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Dave Smith OB6 Keyboard 6-voice Synthesizer

£2,899.00

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SKU: DSI2700

Product Description

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 SEMinspired state-variable filter (low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and notch) per voice. Voltage-controlled amplifiers complete the all-analog signal path. “The classic, bold SEM sound is all there,” said Oberheim.

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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, and it’s got that unmistakable SEM sound that synth enthusiasts love!

Here's what DSI say about the OB6

Two Legends. One Instrument

The OB-6 is a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between the two most influential designers in poly synth history, Dave Smith and Tom Oberheim. The OB-6 takes the classic bold Tom Oberheim sound — with its true voltage-controlled oscillators, 2-pole filter, and amplifiers — and adds modern enhancements such as studio-quality effects, a polyphonic step sequencer, an arpeggiator, and more. No other modern analog poly synth can boast such a pedigree or such a massive, in-your-face sonic signature. 

Vintage SEM Tone

The OB-6 sound engine is inspired by Tom’s original SEM, the core of his acclaimed 4-voice and 8- voice synthesizers. It features two discrete voltage-controlled oscillators (plus sub-oscillator) per voice with continuously variable waveshapes (sawtooth and variable-width pulse, plus a triangle wave on oscillator 2). The classic Oberheim-inspired 2-pole, state-variable, resonant filter provides low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and notch functionality. Voltage-controlled amplifiers complete the all-analog signal path. 

Dual Effects

The dual effects section provides studio-quality reverbs, delays (standard and BBD), chorus, flangers, and faithful recreations of Tom’s original phase shifter and ring modulator. While the effects themselves are digital, with 24-bit, 48 kHz resolution, a true bypass maintains a full analog signal path. 

X-Mod and Poly Step Sequencing

Also present is X-Mod, which expands the tonal palette and makes it easy to create dramatic and unconventional sounds. Modulation sources are filter envelope and oscillator 2, both with bi-polar control. Destinations include oscillator 1 frequency, oscillator 1 shape, oscillator 1 pulse width, filter cutoff, and filter mode. The polyphonic step sequencer allows up to 64 steps and up to 6 notes per step. You can create sequences polyphonically, with rests, and sync to an external MIDI clock. The full-featured arpeggiator can be synced to external MIDI clock as well. Unison mode features configurable voice count (1-6 voices), chord memory, and key modes. 

Easy to Program

The knob-per-function front panel puts virtually all OB-6 functions at your fingertips. Included are 500 permanent factory programs and 500 rewritable user programs. Turning on the Manual button enables live panel mode, in which the sound of the OB-6 switches to its current front panel settings. In this state, what you see is what you hear. 

Easy to Play

This analog powerhouse is packed into a four-octave, semi-weighted keyboard with velocity and channel aftertouch, making it perfect for stage or studio.

Specifications

OSCILLATORS

  • Two discrete VCOs per voice
  • Continuously variable wave shape (sawtooth and variable-width pulse, plus triangle on oscillator 2) per oscillator
  • Pulse width per oscillator
  • Hard sync: oscillator 1 syncs to oscillator 2
  • Square wave sub-octave generator (oscillator 1) per voice
  • Low frequency mode (oscillator 2)
  • Keyboard tracking on/off (oscillator 2)
  • Oscillator detune amount for increased tuning instability, from subtle to extreme

MIXER

  • Oscillator 1 amount
  • Oscillator 1 sub-octave amount
  • Oscillator 2 amount
  • White noise amount

STATE-VARIABLE FILTER

  • Two-pole, resonant, filter per voice with low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and notch functionality inspired by the original Oberheim SEM filter
  • Bi-polar filter envelope amount
  • Velocity modulation of envelope amount
  • Keyboard tracking: off, half, full

FILTER ENVELOPE

  • Four-stage (ADSR) envelope generator
  • Velocity modulation of envelope amount

AMPLIFIER ENVELOPE

  • Four-stage (ADSR) envelope generator
  • Velocity modulation of envelope amount

LOW FREQUENCY OSCILLATOR

  • Five wave shapes: sine, sawtooth, reverse sawtooth, square, and random (sample and hold)
  • Clock sync (internal or external MIDI clock)
  • Initial amount
  • Mod destinations: oscillator 1 frequency, oscillator 2 frequency, oscillator 1 and 2 pulse width, filter cutoff, filter mode, amp

X-MOD

  • Sources: filter envelope (bi-polar) and oscillator 2 (bi-polar)
  • Destinations: oscillator 1 frequency, oscillator 1 shape, oscillator 1 pulse width, filter cutoff, filter mode, normal to bandpass filter

AFTERTOUCH

  • Source: channel (mono) aftertouch with bi-polar amount
  • Destinations: oscillator 1 frequency, oscillator 2 frequency, LFO amount, amplifier envelope amount, filter envelope amount, filter mode

CLOCK

  • Master clock with tap tempo
  • BPM control and display
  • MIDI clock sync

ARPEGGIATOR

  • Selectable note value: 16th note, 8th note triplet, 8th note, dotted 8th note, quarter note
  • One, two, or three octave range
  • Up, down, up/down, random, and assign modes

SEQUENCER

  • Polyphonic step sequencer with up to 64 steps and rests

EFFECTS

  • Stereo analog distortion
  • Dual, 24-bit, 48 kHz digital effects, including: reverb (room, hall, plate, spring), delay (full bandwidth digital delay and emulated bucket brigade), chorus, flanger, phase shifters, and ring modulator
  • Delay sync
  • True bypass maintains fully analog signal path when digital effects are off

PERFORMANCE CONTROLS

  • Full-sized, semi-weighted, 4-octave keyboard with velocity and aftertouch
  • Backlit pitch and mod wheels
  • Spring-loaded pitch wheel with selectable range per program (1 to 12 semitones up and down)
  • Transpose controls for an 8-octave range
  • Hold switch latches held notes on
  • Polyphonic portamento
  • Unison (monophonic) mode with configurable voice count, from one to all six voices, chord memory, and key modes
  • Manual switch: when on, the front panel is live; what you see is what you hear

PATCH MEMORY

  • 500 user and 500 factory programs in 10 banks of 100 programs each
  • Direct program access, including single-button access to the current set of 10 programs

IN/OUT

  • Left/mono and right audio outputs (2 x 1/4” phone jack)
  • Headphone output (stereo, 1/4” phone jack)
  • MIDI in, out, and thru ports
  • USB for bidirectional MIDI communication
  • Filter cutoff expression pedal input
  • Volume expression pedal input
  • Sustain footswitch input
  • Sequencer start/stop footswitch input

POWER

  • IEC AC power inlet for internal power supply
  • Operates worldwide on voltages between 100 and 240 volts at 50 to 60 Hz; 30 watts maximum power consumption

PHYSICAL SPECS

  • 31.8” L x 12.7” W x 4.6 H (80.7 cm x 32.3 cm x 11.7 cm)
  • 20 lbs (9.5 kg)
  • Walnut end panels
Ollie Mason author picture

Written by Ollie Mason

Specifications
Brand
Sequential
Digital/Analogue
Analogue
Key Action
Semi Weighted
Key Size
Full Size
Number of Keys
49
Polyphony
Polyphonic

Customer Reviews

4.9

16 reviews

Value

Looks

Durability

Sound

Mr Justin Morse29th Jul 2023

Upgraded from a Korg Minilogue XD to this beast. Bottom line it is 2023 and the OB-6 is still a relevant synth.

Value 4Looks 5Durability 5Sound 5

Adon23rd Oct 2022

Value 5Looks 5Durability 5Sound 5

Mrs Paunka Ruseva10th Oct 2022

Value 5Looks 5Durability 4Sound 5

Mr Robert Weil12th Nov 2021

A perfect complement to my Prophet 6, the OB6 has a very different character. It is analogue too, reliable, but sounds a great deal like the OB-Xa I owned back in the day, as opposed to the Prophet which although excellent is a little closer to, well, vanilla if you get my drift. A collaboration between Dave Smith and Tom Oberheim? Great, potentiially. The result, well of course it's the OB6 and it is even better than I could have hoped for. Regrets? Only one regret which is I should have got it sooner. the Prophet 6 stays too though as it is also a superb synth. Dave Smith has sold the company now so these are both likely to become classics. They certainly sound it. For the record, I owned a Jupiter 8 as well, back in the day. And I far prefer the depth of sound that either of these analogue beauties produce, even to that. They're that good.

Value 5Looks 5Durability 5Sound 5

Trusted Customer26th Oct 2021

It’s an awesome machine that sounds sublime.

Value 5Looks 5Sound 5

Trusted Customer21st Jul 2021

Classy analogue synth. Brilliant at high end, treble sounds. Not so great at warmth and pads

Value 3Looks 5Durability 4Sound 5

Trusted Customer19th Jun 2020

Mr Riccardo Menegon30th May 2020

Oberheim OB6 is just a wonderful lushy synthesizer that sounds so great, endless capabilities and very pleasing sounding and satisfying possibilities of sound design. Seems also to be built like a tank to last for ever.

Value 5Looks 5Durability 5Sound 5

Trusted Customer26th Nov 2019

Trusted Customer12th Aug 2019

I'm really not sure about the OB-6 synthesizer itself: about its internal build quality and reliability. For a synth at this price point with the external case built like a tank, one might have expected a sturdier control surface. The case of the synth is really sturdy but the potentiometer knobs, I'm not so sure - and the electronics, I'm even less sure. The first unit lacked a minor feature that I had enjoyed using on the Prophet-6 even though it was nominally the same specification and also had some weirdness with the sub-oscillator that is perhaps actually a characteristic of the instrument itself. Though this can be put to musical use, I didn't find this same issue with the Prophet-6, even though the architecture is about the same. I should say that the tuning on the OB-6 was very good and Sequential seem to have the technology to assure this aspect is right on a VCO analogue synth. The tuning drifted off a little only a couple of times even before initial calibration, to the extent that I didn't even bother to calibrate it in the first few days - and that process takes all of 25 seconds anyway! The OB-6 sounds great and it has a fascinating but uncomplicated feature set, so I kept it and I'm giving 3 stars because I really wanted one. I ended up having two units delivered to try and they both had "issues" in my opinion. The second one hung up at power on a number of times (let's say about ten times while I had it for a few days). The OB-6 doesn't seem as well put together as an older Prophet-6 I have that was made by the same company - and it doesn't give me the same feeling of confidence I have had in that previous product. This was my first ever purchase from Andertons and I have already bought another item from them because of their excellent customer service. That is due to be delivered today.

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