PC for music production for £550 which I'd it was a Mac would be about 1600 plus.
Realistically, Apple couldn't give a flying fig about the fact that so many people cannot afford their gear.
Hi Alex,
What do you think of Cherry Audios Eight-Voice (cherryaudio.com/instruments/eight-voice) or any other of their plugins?
Cheers,
Michael
The only VSTs I've bought are a pair of Cherry offerings - DCO-106, and Eight Voice. DCO-106 is so bang-on a copy of the Juno that it's eerie sometimes, and I can only guess (never having encountered the monster Oberheim in real life) that they've done as well with Eight Voice. It's one of the most powerful and versatile plugins in my collection.
Yes! SEM and Ball the best alliance! What is this 'Return to SEM-der' reference to some track? Sounds reSEMblant to something.
Not based on anything I'm aware of (Elvis or otherwise).
@@AlexBallMusic Sounds very good like YMO and Ultravox crossover, could be a base for some future track.
@@toitoitoy That's a good territory to visit.
The way they dismissed their Windows users after creating that much hype leaves an extremely sour taste and feels like a kick in the nuts.
I'll ask if there are any plans and come back to you.
Sounds great but yeah, I'm a PC user. With companies like Arturia around with the V Collection and Roland doing the cloud thing $129 is high compared to what you get in a $3-500 Arturia bundle or $20 a month sub. If you were going to make software for only one computer format, It seems like maybe G-force went mac, because if you are going to way overpay for your computer you have a little extra money. Not that $129 is expensive but compare that to 28 fantastic instruments in the Arturia V collection. There are single synths that are popular that are more like Diva, Synthmaster, Serum etc that are popular but those are very deep multi-architecture synths or in Serums case the most popular of the hip wavetable style in used mainstream EDM. If you pay $3000 for a mac that can be built as a $1000 PC maybe you wont think to hard on the $129. It could also be Mac is still (undeservedly) seen as the professional audio choice and so maybe get it into the pros hands first before the PC version to gain street cred.
For what it's worth the 16 core PC I built for under $2000 is a monster capable of handling anything I throw at it including 100s of the hungriest plugins at 128 buffer.
@@AlexBallMusic Oh I've already said my peace to Graeme at GForce support. Lots of uncertainties apparently.
At least it’s not in “rackmout” format. That would’ve really put you over the edge! 😆
I used to use Macs until about 10 years ago when I started builiding my own PCs and getting twice the computer for half the price. Can't say I've ever noticed much of a difference in terms of user experience or whatever they call it. One could argue Macs were better back in the day, but that was a long time ago. Now, all I see is loads of Maccies complaining about half their programs breaking with an OS change.
All that being said though, a rather prosperous mate of mine lent me a Mac a while back, running Opus Modus and Numerology, two Mac only programs that I loved. So I have been considering getting a decent second hand Mac to run those. Wouldn't get one just to run a vst though. That's f***ing dry. What were they thinking?
As a Windows user, I've just saved myself 129 beer tokens. Hurrah!
I have bx Oberhausen, the Syntronik OBXa, that nice Arturia SEM, Oberon 8, and DiscoDSP's lush OB-Xd, so I'm not shy a few instances of Oberheimliness, which can be stacked and layered in my DAW of choice, while drinking beer.
As good as this sounds, and it does sound incredibly close to a real Eight Voice as I was fooled by Dave Spiers Unison Patch Design video recently, I cannot bring myself to moving a mouse to tweak virtual knobs. The hands-on experience is as important, if not more, than just the sound.
That's always a personal choice. I guess 99.9% of us will never have access to an Eight Voice, so this is the way in though. Worth mapping a controller.
@@AlexBallMusic Considering the rarity and very high premium of such a beautiful beast, I agree that the next best thing might be this software with a controller. But VA still comes in second next to the real thing for me. But that's only my personal opinion. I guess I'll have to wait for B to clone it perhaps? Great little video by the way, thanks for sharing.
Enjoy spending that 💸 Alain 😊
@@JayTheLane 🙂At least I get buttons and knobs for my hard-earned money! 🤣
Awesome vid as always 🙌 Is it very cpu heavy? I guess it is since it sounds very authentic 😅
darn. i wanted to click off after "for Mac" ugh, but this sounds incredible! I need a PC version!
If you watch Sonictalk on YT you will hear from Dave Spiers (the designer of OB-E and all round brilliant guy) as to why OB-E is Mac only (for now).
Hands down the top softmachine, congrats to GForce and DS.
I was hoping this softsynth could use the GPU of my nvidia graphics card...
ROCKS
*Mighty Phatness.*
Hi Alex, I'm not really good at creating synth sounds, but I'm more into just composing music. Do you think that there will be many presets for this synth available for sale or on the internet in the future?
Good stuff, Alex! This is going to get 50K more views when it comes to PC (eventually). 👍 Also, I'll be buying it for sure when it gets on PC!
Alex, you are a very bad man. This software is yet another thing I want. By the way, your programming really is very good. Stay well and safe.
Wow!
Sold
Enjoy!
Nice new MBP...how do you like it?
How can a synth be knighted? OBE?! Fer chrissake, *_I_* could get knighted and I'm an American!
EDIT: Love the little tunes, as usual. Dude, you know how to get your groove one!
Austin Powers uses OB-have.
@@AlexBallMusic I understand The Beatles had an OB-la-da...
Cool 💯💯💯💯💯✌️😎
For some reason, the 24% battery state absolutely cracked me up.
Mac only 😥
SEM Me an Angel...
ohhh god, i remember their viedo about ob8, the first patch that sounded there was effing overwordly
One of a kind instrument for sure.
No matter what you use, it sounds like Real music and not like just a try out!
Best old school vst synth ever, move over Diva, it more restrictive but I don't care!
1:38 mysterious cities of gold
Says he's going to review/demo it like he always does, doesn't dress up as Geert.......so which one is it?
(great work btw)
I'm glad they explained themselves why they released it for Mac only, but the reason was strictly that the chosen development tools were Mac only. They basically have said if this product becomes popular, they will make a PC version. These are the same reasons given why some iOS products are "iPad only" when it seems crazy as an iPhone user I can't run a lot of them even though my iPhone has far more power than older iPads that can run a lot of synths.
This product being "Mac only" is the opposite trend of most VST synths. This is one of the few examples of a VST synth that is Mac only. There are plenty of PC only VSTs, and I'd expect that to continue. If this product required one of the new M1 Macs, it would make a little more sense from a hardware point of view. PC makers say not to worry, that Apple has stretched the truth about M1 performance, and that PC makers will continue to compete with advanced processors.
The price of the new M1 Macs are not too unreasonable vs older Macs, but I really have little interest in Mac's and prefer how PC's work without Apple's restrictions. However, if the Mac hardware could 100% operate as a PC clone & run Mac, with advanced processors and duel boot between Mac OS and Windows 10, it would be a lot more tempting to consider buying one. There are a few Mac only programs I wouldn't mind running, but far more PC only programs I could never give up.
But don't worry PC users, I really doubt OB-E is going to do a lot of new things or better things than the great Oberheim VST's we already like the OP-X II Pro, and Arturia's SEM, OB-Xa & Matrix 12. I'd think Arturia's SEM would have similar abilities as OB-E.
A small handful of people might be tempted to buy a Mac because of OB-E, but you can bet overall, there are going to be a lot more interesting VST synths that are PC only than Mac only, and also that the PC releases are generally first. PC's have even better programs than Mainstage available.
Before buying a Mac for VST's, but sure to watch the UA-cam video titled "Why iMacs are NOT the best laptops for music producers" which I found interesting. And as much as I like my iPhone, I dislike being restricted into doing things "Apple's way". Apple is also very bad at retaining compatibility in their computers for very long. They always want to sell you something new, and have you re-buy your software over and over. By comparison, I'm still able to run a lot of Windows software, including VST's, that are 20 years old with Windows 10. Try that on a Mac. And hardware compatibility is retained a lot longer too. A PC just seems like a better long term investment to me. For my needs, and many others long term compatibility is more important than top performance. Who wants to keep buying their software over and over? Even an older PC can generally do what I need in the world of VST synths.
Hmm. Gotta hear that hollow square pulse - reserving judgement until then
Demo 1 is so umph
reminds me of 1975's synthwork on their 2nd album
Thanks for the overview, Great sounding vst- well done to Gforce! .....but it does seem a weird to make it Mac only, clearly a dealbreaker for a lot of us?
Those dealbreaking times are gone now 😁
Do you have a preset pack available for purchase?
How much would you pay for a dedicated hardware controller for this? The mouse ruins the experience. Those tall concentric pots are so cool.
Like a matching model of the eight voice? Like they did with IMPoscar years ago.
That would be pretty cool, yes.
I wish it wasn't mac exclusive, but I guess I really don't *need* an OB-E...
Not sure if it will emerge on PC later but I think they had good reason (and data) to go for Mac only.
@@AlexBallMusic if they come with "Windows is not powerfull enough, so u need a Apple"... well.... sigh, rubish *looks at his dual Xeon 12-core, 32Gb machine*
@@johnharris8813 I think GForce will make a statement explaining their reasons. It's probably not appropriate for me to try to answer on their behalf right now.
The price is very good, and I can understand being on only one platform initially, but failing to support Windows at sometime in the near future is a significant marketing mistake. The music world is not exclusively MacOS.
I've historically had both Mac and PC setups but am currently entirely PC so I'd love a Windows version, but obviously I'm not the developer and don't have the years of end user data they have. I don't it's a flippant decision.
@@AlexBallMusic In my case, I don't even have a Windows box, but I can often run VSTs I've licensed on my Linux boxes via WINE. There is no similar support for MacOS plugins. The only Mac on my net is a very old headless mini with not much memory I was given a while back. Its only reason to exist is supporting GUI for Clozure Common Lisp. Whether or not the decision is flippant, it is hurtful.
Where do the drums come from?
Why do I keep hearing "slave to the rhythm" chords throughout the video ? ;-)
Could someone tell me where to find the release in the envelope section which has only attack-decay-sustain ?
Decay is also release. That's how it was on the original and also how it is on synths like the Minimoog.
“The way I’m going to demonstrate it, is the way I always do on my channel...”
Me: Ah yes, he’s gonna review the sounds with his face! 🙂
“...I’ll make a series of short demos, followed by a brief explanation...”
Me: 🥺
Still a superb demo, though!
Haha. Sorry to disappoint. 😉
I bet no one can set the VCF Frequency knob to 417 Hz, 432 Hz, 528 Hz or 777 Hz can someone please tell me why? if you ask me its a real but Silent Frequency War going on!!!!
No Windows Version? Sad.
Not on Nokia 3310 either unfortunately.
@@AlexBallMusic i wouldn't expect it on the 3310. I would expect it on the operating system that the majority of people in the world use to get their work done, especially when the alternative is to buy overpriced and underperforming devices from a manufacturer that is extremely anti-repair.
@@xmlthegreat Apologies, I was just being silly.
Yep, a Windows version would be welcome.
@@xmlthegreat "
Does it have a random parameters?
bought this - thought the arp lines are fantastic - however dont like the pads and dont like the bass - but man - getting a super arp line going is so easy and it sounds great - they you just double it up or triple it up with 3 instances of the 8 sems - thats like 24 sems making one arp line - i think for that its fantastic - the delay sound great too - but yes - bass and pads are not nice in my opinion - but yes arp lines are great - i am gonna try combining it with my real SEM patchpanel at some point to see if they go together well - i think it sounds pretty close to my sem
I though the pads and bass were two of the best things about it. What didn't you like out of interest?
The arps are great, definitely.
@@AlexBallMusic oh fair enough - I dont know - for starters I have never been that much of fan of the appraised oberheim pad - like in all the vst's - the oberheim pad - a dull pad . bass i dunno , I am luck to have a sh2 and that bass is what i am really after. I added my real SEM to the arp lines i made on the vst and it goes well together - the real SEM is much brighter and bolder - too bold most of the time - the two seem to go together well.
Sweet! How was the CPU hit when playing all 8 voices?
Totally fine. Had loads of instances open.
Mac only? In 2021? Come on Dave, not all of us are hipsters with deep pockets! I've been buying G-Force products since they were sold in stores. I have the box for Oddity, impOSCar, Minimonsta and then I ordered VSM and Oddity 2 digitally. All on Windows! Granted, I'm using mostly hardware these days, but still - if I was going to buy this, I couldn't. Judging by the announcement email, I doubt it will be a Mac exclusive for very long though. I have complete confidence in the boys at G-Force, even though they've slighted us poor windows peasants. Lol
I don’t need this software.. but since you made a video I bought it. I was going to buy the polybrute but I think I’ll settle for this using my deluge plugged into my keylab 61 mk2 as the sequencer.
Thanks J R. Yes, this is a great poly for all kinds of sounds. As much as I'm told the Polybrute is also great.
It doesn't sound like I hoped. Oh, I'm a PC user too, so it doesn't matter.
Definitely sounds killer. Great demo. I'd just like to throw out there that, PC users who need a similar sound while they are waiting, should check out Synapse Audio's Obsession.
What's all this now? A software synth? Who are you, and what have you done to Alex?!
Haha. Well, I've always used lots of software. Just not necessarily for videos.
2 years and no PC version, ouch
Been available for PC for about 18 months.
Edit: Actually, since early 2022. Been on PC for two years.
Oh, so what do you think of the sound? XD imo sounds quite weak/sterile compared to your real synths demos
I don't agree. I think it sounds rich and full. It also has a lot of randomness to it that makes it feel real.
It was good enough to totally con everyone in the GForce revelation video.
@@AlexBallMusic Gotcha. I agree, that video cause some commotion. But, still I just did the exercise just right now, I went over a few of your other videos and the sound is rich/wholesome, the tracks amazing. But these sounds did not have that "spark" imo
its not very often i see a vst synth and think "i absolutely need that right now" so i got very excited and pulled my bank card out only to find that theres no windows version and there wont be one for the forseeable future. im happy for mac owners but im not running a mac partition just for one synth...... poop!
you've gone all prolifikkle.
bro you gotta chill out with the demos! you almost made me cry (talking bout the first one ofc)
Well, with eight voices or sopping synthy goodness you've just got to bring out the fat chords!
It's chunky and dirty!
No costume, no wig, no fake mustache and sideburns, no platform boots...
But well, the video wasn't so bad 😄
Geert is on the Pro Synth Network livestream on Friday. 😃
@@AlexBallMusic Great! At least some Geert music with real pubic hair from the 70s!
(& I've no clue what the "Pro Synth Network livestream" is, anyway I'll connect with my TV Teletext to know what's about...)
Will be disposable within two years, like 99% of music made with VSTs.
Then after 5 years apple will change architecture and nothing will work again.
Right. You know theres also disposable music not made with VST's?
Also 5 years is a good run... My Mac Pro is still rocking 12 years later!
But , I digress, When Nothing works again, your suggesting also a Guitar wont play anymore after 5 years? ( I know .. exaggeration) but its still a tool to write music, right? Ive never Understood the "Must Get Every Plug In" mentality... Too me its connected to the the loop, preset headspace......
Chasing the latest isnt what this is all about, is It?
So many of the mustard race talk about the apple obsolesense factor , becuase you cant upgrade.. Yeh thats fair, But reminded yourself because you can for the latest and greatest means what? For music? why would you care , seems its not a problem that your computer cant run VST's.
@@Rhythmattica But the sheer quantity of music has gone up too. Besides, who doesn't use a daw in 2020?
Can you still open projects from 12 years ago I wonder. I am glad to hear the mac is going strong.
@@PorchBass Yep. I can. Multiple OS's , backed up.. plus Still Got my Atari, PC and G5. .. Also backing up my 1K floppy library, Syquest and zips onto a SCSI2SD for the ASR10...
So point being, ?? Nothing. Tech always will have its work arounds.. But my Basses , Guitars and keyboards (except the equivalent emulations...lol) need not.
Cheers
@@Rhythmattica that is super organised! My pc has old logic stuff that I don't think I will ever open.
Make another daft punk sounds vid as a tribute to them. (some suggestions: Rock' N Roll, Burnin, Alive)
I did a couple. Here's the second if you're interested: ua-cam.com/video/Cm09_12WRZM/v-deo.html
Might do another.
@@AlexBallMusic Nice
I have Arturia's SEMV but I'd like it if they had some kind of master plugin I could add the modules into a single controller.
Cubase 👍🏻