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Introducing Orba 2

We’re excited to announce the release of something we’ve been working on behind the scenes for quite some time. 


Introducing Orba 2... 


Featuring a brand new sound engine that includes audio samples, Orba 2 is the first musical device that packs an entire studio into the palm of your hand. This means you can play instruments like electric guitars and upright pianos and more adventurous sounds like vocals, found sounds, custom artist songs, and more. 


With Orba 2, you can also capture or import your own sounds to create unique instruments. With the press of a button in the Orba App, any sound can be turned into an Orba preset. For example, a bicycle bell, a bird in a tree, and your roommate’s singing can all be played, looped, and shared as a musical melody. 


“We want people to express themselves musically in their everyday lives,” explains Artiphon CEO Mike Butera. “We’ve dreamed of allowing anyone to play any sound they can imagine, anywhere they go, without worrying about historical instrument skills or abstract music theory. Orba 2 finally makes that possible.”


For a more in depth list at the differences (and similarities) between Orba and Orba 2, you can see this list below. 



Orba 2 is now available to order from our website, and through a number of our retail partners (you can see our Where To Buy page for a complete list). All orders are estimated to ship in July, and fulfillment time will vary based on the courier you chose and your shipping location. 


We’ve begun to answer a couple of questions in our Knowledge Base, but feel free to ask any additional questions below. 





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19 CommentsSorted by Oldest First
Well said Steve, that’s exactly how I feel. “Hey guys, pay us to test out this new device we are creating, so we can make a new device that will actually do all of the things we want it to! And then it can be yours for only $140 more!!”
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Questions about orba 2:

1. Is the synth engine the same as orba 1 or is different?

2. The sample  feature work with effects with gestures? Will be these effects configurable?

3. The loop function work with samples?

4. You need to choose if you want to play with samples or synth or you can play both selectin samples in one channel and synth engine in another channel?

5. Can you select one different sample for ecah pad or you only can select one sample for entire channel to play it in scale mode? Or can you select both modes?


Thank you.

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I won't be buying an Orba 2, but that's not because I feel betrayed. I chose the original Orba on the basis of the product that was reviewed. It's a subtractive synth design, which is to say that most people will have to rely on presets because it takes time to learn how to use subtractive synthesis to get the sound you want. A lot of people have expressed a wish for an Orba that samples, and here it is. I can guarantee that if you looked inside Orba 2 you'd see that it has many times more memory. I estimate about 3 orders of magnitude more. I would expect to see more powerful hardware there too. Is Orba 2 worth the extra money? I think that would depend on the competition in the niche of handheld sampling-playing musical instruments. I don't know the field so I can't say.
Oh I did just take quick look at the field. The only other true handheld I found was the pocket operator, which is a great stocking filler for a young teen, but is very lo-fi. The only other sampler in the same price-range is the Korg Volca Sample 2, which has a great reputation but isn't a handheld. I think it's mostly intended to be used with a MIDI cable or via the clunky touch keyboard/sequencer.
I noticed the site now says shipping in August, is that a release delay for new and previous orders, or representative of "if you ordered now, it would ship later than if you ordered a month ago due to demand"?
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