Dave Smith Instruments About To Release OB-6 Desktop Module? This Photo Says So

Dave Smith Instruments tweeted a rather revealing photo today showing not only Daniel Jones and Dontae Winslow at DSI... but it also appears to show an OB-6 desktop module. Exciting news for every synth fan.

Thanks to Daniel Jones and @DontaeWinslow for stopping by @dsiSequential! @MrJonesS3 #JustinTimberlake #synthheaven pic.twitter.com/80T2aEeOgz

— DaveSmithInstruments (@dsiSequential) June 22, 2016

Look we've even highlighted it in the pic below ;)

DSI OB-6 desktop module spotted.

The original OB-6 was announced back in January at NAMM 2016 to much acclaim. 

We ssupect the OB-6 desktop module will share the same spec as the keyboard version... but we haven't received any details to confirm this yet. So, here's the spec of the original:

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

MIXER

• Oscillator 1 amount
• Oscillator 1 sub-octave amount
• Oscillator 2 amount
• White noise amount

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

FILTER ENVELOPE

• Four-stage (ADSR) envelope generator
• Velocity modulation of envelope amount

AMPLIFIER ENVELOPE

• Four-stage (ADSR) envelope generator
• Velocity modulation of envelope amount

LOW FREQUENCY OSCILLATOR

• Five wave shapes: sine, sawtooth, reverse sawtooth, square, and random (sample and hold)
• Clock sync (internal or external MIDI clock)
• Initial amount
• Mod destinations: oscillator 1 frequency, oscillator 2 frequency, oscillator 1 and 2 pulse width, filter cutoff, filter mode, amp

X-MOD

• Sources: filter envelope (bi-polar) and oscillator 2 (bi-polar)
• Destinations: oscillator 1 frequency, oscillator 1 shape, oscillator 1 pulse width, filter cutoff, filter mode, normal to bandpass filter

AFTERTOUCH

• Source: channel (mono) aftertouch with bi-polar amount
• Destinations: oscillator 1 frequency, oscillator 2 frequency, LFO amount, amplifier envelope amount, filter envelope amount, filter mode

CLOCK

• Master clock with tap tempo
• BPM control and display
• MIDI clock sync

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 (room, hall, plate, spring), delay (full bandwidth digital delay and emulated bucket brigade), chorus, flanger, phase shifters, and ring modulator
• Delay sync
• True bypass maintains fully analog signal path when digital effects are off

PERFORMANCE CONTROLS

• Full-sized, semi-weighted, 4-octave keyboard with velocity and aftertouch
• Backlit pitch and mod wheels
• Spring-loaded pitch wheel with selectable range per program (1 to 12 semitones up and down)
• Transpose controls for an 8-octave range
• Hold switch latches held notes on
• Polyphonic portamento
• Unison (monophonic) mode with configurable voice count, from one to all six voices, chord memory, and key modes
• Manual switch: when on, the front panel is live; what you see is what you hear

PATCH MEMORY

• 500 user and 500 factory programs in 10 banks of 100 programs each
• Direct program access, including single-button access to the current set of 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

As soon as we find out more info about the OB-6 desktop module (and whether it will ever be made available to buy) we'll let you know... Stay tuned.