Dave Smith Instruments OB-6 is a collaboration between synth pioneers Dave Smith and Tom Oberheim. OB-6 is a 6-voice synthesizer with an all-analog signal path and discrete VCOs and filters. The full-size, four-octave, semi-weighted keyboard is velocity- and aftertouch-sensitive and houses a sound engine inspired by Oberheim’s original SEM, which was also the core of his acclaimed 4- and 8-voice synthesizers. This new instrument is designed to provide true, vintage SEM tone with the stability and flexibility of modern technology.

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

Modulation
Present also is X-mod, with the filter envelope and oscillator 2 as modulation sources. 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 without any menu diving. Toggling the Manual switch enables live panel mode, in which OB-6 switches to the current settings of its knobs and switches.

Studio-quality effects
A dual effects section provides studio-quality reverbs, delays, 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, OB-6 features a multimode arpeggiator and a polyphonic step sequencer with up to 64 steps (and up to 6 notes of polyphony per step) plus rests. It allows polyphonic keyboard input and can sync to external MIDI clock.

MPE support
Support for MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) enables OB-6 to respond to MPE-driven controllers such as LinnStrument, Expressive E Osmose, Roli Seaboard series and others.

Vintage mode
Vintage mode gives OB-6 a looser, more organic sound that emulates the behavior of vintage synthesizers where the behavior of individual oscillators, filters and envelopes vary from voice to voice.