Photo Credit: Katie Sikora
Rhode Island-raised, New Orleans-based keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Rob Kellner is a hidden gem. As an instrumentalist, he has slowly become one of the more sought-after sidemen in the New Orleans music scene. Kellner performs extensively with four-time Grammy-nominated Tank and the Bangas, and he has also lent his talents to such diverse and renowned New Orleans-based artists as Samantha Fish, Naughty Professor, The Rumble, Miss Mojo, Maggie Koerner, Kristin Diable, Boogie T.rio, and various side projects of The Revivalists and Dumpstaphunk, among many others.
Kellner has more recently turned his attention toward creating beautiful and evocative music as a solo artist under the pseudonym Wax Poet. His debut EP, Make Me Whole, is a kaleidoscopic work of bedroom pop that reflects meaning and connection in the midst of modern distraction, isolation, and oppression. Make Me Whole is largely synth-driven with rich harmonic colors, electronic elements, infectious grooves, honest songwriting, and poignant, minimalist vocals. Kellner is credited as the sole writer, performer, producer, and mix engineer for his debut EP, which was released in August 2024.
We chatted with Rob on how he uses the OB-6 in his music:
What made you choose the OB-6?
Years ago, there was an OB-6 in this studio I used to record at a lot. At the time, I was writing a lot of soul-pop, and a strong poly synth was exactly what I needed to elevate the music and give it a sort of modern edge. So one day I was just playing around with the OB-6 and listening with headphones, and I switched on the stereo effects (I think it was chorus and hall reverb on this particular patch), and all of a sudden it was like a whole world opened up, like I was submerged in the sound of this instrument. After that it was like, yep, I need this.
I did a lot of research before buying the synth and was considering a few others for a little while, but I ultimately came back to the OB-6 for a few reasons. One is that its oscillators and filters are so lush, and it’s really easy to make super beautiful patches. It’s also pretty streamlined, with enough cross modulation to open up some cool possibilities, but not so many as to be overwhelming. I wanted an instrument I could get to understand extremely well, one I could learn to really make sing, and the OB-6 was perfect for that.
How are you using it?
I’m using the OB-6 a lot both live and in the studio. When I’m preparing for a live set, I’ll typically sculpt patches from scratch to try to emulate the synth sounds that are on the recordings that I’m learning, and the response from bandleaders (and audiences) tends to be super positive. People seem to love hearing this synth as much as I love playing it. It’s the most fun on particularly synth-forward sets of music, like when I’m playing with Tank and the Bangas or covering Talking Heads music, for example. But it’s also versatile enough that I can often find ways to add synth sounds to music that otherwise might not have any. It has helped shape my sound as a sideman, and the people who hire me definitely appreciate what it brings to the table.
When I’m writing and recording original music, the process is more geared towards exploration or experimentation than emulation. I’ll try to reproduce sounds I hear in my head or, alternatively, mine the factory presets for inspiration. There’s always more to learn on this instrument, and it’s been a great tool to expand my synth-sculpting proficiency and improve my ear for different sonic possibilities. My first EP features the synth pretty prominently on every song.
What is one of your favorite things about it?
The built-in effects rack really takes the synth to another level. As a producer, I can get pretty used to adding a series of effects to a signal chain to hone in a particular sound on my DAW, but that can be harder to recreate in a live setting using analog gear. The effects on the OB-6 make that work a lot easier, serving as sort of a native pedal board. They add a lot of depth, color, and variation, making it easier to emulate studio sounds and allowing me to fill more diverse sonic niches in the bands I play with.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that I love the way it looks. The blue pinstripes are so sexy.
What does it give you that other synths might not?
I know it’s been said a lot before, but it’s hard to overstate the value of that variable-state filter. Most of my synth-sculpting experience prior to purchasing the OB-6 sort of assumed a low-pass filter as a default. But having something that can smoothly modulate through low-pass to notch to high-pass—that just opens up so many options when it comes to creating original sounds. I particularly like that space just above pure low-pass, where the high end of the notch filter gives it a little bit of fizzle, but it still retains a lot of low-mid beef. I also like sweeping a resonated, high-pass filter down through a distorted arpeggiator sound, which gives it almost a manic quality. Those sorts of sounds are not attainable on most other synthesizers.
Any interesting OB-6 tricks or techniques you would like to share?
I’m a keyboard player first and foremost, and I grew up listening to a lot of electric guitar-driven music and wishing that I could recreate some of that same energy on a keyboard instrument. I think that’s why I like keyboards that are geared towards live performance. For the OB-6, plugging an expression pedal into the filter input is absolutely critical for my sound. I can sweep the filter using my foot and also make use of aftertouch, pitch bend, and the modulation wheel at the same time, giving me so many more options for live expression than simply playing the keys. That’s what I mean by making the synth sing.
To go even deeper, one of my favorite tricks is to run a MIDI cable from another keyboard into the OB-6 to use the synth as a layer. So, for instance, my other keyboard could be running a Rhodes sound, and if I send MIDI from there to the OB-6, it can add a lush analog pad layer on top, with all of it modulation capabilities. Another favorite is playing an effected piano sound and then sending that MIDI to an OB-6 lead with the pitch bend set to 12 semitones, which results in some searing and shreddy lead sounds. (If you can get your hands on a MIDI kill switch, you can turn on and off the keyboard layer effect at different points during your set.) Techniques like that have made the OB-6 a pretty invaluable part of my sound as an instrumentalist and as an artist.
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