Anticipation

Sacred Synthesis

Re: Anticipation
« Reply #140 on: March 29, 2016, 12:26:53 PM »
Hopefully, it will be fine as a studio instrument, as long as you water and feed it properly, and maybe take it for a walk here and there.

My only solution to the issue has been to take instruments like the Prophet '08 and build them up with two or three modules.  I've avoided the vintage plunge myself, and tried to create something at least as good with new instruments.  So, Vinny, why wouldn't you have considered, say, a Prophet '08 Keyboard/Module pair?  That OB-8 must have cost you a pretty penny, probably close to the cost of the two P'08s.

Re: Anticipation
« Reply #141 on: March 29, 2016, 12:52:15 PM »
Hopefully, it will be fine as a studio instrument, as long as you water and feed it properly, and maybe take it for a walk here and there.

My only solution to the issue has been to take instruments like the Prophet '08 and build them up with two or three modules.  I've avoided the vintage plunge myself, and tried to create something at least as good with new instruments.  So, Vinny, why wouldn't you have considered, say, a Prophet '08 Keyboard/Module pair?  That OB-8 must have cost you a pretty penny, probably close to the cost of the two P'08s.

I always loved the sound. Darren from our band had one in 1985 when we first started working together and I always loved it.
I already have the Prophet 08 and thought they would still compliment each other.

Re: Anticipation
« Reply #142 on: March 30, 2016, 10:23:19 AM »
Oh.... and I paid exactly the same for the OB8 in the UK as I would have for the OB6. :-)

Re: Anticipation
« Reply #143 on: March 31, 2016, 05:31:16 PM »
If everything goes well, I'll be able to check out an OB-6 tomorrow. Exciting…

Sacred Synthesis

Re: Anticipation
« Reply #144 on: March 31, 2016, 06:02:37 PM »
And what will you do if you really, really, REALLY like it?

Re: Anticipation
« Reply #145 on: March 31, 2016, 07:14:23 PM »
And what will you do if you really, really, REALLY like it?

Then I'll cry or prostitute myself to get enough cash quickly.

Sacred Synthesis

Re: Anticipation
« Reply #146 on: March 31, 2016, 07:37:25 PM »
I would suggest the crying.  :-[

Re: Anticipation
« Reply #147 on: March 31, 2016, 08:28:56 PM »
I would suggest the crying.  :-[

Ha! Either way I'll let you know about my impressions. Thankfully, that store also has a Prophet-6, so I'll be able to make direct comparisons immediately and in person, which might be interesting with regard to the oscillators. And since I'm friends with the sales manager who's running the keyboard section, I can at least take my sweet time.

Re: Anticipation
« Reply #148 on: April 01, 2016, 09:29:57 PM »
So I checked out the OB-6 today for about one and a half hours. And my conclusion is that this is a great partner - not surrogate - for the Prophet-6. Those two together will cover all of your analog polysynth needs for ages.

Luckily, there was a Prophet-6 sitting above it, so I could easily compare the different oscillators/voice cards. At the first listen, it was actually not easy to discover the differences, but once I dialed in the triangle waves it became more obvious. In general, I'd say that the timbre of the OB-6's waveforms are somewhat buzzier. It's a bit less pronounced when you dial in a waveform that contains many harmonics already like a square wave, hence I only fully recognized it when I chose the triangle waveform. So basically the oscillators produce more harmonics than those of the Prophet-6, which gives them a slightly fuller timbre. It's not that they sound completely different at the first listen, which is why comparing them from memory would have made it harder. But there is definitely a difference. One could also say the ones of the OB-6 sound a tad more open.

And then there's of course the - this time totally - different sub oscillator, and this square wave is a truly nice addition that'll help you create massive bass sounds that need more than just an added bass timbre, which is what a triangle wave mostly does. Also, the detune parameter does indeed differ from the slop parameter if unison is activated (no news I know, but it was interesting to actually hear the difference).

What definitely sets the OB-6 apart, though, is of course its filter, and that is a true joy. There's something really cool about a 2-pole filter that doesn't self-resonate because even at the most extreme settings you don't lose any clear articulation if that makes sense. While at some point a 4-pole filter can do nothing but to sound aggressive due to its self-oscillation, the 2-pole leaves everything more pronounced. Things just get less overcolored. That doesn't mean that the OB-6 can't sound aggressive, but it does so in a different way - maybe in a still more beautiful way. So if one likes 2-pole filters, this is definitely one to consider. What makes it even better is of course the fact that it's state variable and that many in-between positions can be chosen and the filter modes is/are a modulation destination. This gives you plenty of choices for shaping your sound. So much complex stuff can be done with this filter in conjunction with the mod sources that it's impossible to get that covered in the first test drive. One thing is for sure: you'll get everything from nice nasal sounds, timbres that are reminiscent of formant filters, and punchy as well as tight basses out of this filter. If you have the 2nd oscillator modulate the filter frequency, you really get significantly different outcomes compared to the Prophet-6. At times I was reminded of a couple of DX7 sounds that can sound somewhat harsh, but not noisy. So with regard to filter FM one might say that the OB-6 stays a bit more musical than its colleague.

The bottom line is that in my opinion it doesn't sound more analog, more vintage, or bigger than the Prophet-6, it just covers different sonic ground - sonic ground the Prophet-6 can't cover just as much as there is sonic ground the OB-6 can't cover. So in that regard I see no rivalry, but rather two synths that are at eye level with each other.

Sacred Synthesis

Re: Anticipation
« Reply #149 on: April 02, 2016, 02:49:07 PM »
There's something really cool about a 2-pole filter that doesn't self-resonate because even at the most extreme settings you don't lose any clear articulation if that makes sense. While at some point a 4-pole filter can do nothing but to sound aggressive due to its self-oscillation, the 2-pole leaves everything more pronounced. Things just get less overcolored. That doesn't mean that the OB-6 can't sound aggressive, but it does so in a different way - maybe in a still more beautiful way.

Precisely.  A non-self-resonating 2-pole filter with the resonance set at 100% produces a range of timbres that is quite uniquely beautiful.  Filter sweeps sound sweeter and gentler, more musical.  Along the whole filter range, you can find points that sound wonderfully ethereal, and it's within that range that the superb choir patch lurks.

Thanks for this review, Paul.  Your impressions are always helpful.

Re: Anticipation
« Reply #150 on: April 02, 2016, 02:50:49 PM »
There's something really cool about a 2-pole filter that doesn't self-resonate because even at the most extreme settings you don't lose any clear articulation if that makes sense. While at some point a 4-pole filter can do nothing but to sound aggressive due to its self-oscillation, the 2-pole leaves everything more pronounced. Things just get less overcolored. That doesn't mean that the OB-6 can't sound aggressive, but it does so in a different way - maybe in a still more beautiful way.

Precisely.  A non-self-resonating 2-pole filter with the resonance set at 100% produces a range of timbres that is quite uniquely beautiful.  Filter sweeps sound sweeter and gentler, more musical.  Along the whole filter range, you can find points that sound wonderfully ethereal, and it's within that range that the superb choir patch lurks.

And that's why you might have to check out the OB-6. If you already like the 2-pole mode on the Prophet '08, this will be heaven for you.

Re: Anticipation
« Reply #151 on: April 04, 2016, 09:51:29 AM »
Marc Doty's having a go at it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBGKY_hxu58