Description
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.
Properties
OB-6 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
Walnut end panels
- Weight: 9.500kg
- Height: 117mm
- Width: 813mm
- Depth: 323mm
Brand
Sequential is led by legendary instrument designer and Grammy-winner Dave Smith, the founder of Sequential Circuits in 1974. In 1977 Dave designed the Prophet-5, the world’s first fully-programmable polyphonic synth, and the first musical instrument with an embedded microprocessor. Sequential released many innovative instruments and drum machines over the next 10 years.
Dave is known as the driving force behind the MIDI specification in 1981. It was Dave, in fact, who coined the acronym. In 1987 he was named a Fellow of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) for his continuing work in the area of music synthesis. After Sequential, Dave was President of DSD, Inc, an R&D division of Yamaha, where he worked on physical modeling synthesis and software synthesizer concepts. He then started the Korg R&D group in California, producing the Wavestation and other technology.
He took over as President at Seer Systems and developed the first soft synth for Intel in 1994, followed by the first professional soft synth, Reality, released in 1997.
Realizing the limitations of software, Dave returned to hardware and started Dave Smith Instruments, starting with the Evolver hybrid analog/digital synthesizer in 2002. The product lineup has grown to include the Prophet X, Prophet Rev2, Prophet-6, OB-6 (with Tom Oberheim), Pro 2, and Prophet 12 synthesizers, and the Tempest drum machine (with Roger Linn).
In 2018 DSI changed its name to Sequential, bringing Dave’s legacy full-circle.
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