Oberheim obxa cards

[Skiroy]

I bought a Oberheim OBXA 4 voice before I know they came in different versions. Now I am dissapointed because it sounds nothing as lush as the one I heard online. So does anyone know where to get extra cards or how much they run?

[Sir Ruff]

Having more cards won't necessarily make it more "lush" - you'll just have more voices. (I guess if you only ever heard demos of people playing more than 4 note chords, maybe it would sound "lusher")

Anyways, ebay's probably the best place to watch for them. They are not real common but do occasionally pop up.

[Skiroy]

So the voices correspond to how many notes can be played at once? I am playing a triad and the bass note doubled like Cmin triad with 2 Cs in the base I need 5 voices? how does the voices apply when playing in unison mode?

Also what is the price you have seen them go for on ebay each?

[Zamise]

You got it, each voice card equals a note. Unison makes all the voices play for one note, all voices play at same time. Crack the case, I think the cards should have LEDs on them and you can watch how they rotate out each note to get a better idea how it works and see if you have more slots open so can even put more in it. They can go up to 8 cards right? If you get more though, be aware you might have some trouble keeping them all in tune with each other, or they might stay tuned just fine. I've got one card in my OBSX that wasn't working when I bought it and I repaired and sometimes it is easier to just turn that one off because it likes to not sound quite the same as the other ones.

[synthparts]

Make sure you have the upper tray for adding voices 5 thru 8. I've seen some 4-voice Xas wihout it. Where having 8 voices really makes the difference is when you are in Layer mode. You can layer 2 different patches and still have 4 note polyphony. I have some extra OB-Xa voice cards available.

[Skiroy]

Please email me at cravenskiroy@knology.net so we can contact each other. Also My battery is dead and I lost all programs. Does the replacement need to be a rechargeable? And do I need a Cassette interface or can I hook my PC directly to my keyboard via the cassette inputs on my keyboard to transfer patches by wavs?

How does that work and do you have the preset patches?

Can you tell me more about this layering? I am new to the OBXA. I am interested in patches like these?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byxQ6aQRGis

I am not sure if this requires layering or not but he said his is 8 voice.

And lastly how would I know if I have any bad ICs. I know there is a EEProm for diagnostic tests somewhere out there because its mentioned in the service manual. Would this tell me if I had a bad Hip somewhere? I am handy with a soldiering iron and multimeter and I want to fully service this thing.

[Sir Ruff]

I think you need to read the manual (readily available on the net) first.

[drawtippy]

Look through this thread for some more details! Including a pic of my OBX-a guts and what the 8 full trays look like.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=63615

[Skiroy]

Ionly have 4 cards,but 2 trays that take 4. My 4 are on top marked 5,6,7,8 which I am assuming are pan pots for each card. Does it mater if they are on top or bottom?

[Skiroy]

bump
So does it matter if the 4 are on top or bottom?

[synthparts]

A 4-voice is supposed to have 2 on the bottom tray and 2 on the top otherwise split and layer modes won't work.

[Skiroy]

A 4-voice is supposed to have 2 on the bottom tray and 2 on the top otherwise split and layer modes won't work.

What about for 6 cards?

[cornutt]

A 4-voice is supposed to have 2 on the bottom tray and 2 on the top otherwise split and layer modes won't work.

If some of the four-voices were sold without the top tray installed, how did split and layer work on those?

[synthparts]

The way split and layer works is 1 patch is loaded into the lower tray cards and the other patch is loaded into the upper tray. For 6 voices you would need 3 on the lower and 3 on the upper. For those that have asked the voice cards I have are $325ea.

[Skiroy]

1. Which slots have to be loaded first?

Look I have 2 trays and 4 cards. I tried 2 on top and 2 on bottom? It wont work and I have to know which dip switches to switch.

I dont care about split or layer. Will this thing work with all 4 on the bottom tray or the top tray?

The whole idea here is to make sure the keyboard is working properly before I invest another $500-$600 on cards.