The new DSI OB-6 in conjunction with Tom Oberheim is now shipping! Remember to check prices with the MATRIXSYNTH sponsors on the right. I do not get a commission from them, rather they support the site directly, so please support them in return.
Here is official press release from Dave Smith Instruments:
"Highly Anticipated Tom Oberheim/Dave Smith Collaboration Now Available
San Francisco, CA—March 3, 2016—Dave Smith Instruments today announced that the OB-6, a new 6-voice analog synthesizer with discrete VCOs and filters developed in collaboration with Tom Oberheim, has begun shipping. Boasting a sound engine inspired by Oberheim’s original SEM (the core of his acclaimed 4-voice and 8-voice synthesizers), the new instrument is designed to provide true, vintage SEM tone with the stability and flexibility of modern technology. 
Said Smith: “It’s been great fun working with Tom to create this synth. People are going to be blown away by how awesome the OB-6 sounds.” Added Oberheim: “The classic, unmistakable SEM tone is all there. It’s big and bold and it’s going to turn a lot of heads.”
The OB-6 features two discrete voltage-controlled oscillators (plus sub-oscillator) per voice, with continuously variable waveshapes (sawtooth and variable-width pulse, with triangle on oscillator 2). There is a classic SEM-inspired state-variable filter (low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and notch) per voice. Voltage-controlled amplifiers complete the all-analog signal path. 
Present also is X-Mod, with filter envelope and oscillator 2 as modulation sources (with bi-polar control). Destinations include oscillator 1 frequency, oscillator 1 shape, oscillator 1 pulse width, filter cutoff, and filter mode. The knob-per-function front panel puts virtually all parameters at a user’s fingertips. Toggling on the Manual switch enables live panel mode, in which the OB-6 switches to the current settings of its knobs and switches. A dual effects section provides studio-quality reverbs, delays (including standard and BBD), chorus, and faithful recreations of Tom Oberheim’s acclaimed phase shifter and ring modulator. The effects are digital, with 24-bit, 48 kHz resolution, but a true bypass maintains a full analog signal path. Additionally, the OB-6 features a multimode arpeggiator and a polyphonic step sequencer with up to 64 steps (and up to 6 notes per step) plus rests. It allows polyphonic keyboard input and can sync to external MIDI clock.
The full-size, four-octave, semi-weighted keyboard is velocity and aftertouch sensitive. Said Dave Smith, “As with the Prophet-6, we made size a primary concern on the OB-6. It’s the right mix of power and portability and it fits right in on-stage or in the studio.”
The OB-6 is manufactured and sold by Dave Smith Instruments. It has a US MAP of $2,999."
http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/product/ob-6/
I still don't understand the architectural differences between the OB-6 and the Prophet-6. Can anyone explain why I might want one over the other?
ReplyDeleteThe OB-6 is essentially 6 Oberheim SEMs in a keyboard synth with extras. The Prophet-6 is essentially a new Prophet-5 with extras. The original Oberheim SEMs and the following OB-X has a different tonal quality compared to a Prophet-5. I have an original Prophet-5 and the Prophet-6 sounds like it to my ears. I had an OB-Xa (currently fried at the moment) and the OB-6 sounds like it to my ears. The OB-Xa was a Curtis chip based synth however, while the SEM & OB-X and OB-6 are discrete analog for what should be a bolder sound. Anyway, the short of it is Oberheim and Sequential Circuit synths have different tonal qualities. If you want the early Oberheim sound you'll want the OB-6. If you want the early SCI Prophet sound you'll want a Prophet-5. Having owned a Prophet-5 and an OB-Xa, I'd say they are both worth owning.
ReplyDeleteThe main difference is that the P6 has a traditional low pass filter (and a high pass filter) whereas the OB-6 has a variable state filter (multi-mode) based on the original SEM. The OB-6 also adds phaser & ring mod effects based on Tom Oberheim's Maestro effect units from the early 70s.
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