SEQUENTIAL TRIGON-6 Demo & Review

The TRIGON-6 was the synthesizer, Dave Smith was involved in developement. It's platform is like from the Prophet-6 and OB-6 (6 Voices and 4 Octatve Keyboards, digital effects, arpeggiator and sequencer).
The TRIGON-6 has 3 Oscillators, whereas the 3rd Osc can also be used as a second LFO, it has a wide polymode section, feedback like on the Minimoog and a Ladder Filter, like from Moog, but with 2 and 4 pole. It has a lot of similarities to the Memorymoog, which also has 6 Voices, a mixer for several waveforms and a ladder filter. I never played a Memorymoog, but from sound examples in the internet, I don't think that the TRIGON can replace the Memorymoog nor it is a clone.
All in all, it is a nice synth, you also could see it as a polyphonic Pro 3 without SEM Filter.
In my opinion it has a big range of sounds, but not a all time sweet spot. It can sound versy sweet but also harsh and metalic. Thanks for watching this video, see you next time!

[@RayyMusik]

Finally! Was waiting for new T6 demos for weeks.

[@EverettDudgeon138]

Right now the Trigon 6, OB6 and Prophet 6 are about $5k in Canada while the OBX8 is $7k. To me while the Prophet 5 and OBX8 are awesome sounding they have far less features than the new modern analog poly synths and thus th higher price is really hard to justify...especially given that you will have to buy external effects, arpeggiator and sequencers to compensate for the lack of features on them. The T6, P6 And OB6 have them right out of the gate. You also have to take into consideration these new analog poly synths have a wider range of values and gain staging thus the perception that they sound “harsh” is due to the fact people are driving the filter too hard and introducing more harmonic content. It all comes down to programming.

[@geirnordheim6986]

I have had both the P6 and the OB6 and I loved them both. I am now eyeing the Trigon-6 as a memorymoog fan (I have never played either of them though ;-). For me though, if the T6 had the formfactor of the P5/P10 and OBX8 it would have been a great plus: Bigger synth, 5 oct more space and without internal effects, sequencer and so on. I like high end external effects. More of the value should have been put in the VCOs and filter if that is the magic they have done with the P5 and OBX8 compared to the P6 and OB6. I would have bought it in a heartbeat if it was closer to a «reissue» of the memorymoog, but now I am in doubt. For me and what I value, the OBX8 have more value pr dollar than the Trigon-6. Even though I like the memorymoog better than the Oberheim synths. I hope you are right about the gainstaging. I still look forward to try the T6 myself :-)

[@EverettDudgeon138]

I just can’t justify spending $7K on a synth with limitations simply because it’s nostalgic or like it has one or two things going for it. The new Minimoog is more expensive than the OBX8 now....after the honeymoon period is over is a mono synth with no patch memory, no effects, limited features really worth the price of 2 to 3 synths which have those things? Nah. It’s an ego thing I think.

[@EverettDudgeon138]

It’s not just the effects and sequencing though. The Prophet 5 has a mono output, no octave transpose, no hi pass filter, no LFO sync, etc. The OBX8 has some terrible shortcomings in regards to it’s arpeggiator functionality and there’s quite a bit of menu diving for features that could easily have been on the large front panel. I already see people after having bought one complaining about these things and requesting they be implemented in some clunky way in a firmware update. I’m not saying they don’t sound excellent but I can’t help but to me I’m just not seeing the value for price. If I’m paying $5k to $7k I don’t want a “warts and all” product that I’m going to have to spend another $1k to $2K on compensating for those limitations. May as well just get a Moog One at that point.

[@SPAZZOID100]

Good synths don’t need FX. And features have little to do with raw tone.

[@SPAZZOID100]

@@EverettDudgeon138 Most of us buy synths for their tones, not their features.

[@trebleboost7]

Thank you for this demo! Much appreciated. I have been a little stunned that there has not been much hype at all it seems to me about this synth. I appreciate your honest response and look forward to your further exploration of this synth. I am planning on adding an analog poly to my studio and sorting out all the pros and cons.

[@InFamousProductions]

now that I'm hearing you play some chords, it sounds really great. the top end sounds clean and cuts through the bottom end. almost sounds like a few synths at once.

[@danthreepwood2760]

Dave: ''We need more knobs & buttons on the T6!'' Marketing: ''We need less buttons, and make more money!'' Dave won 😉

[@soundscapejourneys-wileymonroe]

Very nice synth! The oscillators have a rich sound. Thanks for the demo of the parameter aspects, I would like to see a demo of more of the tonal color presets if you have it available. Thanks!

[@vintagesynths]

Coming soon! I plan to make a demo with a bigger variety of sounds.

[@geirnordheim6986]

Thank you for the nice demo :-) I am very curious on this synth, and I really want to like it. But as you mentioned in an answere here, I am a bit "worried" about the raw quality of the sound from the VCOs. How do you think it compares to the raw and beautiful quality of the VCOs on the obx8?

[@vintagesynths]

No chance. The OB-X8 oscillators are much better, especially when detune them to each other.

[@InFamousProductions]

​ @vintagesynths Hey , great vid, and I have a Tempest and a Pro 2 Dave smith. the thing about anything Dave Smith, is that you have to work for it. Even the presets are not "out of the box ready to go". you really have to spend time with these machines, but time well spent. that Trigon 6 sounds a lot thicker that the Pro 2, but not as warm as the Tempest. The Tempest is insanely warm. almost to much.

[@cronenbergj]

Your thoughts on the low end ? Seems very mid range sounding...

[@vintagesynths]

It is very mid range sounding. I have this synth only since one 2 days here and my first impression was not great. The synth is nice but no wow effect at all. By using all three oscillators it sounds too dull and not lively airy like a minimoog using all three oscillators. I have to spend more time to get more out of it. But the basic sound dir not overwhelm me right now.

[@cronenbergj]

@@vintagesynths What i hear mostly, is maybe a lack of some Warm and Low End Punch / Presence.

[@EverettDudgeon138]

This is likely just due to programming. The new modern analogs have gain staging and a wider range of values so they introduce filter drive and more harmonic content easier. The key is to back the oscillators off, don’t open the cutoff all the way etc. To be fair though, if you isolated some of the most iconic synth parts you will be shocked how thin they sound. Sometimes it’s better to have something that cuts through a mix rather than too much low end that you are going to need to mix out anyway.

[@thedarkestrainbow]

That’s just the “Dave Smith” sound. Which is why I don’t have any of his synths.

[@michaelgross9654]

Reminds me at a Minilogue

[@stevehunt2125]

Pardon

[@ageshero]

Is it just me or does this thing ever sound in tune, lol. it seems like its always nasty no matter what, i want to hear some pristine sounds.