Encore Electronics 
Tony Karavidas
611 Laird Lane Lafayette, CA 94549 
(510) 229-8875 TEL/FAX

Thank you for your interest in the OB8-MK MIDI retrofit for the Oberheim OB-8. The OB8-MK gives the OB-8 MIDI receive and transmit capabilities. It also allows the Oberheim DSX to play its note information out the OB-8's MIDI port. The OB8-MK receives the following MIDI messages:

Note On/Off           Program Change
Pitch Bend               Sustain
All notes off            OMNI on/off

Modulation Controller
Tune Request
System Exclusive patch transfer

The OB8-MK can be used as a MIDI controller, If the OB-8 is in Dual mode, it will transmit note information on two MIDI channels. If the OB-8 is in Split mode, the Upper side of the keyboard will be transmitted on the basic channel, while the lower side will be transmitted on the basic channel + 1. In both of these modes, the pitch bend and modulation wheels will be transmitted on both MIDI channel. The OB8-MK transmits the following messages:

Note On/Off           Program Change
Pitch Bend               Sustain

Modulation
Sysex patch transfer.


Encore has performed many enhancements over the original Oberheim interface. The OB8-MK has improved hardware and software. We have fixed a serious note locking problem that the original Oberheim interfaces are plagued with. The OB8-MK also remembers all parameters at power down, unlike the Oberheim MIDI retrofit that resets its MIDI parameters at each power up. We have also restructured the memory map to allow code space for future enhancements. This is not possible with the Oberheim unit. Our retrofit is easy to install, and no soldering to the OB-8 is necessary. OB-8 owners that have MlDIed OB-8s, can trade in their existing MIDI board for a $50 credit. The OB8-MK is currently shipping and costs $175 USD.