OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?

OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« on: January 28, 2021, 08:47:07 PM »
i'm thinking about getting a desktop synth to go with my Rev 2 keyboard, but I can't decide which one to get. I like both the OB6 and the Prophet 6. The OB6has that excellent 12 DB filter which is excellent for pads. The P6 has both a low pass and high pass filter. they both have the same effects and the glide on both of them behaves similarly. whatever I get, I want it to be the one that is least redundant with the Rev 2. I also want to be able to emulate those CS-80 sounds that use multiple filters, But I don't know if that effect can be achieved on the OB6. I don't have a dealer anywhere near me so I can't try them before purchase. i've heard the demos and one of them sounds just as good as the other for me, with the OB6 possibly sounding just a little bit more like what I'm looking for but I'm not sure. Any thoughts?

LPF83

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Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2021, 05:13:03 AM »
i'm thinking about getting a desktop synth to go with my Rev 2 keyboard, but I can't decide which one to get. I like both the OB6 and the Prophet 6. The OB6has that excellent 12 DB filter which is excellent for pads. The P6 has both a low pass and high pass filter. they both have the same effects and the glide on both of them behaves similarly. whatever I get, I want it to be the one that is least redundant with the Rev 2. I also want to be able to emulate those CS-80 sounds that use multiple filters, But I don't know if that effect can be achieved on the OB6. I don't have a dealer anywhere near me so I can't try them before purchase. i've heard the demos and one of them sounds just as good as the other for me, with the OB6 possibly sounding just a little bit more like what I'm looking for but I'm not sure. Any thoughts?

In terms of generally emulating sounds from other synths, I think the P6 is more versatile.
Prophet 10, OB-X8m, Prophet 6, OB-6, 3rd Wave, Prophet 12m, Prophet Rev2-16, Toraiz AS-1, Pro 2, Virus TI2, Moog SlimPhatty, Hydrasynth desktop, Korg Minilogue XDm, Roland JP-8080, Roland System-8, Roland SPD-SX SE / Octapad, Maschine, Cubase/Ableton/Akai MPC

Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2021, 07:00:16 AM »
If you already have REV2 I suggest to get OB-6 to have a "smaller" overlap. And OB-6 filter is just so gorgeous.

Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2021, 09:01:47 AM »
right now I'm leaning more towards the OB6 because I like the oscillators and the filter but I'm not sure whether it can do everything I want it to do. to my ears the OB6 sounds fatter in the demos but it sounds like there's more you can do with the filters on the P6. The thing that my Rev 2 lacks the most is resonance in 2 pole mode and the OB6 would definitely meet that need.

LPF83

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Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2021, 09:10:14 AM »
right now I'm leaning more towards the OB6 because I like the oscillators and the filter but I'm not sure whether it can do everything I want it to do. to my ears the OB6 sounds fatter in the demos but it sounds like there's more you can do with the filters on the P6. The thing that my Rev 2 lacks the most is resonance in 2 pole mode and the OB6 would definitely meet that need.

Is CS-80 emulation the primary criteria?   There's always Deckards Dream MKII.

I love my OB-6, and agree with above response that the OB-6 is a great pair with the Rev2.  But for emulating other synths I think P6 is more flexible.  If CS-80 emulation is a specific fixed goal, the DD MKII might be just the ticket.
Prophet 10, OB-X8m, Prophet 6, OB-6, 3rd Wave, Prophet 12m, Prophet Rev2-16, Toraiz AS-1, Pro 2, Virus TI2, Moog SlimPhatty, Hydrasynth desktop, Korg Minilogue XDm, Roland JP-8080, Roland System-8, Roland SPD-SX SE / Octapad, Maschine, Cubase/Ableton/Akai MPC

Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2021, 06:29:33 PM »
on the P6, Is it possible to run the low pass and high pass filter's in parallel, or are they stuck in Siri's? I would love to be able to run them in parallel. that would definitely lean me more towards the P6. Otherwise I really like the sound of the OB6. If I'm not mistaken, I think that the Deckard's Dream is a lot more expensive than the P6 or OB6, And that would make it out of my price range.

Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2021, 12:32:04 AM »
I wouldn't say either's filter configuration(2 filters, vs. variable with lp/hp/notch/bandpass) are superior as far as capabilities...they're just different IMO...look how the lfo can modulate both of them on each synth....the capabilities are different...both powerful.  OB-6 being that it's a variable filter that it's state can be modulated is pretty special...something NEW.

LPF83

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Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2021, 06:06:02 AM »
on the P6, Is it possible to run the low pass and high pass filter's in parallel, or are they stuck in Siri's? I would love to be able to run them in parallel. that would definitely lean me more towards the P6. Otherwise I really like the sound of the OB6. If I'm not mistaken, I think that the Deckard's Dream is a lot more expensive than the P6 or OB6, And that would make it out of my price range.

HPF and LPF on P6 are serial, on the OB-6 you get HP and LP, but not both at the same time.  Both synths can do BP, only the OB6 can do notch.

OB6 is a great sound and has a unique character, and it's great if you want that character on almost every sound that comes out of it.  The P6 has a clear advantage if the goal is to sound like other hardware.  For me the OB-6 is a synth that I needed to have, but it was equally as important that it wasn't my only synth. 

A good way to describe the OB-6 is that it's sort of like having David Lee Roth as your next door neighbor that frequently and randomly drops in on you...  you always know what he's going to sound like when he shows up, but you're never sorry when he does.  :)
Prophet 10, OB-X8m, Prophet 6, OB-6, 3rd Wave, Prophet 12m, Prophet Rev2-16, Toraiz AS-1, Pro 2, Virus TI2, Moog SlimPhatty, Hydrasynth desktop, Korg Minilogue XDm, Roland JP-8080, Roland System-8, Roland SPD-SX SE / Octapad, Maschine, Cubase/Ableton/Akai MPC

A Thousand Eyes

Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2021, 09:47:23 AM »
I can't speak on behalf of the Mk.2, but I briefly had a DD Mk.1 in my possession. It was poorly constructed, the customer service was pretty much nonexistent, and the effects module was extremely noisy. The only thing that stood out to me as special was the HPF, which remains the only HPF I've come across that I'd use more than just rare occasions (mainly to take out muddy low-end). Other than that, to me there's nothing remarkable about the CS-80 sound. It was more about the expressiveness with the large throw keys with polyphonic aftertouch and the ribbon controller.

As for the P6 vs OB-6, it really is as everyone says. If you're looking for character, then go with the OB-6, but if you're looking for overall class go with the P6. You'll spend a lot of time trying to tame the character of the OB-6 if you're merely looking to replicate other synths.

Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2021, 12:29:21 PM »
to me, what made the CS-80 very special besides the features you mentioned was the way the filters were configured and the sine wave generator which was not connected to the filters. if you turned up the sine wave, you could run the high pass and low pass at the same time without losing any low end. this made for some really unique vowel sounds you could get with the filters. A lot of players didn't use this feature, so I think it is the most overlooked feature of that synth. you could get similar effects on a synth with the high pass and low pass connected in parallel, but unfortunately, it looks like neither the P-6 or OB6 can do that. it looks like I would have to layer my Rev 2 with either one to get those types of sounds. The 12 DB resonant Low pass on the OB6 sounds so good that it may be worth sacrificing the other features for.

Micky

Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #10 on: January 31, 2021, 01:22:27 AM »
Iīll not claim, that the REV2 and Prophet 6 are equal. But i would recommend the OB6, itīs more different to the REV2...

Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #11 on: January 31, 2021, 11:20:06 AM »
I like them both, and that makes it hard to decide which one to get. I've also heard a rumor that sequential may be coming out with something new in the spring, and if that is true, I may want to wait until then to see what the new product is.

VE

Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #12 on: February 17, 2021, 03:17:35 PM »
You asked about OB-6 vs. Prophet-6 and I can just confirm what other people said here: the Prophet-6 can do pretty much everything... like the REV2. So in addition to a REV2, it would be smart to add an OB-6.
You can look at this video for another confirmation of this versatility of the P6 vs. OB-6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7ROV84kcOk The OB-6 seems to win the "character battle". :)

Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #13 on: February 18, 2021, 10:55:43 AM »
Iīll not claim, that the REV2 and Prophet 6 are equal. But i would recommend the OB6, itīs more different to the REV2...

I've had both and kept the OB6 because of character and also because all Prophets' filter STEP when swept via the VCF mod. A deal breaker for me.

Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #14 on: February 19, 2021, 04:59:32 PM »
A good way to describe the OB-6 is that it's sort of like having David Lee Roth as your next door neighbor that frequently and randomly drops in on you...  you always know what he's going to sound like when he shows up, but you're never sorry when he does.  :)

this is funny, except that Diamond Dave didn't want Eddie's OB-X anywhere near him.

(fwiw, I have both)

LPF83

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Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #15 on: February 19, 2021, 05:10:51 PM »
A good way to describe the OB-6 is that it's sort of like having David Lee Roth as your next door neighbor that frequently and randomly drops in on you...  you always know what he's going to sound like when he shows up, but you're never sorry when he does.  :)

this is funny, except that Diamond Dave didn't want Eddie's OB-X anywhere near him.

(fwiw, I have both)

Synths always had kind of a polarizing effect within the rock genre.  I was never a big Rush fan back in the day, although I do like to listen to some of their stuff now.  Geddy Lee was another one that took a lot of shit for introducing an Obie into the band, but let's face it Tom Sawyer wouldn't be the same without synths.

I love synths, and I love traditional rock music.... but I don't always like them blended together, so I understand the polarization.  But if we look back at those guys that had the balls to try it early on, in most cases it ended up bringing their bands more success than they would have had without synths.
Prophet 10, OB-X8m, Prophet 6, OB-6, 3rd Wave, Prophet 12m, Prophet Rev2-16, Toraiz AS-1, Pro 2, Virus TI2, Moog SlimPhatty, Hydrasynth desktop, Korg Minilogue XDm, Roland JP-8080, Roland System-8, Roland SPD-SX SE / Octapad, Maschine, Cubase/Ableton/Akai MPC

Re: OB6 or Prophet 6, Which one to get?
« Reply #16 on: March 13, 2021, 12:06:01 AM »
To chime in : I think the OB-6 has a slightly more distinctive, possibly darker, more vintage-ish sound.
The P6 is a more versatile, polished-sounding synth that I'd put in the same category than the P08.