The Orba 2 is the second iteration of Artiphon's pocket music maker and improves upon many of the critiques the production community had over the original model.
WILL VANCE18 HOURS AGO
Orba 2 Taetro Still
CONTENTS
Best Features Of The Orba 2
What I Wasn't Too Impressed By...
How The Pros Use Orba 2
Final Thoughts
At its core, the Orba 2 is a drum machine, synth, groove box, and sampler that lets you do all of the above from the palm of your hand. You can sequence out beats, play melodies, and more entirely on the go which is pretty incredible (in theory)!
Any new initiatives by the company have made the Orba 2 more powerful and inspiring than ever before. By partnering with music makers, influencers, and content creators, Orba 2 now offers custom-made presets that leading names in the production community are using every day in their own music. Producers such as Tom Thum and Taetro have contributed packs of percussive sounds and music elements for Orba users to get inspired by.
It goes to show that the future is looking bright for this pocket-sized music gadget. So let's dive into whether or not right now is the best time to snag one...
BEST FEATURES OF THE ORBA 2
No device this small and at this price point will be a one-stop shop for all your music needs, so don't put your expectations of these things in the clouds just yet. Instead, let's hone in on a couple of the things this little unit does really well.
TOUCH-SENSITIVE PADS
The touch pads around the device almost function as their own X/Y axis controller, allowing you to control different parameters as your finger moves around and across the pad itself.
Sliding your finger along one of the pads could not only trigger the note but also adjust the filter cutoff as a way to create an instantly evolving and dynamic sound.
Moving your finger back and forth also shapes the sound in interesting ways. For example, some enable a vibrato effect which causes the sound to bend and shift as it responds to your movements.
It's worth mentioning too that the Orba 2 is also sensitive to rotation, meaning if you turn the unit itself the sound will change and morph. Not necessarily touch-sensitive related, but tangential enough and cool enough to be worth mentioning here.
THE ACCOMPANYING APP
There is an accompanying app that opens up entirely new worlds of functionality for the Orba 2.
Not only does the app, which mirrors your selections and modulations on the unit, show you readings of the presets and sounds you're using; but it also shows how the sound is moving and modulating similar to an oscilloscope.
While I do also have some gripes with the app which we'll discuss later on, it's also a powerful addition to the Orba ecosystem.
MIDI EXPRESSION
The amount of expression that this little thing can output makes it a super-powerful MIDI controller in its own right, apart from the onboard sounds and sequencing that it can do. It's velocity sensitive and can receive numerous different touch-sensitive MIDI inputs and more.
So even if you don't plan on using this thing as an instrument in your studio, it can be an awesome expression tool for controlling MIDI for almost any purpose you'd like. Of all the features, I think this showed the most potential.
WHAT I WASN'T TOO IMPRESSED BY...
02 Orba 2 Song App Mock
With its shining qualities on full display, now let's dive into some of the things I wasn't too impressed by.
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Granted, it's important to note that, through a bit of research, I have found that Artiphone has plans to remedy some of these issues. But as it stands now, here is a few things I wasn't too crazy about.
THE APP WAS A LITTLE JANKY
The app is the central hub for loading samples you might purchase on Splice or other audio bits onto the Orba. As such, it goes hand in hand with almost everything you're doing with the unit.
But when I was using the app, I often experienced slow load times which sometimes threw me out of the creative zone.
Scrolling and navigating the app was also a bit finicky. While perusing through the lists of presets and trying to scroll through different options, the app continued to select and queue sounds I only wanted to scroll by. This cause a light amount of frustration, but enough to note here.
NO SAVING
While I have heard that they plan on updating the firmware needed to allow for saving and exporting, I was unable to find a way to save or export my work.
This was a major frustration I experienced while getting familiar with this unit and could be an easy deal breaker for many more serious producers looking to use this thing in a professional setting.
HOW THE PROS USE ORBA 2
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To help get a true understanding of the functionality of this small little device, we decided it would be best to fire over some questions to the pros over at Artiphone and figure out how they and their team use the Orba 2 in their own workflows.
Below is a few rapid-fire questions we sent over to Adam McHeffey, Artiphone's Director of Marketing and avid Orba user.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FEATURE OF THE ORBA 2 THAT YOU DON'T THINK GETS ENOUGH CREDIT?
There are over 100 new sounds that you can try in the Orba 2 app. We designed the first four factory sounds to be really versatile and approachable, but there are some really far-out presets you can play with as well.
There is a koto, a glockenspiel, an affected piano... There are horror movie sound effects. Even sounds from artists: like the beatboxed sounds from Tom Thum. I hope people dig into the app and explore this vast library!
WHAT IS THE MOST CREATIVE USE OF THE ORBA 2 THAT YOU'VE SEEN OR HEARD OF?
The most creative use of Orba 2 I've heard (yet) is using it as a musical instrument as well as a lighting controller.
At a walk-through Holiday light show, guests will walk through a tunnel of Orba 2s.
As they touch the pads, they will trigger a variety of different songs and sounds, while also controlling the lighting effects that surround them. It's all possible because in addition to being an intuitive, simple gadget it's also a very powerful MPE MIDI controller.
WHEN DO YOU MOST OFTEN REACH FOR THE ORBA 2 IN YOUR OWN MUSIC PRODUCTION?
I have a gig tonight here in Nashville where I'm mostly playing electric guitar, but I'll be using Orba 2 for a moment in the set. I need a Fender Rhodes electric piano sound, but only for one verse. So instead of bringing a keyboard, I will be bringing Orba 2.
The song is in a weird key: Gb, but luckily I can change that too in the Orba 2 app. I'm able to load up the perfect sound and play just the right sprinkling of notes and then put it right back down. It fits in my pedalboard case perfectly and plugs right in with the 1/8" out.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After tinkering with this small device for a few evenings, it was clear that this small device might not necessarily be designed for Grammy-level studios or multi-platinum producers; but you know, that is okay with me.
Because while this thing is fairly gimmicky, it's also incredibly cool. It's a great way to pass the time and mess around with beat-making and can be an easy stocking stuffer or present on a birthday. Not everything in your studio or your life needs to be a game-changing device; sometimes making music is just about having fun and that's what the Orba 2 offers in spades.
Orba 2 is now in stock and available at Artiphon.com, Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend, Perfect Circuit, American Musical Supply, zZounds, and many other retailers around the world. View Artiphon’s Where To Buy page for a complete list.