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Artiphon ORBA User Manual

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ORBA
B Y A R T I P H O N
USER
MANUAL
V. 1 . 1
Orba User Manual
Page 1

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Summary of Contents for Artiphon ORBA

  • Page 1 ORBA B Y A R T I P H O N USER MANUAL V. 1 . 1 Orba User Manual Page 1...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Adjusting Tempo Page 14 Transposing Orba Page 16 Gestures Page 17 The Orba App Page 27 Orba as a MIDI Controller Page 29 Connecting to MacOS Page 30 Connecting to Windows and iOS Page 32 Connecting to Android Page 33...

  • Page 3: Welcome

    Welcome Congratulations! You are one of the first to take Orba for a spin. There are all kinds of things this new instrument does, and we’re excited for you to try them all. You might see how many loops you can make as you ride the bus to work. Or perhaps you’ll use Orba as a gestural synth at your next gig –...
  • Page 4 Charging Indicators When you connect Orba to a power source and turn it on, you’ll see a single green LED tblinking on pad 8. This indicates that Orba’s battery is charging. If Orba is off you won’t see any lights, but rest assured it’s still charging.

  • Page 5: Panels And Controls

    Panel and Controls Volume button Increase and decrease the volume of Orba’s speaker Power and Bluetooth Press and hold to turn Orba on and off button USB-C Port Charge Orba’s built-in battery and connect your external hardware devices Headphone/aux out 1/8”...

  • Page 6: The A Button

    Start in Drum mode and press the A button once. Now you’re in Bass mode! Using the A Button to Switch Modes Press and hold the A button at the same time you press one of Orba’s first four pads to activate that mode. Try it: If you don’t want to cycle between modes, you can jump to any playing...

  • Page 7: Drum Mode

    You can alternate between open and closed hi-hat sounds on the same pad simply by changing the way you touch it. A tap with a quick release will let the “cymbal” ring out, a tap and hold will “choke” the sound. Orba User Manual Page 7...

  • Page 8: Bass Mode

    Modes BASS Orba’s Bass mode is monophonic, meaning only the most recent note is played at a given time (this is called “last-note priority” in synthspeak). By default, Bass is tuned to a C major diatonic scale. Try it: Bass is a great mode for trying different motion gestures, especially Tilt and Radiate.

  • Page 9: Chord Mode

    Modes CHORD In Chord mode, each of Orba’s pads triggers multiple notes simultaneously to form a chord in the key of the song. Chords are a fun way to casually explore song structures and create new ideas quickly. Like Bass, Chord mode is very responsise to the gestures Tilt and Radiate.

  • Page 10: Lead Mode

    In Lead, the pads are tuned to a pentatonic scale. This is a fun scale with five notes per octave, making it easy to find a melody that goes along all that rhythm you just played. Orba User Manual Page 10...

  • Page 11: Looping

    Looping Looping is a fun and intuitive way to create a lot of musical ideas very quickly. Orba’s built-in looper lets you record and layer all four modes together, and even overdub to add more notes as you get going.
  • Page 12 Overdubbing While your first loop continues to play, you can begin to layer additional notes and loops on other modes. Orba will stay in overdub mode until you pause or stop playback by pressing A + Pad 5 (Play/Pause) to pause the song, or if you press A + Pad 6 (REC) to disarm Try it: Start with a simple Kick + Snare on drum, then press A to start overdubbing.
  • Page 13 3. Press and hold A + Pad 6 (REC) together for two seconds. Alternatively, you canhold A and Shake Orba to clear your current loop Note: You can also clear loops by pressing CLEAR in the Orba app. Overdubbing To clear your Song (all of your loops at once): 1.

  • Page 14: Adjusting Tempo

    Adjusting Tempo Orba’s default tempo is 120 beats-per-minute (BPM). There are a few different ways to adjust the tempo of your song. Adjusting Tempo by Tapping 1. Hold the A button 2. Tap Pad 7 (BPM) at the desired tempo Adjusting Tempo by Sliding You can also make smaller adjustments to your tempo by using the Slide gesture.
  • Page 15 Adjusting Tempo in the App To achieve a specific tempo, you can type the desired tempo in the top left corner of the screen or in the song window of the Orba App. Orba User Manual Page 15...

  • Page 16: Transposing Orba

    Orba’s default tuning is in the key of C major. However, Orba can play in any key you desire. The key of your song is changed in the Orba App in the top left corner of the screen or in the song window of the Orba App.

  • Page 17: Gestures

    Gestures Orba’s touch and motion sensors combine to capture even your most subtle gestures. Pick it up and hold it, or just reach over and play a few notes while it’s sitting on your desk. Tap it with one hand or both, with your fingertips or thumbs, or shake it and bump the side.
  • Page 18 Tap your finger on a pad. Orba is velocity-sensitive, so the harder you Tap, the louder the sound. MIDI Message: Note On/Off Orba User Manual Page 18...
  • Page 19 Vibrato Tap and move your finger from side-to-side on a pad. Vibrato produces a change in pitch. the range of pitch can be adjusted with the Pitch Bend Scaling setting in the Orba App. MIDI Message: Pitch Bend Orba User Manual...
  • Page 20 Press is activated by making your finger take up more (and less) surface area. Think about it like this: the more you spread out your finger, the more Press is activated. Pressing with sustained pressure will modulate effects on Orba’s synth.
  • Page 21 Radiate Press and move your finger within a pad, in and out from the center to the edge of Orba. Radiate effects Brightness. When using it with Orba’s internal synthesizer it may be affecting volume, envelopes, and others effects. Try it in Bass and Chord modes to start.
  • Page 22 Tilt Tilt Orba to the side to play effects. Tilt is Orba’s version of the mod wheel on a t raditional keyboard controller. As mod wheel is a very common MIDI effect, you’ll find Tilt works automatically with most software synths and apps.
  • Page 23 Spin Rotate Orba like a knob. MIDI Message: CC#112 Orba User Manual Page 23...
  • Page 24 Move Move Orba in space to modulate sounds and effects. MIDI Message: CC#113 Orba User Manual Page 24...
  • Page 25 Shake In Drum mode, hold the pad 8 and shake Orba. Shaker works best using soft movements in a side-to-side motion. MIDI Message: MIDI note 69 and CC#2 Orba User Manual Page 25...
  • Page 26 Bump Tap Orba on its side. Try to Bump in drum mode: you’ll get a “clap” sound! MIDI Message: MIDI note 39 Orba User Manual Page 26...

  • Page 27: The Orba App

    Songs can be accessed and created from the Browser in the Orba app. To save a Song, click the pencil icon in the heading of the Orba app. This opens the song details window, where you can edit tuning and tempo parameters along with other metadata (like song title and artist name).
  • Page 28 Presets What are presets? A preset is a sound, tuning, and set of gestures that apply to one of Orba’s four instrument modes. Note: Presets are mode-specific. For example: a Drum preset could only be selected while in Drum mode. Changing a preset on Orba is done within the Orba app.

  • Page 29: Orba As A Midi Controller

    If you like, disable Orba’s internal synth to make sure you’re not hearing two different sound sources. To do that, open the Settings page in the Orba app and toggle Orba Sounds On/Off (This function only works when Orba is connected via USB).

  • Page 30: Connecting To Macos

    Via MIDI over Bluetooth The simplest way to connect via Bluetooth is through the Orba app. 1. Click the Orba icon in the upper-right corner of the app to pull up the Orba Connection window. 2. Select Bluetooth LE MIDI and choose the Orba device from the window that follows.
  • Page 31 Studio, or use the keyboard shortcut Command+2. 3. Select the Configure Bluetooth icon from the header window. 4. Select Orba from the list of available devices. If you don’t see Orba on the list, make sure you have it turned on and in range.

  • Page 32: Connecting To Windows And Ios

    • Select Orba from the list of Bluetooth MIDI Devices. • Note: If you don’t see Orba as an option in this list, make sure the instrument is powered on and within range. Orba User Manual Page 32...

  • Page 33: Connecting To Android

    Connecting to Android With USB • Open the Orba app and connect to your Android phone with a USB-C cable. When prompted, tap “OK” to confirm USB connection. • Open the Settings window to makes sure that the Orba Connection setting is switched to USB.
  • Page 34 • Select Orba from the list of Bluetooth MIDI Devices • Note: If you don’t see Orba as an option in this list, make sure the instrument is powered on and within range. • Open the Settings window to makes sure that the Orba Connection setting is switched to Bluetooth LE MIDI.

  • Page 35: Settings

    These downloads are available at artiphon.com/pages/downloads 1. Connect Orba to your computer using the included USB-C cable. 2. In the Orba app, open the Settings panel by clicking the A icon in the up- per-right corner of the screen.
  • Page 36 (This function only works when Orba is connected vias USB). Pitch Bend Scale Adjusts Orba’s Pitch Bend Scaling settings by ranges (0% - 25% - 50% - 100%). This affects the rate of change in pitch shifts when performing Vibrato.

  • Page 37: Single-Channel And Channel-Per-Part

    “Automatic”, meaning the metronome will automatically start when a recording is made on Orba. MIDI Modes Orba can be configured to send MIDI messages in 3 different ways: MPE, Single Channel, and Channel-Per-Part. Orba User Manual...
  • Page 38 In this mode, only the MIDI notes for the currently active mode are sent out on MIDI. For example, when Bass mode is selected only the MIDI out for Bass is sent. Orba User Manual Page 38...
  • Page 39 Android devices (Windows does not currently support Bluetooth LE MIDI). Mobile MIDI Mode This mode consolidates the number of MIDI input ports available on Orba. When disabled (the default setting) Orba shows separate ports for Drum, Bass, Chord, and Lead. When enabled, Orba shows just one port.

  • Page 40: Midi Emplementation Chart And Note Mapping

    Gesture MIDI Note Mapping Gestures MIDI Note On Press Channel Pressure Vibrato Pitch Bend Radiate CC 74 (Brightness) Bump MIDI Note 39 Shake MIDI Note 69 and CC2 Move CC 113 Spin CC 112 Tilt CC 1 (Modwheel) Orba User Manual Page 40...
  • Page 41 Note MIDI Number Pad 1 (Kick) Pad 2 (Snare) Pad 3 (Closed Hi-hat) Pad 4 (Open Hi-hat/ Crash) Pad 5 (High Tom) Pad 6 (Low Tom) Pad 7 (Ride Cymbal) Pad 8 (Shaker) Bump (Clap) Orba User Manual Page 41...
  • Page 42 Bass MIDI Note Mapping Bass Note MIDI Number Pad 1 Pad 2 Pad 3 Pad 4 Pad 5 Pad 6 Pad 7 Pad 8 Orba User Manual Page 42...
  • Page 43 G2, B2, D3, G3 55, 59, 62, 67 Pad 6 A2, C3, E3, A3 57, 60, 64, 69 Pad 7 G2, B2, D3, B3 59, 62, 71, 55 Pad 8 G2, C3, E3, C4 60, 64, 72, 55 Orba User Manual Page 43...
  • Page 44 Lead MIDI Note Mapping Lead Note MIDI Number Pad 1 Pad 2 Pad 3 Pad 4 Pad 5 Pad 6 Pad 7 Pad 8 Orba User Manual Page 44...

  • Page 45: Get In Touch

    Get in touch, stay in touch! For a wealth of resources, including videos, in-depth tutorials, inspriation from other creators and more, visit start.artiphon.com Got questions? We love answering them. Reach out any time at support@artiphon.com. Orba User Manual Page 45...
  • Page 46 Orba User Manual Page 46...

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