Artiphon Orba User Manual
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Artiphon Orba User Manual

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Summary of Contents for Artiphon Orba

  • Page 1 
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  • Page 2 You might see how many tiny loops you can make as you ride the bus to work. Or perhaps you’ll use Orba as an gestural synth at your next gig – waving it through the air to control effects as the crowd goes wild. Or maybe you’ll use Orba to play a software synth in that track you’ve been working on in Logic Pro or...

  • Page 3: Product Overview

    Quickstart Guide ◦ Input/Output Panel Volume Increase and decrease the volume of Orba's speaker Power/Bluetooth Press and hold to turn Orba on and off Pairing Charge Orba's built-in battery and connect your external USB-C Port hardware devices Headphone Output 1/8" audio output for headphones or speakers...
  • Page 4 MODES LOOP 1. DRUM 5. Play / Pause 2. BASS 6. REC - Record your loop 3. CHORD 7. BPM - Adjust tempo 4. LEAD 8. OCT - Change octave Function Cheat Sheet FUNCTION COMBINATION Record A + Pad 6 (Rec) End a loop Stop recording A + Pad 6 (Rec)
  • Page 5 Pause A + Pad 5 (Play/Pause) Clear the loop on the current mode A + shake Clear everything A + Pad 6 (Rec), hold for three seconds Change BPM A + tap desired tempo on Pad 7 (BPM) Octave up A + Pad 8 (Octave) and slide clockwise Octave down A + Pad 8 (Octave) and slide counter-clockwise...

  • Page 6: Charging Indicators

    Charging indicators When you connect Orba to a power source and turn it on, you’ll see a single green LED blinking 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 7: Low Battery

    If the battery level drops too low, a single, red LED will blink for 5 seconds before Orba automatically powers down. When you try to power up Orba on an empty battery the red LED will blink for 5 seconds before switching off again.
  • Page 8 Using the A Button to Switch Modes Press and hold the A button at the same time you press one of Orba’s eight pads to activate that mode. Try it:
 If you don’t want to cycle between modes, you can jump to any playing mode...
  • Page 9 DRUM mode has nine distinct drum sounds: one per pad, plus an additional one that is triggered by using the Bump gesture. You can also keep triggering the shaker sound by holding pad 8 and using the Shake gesture.   Drums are velocity-sensitive and will respond to different intensities of tapping, similar to how a traditional drum changes its tone and volume by hitting it harder or softer.
  • Page 10 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,...
  • Page 11 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 responds really well to...
  • Page 12 Lead is a polyphonic mode (meaning you can play several different notes simultaneously). 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.
  • Page 13 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. Starting A Loop •...
  • Page 14 • 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 recording while the song keeps playing. ...
  • Page 15 3. Press and hold A + Pad - REC together for two seconds. Alternatively, you can hold A and Shake Orba to clear your current loop • Note: You can also clear loops by pressing CLEAR in the Orba app. • To clear your Song (all of your loops at once): •...

  • Page 16: 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 •...
  • Page 17 • To achieve a specific BPM, you can type the desired BPM in the Song window of the Orba App
 ◦ Open the Orba app ◦ Select your Song ◦ Select the pencil icon in the transport bar ◦ Type in your desired BPM ◦...

  • Page 18: Changing Octaves

    Press and hold A + Pad 8 (OCT)
 Changing Keys • Orba’s default tuning is in the key of C major. However, Orba can play in any key. The key of your song is changed in the Orba App.
 •...
  • Page 19 ◦ Select Key, and a dropdown menu will appear with different options ◦ Select your key, and press Save
 
 
 
 
 
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  • Page 20 It’s all up to you! Below, you’ll find a bit more information on each gesture and how exactly it works. Tap your finger on a pad. Orba is velocity-sensitive, so the harder you Tap, the louder the sound.
  • Page 21 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 
 
 
 
 
 
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  • Page 22 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. MIDI Message: Channel Pressure...
  • Page 23 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 24 Tilt Tilt Orba to the side to play effects. Tilt is Orba's version of the mod wheel on a traditional keyboard controller. As mod wheel is a very common MIDI effect, you'll find Tilt works automatically with most software synths and apps.
  • Page 25 Spin Rotate Orba like a knob. MIDI Message: CC#112...
  • Page 26 Move Move Orba in space to modulate sounds and effects. MIDI Message: CC#113...
  • Page 27 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...
  • Page 28 Songs What is a Song? A song is a collection of loops and presets that work well together. When you generate a series of loops you can save these in the Orba app together as a song.

  • Page 29: What Are Presets

    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 30 For ease, we've provided instructions below on connecting to MAC OS X, Windows, iOS, and Android. 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.
  • Page 31 Connecting To macOS Via USB-C Simply connect the included USB-C to USB-A cable to your computer. Macs with USB-C inputs will require a USB-C to USB-C cable or an adapter. Via MIDI over Bluetooth 1. Open Audio MIDI Setup on your Mac. This is found in the Utilities folder. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Command + Space.
  • Page 32 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 33 Windows is easy! Just connect the included USB-C-to-USB-A cable to your computer. Unfortunately, Windows does not currently support MIDI over Bluetooth. Connecting to iOS With the Orba App
 Bluetooth ◦ In the Orba app, navigate to the Orba icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
  • 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. 
 With Third-party apps
 There are hundreds of MIDI-enabled iOS apps available. When pairing Orba with an iOS app, connecting over Bluetooth is done in the app itself.
  • Page 35 5. Start playing! It’s as simple as that! Connecting To Android With the Orba App
 ◦ In the Orba app, navigate to the Orba icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. ◦ Select Orba from the list of Bluetooth MIDI Devices...
  • Page 36 ◦ Note: If you don’t see Orba as an option in this list, make sure the instrument is powered on and within range. With Third Party Apps
 Orba will work with any MIDI-enabled software. Unlike iOS, when connecting with Android devices, the connection is done through the Orba app.
  • Page 37 3. Tap the MIDI Device selection button and select Artiphon Orba from the list. If you don’t see Orba as an available device, make sure that Orba is on and not connected to any other device.

  • Page 38: Updating Firmware

    firmware up-to-date is the best way to ensure you’re getting the best this unique instrument has to offer.
 
 Note: Updating firmware can only be done through the Orba desktop app with a USB-C connection. These downloads are available here: Mac OS X | Windows To update firmware, follow these steps:...
  • Page 39 4. Let the app take care of the rest! Orba Sounds On/Off When you use Orba as a MIDI controller to trigger sounds in external software or hardware, you may want to temporarily disable Orba’s internal synth to prevent it...
  • Page 40 (which could be awesome!). Do this by toggling the Orba Sounds On/Off setting. 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 41: Midi Modes

    MIDI Modes Orba can be configured to send MIDI messages in 3 different ways: MPE, Single Channel, and Channel-Per-Part. Single Channel All notes are sent on MIDI channel 1. Only the MIDI notes for the currently active mode are sent. For example when drum mode is selected only the drum notes are sent out on MIDI.

  • Page 42: Midi Implementation Chart

    MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) is a method that allows players to control multiple parameters (pitch bend, aftertouch, and vibrato) independently per note. On a traditional MIDI keyboard, for example, the Pitch Bend wheel affects all notes at once. An MPE compatible controller will allow these notes to be affected independently from one another.
  • Page 43 Spin CC 112 Tilt CC 1 (Modwheel) Press "A"
 button to change
 Program Change 1-4 mode Default Note Mapping Each pad and each Mode sends its own MIDI messages. Below are the default MIDI assignments. Note: These may vary depending on the preset you load. DRUM NOTE MIDI NUMBER...
  • Page 44 BASS NOTE MIDI NUMBER Pad 1 Pad 2 Pad 3 Pad 4 Pad 5 Pad 6 Pad 7 Pad 8 CHORD NOTES MIDI NUMBER Pad 1 C2, G2, C3, E3 48, 55, 60, 64 Pad 2 D2, A2, D3, F3 50, 57, 62, 65 Pad 3 E2, B2, E3, G3...

  • Page 45: Specifications

    Specifications Product Name Orba What's in the box Orba, USB-C to USB-A Cable, Quick Start Guide USB-C (USB 2.0 Class Compliant Audio/Midi)
 3.5mm (1/8") TRS Analog Headphone Stereo Out) Bluetooth Bluetooth LE MIDI Speaker System 3W built-in active speaker system Lithium Polymer Battery
...
  • Page 46 Four on-board modes:
 Modes Drum, Bass, Chord, Lead 4 part polyphonic synthesizer with subtractive and physical modeling synths Sound Engine 9 voices + drums Companion App iOS, Android, Mac, Windows...

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