The synths are actually what put me off the OPXY. They seem basic and fairly limited with only four parameters. On the other hand, Ableton’s Drift synth is pretty deep and the patches have 8 macros.
3 Likes
Yeah, but only in octaves, or by turning the tuning knob. Unless I’ve missed something?
I haven’t used OP-XY but I’ve come to dislike that type of marketing and that type of synth design after using the minifreak. 8 different synth engines on the OP-XY, what could they possibly all be? They’re not listed on the product page so you have to dig around to the very end of the manual. One of them is just external midi out! Another is just sync, which is usually a parameter on a synth, not an entire “engine” of its own.
3 Likes
The sounds of synths is so subjective…
So ya know how that goes. 
2 Likes
You haven’t used the XY, indeed. The midi and CV are tracks, not synth engines, and there’s actually 16 tracks, and they’re sequence-able, hence why they’re tracks and not menu features. The “sync” isn’t a track or a synth, not sure where you got that. There’s an in/out routing track, and the two FX tracks, Punch-in FX track, Brain transposer track, and tape buffer track are also sequence-able and can be parameter locked… The 8 audio tracks can be sample or synth based, and a synth track can actually be multisamples.
The Move is a 4 track stem starter to get you to buy into ableton. The XY is a legit workstation with all day battery life that fits in your back pocket.
3 Likes
You use your OP-XY with a DAW?
Exactly this.
Read my comment like two up lol
2 Likes
No, I just record jams on my tx6 and then they sort of disappear into the ether. I make music for soul cleansing.
1 Like
I didn’t really gel with move at all. Just not my thing I guess. It was cool in controller mode tho, and ultimately thru that got me to try out push3, which I clicked with instantly. p3 is a bit of a gamechanger with ableton for me.
I loved the xy apart from a few things, & the price sort of amplified those issues I guess. if they sort them out I might pick one up again in the future.
1 Like
Sounds great.
I haven’t used the XY but I got deep into the OP-Z, which has similar (maybe identical?) synth engines. The synths are based on a “macro control” concept, where the oscillators have specific designs with only two controls. They’re not really built for deep sound design — you’re meant to pick the engine that gets closest to what you want.
I can’t remember all the engines, but if one is called Sync, it would be based around a synced oscillator pair. You’re totally justified in not liking the marketing and approach, especially when there are way-cheaper macro synths that sound way-better, but the OP-Z and OP-XY have macro synths.
On topic to the thread: again, I haven’t had hands-on time with the XY but I learned the Z backwards and forwards.
With Move, you pretty well get exactly what you put in. I’ve had it since the day after it launched and it’s never once surprised me. That’s not a criticism. It’s very playable, and you can push it amazingly far despite its many limitations-by-design. Plus, Drift is a proper powerhouse compared to the synths TE gave us, and Ableton Cloud works like a charm. I also need to say: 50+ gb storage, ~2 gb RAM, unlimited automation recording, and sixteen-bar patterns at any step resolution. Those specs mean “you’ll probably never have to think about it,” and they’re running underneath of a very friendly groovebox workflow. I’m all for it.
But man oh man, I miss Step Components. TE nailed the “I know what’s going to happen but I don’t quite know how it’s going to sound” workflow. The songs I made on the OP-Z weren’t exactly sonically compelling, but the arrangements were an absolute joy to assemble. The XY seems to have the same core functionality plus a ton of QoL fixes so I’m not angry about the price — I just can’t justify the spend.
2 Likes
My point still stands. The synths on the XY are really just patches with 4 macro controls over the parameters that have decided for you. The move gives you access to a fully fledged synth, you can create your own patches and choose your own 8 macros. I don’t agree that the “synths” on the XY are better than on the Move.
1 Like
Probably referring to the ‘hardsync’ engine, which mimics the sound of synced oscillators.
The synths on the XY, like the OP-1/F have 4 macro controls each, corresponding to the 4 encoders. There’s also a separate adsr envelope (XY has its own filter adsr as well) and an LFO per track.
Of course it’s not the most fine-tuneable synth in the world, and the parameters aren’t always very obvious. But given the UI and everything else the XY is doing (and also the fact that it’s 8 part multitimbral!), I think the synths offer a lot of flexibility and strike a nice balance between geeking out and intuitively getting on with making a song.
3 Likes
I agree with you. Drift is way more capable than the XY engines.
I think the the XY’s engines sound very nice, but I think PRISM, SIMPLE & HARDSYNC could have easily been combined into a single engine as there is so much overlap.
The EPIANO engine was most disappointing for me, as I love electric pianos, but this engine doesn’t sound like one.
But overall, AXIS, PRISM, DISOLVE & WAVETABLE are solid. Yet I sometimes find myself wanting more…
I actually found myself looking at Ableton Move a few days ago and almost pulled the proverbial trigger…until I realized that a Push 3 (controller) wasn’t much more expensive. So I treated myself 
4 Likes
Alright! Can’t wait for some SonWu Push 3 vids 
3 Likes
haha…no pressure though 
Not to derail the topic, but videos with it may take some time.
Gotta figure it out for myself first.
1 Like
But it’s not a synth, it’s a sequencing and sampling workstation that happens to have some synth engines, with more likely to follow. The power of the multisampler can’t be overstated either. I’ve multisampled many Digitone II, pigments, and omnisphere patches, digitally, over USB-C and rarely use the in-built engines.
1 Like
I can’t speak to Drift as I’m not in that ecosystem but everything I’ve heard sounded pretty basic, synth-wise, coming from the Move. Like, kinda cheap and generic. I’d be open to watching a demo in capable hands though.