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. 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.

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.

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

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

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, delay, chorus, flanger, phase shifters, and ring modulator
• Delay sync
• True bypass

PERFORMANCE CONTROLS
• Full-sized, semi-weighted, 4-octave keyboard with velocity and aftertouch
• Backlit pitch and mod wheels
• Spring-loaded pitch wheel
• Hold switch latches held notes on
• Polyphonic portamento
• Unison
• Manual

PATCH MEMORY
• 500 user and 500 factory programs in 10 banks of 100 programs each
• Direct program access, single-button access to 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

PHYSICAL SPECS
• 31.8” L x 12.7” W x 4.6? H
• 20 lbs (9.5 kg)
• Walnut end panels