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Why doesn’t 'Hold' work when I press it?
'Hold' traditionally works a bit differently on Oberheim products when compared to other manufacturers synthesizers. To use the function, hold down any number of keys, then press the HOLD button to latch the held notes. Notes will be held until the HOLD switch is pressed again (the LED will turn off). If fewer than 8 notes are latched, you can continue to play any remaining voices on the keyboard, while the held notes sustain indefinitely. Alternatively, you can press down the HOLD button and play notes on the keyboard to latch them. To learn more about all the different ways 'Hold' works on the OB-X8, check out Page 34 of the manual. -
Why doesn’t 'Chord' work when I press it?
Chord works in conjunction with the 'Hold' feature. To create a chord, latch the desired notes using the Hold button, then press 'Chord'. When set, the selected chord will transpose monophonically across the keyboard. The Page 2 parameter 'Chord Key Limit' limits the range of the keyboard that held chords can be played on. Any remaining voices can be played on the range of the keyboard that is outside the set Key Limit, alongside held chords. The range of the Hold/Chord feature can also be set by holding the chord switch and pressing a key on the keyboard. -
How does the arpeggiator work?
The arpeggiator on the OB-X8 is designed from the original OB-8 spec. To use the Arp, toggle the 'Mode' switch to 'Arp' to allow the mod box to control the arpeggiator. The rate knob will set the rate for the arpeggiator, independent of the mod rate.
The Arp mode's default settings are: arpeggiate - off, direction - up, play mode - kbd (keyboard only, meaning any held keys will arpeggiate if the arpeggiate switch is engaged, and arpeggiation will stop if the keys are released).
To start the arpeggiator, engage the “Arpeggiate” switch. To latch the arpeggiation, toggle on the lever box “Hold” switch, then hold down the notes to be arpeggiated and press the master 'Hold' switch. Available voices can then be played over latched arpeggiated voices. In this state, engaging the 'KBD' switch at the lever box will stop the arpeggiation and hold latched voices. To release the latched voices, toggle off the master 'Hold' switch. When both lever box 'Hold' and 'KBD' switches are engaged, pressing the master 'Hold' switch once will immediately latch the arpeggiation. Any additional notes played will be added to the arpeggiation. To learn more about the OB-X8's arpeggiator functions, check out pages 46-48 of the manual. -
Why does the mod lever work in one direction only?
The Oberheim Pitch and Mod levers are different from the pitch and mod wheels typically found on other synthesizers. The modulation amount is at 0 when the lever is in its resting position. The amount goes up when the lever is pulled towards you. -
When is calibration needed? What is the difference between full calibration and oscillator calibration (the 'Tune' button)?
The OB-X8 has two modes for calibrating the internal analog circuitry: pressing ‘Tune’ and running ‘Full Calibration’. Pressing the ‘Tune’ button on the front panel only calibrates the analog oscillators. This procedure is a quick way to bring the OB-X8 into tune, and it can be run anytime there is noticeable tuning instability. The ‘Full Calibration’ setting in the Global menu covers the oscillators, filters, & VCAs. Full calibration takes significantly longer and should only be run as needed. -
How can the factory programs be restored?
You can restore all OB-X8 factory sounds to their original state using the "Reset PRGM to Fact" command in the global menu. -
Why is the sustain pedal not working as expected?
The 'Sustain pedal mode' Global has two settings. Normal (Release) resets the Filter and Volume Envelope release stages to the value set in the Page 2 'Pedal Release Time' parameter when the sustain pedal is pressed. The 'Note On' setting will allow you to hold up to 8 voices for as long as the sustain pedal is held. -
Why are the pots not updating correctly?
In line with legacy Oberheim products, the OB-X8 potentiometers default to ‘relative’ mode. In Relative mode, changes are relative to the stored setting - the full value range is not available until either the minimum or maximum value and the respective lower or upper limit of the pot’s travel is reached. For example, the resonance parameter has an internal value range of 0 to 127. Let’s say the physical position of the resonance pot is equivalent to an internal value of 100. If you switch to a program that has a stored Resonance value of 63 and turn the pot all the way up, it will only go to 90. To get to the maximum value of 127, you first have to turn down until the value is at the other extreme and the pot is at the limit of its travel (in this case, 0 and fully counter-clockwise, respectively). -
Why don’t I hear LFO modulation changes when I update the parameters?
In Page 2, modulations can be set to have a delayed start with parameters Mod 1 or 2 delay time. Mod 1 or 2 envelope types allow the envelope to be inverted. With Mod 2 Env->LFO spd on, the Mod 2 Envelope modulates the envelope rate with the amount of modulation set with the LFO Depth 2 control. -
With double/split active and aftertouch to mod engaged, no modulation occurs with either oscillator set as the mod LFO destination.
When assigning mod settings in double/split mode, you must engage the 'Upper' or 'Lower' switches at the lever box. The 'Upper' or 'Lower' buttons independently assign the Mod
or Arp to the Lower or Upper sections when in Split or Double. -
Why are panel controls not working when page 2 is engaged?
The 'Page 2 Edit mode' Global parameter has two settings. If set to 'Panel + Display', certain front panel controls switch and control relevant Page 2 settings when the ‘Page 2’ button is illuminated. This functions as a quick way to dial in frequently used Page 2 parameters from the Front Panel, similar to the spec of the legacy Oberheim instruments. If you only want to access Page 2 parameters from the Page 2 menu, set 'Page 2 Edit Mode' to 'Display Only'.