Some sad news sent my way via John L Rice who helped man the Moon Modular booth at NAMM every year. Gert Jalass, the man behind Moon Modular has passed away. I met Gert serveral times at NAMM and he was always a pleasure to talk to. He always welcomed me with a smile. He was genuinely passionate about synthesisers and the synth community. I haven't been able to make events lately and was looking forward to seeing him again. I'm so saddened that I won't be able to. I am sincerely going to miss him.
"Let's find out what Jean-Michel Jarre is up to. It's a good thing he is at NAMM 2017 too,,, we bumped into him at the Teenage Engineering Booth. Legend."
On the heels of the recently announced Marion Systems SEM*PLUS eurorack module, Tom Oberheim shows us a look at the new MINI*SEQUENCER. 16 steps, MIDI as well as CV, onboard storage, Portamento, Rachetting, and more.
Some of you might remember this post way back in June of 2015. It looks like it happened. Marion Systems is back. Two VCOs, LFO, VCF with variable LP, Notch, and HP modes along with a Band Pass mode. Two envelopes and extensive patch panel & modulation. Two AUX ins.
Published on Jan 21, 2016 sonicstate
"NAMM2016: Tom Oberheim Mini Sequencer & SEM Plus Eurorack Nick talks to Tom Oberheim"
Update:
[NAMM] Marion Systems
Published on Jan 22, 2016 Audiofanzine in English
"Here's a presentation of Marion Systems' new products by Tom Oberheim."
Tom Oberheim OB 6 SEM
Published on Jan 21, 2016 musicianews
"Wow great to see Tom Oberheim and his take on the OB-6, Eurorack SEM and the world of Analog design in the 21st Century!"
Uploaded on Jan 20, 2016 Dave Smith Instruments - "Tom Oberheim & Dave Smith Introduce the OB-6"
Update: new demo video from INHALT in via Soviet Space Child below! Update2: DSI / Tom Oberheim - OB6 - live looping demonstration by Daniel Davis added below.
Awesome video! You'll find an audio demo at the bottom of this post. So, if you weren't sure NAMM had any big surprises coming, well here you go. A brand new six voice polyphonic Oberheim synth based on the original SEM's discrete VCOs and filters, complete with trademark blue pin strips, and a few extras. This is not a CEM based Oberheim. This is discrete analog with some modern capabilities. Think closer to the original Oberheim FVS and classic OB-X (CEM VCOs & VCFs came with the OB-Xa). A new Tom Oberheim six voice polysynth has arrived!
The following is the official press release:
"Tom Oberheim and Dave Smith Unveil OB-6 Analog Synthesizer
Legendary Poly Synth Creators Team Up on New Instrument with Discrete VCOs and Filters
Anaheim, CA—January 21, 2016—Dave Smith Instruments today announced the OB-6, a new 6-voice synthesizer with an all-analog signal path and discrete VCOs and filters developed in collaboration with Tom Oberheim. 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 exibility of modern technology.
Said Smith: 'Tom and I have been friends and friendly competitors since the late 1970’s. Back in the day, people were typically in either the Prophet or the Oberheim camp. Now, with the Prophet-6 out and doing so well, we thought it would be fun to combine our strengths and bring back Tom’s classic polyphonic sound, too — in a modern format.' Added Oberheim: 'A lot of people, myself included, have always felt that the SEMs had a certain uniquely big, organic sound unlike anything else. Working with Dave to make that sound widely available again with some modern touches and full programmability has been real a pleasure.'
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 lter (low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and notch) per voice. Voltage-controlled ampli ers complete the all-analog signal path. 'The classic, bold SEM sound is all there,' said Oberheim.
Present also is X-Mod, with lter envelope and oscillator 2 as modulation sources (with bi-polar control). Destinations include oscillator 1 frequency, oscillator 1 shape, oscillator 1 pulse width, lter cutoff, and lter mode. The knob-per-function front panel puts virtually all parameters at a user’s ngertips. 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 ts right in on-stage or in the studio.' Added Oberheim, 'And of course, it’s got that unmistakable SEM sound that’s going to turn a lot of heads. '
The OB-6 is manufactured and sold by Dave Smith Instruments. It will be available in March, with a projected MAP of $2,999."
"As long time users of the Oberheim OB8 and 2 Voice (take a listen to our "Occupations" EP as both are on it all over the place) we were pleasantly surprised when Dave Smith Instruments showed us their new analog workhorse and collaboration with the inimitable Tom Oberheim— the OB6. The allure for the Oberheim polyphonic sound, for us, has always been it's unique melancholic tone colour. No matter what kind of sounds are programmed, Oberheim's tend to have this wonderful midnight music vibe, like driving in a car late at night circa 1983. We're pleased to report that the OB6 captures this sound quality effortlessly and in spades.
Our approach to the design of the factory bank patches we submitted (most of which you hear in the demo) was rather simple: we made the same kinds of sounds we would program on our Oberheims, and barring a couple, largely ones we would find useful in a production context. Though we don't typically record synthesizers with FX printed on the same track, the FX engine is so wonderful sounding on the OB6, and highly controllable, that it made us reconsider. In short, the FX engine is no slouch, and for the many decades spent dismissing the on board FX of most 'modern' synths, this is the first time that we've heard an FX engine exude the same quality as the top end hardware units from Lexicon, Eventide, or AMS that we tend to use in the production process.
Everything you hear on the demo was done entirely on the OB6. Absolutely NO additional FX or sequencers were used. We simply ran the stereo output from the OB6 into a DI and a stereo mic pre amp directly into Pro Tools HD and tracked it in."
DSI / Tom Oberheim - OB6 - live looping demonstration
Published on Jan 21, 2016 Daniel Davis
"DSI / Tom Oberheim - OB6 - live looping demonstration
Live looping demonstration of the new OB6 analog synthesizer. Only used the OB6 and Pigtronix Infinity looper."
I own an OB-Xa and the two videos above nail the sound and then some.
Update2:
NAMM2016 Introducing the New Dave Smith OB 6 Desktop Synth
Published on Jan 21, 2016 Analogue Zone Showroom / Synths and Studio
"Introducing the New Dave Smith OB 6 Desktop Synth
@dsiSequential
"Day 1 at NAMM 2013 and we meet up with Dave Smith to take a look at the much talked about Prophet 12 (coming soon) and also the Mopho X4 4-voice polyphony analog synth."
"NAMM 2013 Day 1 - We stopped by the Moog booth to see the Sub Phatty featuring Moog's extremely accurate oscillators and the new Multidrive section adding from warmth and width to hard and growl."
"Gur from Tip Top Audio shows us his drum machine using the original circuits of the 808 drum module. He also showcased a PVCO (Polyphonic VCO) analog synth."
