Behringer Launches The UB-Xa

US The long-awaited analog 16-voice multi-timbral polyphonic synthesizer is almost with us 22/11/23

Behringer tells us that the long wait is over - the UB-Xa, the company's re-imagination of the Oberheim OB-Xa, is ready to be unleashed.

A spokesperson said, "After 6 years of intense development, what started as a labor of love morphed into a development of the most complex and versatile platform to serve not only the UB-Xa but all our polyphonic synthesizers we have planned."

Here's more details direct from Behringer...

UB-Xa
Embrace the legacy and make your mark on history with the UB-Xa from Behringer. More than just a recreation of a classic synthesizer, we've made sure that the UB-Xa has all the bells, whistles and characteristics that came with the original, but it's also filled to the brim with modern features such as velocity and after-touch, 512 user program memories and comprehensive MIDI implementation. This makes for a well-rounded synth that'll make friends with anything in your setup.

Faithful Recreation and More
To recreate its iconic growl and sizzle, we dove deep into the inner workings of the original OB-Xa and brought them into the 21st century including all its original factory patches that made the 80s roar. Thanks to its VCOs and VCFs heavily based on the original 3340 and 3320 chip designs, 16 voices and the ability to split its keyboard so you can layer 2 different sounds, the UB-Xa is capable of conjuring up massive sounding riffs.

An Icon for the Icons
The UB-Xa is a synth like no other that stands on the shoulders of giants! Its legacy is what gave birth to the 80s most iconic hits from the world's most famous artists! From Rush's Geddy Lee, The Police, Prince to Van Halen, and even the iconic Terminator theme composed by Brad Fiedel, the UB-Xa's lineage is filled only with the greats and now you can make your own mark on history as well.

Play Your Way
The UB-Xa comes with 61 full-sized, semi-weighted keys with polyphonic aftertouch and velocity sensitivity which detect every nuance of your playing from soft, feather-like touches to an intense chordal bombardment. The 8-channel modulation matrix provides you with the extreme flexibility and expands what the UB-Xa can do sonically. The 26 rotary controls plus a myriad of other functions give you direct control over the UB-Xa's VCOs, LFOs, ADSR generators and VCAs to sculpt your sound in a nigh-on unlimited number of ways.

Total Recall
Finding that tone you've been looking for after an amazing hour (or four) of tweaking and noodling is one of the most rewarding things when playing a synth. Which is why we've included up to 512 user program memories that allow you to save any setting you can come up with. You can even assign them to any of the preset recall switches so you can change presets on the fly, in the middle of a jam.

An Amazing Value
Rediscover the magic and grab an incomparable classic recreation of the music industry that'll be right there with you when inspiration hits. Embrace the legacy and make history again with the Behringer UB-Xa.

Features:

    Analog polyphonic synthesizer and authentic reproduction of classic OB-Xa including original factory patches

    Vintage mode allows selection of 8 synthesizer signatures including OB-Xa, OB-8 and more

    16 voices with 2 VCOs per voice and oscillator sync mode

    Multi-timbral capability allows splitting or layering 2 different sounds

    VCOs and VCFs based on reproductions of original 3340 and 3320 semi conductor designs

    Both VCOs generate sawtooth, triangle or square waveforms with variable pulse width

    Selectable dual-slope 12/24 dB analog low-pass filter per voice with adjustable resonance

    61 semi-weighted full-size keys featuring poly after-touch and velocity sensitivity

    Flexible 8-channel modulation matrix for dramatic expansion of sonic possibilities

    Dual-layer arpeggiator and sequencer with real-time sequence transpose

    Velocity and after-touch can be optionally used for more expressive performance

    2 dedicated LFOs with 7 waveform shapes for modulation of pulse width, oscillator pitch and filter cutoff frequency

    2 ADSR generators per voice for control of VCF and VCA

    Stereo VCA per voice to allow control over voice/layer panning

    26 rotary controls give direct and real-time access to all important parameters

    High-quality LCD Display with encoder for rapid parameter editing

    Assignable preset recall switches for immediate program selection

    Spring-loaded pitch and assignable modulation paddles provide total hands-on performance

    512 user program memories with "compare and match" feature to quickly match all analog controls to stored program values

    Fully servo-balanced outputs for highest signal integrity

    CV/pedal inputs for connection to expression pedals and footswitches

    MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) to enable multidimensional controllers and multiple parameters per note

    Comprehensive MIDI implementation (including NRPN/CC control of all parameters and bulk load/save)