OB-XA Factory Patches, anyone?

[John Clinton]

I am looking for the 120 factory patches to load into an OB-XA. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I suppose another option would be to simply create another 88 patches and save them, then record them on the tape dump, and then I would at least have 120.

Does anyone know of a download with the 120 patches? My tech says the 32 patch versions are available but not the 120 versions..

Thanks very much for responding. I believe a synth should maximize its potential, unlike most human brains, which apparently only utilize 95% of their capacity!




     

[Bill Sautter]

I have a .WAV file with the OB-Xa Model 120 presents, which I will
email you separately. Supposedly, one should be able to play the .WAV
file on a PC through the "Audio OUT" attached to the "Cassette IN" of
the OB-Xa; however, I was never able to get it to work with my OB-Xa,
which I eventually sold.
- Bill

At 08:55 AM 07/11/2008, you wrote:

>I am looking for the 120 factory patches to load into an OB-XA. Any
>help would be greatly appreciated. I suppose another option would be
>to simply create another 88 patches and save them, then record them
>on the tape dump, and then I would at least have 120.
>
>Does anyone know of a download with the 120 patches? My tech says
>the 32 patch versions are available but not the 120 versions..
>
>Thanks very much for responding. I believe a synth should maximize
>its potential, unlike most human brains, which apparently only
>utilize 95% of their capacity!
>

Regards,
Bill
Bill Sautter
E-Mail: sautter@...

[John Clinton]

I'm still on the lookout for a working soundfile of the OB-Xa 120 factory sound patches. Special thanks go out to Bill Sautter, for sending me a set of 120 patches, unfortunately there's a small gap in the recording and it probably won't load..

Anyone else out there have one they would care to save on a free file hosting service, that I could download? Thanks very much!

The OB-Xa thanks you as well!!



     

[Bill Sautter]

...and the gap probably explains why I was never able to get it to
load when I had the OB-Xa/120.

I found the Model 120 preset .WAV file somewhere on the Web, probably
by Googling "OB-Xa Model 120 factory presets" or something
(duh!).  Here's a Web-link I had in my files (I didn't check if it
might have or link to a site with the  presets):
http://www.i2.i-2000.com/~jeffrey/OBXA.htm

- Bill


At 09:21 PM 07/16/2008, you wrote:
>I'm still on the lookout for a working soundfile of the OB-Xa 120
>factory sound patches. Special thanks go out to Bill Sautter, for
>sending me a set of 120 patches, unfortunately there's a small gap
>in the recording and it probably won't load..
>
>Anyone else out there have one they would care to save on a free
>file hosting service, that I could download? Thanks very much!
>
>The OB-Xa thanks you as well!!

Regards,
Bill
Bill Sautter
E-Mail: sautter@...

[Larry Schurr]

There is something rattling around in my empty head about this.

Early '90 or so... back when CD-r was really expensive. A guy had made
his OB system tape into a CD so naturally, it would "last forever",
right?

It wouldn't work from CD.  Or so he said.  But when he transferred it to
cassette, it would work.  Personally, I don't see the diff. But so went
the claim.  Lotta wild claims -- especially in those days.

Dunno.  Might be worth a try all the same.

Larry2

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bill Sautter [mailto:sautter@...]
> Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 10:33 AM
> To: analogue@...
> Subject: Re: [AH] OB-XA Factory Patches, anyone?
>
> ...and the gap probably explains why I was never able to get
> it to load when I had the OB-Xa/120.
>
> I found the Model 120 preset .WAV file somewhere on the Web,
> probably by Googling "OB-Xa Model 120 factory presets" or
> something (duh!).  Here's a Web-link I had in my files (I
> didn't check if it might have or link to a site with the  presets):
> http://www.i2.i-2000.com/~jeffrey/OBXA.htm
>
> - Bill
>
>
> At 09:21 PM 07/16/2008, you wrote:
> >I'm still on the lookout for a working soundfile of the OB-Xa 120
> >factory sound patches. Special thanks go out to Bill Sautter, for
> >sending me a set of 120 patches, unfortunately there's a
> small gap in
> >the recording and it probably won't load..
> >
> >Anyone else out there have one they would care to save on a
> free file
> >hosting service, that I could download? Thanks very much!
> >
> >The OB-Xa thanks you as well!!
>
> Regards,
> Bill
> Bill Sautter
> E-Mail: sautter@...
>

This document may contain unclassified technical data whose export, transfer and/or disclosure is restricted by United States law.  Dissemination to non-US persons, whether in the United States or abroad may require an export license or other authorization.
 
The information contained herein, including any attached documents or files, is confidential, may be legally privileged and is solely for the intended recipient(s).  If you received this information in error, please destroy it and notify us immediately by reply e-mail, letter, fax or phone.  Any unauthorized use, dissemination, disclosure, copying or printing is strictly prohibited.

[James Husted]

Here is a article about the recent recovery of the original Apple  
Basic language Cassette from a MP3 file copy. All those old Cassette  
data files were audio after all. That CD should have worked if played  
as audio into the cassette data port on the OB and NOT used as data  
directly.

<http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/07/15/blast-from-the- 
past-get-the-4096-byte-apple-i-basic-via-mp3>

-James


On Jul 17, 2008, at 8:50 AM, Larry Schurr wrote:

> There is something rattling around in my empty head about this.
>
> Early '90 or so... back when CD-r was really expensive. A guy had made
> his OB system tape into a CD so naturally, it would "last forever",
> right?
>
> It wouldn't work from CD.  Or so he said.  But when he transferred  
> it to
> cassette, it would work.  Personally, I don't see the diff. But so  
> went
> the claim.  Lotta wild claims -- especially in those days.
>
> Dunno.  Might be worth a try all the same.
>
> Larry2
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Bill Sautter [mailto:sautter@...]
>> Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 10:33 AM
>> To: analogue@...
>> Subject: Re: [AH] OB-XA Factory Patches, anyone?
>>
>> ...and the gap probably explains why I was never able to get
>> it to load when I had the OB-Xa/120.
>>
>> I found the Model 120 preset .WAV file somewhere on the Web,
>> probably by Googling "OB-Xa Model 120 factory presets" or
>> something (duh!).  Here's a Web-link I had in my files (I
>> didn't check if it might have or link to a site with the  presets):
>> http://www.i2.i-2000.com/~jeffrey/OBXA.htm
>>
>> - Bill
>>
>>
>> At 09:21 PM 07/16/2008, you wrote:
>>> I'm still on the lookout for a working soundfile of the OB-Xa 120
>>> factory sound patches. Special thanks go out to Bill Sautter, for
>>> sending me a set of 120 patches, unfortunately there's a
>> small gap in
>>> the recording and it probably won't load..
>>>
>>> Anyone else out there have one they would care to save on a
>> free file
>>> hosting service, that I could download? Thanks very much!
>>>
>>> The OB-Xa thanks you as well!!
>>
>> Regards,
>> Bill
>> Bill Sautter
>> E-Mail: sautter@...
>>
> This document may contain unclassified technical data whose export,  
> transfer and/or disclosure is restricted by United States law.  
> Dissemination to non-US persons, whether in the United States or  
> abroad may require an export license or other authorization.
>
> The information contained herein, including any attached documents  
> or files, is confidential, may be legally privileged and is solely  
> for the intended recipient(s).  If you received this information in  
> error, please destroy it and notify us immediately by reply e-mail,  
> letter, fax or phone.  Any unauthorized use, dissemination,  
> disclosure, copying or printing is strictly prohibited.
>

[Paul Perry]

I don't have experience with the OB-XA case, but these kinds of tape backup
things are very sensitive to the level of the signal fed back into the unit.

So I am sure that when people find that one audio source seems to work and
another doesn't, it's a matter of level. No way to check for optimum level
except by trial & error unfortunately, unless you are watching the relevant
points in the circuit with a scope..

paul perry Melbourne Australia

[ndkent]

>

> There is something rattling around in my empty head about this.
>
> Early '90 or so... back when CD-r was really expensive. A guy had made
> his OB system tape into a CD so naturally, it would "last forever",
> right?
>
> It wouldn't work from CD.  Or so he said.  But when he transferred
> it to
> cassette, it would work.  Personally, I don't see the diff. But so
> went
> the claim.  Lotta wild claims -- especially in those days.
>
> Dunno.  Might be worth a try all the same.
>
> Larry2
>

I think the explanation is incredibly simple. The CD player might  
have had one fixed line out level and not the level the OB liked. Or  
maybe it had a level control and no one adjusted it until it was right.

Basically there is a zone of  min and max audio level that will work.  
If you give it under the minimum signal strength the device it will  
ignore the data and stay in waiting for data mode until you cancel  
and try again.

If you get an error right away it generally means you have a signal  
that's too loud. If it errors midway after receiving some good data  
then unfortunately the most likely culprit  is the data is damaged.  
One small hope is in theory you might just be at the edge of too loud  
or soft and it failed, but most likely too loud means an immediate  
error, too low level means the device ignores the data.

nick

[Tim Parkhurst]

On Fri, Jul 11, 2008 at 6:03 AM, John Clinton <modorange322@...>
wrote:

> I am looking for the 120 factory patches to load into an OB-XA. Any help
> would be greatly appreciated. I suppose another option would be to simply
> create another 88 patches and save them, then record them on the tape dump,
> and then I would at least have 120.
>
> Does anyone know of a download with the 120 patches? My tech says the 32
> patch versions are available but not the 120 versions..
>
> Thanks very much for responding. I believe a synth should maximize its
> potential, unlike most human brains, which apparently only utilize 95% of
> their capacity!
>

I seem to recall another post in the recent past where somone had a similar
problem (audio file of patches would load from cassette, but not CD or other
source). Turns out that the PHASE was important, and inverting the audio
signal (along with getting the level right) was the solution. It's worth a
shot.

Tim (now all I need is an OB-XA to test my theory...) Servo
--
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein

[Oakley Sound-2]

My usual way and normally its successful is to use the wav or mp3 file
played back on my PC. This connects to an input channel on the mixing
desk which in turn is routed to one of the group outputs which feeds the
synth. You could also use an aux output. The key thing is that you have
control of level over a massive range AND you also have control over the EQ.

I typically have success with high levels of signal output with a
general wide bell shaped EQ centred on 600Hz or so, ie. telephone voice
sort of sound.

My only other comment would be - the OB-Xa is one of the easiest synths
to program. Good sounds pour forth from its simple yet powerful
interface. The factory presets are simply one bloke's idea of what might
be useful to a wide range of the synth buying public at the time. Apart
from the historical aspect of having the factory sounds, I would go
program some awesomeness yourself. :-)

Tony

www.oakleysound.com

[John Clinton]

Still, ANYONE with a good soundfile of the OB-Xa patches? The soundfile I recieved had a dropout at around 10 seconds mark, and as I understand it you have to have a constant carrier wave in order to successfully transmit the files, along with perhaps the aforementioned steady correct amplitude (volume) level and the correct phasing.. So if you have a cassette file with the 120 patches that you know works, I would really, really appreciate it! It would be easy (if it isn't already converted digitally) to put the sounds onto your computer and then put them on a free file hosting service.

From the sounds of it there may be others out there who could use this.

I know this is the easy way out, but the factory programs would be useful to have as a general benchmark backup, whereas I could spend some time programming all the empty patch spaces with my own custom patches--and I certainly plan on doing just that--but they would be non-factory.. Certainly of value but not on a common level to all the OB-Xas out there.

Thanks! Best regards, John C.

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." --Emerson

On Fri, Jul 11, 2008 at 6:03 AM, John Clinton <modorange322@...>
wrote:

> I am looking for the 120 factory patches to load into an OB-XA. Any help
> would be greatly appreciated. I suppose another option would be to simply
> create another 88 patches and save them, then record them on the tape dump,
> and then I would at least have 120.
>
> Does anyone know of a download with the 120 patches? My tech says the 32
> patch versions are available but not the 120 versions..
>
> Thanks very much for responding. I believe a synth should maximize its
> potential, unlike most human brains, which apparently only utilize 95% of
> their capacity!
>

I seem to recall another post in the recent past where somone had a similar
problem (audio file of patches would load from cassette, but not CD or other
source). Turns out that the PHASE was important, and inverting the audio
signal (along with getting the level right) was the solution. It's worth a
shot.

Tim (now all I need is an OB-XA to test my theory...) Servo
--
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein


     

[Seth Elgart-2]

While picking my daughter up from school/camp the other day I was
wearing my "presets are for the weak" Voyager shirt, and one of her
friends turned out to be a young synth fan. He's around 14 or 15 and
has some soft synths but doesn't really understand what's going on.
What I'm looking for for him is the Thom Rhea book that came with the
1970s and '80s Minimoogs. However, the ones I'm finding on Google are
not what I remember.

The ones I've come up with are somewhat dry operation manuals (i.e.,
turn this knob, flip that switch) while what I remember is a book
that was filled with drawings of waves, envelopes, filter slopes,
etc. that was an interesting read and made that crazy box of knobs
and switches make sense to me. It gave me my start with synthesizers.
I can't find it, though.

Does anyone remember this book and know where there's a PDF of it? I
feel a responsibility to future generations of synth geeks to spread
the word.

Thanks,

         Seth

[Michael Kuszynski]

great idea. the little phatty manual does this.

On 7/21/08, Seth Elgart <seth@...> wrote:

> While picking my daughter up from school/camp the other day I was
> wearing my "presets are for the weak" Voyager shirt, and one of her
> friends turned out to be a young synth fan. He's around 14 or 15 and
> has some soft synths but doesn't really understand what's going on.
> What I'm looking for for him is the Thom Rhea book that came with the
> 1970s and '80s Minimoogs. However, the ones I'm finding on Google are
> not what I remember.
>
> The ones I've come up with are somewhat dry operation manuals (i.e.,
> turn this knob, flip that switch) while what I remember is a book
> that was filled with drawings of waves, envelopes, filter slopes,
> etc. that was an interesting read and made that crazy box of knobs
> and switches make sense to me. It gave me my start with synthesizers.
> I can't find it, though.
>
> Does anyone remember this book and know where there's a PDF of it? I
> feel a responsibility to future generations of synth geeks to spread
> the word.
>
> Thanks,
>
>          Seth
>

--
---
Michael Kuszynski
kuszynski@...
info@...
http://www.planerecordings.com
New York, NY

[Oakley Sound-2]

 > what I remember is a book that was filled with drawings of waves,
envelopes, filter slopes, etc. that was an interesting read and made
that crazy box of knobs and switches make sense to me.

You're not thinking of the ARP2600's User Manual? This has a lot of hand
drawn thingies all over it. Quite a good read in fact. Its on the net
somewhere.

I think there was educational one for the Oberheim TVS-1 that was quite
a nice introduction to synths too.

Tony