Dave Smith Instruments

T
om Oberheim has
come back into the
fold with a sonic
boom with the help of
old friend/competitor
Dave Smith. The
OB-6 essentially uses
the same chassis, effect engines and
basic design as the Prophet-6 but
Oberheim has popped in SEM-based
voice cards, added to his much-loved
SEM-based ‘state variable’ filter (aka
Filter 2 on DSI’s Pro 2 synth). No
doubt this has helped to keep
production/R&D costs down without
design is harder on the eyes than the
elegant P6’s front panel and several
functions are labelled above the dials
which makes them harder to read at
certain angles. Compared to the
Prophet-6, things have been moved
around, so the volume control is now
on the right (I prefer it on the left to
keep your right hand free for
playing), but also the effects have
been moved from the left to the right
side, which is a more logical place in
terms of following the signal flow.
The OB-6 shares the dimensions,
basic OS/firmware, connectivity,
similar walnut end panels, solid-
feeling red-backlit performance
wheels (pitch and mod) and the
general built-like-a-tank feel of the
P6. It’s weighty, yet still portable.
The case/chassis is all metal, the
dials feel sturdy, the patch select
switches click reassuringly and,
although the smaller selector
switches have some give, they are
solid. One of my favourite features
on my P6 (and OB-6) is the 4-octave
keybed – it’s one of nicest feeling
synth-action keybeds and is perfectly
balanced for every style of playing.
compromising the signal path
quality, which is a great thing for
audiophiles and cost conscious folks
alike – not that the OB-6 is cheap
though, at around £2,250 currently.
The OB-6 looks great and with its
blue-line-adorned front panel and
chunky knobs (which all transmit/
receive MIDI CCs) it’s throwing back
to the design of the classic OB-Xa
and OB-8. A similar vintage font is
featured, along with familiar black
preset selector buttons with red
LEDs and the whole thing looks very
future/retro, though the striped
THE PROS & CONS
+
Sounds like a
modern Oberheim/
DSI cross-breed with
plenty of texture
from the 2-pole
state-variable filter
Good mod facilities
onboard, plus arp
and poly-sequencer,
and dual digital
effect engines
Well-built, knob-per-
function ethos with
no menu diving
-
No splitting/layering
and no external input
to the filter/effects
Some panel labelling
obscured by dials at
some viewing angles
Sequencer transpose
only if you hold
record while pressing
a key. No arp/
sequencer MIDI out
87
Dave Smith Instruments OB-6 | Reviews
FMU307.rev_dsi.indd 87 15/06/2016 18:12