Thread: Gear update
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Old 09.04.2020, 09:54 PM
MBTC MBTC is offline
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Join Date: 16.04.2010
Posts: 1,082
Default Gear update

Analog polys are pretty much the heart of my modest studio these days. I started getting more and more into the vintage analog sound and gravitating away from any major investment in VA synths for the time being -- would love to see Access do a Virus Ti3, but I don't see it on the horizon. I think that software has gotten so good at VA that its harder to justify the price tag. Will continue to keep one eye on Waldorf Kyra.

The combination of Prophet Rev2 and OB-6, especially lined up and played together as in the photo, satisfies such a wide range of my synth need and the sounds that come out of the two of them are incredible. These two boards compliment each other beautifully! The 16 voice dual-timbral Prophet is effectively 2 synths in one, so that's three analog polys within easy reach. ... This, I think is why we often see this combination among poly fans (Prophet+OB-6). The OB-6 brings that special Oberheim sound, and the Prophet has that incredible versatility as well as a rich sound that seems to appear in so many classic synth tunes (yet both can sound as modern as you want them to).

Some folks talk about DCOs (Prophet Rev2) as opposed to the VCOs of the OB-6... is there a difference? No...in terms of the "analogueness" of the OSC tones, there really is not a discernable difference. Remember, even the magical Juno-106 was DCO based. What gives each their unique personality is the Curtis filter (Prophet) vs. the SEM filter (OB-6), and this has much more to do with the analog sound than DCO vs VCO. The notch filter is the one thing the Prophet cannot do and it is an important difference between the two, however there are certain sounds that the Curtis filters of the Prophet just excel at. Aside from the filters, it's all the various types of modulation that bring out the warmth, and both of them have crazy options.

About pic -- Note they both say "Sequential". There really is no DSI brand anymore.... I haven't yet seen an OB-6 that is branded Sequential in any other pics, although they will surely become more common over time. I have seen a few Rev2s in pics branded Sequential. The OB-6 still has the Tom Oberheim signature on the front (not shown).

Embedded images not allowed so here's the link : https://imgur.com/F8eb2e

I still have my TI Snow... not visible in the pic because the angle of photo. Still use my Maschine MKI but primarily for FX and specific creative urges, because XO has taken its place as my drum machine.

Update -- captured image from Sequential's product site...

https://imgur.com/a/nAAzoZ

... branding not updated there, DSI logo still visible I think the branding differences are an interesting component of these synths' history that won't be present in new products. Who knows, maybe the DSI labeled ones will bring a bigger price tag on the used market one day? If so it won't be due to rarity -- not sure of sales numbers but the OB-6 has been around for 4+ years now so quite a few units sold.

Last edited by MBTC : 17.10.2020 at 10:57 PM.
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