Dave Smith: OB-6 vs Pro6 // The Definitive Comparison
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- #prophet6 #OB6 #demo #review
A quick tour of DSI's OB6 and Prophet .
I've tried to give a feel for how the Sequential Prophet6 and OB6 sound individually rather than recreate sound on both as they've got such different characters. They're so similar in their architecture, but so different sonically, I hope I've captured it in 30 mins.
This might give an idea of which is best for your studio, which might cut through in your mixes or fit with your current rig.
I don't consider one is 'better' than the other, they simply have different characters.
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Oscillators 6:45
Subs and Bass 8:30
Unison Detune 10:20
Squelchy Bass 13:50
Distortion 13:00
Filters 13:55
High Pass 16:15
BandPass 16:55
Filtering Polys 18:00
Adding FX 20:00
THE 'Notch' 21:20
Some Sounds 24:35
Conclusion 35:00 - Фільми й анімація
wonderful. all you did was convince me i need both.
agreed lol
2nd that
Just got the prophet 6 today,,, the new firmware update making the vintage knob what it is now is the real thing. Noice... ob-6 and prophet 6... playing nicely in the studio as they should.
The OB-6 is crack to us !
Love that OB so much! Can't believe how much low end is there. I do love that dreamy resonance on the Pro 6 though! I guess I need both......:(
BTW,
Thanks so much, great demo!
Have to say that I was using my OB-6 for five weeks straight, jumped on a Roland Jupiter-6 and could not believe how much low end was on the Jupiter in comparison. OB-6 is probably the best modern day poly-synth out there, has great character, well rounded and generally reliable but the low end and air still doesn't compare to the earlier gear. I'm not trying to be elitist it's just a genuine 'fresh ears' A B of two synthesizers. The filters are of course completely different but I don't hear any better from other modern poly synthesizers.
As an new OB-6 owner the distortion tip @13:23 and the Unison voicing and detuning @ 10:50 was golden!! This whole video is extremely useful. I will say the differences between these two poly synths is really a matter of personal taste. Like I can't decide if I prefer fat and grit and buzz of the OB-6 or the smooth fatness and warmth of the Prophet-6. I found myself preferring the Prophet @ 10:32.
I guess sometimes you want a smooth rich cognac(prophet) and other times you want a strong shot of OB-6 SCOTCH!!!😆
Hey Brian are you still enjoying your ob 6? And how do you find it cutting through the mix and with studio recordings?
OB-6 sounds unreal! So much more raw/gritty/dirty. Way more up my alley for sure. The Ob-6 is like Eventide & the Prophet 6 is Strymon. I was really sold on the prophet 6 before this video. When you started messing with "The Notch" I was sold. OB-6 owns.
The Prophet is polite while the OB-6 punches you in the face!
@Luke The neverending GAS.
If people are saving up for these I would buy the OB6 and get a prophet plug in. Money left over for toilet paper.
OB-6. Nothing Sounds like that filter. The Prophet is a great synth too. Very distinctly Clear. Love it. Sequential and DS make great synths all the way around. Thanks for this demonstration. I have to agree with you on your conclusion too. It just depends on your style of music.
THIS IS SYNTH CONTENT. I HOPE EVERYONE WHO ENJOYS THIS SUBSCRIBES BECAUSE WE NEED MORE CONTENT LIKE THIS.
Thanks - very nice of you. Glad you liked it.
Its crazy how you play a sound on the PRO and I just think to myself wow thats huge, but the then the simillar sound on the OB is just even crazier (cant even find the right words). Thanks for the comparison Starsky, definitley gonna get the Oberheim
The unison was amazing. The Prophet 6 has so much deep weight, while the OB 6 is just wild. Both meant in a good way. Crazy how different the characters are.
Again, wonderful review. Turning into a fan here! I’m an Oberheim fan boy. Hav an OB8 and just recently acquired an ob6. I have done a bunch of patches on both that are a virtually indistinguishable. And the new vintage function on the ob6 makes them even closer. The OB8 has the page 2 functions that the 6 doesn’t have , ob6 has Xmod for FM type modulation. Love them both.👍
The problem with these synths is that once you have one, you start wondering about the other one. I guess that's why so many peeps end up with both :)
It’s the same with women
@@eyesintheskies Good point :)
Can't go wrong with either synth. They're both great. However, I'm a sucker for the filter on the OB-6.
The blessing and curse of the ob6 is it always sounds like an Oberheim.
I had both, and really liked both of them, but eventually kept the P6 due the cream factor. OB6 is still awesome though and will probably pick up a OB6 desk top version.
OB-6 is a much more valuable synth to have in the analogue realm. I find the Prophet sound can be recreated fairly convincingly from Arturia etc. The Oberheim sound is proving much harder to digitize. having played Prophets in a few studios, I find myself thinking it sound like a plugin, whereas Ob's I always want to track in audio, especially the Prophet 12 which I find sounds WORSE than the Arturia prophet XD
diva can do p6 finger in the nose
They're both great, I think the stand out is the OB but the better overall performer is the p6. It plays better with others and in mixes which frankly was true about the Prophet 5 and OBXA imo. My favorite polys of all time are P5, OBXA, JP8, Synthex and PPG. There is just no way to compare them all they are all great. If I won the lottery there'd be no question about having
all of them.
Yeah - Moog sucks!!! 😉
Hey this is a great video. Perfect ratio of talking and synthing. I'm considering selling both my inferior 80's poly's (JX-8P w/ PG-800, DW-8000) to fund the purchase of one of these in desktop format. Your video helps in some ways and confuses me in others. It IS like choosing your favorite child, although, I lean towards blue stripes! Great work though...I'm highly impressed.
Never sell your old stuff man. You'll regret it... really :-)
OB-6, or any Oberheim synthesizer is so unique that you can't not notice them in a crowd of synthesizers. Their personality is the strongest I have ever heard from any synthesizers. When that "tune-shifted" smooth mellow sounds with "nano-particles" feel rises up I will immediately recognize that it's an Oberheim. OB-6 is a true masterpiece, which combined the advantage of Sequential Synth(which is easy to program and has rubust built quality) with the classic Oberheim sound. It's just a amazing choice. Sounds extremely rich and iconic. Sometimes it might not be able fit into a mix becasue it's just too unique...but I believe it's the best addition to an existing set up(for example if you already have a TAKE5 or Prophet6 or something). But I heard Behringer is making an UB-Xa and it also sounds insane...considering the price of OB-6...here I come Behringer😂
OB6 fits with the Prophet-6 like a glove.
@@davebellamy4867. I just wish there weren’t so much overlap between them. Besides their filter and choice of sub-osc waveform (OB-6 better here), they are very much the same synth …
8:48 The reason I prefer the OB-6
it sounds squelchier but is it because of the keyboard or the person using it here?
Any beyerdynamic wearers w me?
@@brendanjames8818 1990Pro here
I assume you mean the square sub-osc? Yeah, I agree … and, well, apart from that difference and the filter difference, they are very much the same synth …
Nothing wrong with either. I LOVED playing a P5, and I LOVED playing an OB8...BUT, to me, I LOVE the Obie sound. There is just something special about that thickness. It's not as "deep" as a Moog unosynth, but it's got more character.
would be interesting to compare the ob-6 with new "udo super 6"
Two of the best ever? Could be! Can never imagine the love I have for my prophet 6.. It is my dream and my reality!
P6 is wonderful but the OB6 always seems to excel in demos! When I'm playing the P6, the fun begins. They're both rather brilliant, I think.
@@davebellamy4867 I love hearing other people tweak the OB6 in videos, but when I play one, I'm 80% of the time just not feeling it. My Prophet-6 always feels 'right' when I play with it.
This video proves that I need to get an OB-6 and a Prophet 6. Now I just need to find a good winning lotto ticket.
Angel and Demon both got there serious charm, im an ob6 owner ;) ..but also loving the round/smoothness of the p6
Cheers Starsky - for me OB-6 all the way, so bought one..!!
Amazing work! I totally hear the difference between these two now! You really know what you are getting with each one. Will help many people make a decision on whats best for them.
Thanks, that’s what I was going for so good to know.
For me the Prophet is more geared towards soundtrack works or music like Peter Gabriel or Phil Collins. More UK based. The Oberheim is more for that 80s American synth rock sound. Like if you play with a band. I’m a soundtrack guy personally and I can count on one hand how many soundtracks used an Oberheim by itself. More often than not though an Oberheim was always played with something else...including Prophets. Now soundtracks that used Prophets? The list goes on and on.
Interesting - I never thought about it from a soundtrack perspective. You’re right I think in hat the OB is a great synth to supplement others, but may be a little too distinctive as your one and only poly.
Agreed. Even in a band setting the synth sounds of Jump, Don't You Forget About Me, etc are all thick, fuzzy brass stabs. Songs like Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Forever Young, In The Air Tonight etc are all quite a bit softer than their Oberhiem counterparts.
I'm just trying to think of the films that used ONLY an Oberheim as it's only synth. Revenge Of The Ninja, Young Warriors, Flash Gordon, The Exterminator, Maniac Cop, Invasion USA...hmm...that's about it really but even those scores either had orchestras or guitars playing alongside the synth. Every other time an Oberhiem appeared it was always partnered up with something else...most of the time a Prophet.
Thank you for this great test. I own both of em, and i really can't sell one of them. Both are fantastic and different sounding Poly-synhs. Love them both. Together they play verry well. OB6 is a bit more my favorite, but it appends on what kind of sound you are looking for. Thanx
From the filter movements I'm getting a strong Terminator synth vibe from the OB6 and a very 70's galactic vibe from the Prophet 6.
12:39 - when a 12dp filter rocks more than a 24db. It may be a question of taste, but I largely prefer the OB-6!
12db filters are really underrated.
This was fantastic. Easy to see why people end up with so many synths. Found these two hard to separate on the basis of what I saw/listened to. I vacillated at least 5 times.
“I vacillated at least 5 times.”
Was that a euphemism?! 🤔
@@kierenmoore3236 No, but I might have had more fun choosing a synth if it were…
The OB-6 is my favorite OB synth of all time. I just bought a Moog One and a Moog Matriarch this year. So it's going to be a fun time bringing an OB-6 home in a few months and looking at my wife's face :)
Whoaw that’s quite some spending spree 🤩
I am just in the decision process and this video is so helpful!
"Sounds like the devil's comin to get ya" (the Ob-6) Got a laugh out of that one
would be good if DSI would come with a mark-2 update of the OB-6 providing more LFOs and a knob-changing recording feature (even at eliminating the digital effect-section instead)
Yet another fantastic demo from you, you big geek :) I love the OB-6 personally... thank you for the videos!
OB6
Les Paul Standard with Humbuckers/ Les Paul Goldtop with Humbuckers, same ammount of strings, same price, different customer (or not).
33:40 Almost divine both of these.
DSI really has it going on don't they? The warmth and size of tone they pack into these boxes is insane.
That stepping on the filter cutoff of the Prophet is horrible. What was Dave Smith thinking?
I’m not a fan, but it is handy for getting some FM tones musical.
@@StarskyCarr I'm sure there would be another solution, which doesn't completely destroy those nice slow filter sweeps. Maybe a separate, rasterized knob.
The ob6 is so lush and Fat ... I mean if the oh 6 was a person, it’s just that kind of person you can’t wait to see again just for the Hug.... and you Kinda wanna have them to yourself.
The p6 feels a bit more like those nasal girls that talks in a way that makes your eardrums distort a little, But fits perfect in a busy Yoga class.
Finally did it... I've had the OB-6 for over about 15 months,,,, and still really wanted the Prophet 6,,, alas, After pulling the trigger, and with the new firmware update on the Prophet 6, there really seems to be a peace come over me, no more gnawing, aching lust for a new bit of kit.... OK, I could be fooling myself with that statement, but am still enjoying the honeymoon period with the P6.
Prophet is like wearing a tuxedo and the OB is like wearing Body armor. Weddings or war?
If you plug in a pedal, you can sweep the P6 filter without any stepping. Just a tip for anyone who is really annoyed by this. I do wish there was a setting to turn the stepping on or off.
great review. The ob-6 is lushes with the notch turned on and sounds beautifully different. While Prophet sounds more snappier. It sounds like the envelopes on the prophet make it better for snappier sounds like base while the ob6 is far more open. Both are beautiful synths, I want them both :)
Leaning towards the Prophet 6, prefer the smoother sound.
Excellent video - first time i’ve heard the differences between the two so clearly exposed.
My wallet hates you, but I deeply appreciate your videos. Thank you! I don't live near a store where I can try these out. I'd love both, but man the OB6 is just lovely. Lovely. It's got a sound that VAs and AUs can't touch, whereas the Prophet is closer to what I can already achieve with VAs. $2.5K seems like a lot for that sound, but you could easily spend more than that on a clarinet or a trumpet.
For me the Prophet sounds like its trying to do what the Oberheim can do but never quite gets there. It can't quite deliver those low growls and lacks that deep full richness. A telecaster trying to impersonate a Les Paul good at what it does but not quite got the muscles for those big sounds which the Oberheim does with simplicity and ease.
Great review ! I'd roughly say that I would take Prophet for leads and OB for pads ;) i if one can't afford both, wich is my case. Thanks for this video, i've been watching it a lot of times.
IMO, the OB6 looks cool and sounds cool, perhaps for electronic music Genre. The Prophet 6 sounds very classy for ones leisure or entertainment. Interesting video !
Great video, as usual. I wouldn’t have thought there was as much difference in the oscs, but I guess there is! You’re making it hard not to add an OB-6 to my studio! (And I’ve already got the Prophet 6, which I got before the OB.) I bet the Prophet would still do the lion’s share of analog poly work, but the OB would be like that extra bit of cardamom to spice things up.
Fantastic review. Been considering adding a P6 to cosy up beside the OB6 and your demo really helped. Especially the bit with housey stabs. The P6 really shone here.
Nevvvver selling the OB though, it just does what it does so well.
I just got a Moog One and love it and it replaced several of my other synths but I'm still considering the OB6 for THAT sound. Now it's looking like Dave and Tom are reissuing the OBX so I'm going to wait so I can compare features and whatnot.
Great comparison. My OB6 arrives in a few weeks with the new vintage knob function! It's badass!!!!!!!!!!!!! The new Prophet 5/10, IMO gives the true prophet sound that the Prophet 6 is missing.
OB i like much more on your demos
I have an OB6, it really is an exceptional machine. Of course I’m interested in the prophet but realistically I can’t imagine spending that much and using the space on something that brings you into the same arena. For $2000 used price you could get any number of poly synths that open up completely different palettes rather than a wider spectrum of the same palette. Korg Monopoly for instance, I have this keyboard above my OB6 and playing the 2 synths together is (for lack of a better word) beautiful. Just my thoughts on why I really (for the 20th time) shouldn’t contemplate a prophet 6
I really appreciate you taking the time to show the scope for the waveforms. I'm visual.
im getting an OB6
Patch sound at 28:11 sounds great for the prophet 6. Really like that one. I own an OB 6 desktop but the prophet 6 really does sound good in its own right.
6 years on - What do you think about getting the new Oberheim TEO-5 and the Prophet 6? Is that the perfect combo?
Ob-6 for sure but holy crap it's expensive
Really great review! Just was I was looking for... THANKS!
13:33 Sounding BIG. OB6 bass can be huge.
would be interesting to compare the sounds of the UDO Super 6 and the DSI OB-6. someone did it?
Taste is obviously personal, but for me the prophet 6 seems to never lose its muscle - the distinct mids don't get diminished by the higher frequencies - more oak than steel.
My god that OBie is in a league of it's own with pads/filter sweeps...so beautiful indeed! But for my first hardware synth, I see myself getting the Prophet 6 for versatility/cutting through the mix. Let's face it, I'll probably get the Ob-6 eventually as well...gotta have those syrupy pads! XD
Both sound great! I've been trying to find a demo of the OB6 that showcases just the pure oscillator tones so I could compare it to the SEM Pro module. Honestly, based on your demo vs some of the SEM demos on UA-cam, played through my studio monitors with a sub, I don't hear much of a difference in tone. Thinking about going for the OB6 now. More versatile. Thanks for delivering the goods!
I am guessing the P6 fits in a mix better, but there is something sexy about the OB. I have the P6, but I would love to add the OB as well. Don't NEED it, but WANT it!
Oh how i miss my Pro 6!
Oredered the OB6 last night though!!!
CAN'T WAIT!!!
Great vids by the way, top quality.
Keep up the good work.
ob6 is an edgey grungy p6 which is a bit more focused and smoother. so hard to choose which one if only could have one. i think the real test would be how they would sit in a mix and depending on genre i think overall the p6 would be a bit more forgiving and would be able to cross genres a lot more. if you want 80's or particular sounds or if you want to make moody synthwave or john carpenteresque soundscapes then the ob6 would be the dream synth to own.
Bang on.
dude I swear i change my mind everyday depending my mood lol
Good, I found your P6 vs OB6 review! I'm glad you did one because I liked the style of the DeepMind12 vs Juno106 comparison. I have a P6 from a swap deal and no OB6 hut I would like one. Do the controls on the OB6 feel as nice as the P6 because I really like the P6 potentiometer feel. I also love the sound. I was not keen on the Prophet 6 presets but programming it is a blast. I want an Obie 6 to go with it.
I can highly recommend the OB6. It’s just as inspiring as the P6 and the pots are as high quality. Glad you’re liking the vids.
Thanks for the answer! Good point about the sub osc on the P6 that souds like it's underneath the sound. That is really true. Sometimes I even wondered if it was 2 octaves below. On the other hand, it gives a bit of a 12-string guitar effect.
@@StarskyCarr I'm gonna update now. Got the OB6 delivered on my best mate's birthday in July 2019. I had to go home from his house to take delivery!🤣 Bought myself an OB-6 for my mate's birthday! It was one of the very first Sequential labelled ones #03638. It had an odd behaviour on the subosc that is typical of them so I tried another one #03632, which was labelled DSI. In the end I kept the Sequential one of course. I had both in the house at the same time. Plus the P6!🤣😊👍
ua-cam.com/video/eV2Oio6xuDk/v-deo.html
Surprised at the conclusion that p6 is more flexible.... on my OB6 I have banks of electric organs, pipe organs, poly synth classics, monosynth leads, basses. There all strong, believable and usable. Everything I've tried to create from scratch so far has worked (some after much head scratching). The only thing I've not managed are those nice layers you get when there's individual filters per oscillator, like on the Roland Gaia; P6 can't get that either though. For my money the OB6 reaches more sonic places than the P6... might depend what you're after creating though. Nice video anyhow :)
Thanks, hopefully it was interesting. I thought the P6 was more flexible from a ‘fitting in a mix’ standpoint. As you say the OB6 is capable of making similar sounds, and a huge range of them. But it’s more in the realm of electronic sounds and particularly those that rely on the interaction of the filter and its resonance that the P6 feels more comfortable in more situations. The OB6 has such a distinctive sound that sometimes it doesn’t sit as well as the P6 with the rest of the mix. BUT... it’s a minor point and they are both amazing synths.
"(P6) that sounds nice and rich, (OB-6) that sounds like the devil's coming to get you" 🤣
Still the best analog polysynths outhere .
Fantastic video, love your approach, really gives us a feel for how these two synths are different.
Two questions:
- does the high end / grittiness of the OB-6 become irritating after a day's work listening to it?
- which better complements a Prophet 08 Rev 2?
Thanks!
Cheers. Glad you liked it.
Two answers:)
- no it's not harsh or irritating in any way - adds a little excitement to the day.
- this is a really difficult question. I think the Rev2 covers so much ground it can do OB-6 with its 12dB filter (no notch/blend though) and it can sound like the Pro-6. I used to have the P8 but sold it when I got the P6 and OB6. I was hoping to replace them both with the Rev2 but had issues with a couple I tried... you may have seen my P6 vs Rev2 comparison.
If I had to pick one to go with the Rev2 it would be the OB-6 as it adds so much more with the SEM filter. Rev2 has a digital high pass in the FX section plus a 24dB self-resonating low pass, so covers P6 ground but it can't replicate the SEM style filter.
Thanks - I really liked the sound of the OB-6 from your video :)
Great comparison.But which fucking one?
They both sound beautiful.
I just wanted to say that your demos have been astoundingly helpful in choosing my first analog polysynth. They've shown me that while I definitely greatly prefer the sound of the Ob-6 to the Prophet 6, and slightly prefer the sound of the P6 to the Rev2, In terms of features and play-by-play comparison, I think the Rev2 is the choice for me and my uses. I really found your demos helpful in helping me understand the range and limitations of each instrument, as well as their strengths and drawbacks. You have a great talent for providing objective honesty, even when it comes in the form of saying which you personally prefer, and the amount of thought you put into your demos and comparisons really helps to understand what's actually desirable about things like DCO vs VCO, and how much one synth can get the job done even without the "secret sauce" another might have. Thanks for the great content.
A pleasure, and thanks for the lovely comment, much appreciated :)
It's impossilbe to make a choice between these two beauties. Goodbye good 'ol sleep for the next 5 years or so :(
Great review! They are so similar. You can’t go wrong with these synths
Oh man, I think you’ve made it even harder for me to decide! They both sound so epic in their own right. :-) I am leaning towards the OB-6, though. There’s just something about it that’s pulling me in...
35:40 totally understand you, man you do love both right? We shouldn't be asked whether we love mommy or daddy more. We need to own both. Thanks for the wonderful comparison. No better/worse, just different. Both great! PS) I tend to be attracted to granular, dirtier sound than smoother or ethereal sound...
Agreed. Both would work well together in the studio synth family for sure.
I owned a Prophet 5 (rev 2) once, bought it for like £300 or something. It was a really nice synth, but I guess I liked my 2nd silk screen OB-8 better.
Did the rev2 P5 stay in tune?
@@davebellamy4867 Sometimes 😏 but long enough to get phat sounds out of. 😋
31:30 and 32:08. I love both sounds. Quite different so keep both! There seem to be a lot of difference when you push these two machines past what they have in common. I note you like CHO and bbd on the effects. Same here. I like to set them both to 0 mix with effetcs on and then move the mix around while playing. I also really love the arpeggiators and then messing with the sound with both hands free. The design is so immediate and musical to play.
mmmm OB!
My wife will self resonate :/
To me in this comparison Prophet sounds more... polite.
Ob sounds more naturally saturated
This video doesn't help. Right now I can't afford either of them while wanting both. Beautiful machines.
Robert Szordykowski Yeah I feel you. They BOTH sounds great! I’m thinking about getting BOTH table top versions and running it thru the midi on the XF7.🤨
Aight, got the OB. :D
Had both, kept the OB-6. It sits with my Prophet 10 rev 4. Never liked the prophet 6 much, your video shows the kinda distant feel it has (no presence) vs the OB-6/Prophet rev 4.
I don't want them to sound the same... That's what makes them so different.. I think I would get the Prophet 6 first. Great video!
Zoom lh8
Klj8
The OB-6 had more drift.
Ob 6 is better by far
32:15 ! Wow that resonance almost made me cry, so beautiful.
Both boards are arguably multi faceted in regards to the wide palette of sounds they are capable of synthesizing but IMO (and this is purely just my personal take) The Prophet excels at leads, pads and plucks and the OB Excels at Leads, pads and bass.
I think given the option, I would personally take a Prophet 5 Rev4 over the Prophet 6 and an OB 6 over both of them.
OB-6 every time
great demo - wish everybody offered these skills. i own their ancestors - a prophet 5 and an OB8 ;)
Thanks... lucky you:)
18:12 Let it Whip - Dazz Band
Wow, this OB6 sounds awesome. I want it!!!
It's so good!
Thanks for the excellent comparison man, helped me out for certain. They sure are both beautiful instruments. I just bought an OB6 and I agree, it’s just a bit more special ! More than likely eventually have a P6 too, they really are both so nice.