If you could trade your Andromeda for an OB-Xa, would you?

[kpatz]

Just curious, as I may have this opportunity in the near future, to trade my Andromeda for an 8-voice OB-Xa with Encore MIDI kit installed.

I'm mainly looking for opinions of those who have, or have had both.

I know I'd gain the classic Oberheim sound, simpler programming, and a synth used in so many songs I grew up with, while I would lose 8 voices, velocity, aftertouch, ribbon, and the umpteen modulation options available in the Andy. Not to mention the multimode filter.

The patches I tend to create on my Andy are Oberheim pads and Vangelis CS80-type sounds. The former would obviously benefit from a real Oberheim, while the latter would suffer from a lack of velocity/aftertouch/ribbon.

Ideally, I would keep the Andy and just buy the OB outright, but space (and the wife) limits me to a maximum of 2 keyboard synths.

Thoughts? If you had the opportunity, would you? Why, or why not?

[SovietSpaceChild]

No. There aren't many synths that I would trade the Andromeda for, and the ones I would trade it for cost far more on the used market than the A6 can fetch.

[spunkadellic]

trade the wifee for the obxa -

2 synths at a time ha!

she must not take your music seriously

[murphythecat87]

buy racks then!

[kpatz]

Originally Posted by spunkadellic

trade the wifee for the obxa -

2 synths at a time ha!

she must not take your music seriously

Actually I have 4 synths (6-7 including softsynths) but 2 are racks.

I have a 2-tier stand/workstation which fits 2 keyboards nicely, but there's no place for a 3rd short of hanging it from the ceiling.

Unfortunately most of the synths I tend to GAS over don't come in rack or tabletop models. I'd be all over a Andromeda rackmount, for example.

The space limitation is why I picked a Motif XS and an Andromeda for the 2 keyboards. They cover a HUGE sound palette that would otherwise require 4, 5, or more synths to cover.

[OurDarkness]

No, I wouldn't.
tutt

[Demokid]

I had an OB-Xa in 1998. It sounded really good but was limited. I sold it because it was a bit unstable. I was never able to calibrate voice 7. I missed the Obie sound so much I bought an OB8.
Then I bought the Andromeda and after two years I sold the OB8. I can make all the sounds I could do on my OB8.

I would keep the Andromeda.

Regards
Demokid

[idiotboy]

Nope

[Malkit]

Buy the OB-Xa, keep the A6, sell the XS. Replace it with a rackmount or more software.

Fiscally, that makes the most sense. Like selling a 2003 Camry and keeping the 1964 Continental.

If the wife gives you heat for the additional rackmount, be a man and do what I do: buy the "hexxed" module and store it in an unsuspecting corner. Throw a blanket and some old books and magazines over it.

When you want to use it and you're at your desk, rest the module on your thighs and cover the whole affair with the blanket again. Just make sure that you pull it up when you hear footsteps- don't get caught fiddling those knobs.



Down the road, you may want to cut some small windows into the blanket for ventilation purposes. (to preserve the life of your rackmount module)

I'm sure somebody's done an installation like this and has pictures on the web.

Anyone?


- Malkit

[terrytee]

Originally Posted by spunkadellic

trade the wifee for the obxa -

2 synths at a time ha!

she must not take your music seriously

Best answer yet thumbsup

[golden beers]

Originally Posted by Malkit

when you hear footsteps- don't get caught fiddling those knobs.

man it's so friggin awful when my wife catches me fiddling with my knob. talk about frosty! brrrrr!

[kpatz]

Originally Posted by Malkit

If the wife gives you heat for the additional rackmount, be a man and do what I do: buy the "hexxed" module and store it in an unsuspecting corner. Throw a blanket and some old books and magazines over it...

She's not THAT bad... and I love her to pieces. If I start bragging about her you guys will start saying "Get a room!" A rackmount could slide under the radar so long as it fits in my existing rack. It's those big, bulky honkin' keyboard synths that I don't have the space for.

My XS is the hub of my setup. It gives me my bread 'n butter sounds, and it also has the firewire card in it so it acts as my audio and MIDI interface to my laptop. Not to mention the nicest-feeling keybed I've ever played. There may be nostalgic reasons to trade the 2003 Camry for a 1964 Continental, but the Camry has airbags, shoulder belts, reclining seats, power windows, and an iPod interface while the Continental has an AM radio.

I just figured, an analog poly for an analog poly would make the most sense trade-wise. But, if the consensus is that keeping the Andy is the smart way to go, I'll stick with that. I just came across the OB on another forum selling for $1850 complete with hard case and MIDI kit, which seems like a bargain to me.

[Malkit]

Originally Posted by kpatz

I just figured, an analog poly for an analog poly would make the most sense trade-wise. But, if the consensus is that keeping the Andy is the smart way to go, I'll stick with that. I just came across the OB on another forum selling for $1850 complete with hard case and MIDI kit, which seems like a bargain to me.

KPatz-

Joking aside, you should seriously consider the OB-Xa if you like that sound. It will be worlds simpler than the A6, but if you like it's sound- fiscally, you'd be hard-pressed to do better. There's a bit of a scare about A6s right now, and their prices are getting pushed a little higher on the used market. This may or may not drop down and be in your favor. An OB-Xa in great condition with case and MIDI is definitely worth more than 2000 pesos, let alone 1850. You could either hide the A6 under your bed or sell it and wish for the best. I personally would never sell mine, but that's my taste.

Keep the Camry, mate. You've made a good enough defense. Personally, though, I feel airbags tend to make cars feel more sterile and cold. The AM radio definitely adds vintage character and warmth- and has white noise modulation capabilities.

[operaman]

Keep your Andromeda. It is a stable analogue.

[kpatz]

Well, to continue the synths-as-cars analogy, let's just say I only have a 2-car garage, so if I get a 3rd car, I would have to sell one of the 2 I have now. Unless I buy it to fix up and resell, which I've been known to do in the past.

I suppose I could buy the OB-Xa, fix it up, clean it up, play with it a bit and then sell it. Or if I go completely loopy gaga over its sound, sell the Andy instead.

(At least I'm not asking about trading my Andy for a Voyager Old School, like in my last thread....)

Now, if it was an OB-X, that would be a different tune, right?

[kraku]

My vote doesn't count, because I've never owned or even touched either one of those synths, but:

I've heard sound examples of both and A6 is the only synth in the whole world and it's history that has made me go "Holy F'n s**t!" when I heard sound examples of it.

So I would say I'd keep my A6 if I had one.

Then again, every synth tweaker creates very different sounds with each synth. So if some random guy has created awesome sounds on A6, it doesn't mean that it suits me at all. Maybe OB-Xa works much better with my music... who knows...

So, as I said: ignore this.

[shaft9000]

I have both - very different boards but there is some overlap - maybe 15% at best. The A6 at times can approach the 'big OB' sound but the oscillators are very different, and you can spend quite some time getting there on the A6 - which for high-res OB-Xa sounds is never quite "there" on A6! Intensity and character of the A6 filter is not as...crystalline... as on OB-Xa.
The resonance on OB-Xa filter cuts and punches like no other. So if you're in love with the OB-Xa resonant filter sweep (VH's '1984' the most obvious example) it's important to understand the A6 isn't going do it to nearly the degree. Yeah, it sounds a bit 'like' it, but not nearly enough imho.
So the 'stonking angry' attitude the OB-Xa has is not so forceful on the A6.

clusterchord said something like this in another thread: You don't buy an OB-Xa for this feature or that - it's all about having THAT sound and no other can quite dupe it, just like CS-80 or Memorymoog is unique in their own way.
I have to agree wholeheartedly. Why put up with that old beast for anything BUT the sound? It's too damned big, unreliable, limited and a pain in the ass to gig. But imho the sound is more than worth all the trouble...

[NWSooner]

Originally Posted by kpatz

I have a 2-tier stand/workstation which fits 2 keyboards nicely, but there's no place for a 3rd short of hanging it from the ceiling.

Sounds like it's time for a 3-tier stand.

I recently replaced my 2-tier Ultimate stand with a 3-tier Jaspers which actually takes up less floorspace and is sturdier.

[gilwe]

My personal taste doesn't favor the sound character of the A6, at least based on the demos I've heard. On the other hand, I's very much like to get an OB8 over an OBXa.

I found the A6 quite boring actually. Soundwise.

[Dubai]

YES.

[whinylittlerunt]

I like both and use both, and I would say if you already have an A6 and like it, you should keep it. I personally love the Oberheim sound (I own an OB-8 and use an OB-Xa in the studio) and while the A6 is totally awesome and capable of doing pretty much everything, there's something sterile about it soundwise IMO. Unless you're really after that specific sound with all the specific nuances and whatever, you can probably get pretty close with the A6 anyway.

[alexp]

Originally Posted by golden beers

man it's so friggin awful when my wife catches me fiddling with my knob. talk about frosty! brrrrr!

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!


alexP

[analogaddict]

I used to have an OB-Xa, traded it for a MKS-80 with programmer (because of space issues) and traded that (+ a little cash!) for an Andy. Which I later traded for an Xpander. And now, I'm gassing a bit for an OB-Xa... If I were to choose between an Andy and an OB right now, I'd go for the Oberheim. But then again I have a bunch of other synths, and I really like the OB-Xa sound.

[W-W-Int]

is this even a question?

[kilon]

have more passionate sex with your wife and she wont mind , one more synth.

But only insane or desperate people sell andromeda. There was a psychology survery recently which named this condition as "andromendism" where andromeda makes the user feels so lesser with its incredible power and imense complexity , that for avoiding depression they sell it. Sadly the same survey concludes that the same people either go insane or commit suicied as soon they realise how addicted they were to the "andromeda" miracle.

Dont risk your life

keep the andromeda.

[Mike6581]

Depends what you want really. The OB-Xa is limited in terms of what it can do but what it can do it does really well and it's probably the polysynth I'd like to own most that I don't have at the moment - though I'd quite like an Andromeda as well. I've heard an OB-Xa in the flesh, which is something I haven't had the luxury of doing with an Andromeda but what I love about the OB-Xa is the moody Curtis pads it can make, they're fantastic and the unison brassy-stabs it can do are just unbelievable - particularly through a PA system. Good grief, it's like being beaten up with sound when you hear it.

It's hard to say really, I don't think you could get rid of the Andromeda and be completely happy with your OB-Xa as it won't do everything you need. Only soloution is to keep the Andromeda and get the OB-Xa. The wife will speak to you again eventually. Just buy her something nice for Valentine's Day or take her on a weekend break (and don't tell her how much OB-Xa's cost).

[OurDarkness]

Originally Posted by kilon

...where andromeda makes the user feels so lesser with its incredible power and imense complexity , that for avoiding depression they sell it...

Exactly.

[analogholic]

OB-Xa is SOUND, attitude and big time charachter, Andromeda on the other hand is versatile like nothing else but as other said a bit sterile IMO

Get a Motif XS rack to make place for the OB-Xa
I LOOOOVE mine

[cosmic.synth]

Originally Posted by analogholic

Andromeda on the other hand is versatile like nothing else but as other said a bit sterile IMO

If it sounds sterile, it is not versatile.

[ohmicide]

Originally Posted by spunkadellic

trade the wifee for the obxa -

2 synths at a time ha!

she must not take your music seriously

win