Similar to my take. I was a backer on Kickstarter. I found it virtually impossible to start/stop loops when I intended to; this was before the app was available. Also, I found the synth engine started to sound pretty rough by the time I'd added even fairly basic parts with all four voices. I did enjoy routing it through my DAW to control my Behringer Model D. It's not quite what was promised yet, but it is fun. Lives in my backpack.
There's already been an update to the app, now you can set all 4 instruments on a different preset, and you can save that selection as a new preset... helps to quickly set all 4 instruments to the presets you want
You are very generous in this review - the comments below the video are quite telling though: this doesn't seem like a very useful product. Maybe if the companion app was *really* solid as a groovebox and allowed you to export tracks (both audio and midi) without live recording, it might have been a little more interesting. However, this feels more like a toy than a useful instrument. I'd much rather have a similarly sized, yet more traditional style midi controller. There should definitely be a market for a really tiny buttons+knobs based controller that is about the size of a snes game controller that worked as a Bluetooth midi device across Android, iOS and PC/Mac. Something strictly made to play some simple notes and adjust some parameters in a companion groovebox app, but without the bulk of the larger mini-midi controllers out there.
People: the Orba is only $100. Stop judging the Orba on the basis of synths that cost hundreds or thousands of Dollars. I see the Orba as something unique with a lot of future potential.
I think it's fair to judge it on the quality of it's current firmware, and software. Both of which I've had consistent difficulties with on iOS and Windows devices. Your point on the price is valid, but they've over-promised on what the device is capable of doing - and haven't shown a lot of forward momentum on fixing existing issues. Instead focusing development time, and effort on a, 'new song mode' that from what I can tell... only saves presets? Is it worth 100 bucks, probably, but I think they should be more honest about its current capabilities in their marketing.
I think it would be great for a kid to get them into synths and laying down beats. You don't want to spend 400 dollars on a groovebox for a ten year old kid. Lol. This seems like it would be good to spark their imagination and getting them to make basic music. Hell, I'm 50 and I think it looks fun.
For the price, it is indeed great! I probably would not want it as the one and only music instrument available to me, but it definitely can serve nicely as a complementary tool in a project. Particularly the midi track export is a nice feature, which most other music instruments in this price range lack.
@@bronson1392 Infants?!? There are far better and cheaper alternatives for the infants to shove into their mouths. Although this device may look somewhat like a toy, it is certainly not a toy. It is a sophisticated MIDI controller with looping capabilities.
I've been curious about this one for a while. I had their previous product the Instrument 1. It was definitely interesting but ultimately felt a bit of a novelty (admittedly an expensive one) and I sold it. Still though they remind me of Polyend and Teenage Engineering in that they seem to coming up with some innovative products. Thats never a bad thing.
I have the Orba, and the big downer for me is that the scales are tied to the preset, you can't e.g. choose some sound preset and then assign the pads to be a minor scale for instance. That plus the fact you cannot make your own sound presets is really what tempts me to re-sell it.
@Limestrael - thanks for pointing this out, I was wondering if you could set your own scales. So this is basically an electronic kalimba with midi capabilities. I guess it's worth $100 since pro-quality acoustic kalimbas go for $50 and up.
I have one and love it; it’s an awesome midi controller and fun way to create a groove. I can’t see using the built-in sounds for any real tracks, but they’re fine for loop creation prior to midi export. Yes, the software has been somewhat hit or miss, but they are fixing the bugs and adding useful features. For $99, it’s a great buy as an mpe midi controller; everything else is just icing on the cake.
Thank you for this review. I wish I had watched it before buying the Orba last weekend. I had major issues with mine. Wouldn't stop or start loops. Also wouldn't delete old loops. Buttons got jammed. Had to reinstall the firmware on my desktop which seemed to solve the issue. I think it's a cool product that could have been a home run. The keys are really sensitive and I'm not a big fan of the sounds. More cumbersome than I wanted it to be. Just not for me.
Great no frills review, gonna give it some time before I pick one up. I think it's a pretty good deal @ ~99 but want to hold out for the gen 2 based on "field research" of early buyers (if that is in the works). Kinda want one to replace smoke breaks
Glad you dug the review. It does look like they're pretty committed to the current unit, they released an update pretty recently. The hardware is pretty much 100% there, it's just the firmware/software that could use a bit more work.
I'll never understand why products like this release before they're finished. This is a small company whose future is likely riding on the success of this product. Why gamble your reputation by releasing something with a laundry list of "maybe in a future update" caveats? What's the rush?
I just bought a used Orba. It seems so promising in the videos. I'm trying to get the hang of it, and see if anything is glitching or broken. 🤞 So far I'm getting a lot of crosstalk glitching on the pads, which makes it hard to understand if I'm changing modes properly. I just want to switch to bass and lead, but instead it records layer upon layer of 4-track chaos.
Its almost like $5 phone app. Almost like microscopic Hang Drum too :) though if similar thing had a real honest mpe, pressure sensitive and poly-aftertouch pads it would be awesome!
Gabe, thanks for a great and informative video, as always. Have you seen the Orba 2? I stumbled upon your video while looking for a video on the Orba 2. I'm not 100% BUT I think the new one does let you use your own sounds. Can you confirm this?
Really digging your channel man keep it up, mine came today also got a 1010 Black Box so maybe I can link them together the black box is a little different but I'm really digging it
Gabe (it almost has a mind of its own) Me (THE ROBOTS ARE TAKING OVER!!) Wow! Joke's aside this was a good review. Also i'm wondering if it would be good for people who are starting out?
I've had mine since Christmas. Buggy software, and really awful support has made it more of a chore to use than a joy. It can be impressive, but you don't have to spend long on their forums to see that there are quite a few people who are struggling to get any sort of consistent control over this little guy. The latest firmware updates, sadly, have been amongst the worst.
I bought one of these. Disappointed with it overall. It's a toy I can do without. I just didn't find it useful for myself. I might add, that I don't use a laptop or PC for recording so the midi is of no use to me.
Why didn't you demonstrate the stand alone function with built in speaker? Can you connect it to a bluetooth speaker? Can you create & save a multi-layer loop stand alone then start/stop? I would like to stream a base loop through a Hyvibe guitar via bluetooth, and play over top of it.
I had Artiphon Instrument-1 before, attempted to play as violin, but failed. This Orba looks interesting, in the LEAD, can i play more than 7 notes? like if my melody has 2 octaves, is there a shift key so I can play melody out of 7 buttons?
The center A button is a shift key. By holding the A button and swiping left or right from the 8 key ("Octave") you can shift the octave of the keys down or up. So, hold the A key, press the 8 key and immediately swipe across the 1 key, you have jumped up an octave. It works pretty well.
It connects via Bluetooth, but I’ve been having real problems with it. Can’t seem to get it to Record anything, and all the lads don’t work on every instrument, drum or synth. Seems buggy and kinda useless actually. I was hoping and expecting more from this as a midi controller, but have yet to decipher its potential. Or basic usability for that matter. Kinda a FAIL
That’s one thing the Orba 2 will do: you can mix on the fly, setting any of the 4 modes at its own level right on the device. It helps when some Presets are quieter or louder than other sets or instruments.
thats cool, i hate the orba.. that company is the worst. glad i stopped trying to use that thing. the SP-404mkii combined with a yamaha reface is just loads better.. a bit bigger setup but damn, screw the orba lol
Recently got this as a present and so disappointed! Can't customise the sounds? I'm out. The TE PO-33 destroys this thing in almost every respect. Load your own samples, have 16 different grooves, plus phat FX. I will be returning my Orba. Sorry Artiphon! Nice try.
People, it’s up to you if you want to spend a $100 or so (even if it’s on sale) on this thing, ok. But you are wasting money. It is a very gimmicky time waster toy. For this money you can buy some decent quality real musical instrument and the money you spend playing it will be much better spent just like money better spent. This toy sounds stupid and is generally pointless. It’s not enough to make your own music. It is nowhere as good as any usb music keyboard you could get and actually learn established respected piano chords. It also probably costs them about $10 to build or less. Just don’t let people who make this crap get your money. Let them work harder.
Way too missing items. No audio export no quantization and no import samples. It's kind of crippled sadly. It's an awesome idea that was stopped at 60%
Yeah, the ROLI Lightpad Block usually goes for around $200, so $100 for a device that can do this much is a steal. It's just unfinished in terms of the software.
I recently reviewed the Orba 2, for those of you curious:
th-cam.com/video/4ga5Sf-3Fw0/w-d-xo.html
Just found one at Goodwill for $16 I'm pretty stoked
They need to update it where we can load our own samples in
I am a beginner. I love the orba.the pads are so expressive. I hook it to ableton and change the sounds out and the tilt modulation becomes magical.
I've been looking at this for a while. Excited that you're doing a review!
Similar to my take. I was a backer on Kickstarter. I found it virtually impossible to start/stop loops when I intended to; this was before the app was available. Also, I found the synth engine started to sound pretty rough by the time I'd added even fairly basic parts with all four voices. I did enjoy routing it through my DAW to control my Behringer Model D. It's not quite what was promised yet, but it is fun. Lives in my backpack.
There's already been an update to the app, now you can set all 4 instruments on a different preset, and you can save that selection as a new preset... helps to quickly set all 4 instruments to the presets you want
You are very generous in this review - the comments below the video are quite telling though: this doesn't seem like a very useful product. Maybe if the companion app was *really* solid as a groovebox and allowed you to export tracks (both audio and midi) without live recording, it might have been a little more interesting. However, this feels more like a toy than a useful instrument. I'd much rather have a similarly sized, yet more traditional style midi controller. There should definitely be a market for a really tiny buttons+knobs based controller that is about the size of a snes game controller that worked as a Bluetooth midi device across Android, iOS and PC/Mac. Something strictly made to play some simple notes and adjust some parameters in a companion groovebox app, but without the bulk of the larger mini-midi controllers out there.
Awesome overview, your video finally pushed me over the edge into buying one (got it as an early birthday present for myself) and I love it!
People: the Orba is only $100. Stop judging the Orba on the basis of synths that cost hundreds or thousands of Dollars. I see the Orba as something unique with a lot of future potential.
I think it's fair to judge it on the quality of it's current firmware, and software. Both of which I've had consistent difficulties with on iOS and Windows devices. Your point on the price is valid, but they've over-promised on what the device is capable of doing - and haven't shown a lot of forward momentum on fixing existing issues. Instead focusing development time, and effort on a, 'new song mode' that from what I can tell... only saves presets?
Is it worth 100 bucks, probably, but I think they should be more honest about its current capabilities in their marketing.
I think it would be great for a kid to get them into synths and laying down beats. You don't want to spend 400 dollars on a groovebox for a ten year old kid. Lol. This seems like it would be good to spark their imagination and getting them to make basic music. Hell, I'm 50 and I think it looks fun.
For the price, it is indeed great! I probably would not want it as the one and only music instrument available to me, but it definitely can serve nicely as a complementary tool in a project. Particularly the midi track export is a nice feature, which most other music instruments in this price range lack.
Great for infants kids to get into music…should have them in all junior schools.
@@bronson1392 Infants?!? There are far better and cheaper alternatives for the infants to shove into their mouths. Although this device may look somewhat like a toy, it is certainly not a toy. It is a sophisticated MIDI controller with looping capabilities.
I'm getting mine on Christmas and I can't wait.
I've been curious about this one for a while. I had their previous product the Instrument 1. It was definitely interesting but ultimately felt a bit of a novelty (admittedly an expensive one) and I sold it. Still though they remind me of Polyend and Teenage Engineering in that they seem to coming up with some innovative products. Thats never a bad thing.
Damn. Without being able to upload my own sounds, a basic feature, that’s the dealbreaker. I was so close to buying.
Really glad I watched this to learn more on how it works! Are you going to make an update video anytime soon?
I'll wait until they add quantization. Very helpful review.
I have the Orba, and the big downer for me is that the scales are tied to the preset, you can't e.g. choose some sound preset and then assign the pads to be a minor scale for instance.
That plus the fact you cannot make your own sound presets is really what tempts me to re-sell it.
I’ll give ya 20 bucks
@Limestrael - thanks for pointing this out, I was wondering if you could set your own scales. So this is basically an electronic kalimba with midi capabilities. I guess it's worth $100 since pro-quality acoustic kalimbas go for $50 and up.
Ive seen people using this with garage band., Have you tried the chord settings in that on it?
This is a scam
@@jeffkalmar7871 this is a scam
Wow, super helpful review. Tha KS for the deets Gabe!
Thank you for this review!
I hope you do a review on the orba 2, it looks like they really got on top of a lot of the things people didn’t like about the orba 1
I have one and love it; it’s an awesome midi controller and fun way to create a groove. I can’t see using the built-in sounds for any real tracks, but they’re fine for loop creation prior to midi export. Yes, the software has been somewhat hit or miss, but they are fixing the bugs and adding useful features. For $99, it’s a great buy as an mpe midi controller; everything else is just icing on the cake.
Just ordered an Orba 2 - soooo much coolness arriving soon!
Yeah, good luck with that. So, how do u like it now?
Thank you for this review. I wish I had watched it before buying the Orba last weekend. I had major issues with mine. Wouldn't stop or start loops. Also wouldn't delete old loops. Buttons got jammed. Had to reinstall the firmware on my desktop which seemed to solve the issue. I think it's a cool product that could have been a home run. The keys are really sensitive and I'm not a big fan of the sounds. More cumbersome than I wanted it to be. Just not for me.
Price puts it firmly in gift territory, and boy would I like to get gifted something like this :)
on point ! great gift idea
Great no frills review, gonna give it some time before I pick one up. I think it's a pretty good deal @ ~99 but want to hold out for the gen 2 based on "field research" of early buyers (if that is in the works). Kinda want one to replace smoke breaks
Glad you dug the review. It does look like they're pretty committed to the current unit, they released an update pretty recently. The hardware is pretty much 100% there, it's just the firmware/software that could use a bit more work.
Thanks again patiently waiting to hear more on the circuit rythm.
next video: combined with circuit track is mindblowing!
Gabe, you do nice work…well presented and I really like your powerful voice.
Great to show the app use.
I'll never understand why products like this release before they're finished. This is a small company whose future is likely riding on the success of this product. Why gamble your reputation by releasing something with a laundry list of "maybe in a future update" caveats? What's the rush?
Fantastic review and presentation!
I just bought a used Orba. It seems so promising in the videos. I'm trying to get the hang of it, and see if anything is glitching or broken. 🤞
So far I'm getting a lot of crosstalk glitching on the pads, which makes it hard to understand if I'm changing modes properly. I just want to switch to bass and lead, but instead it records layer upon layer of 4-track chaos.
Sweet demo. Thanks.
I’m only 1 minute into this and I can already tell you have the best review on this little synth groove box thingy. You rule man.
Would love to see a review of the Orba 2 and a comparison!
I'm planning on it once I can get my hands on one!
Its almost like $5 phone app. Almost like microscopic Hang Drum too :)
though if similar thing had a real honest mpe, pressure sensitive and poly-aftertouch pads it would be awesome!
I knew I seen that Orba in your window seal in a few episodes. Was wondering when you were gonna break it out on us Gabe!
Thanks for the review. Any way to save and share your loops without having to do it via the audio jack?
Really good review thank you.
Gabe, thanks for a great and informative video, as always. Have you seen the Orba 2? I stumbled upon your video while looking for a video on the Orba 2. I'm not 100% BUT I think the new one does let you use your own sounds. Can you confirm this?
Spot on review of the master class,
wkd! ive been waiting for someone to pick this up anmd review it.
Interesting review yes “potential”
Ron you could use the mope software that comes with a mpe controller like “output”
I think I’m going to get one. Only question is how useful for live performance or repeating work.
Really digging your channel man keep it up, mine came today also got a 1010 Black Box so maybe I can link them together the black box is a little different but I'm really digging it
Gabe
(it almost has a mind of its own)
Me
(THE ROBOTS ARE TAKING OVER!!) Wow! Joke's aside this was a good review.
Also i'm wondering if it would be good for people who are starting out?
Does he come with built-in sound inside?
Or must connect to the software, for example, cubais.Abelton.
Protels etc.
lol "Bop it, Twist it"
I've had mine since Christmas. Buggy software, and really awful support has made it more of a chore to use than a joy. It can be impressive, but you don't have to spend long on their forums to see that there are quite a few people who are struggling to get any sort of consistent control over this little guy. The latest firmware updates, sadly, have been amongst the worst.
too lazy to read all the comments: does the orba also work as standalone midi controller?
Gabe Miller Music
4D Chess
5D MIDI
I bought one of these. Disappointed with it overall. It's a toy I can do without. I just didn't find it useful for myself. I might add, that I don't use a laptop or PC for recording so the midi is of no use to me.
Same here. The presets are mediocre, not possible to create your own patches. It’s stuck in maj/min scale. It is not like they advertised it would be.
For $100 ??? Fuck that I just ordered one. I'd buy it for $500.
saying what's up to your Otamatone in the bg
Would like to hear this through serious amplification.
The sound quality isn't the greatest... maybe using it as a midi, with higher quality sounds would be best..
Nah, u really wouldn’t. The most work on an Orba is finding an even acceptable Preset.
Looks like something I'd get high and play with rather than a real instrument. Like the free pad apps on my phone.
Why didn't you demonstrate the stand alone function with built in speaker? Can you connect it to a bluetooth speaker? Can you create & save a multi-layer loop stand alone then start/stop? I would like to stream a base loop through a Hyvibe guitar via bluetooth, and play over top of it.
Yes roli software with the mpe controller keyboard “output” that software would mastcvh with the midi controller
Question; does this NEED the app to work?
You just connect to a daw with midis soft synths like ableton live now it does everything
does it play in different keys???
Have you checked out the Artiphon Orba 2? Is it worth it?
I haven't been able to get my hands on one yet, but I'll make a video as soon as I can
@@GabeMillerMusic Thanks. I subbed and will be waiting.
Would love one for $99, but the cheapest one I can find in Australia New or used is over $400! 😥
I’ll sell u my Orba 2 (w/ shipping!) for 250USD.
Are you going to review V.2?
Yep, I'll get to it eventually
@@GabeMillerMusic Awesome!
Kaosillator for the 2020s
I had Artiphon Instrument-1 before, attempted to play as violin, but failed. This Orba looks interesting, in the LEAD, can i play more than 7 notes? like if my melody has 2 octaves, is there a shift key so I can play melody out of 7 buttons?
The center A button is a shift key. By holding the A button and swiping left or right from the 8 key ("Octave") you can shift the octave of the keys down or up.
So, hold the A key, press the 8 key and immediately swipe across the 1 key, you have jumped up an octave. It works pretty well.
It’s not successful on all Presets tho. Some octave jumps are simply horrendous and the synth sounds barely translate. Hit & miss.
There is a little bit mix in your latency........
Is that the Orba 2? Thank you
This is the original Orba, this video is from a while ago.
@@GabeMillerMusic ok thank you! I just recently learned about the Orba!
Do you have any idea how to get it hooked up to GarageBand?
It connects via Bluetooth, but I’ve been having real problems with it. Can’t seem to get it to Record anything, and all the lads don’t work on every instrument, drum or synth. Seems buggy and kinda useless actually. I was hoping and expecting more from this as a midi controller, but have yet to decipher its potential. Or basic usability for that matter. Kinda a FAIL
I guess you couldn’t turn the volume down on individual tracks at the time of this video
That’s one thing the Orba 2 will do: you can mix on the fly, setting any of the 4 modes at its own level right on the device. It helps when some Presets are quieter or louder than other sets or instruments.
thats cool, i hate the orba.. that company is the worst. glad i stopped trying to use that thing. the SP-404mkii combined with a yamaha reface is just loads better.. a bit bigger setup but damn, screw the orba lol
But does it djent?
Bop it!
Twist it!
fvck it.
its better as a midi controller its really affordable for an MPE controller
Can't load my own sound? I pass..
I honestly don't get how every time I decide to buy a bit of gear you make a video on it a week later 🤣
Sounds like the 7ths are scale based? Can you set it to different scales?
Hahahahah. Here in Brazil it costs overr $2000 now
I’ll sell u mine for a thousand. USD + shipped.
Recently got this as a present and so disappointed! Can't customise the sounds? I'm out. The TE PO-33 destroys this thing in almost every respect. Load your own samples, have 16 different grooves, plus phat FX. I will be returning my Orba. Sorry Artiphon! Nice try.
People, it’s up to you if you want to spend a $100 or so (even if it’s on sale) on this thing, ok. But you are wasting money. It is a very gimmicky time waster toy. For this money you can buy some decent quality real musical instrument and the money you spend playing it will be much better spent just like money better spent.
This toy sounds stupid and is generally pointless. It’s not enough to make your own music. It is nowhere as good as any usb music keyboard you could get and actually learn established respected piano chords. It also probably costs them about $10 to build or less. Just don’t let people who make this crap get your money. Let them work harder.
MUTE ALL ADS!
These are a scam
سلام عليكم انا اسمي محمود من سوريا عايش في لبنان وضعي صعب حق حليب لا بنتي ماعندي اذا في حدا بيقدر يساعدني الله يكتر خيرو.
Quick question. Is this video sponsored by the makers of this Artiphon orba synthesizer?
Nope, I bought the device with my own money and had no contact with the company.
You ever use the thing anymore?
Cant load own sounds!?! So close... yet so far. Sooolong
Way too missing items. No audio export no quantization and no import samples. It's kind of crippled sadly. It's an awesome idea that was stopped at 60%
Maybe if it was $20, not $100.
That's pretty nonsensical based on what it can do. It's worth at least 80
Yeah, the ROLI Lightpad Block usually goes for around $200, so $100 for a device that can do this much is a steal. It's just unfinished in terms of the software.
You are not a musician😂