Dave Smith Instruments

The aftertouch response is spot-on
and can be customised, plus there
are velocity curves to suit different
playing styles (velocity affects the
filter and amp independently). I
would rather have five octaves, but in
most situations four is fine.
DSI have used the same clear red
LED displays as on the P6 (one for
patch/bank/functions and three
smaller displays for the FX and arp/
sequencer bpm) but that’s thankfully
as far as the menus go (except for
some global/MIDI functions).
Selecting from the varied and
well-chosen 500 factory patches
(with 500 user spaces) is done via
the bank/patch buttons, or you can
use the increment/decrement
function to step through sounds
quickly. There’s still no patch naming
(though this can be done via the
Soundtower editor) so you’ll need to
remember sounds by number or
write a list! Despite this, one of the
strongest points of the OB-6 (and the
P6) is this no-messing, knob-per-
The tuning is stable and settles
comfortably a couple of minutes
after power-up and, though not
immediately apparent, Dave Smith’s
‘slop’ control is still included but
re-labelled Detune. It works
particularly well when detuning six
voices in unison mode, while in poly
mode it introduces more sonic
instability as you increase the level
– a little goes a long way to making
the OB sound more vibey/vintage.
VCO2 can be detuned against VCO1
and this detuning sounds more
function ethos. The learning curve is
very shallow – just plug and play!
Function-wise, everything on the
P6 is included but there are some
noteworthy changes. You have two
SEM-based (Synthesizer Expander
Module) analogue VCOs, both of
which are continuously variable
(Osc1 from saw through pulse and
Osc2 from triangle through saw to
pulse), with Osc 1’s shape being
modulatable. There’s also PWM on
both oscs for evolving sounds – film
composers will love this machine!
ARP, SEQUENCER AND EFFECTS
With arpeggiators and sequencers being essential features these days, it’s great to have
these onboard. Both are MIDI-syncable (and audio-syncable so you can start/sync them
from external audio or modular synths, for example), though there’s no MIDI output from
either. The arpeggiator has plenty of modes (including an assign/as played mode) with
several octave modes and time divisions (with swing) for keeping most folks happy.
While the arpeggiator is monophonic, the 64-step sequencer is polyphonic, with up to six
voices available per step. It’s great as a backing machine, for roughing out ideas or for
studio loop creation but it doesn’t record knob movements so it’s pretty basic.
The dual 24-bit MIDI-
syncable effect engines are
the same as in the P6 (in
fact the P6 now has all the
OB-6 effects via the latest
firmware update on DSI’s
forum). The effects when
off are ‘true bypass’ and
sound excellent. It’s handy
being able to create your
whole sound internally, with
the effects to polish/rough
things up. I love the spring
and room reverbs, the new
phase shifters, ring mod,
flangers, chorus and the
analogue distortion (hold
‘effect/AB’ to activate).
THE ALTERNATIVES
Alesis A6
Andromeda
£2,000+
second-hand
This 16-voice VCO
analogue beast can
do just about
anything imaginable
and it does a mean
Obie impression with
its 12dB Oberheim-
styled filter.
Huge sounding!
eBay, Gumtree etc
Sequential
Prophet-6
£1,989
The comparisons are
inevitable as they are
closely related on
many levels but they
sound very different
from each other.
You’ll prefer one
or the other, or
want both!
www.davesmith
instruments.com
Oberheim
OB-8
£2,500+
second-hand
Looking like an OB-6
on steroids, the
OB-8 sounds huge
and features eight
analogue voices
with splitting and
layering. Also
features a 12/24dB
low-pass CEM filter
and Curtis VCOs and
ADSR. Beast!
eBay, Gumtree etc
It’s a different experience to
the Prophet-6 – think more
wiry, gnarly, fibrous, in your
face, textured and buzzier
Reviews | Dave Smith Instruments OB-6
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FMU307.rev_dsi.indd 88 15/06/2016 18:12