Dave Smith Prophet 12 Module Or Pro 2?

[db3]

I’ve never actually heard either one in person. On paper, the specs of the P12 look great, but I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about the sound. Does it have the same crap Curtis filter found in all the DSI synths since the Evolver?

On the other hand, I’ve only seen good reviews and comments about the P2. It was the first DSI to use a different filter, which is enough to get my attention on its own. I thought it was all analog, not a digital osc like in the P12, but perhaps I was mistaken. It seems to me that the Elektron A4 would be a pretty comparable alternative to the P2, and I’d be comparing between those two instead.

Yes, P12 uses Curtis filter. But I understand in a slightly different configuration. While I didn't like the sound of my Rev2, I have heard demos of the Prophet 8 which sound much nicer....so a guess there are more things in play.

The Pro2 has 2 filters - State variable as OB6, and LP/HP as Prophet 6. But its 4 OSC are digital, so it's more hybrid like Peak (which might be good option). This combination along with paraphonic mode make the Pro 2 very interesting. I had one for a bit and it sounds great, and it has a lovely keyboard and screen.

I've used an Analog Keys and I found it great for boards of Canada type stuff, but I found it lacking for punchy bass sounds. I wanted to use it with Overbridge, but I had all kinds of latency issues along with a Virus.

I now have an OB6, which to me delivers the classic poly analogue sound, and I recently picked up a Toriaz-AS1 for about €350, which is essentially a monophonic Prophet 6. It really delivers if you need Pro 1 type bass sounds.

[egbert101]

So I found a thread on another website (you know the one) where people were very critical of the Prophet 12, so at least it's just not me. Of course, some others are overly praising too, so it's very difficult to put trust in the ears of other people, in the end, you have to make your own judgement, especially over very expensive synthesizers.

Even though my ears are flawed, and my tastes change over time, it's really all I can go on. I don't like the Prophet 12. And although I have this honeymoon effect with the Pro 2, I'm concerned about the digital oscillators long term. Will I grow to hate them? Or is the combination of digital and analog a piece of genius? Good job I'm not buying anything for a while.

[Dasheesh]

y'all know there are 2 slightly different versions of the prophet filter right?

[egbert101]

It seems to me that the Elektron A4 would be a pretty comparable alternative to the P2, and I’d be comparing between those two instead.

This is a good point. I initially had the Analog Four as one of the top synths to buy. But then I heard that the MkII version has a slightly different sound, and that it's oscillators are DCO rather than VCO. No problem whatsoever with DCO but I'm already planning on getting a DeepMind, which is considerably cheaper. And also a Minilogue XD, which does have VCOs.

However, fair point that is comparable in a lot of ways to the Pro 2, only that the Pro 2 does have two very good classic filters. And I think ultimately having digital oscillators are more interesting as alternatives to DCOs.

But I'm back listening to various demos for the Analog Four, as indeed, it's a good alternative option.

EDIT: I think I prefer the Analog Four MkII to the DeepMind! Unless someone can persuade me otherwise.

[egbert101]

y'all know there are 2 slightly different versions of the prophet filter right?

y'all know you haven't read the thread right?

Literally said in the very first post about the different filters.

[Dasheesh]

for me personally it would be the pro2. i like that style filter better and i like the hybrid sound. 4 monovoices is enough to play with.

[egbert101]

for me personally it would be the pro2. i like that style filter better and i like the hybrid sound. 4 monovoices is enough to play with.

For me, the head says the Prophet 12, but the heart says the Pro 2. Just a matter of whether I can enjoy those digital oscillators in the long term or I grow weary of them. Love is fickle!

[Dasheesh]

well, i loved the dave smith digital oscillators that were on the mek.

there's also those gorgeous knobs tho! the pro2 is probably one the nicest interfaces you will ever touch. the pro 12 had knob problems when it was released. it got cleared up but the couple of knobs it offers were obviously inferior encoders. you will probably wind up back on a computer to work with the prophet 12 module. anyway, that's my opinion.

[egbert101]

It does look like a gorgeous synth aesthetically (not that it has anything to do with the sound). Also, being able to run an audio input through the effects, filters, sequencer and modulation brings me around 90% towards a definite future purchase.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcMjPUU4uCA

[vurt]

while it may not effect the sound, you want any instrument to be inviting to play.
obvs it has to be pleasing to the ears first, but absolutely looks do play a part.

[vurt]

as an example, id love the ed obrian sustainer strat, if it wasnt all white and didn't look like a strat.
if it was jazz master or jaguar shaped id be all over it! especially in surf green
but the sound

[egbert101]

while it may not effect the sound, you want any instrument to be inviting to play.
obvs it has to be pleasing to the ears first, but absolutely looks do play a part.

So true. I wish the Minilogue XD didn't have those ugly screws in the top plate, but the back has a beautiful wooden finish. Also the Elektron MkII is an uninspiring greyish box, but has a very practical display. Maybe I could put a paper bag over it.

[JCJR]

Oh I think digital synths are great, and yeah, you could totally fool me between the preset of a software synth and an analog synth. But I have recently fallen out of love with analog emulations and the entire software hype train. Going back to analog seems like a fool's errand, and a trap, but there is something within me calling to them. Also, I want to change the way I sit in front of a PC to more sitting in front of an actual synthesizer. I just get that excited feeling again. And it's very subjective, for example the Korg Odyssey's seem dead to my ears, yet I feel nothing but excitement over the Behringer Odyssey, even though they sound identical side by side, no? So yeah, I got some serious hearing problems.

I liked that behringer odyssey as well.

It isn't likely I would use anything but computer for recording, mixing, tacked-on FX in a recording, or my ignorant implementations of mastering.

But equally unlikely to run computer synths. No matter how ergonomic I try to setup midi keyboard in usable vicinity with computer keyboard, mouse and screens, it is just more pleasant to use hardware synths, even if the programming interface might even include lots of button-pushing and tiny screens. At least the buttons and tiny screens are ergonomically close to the music keys, don't have to be constantly looking between lots of different places.

Not trying to convince anyone of anything. I just end up mostly using hardware synths that are not analog subtractive synthesis. Hardware VA is basically "softsynth frozen in hardware" but still works OK for subtractive itch. Maybe someday I'll get around to trying to record some filter-sweepy stuff again, but the sounds I'm more likely to use would be sample/rompler, additive, FM, a wave-scanner synth if I had one maybe.

I haven't fired up the old Kawai K5 additive for awhile but would probably be more likely to do a track with it, than a subtractive analog patch.

Keep getting tempted to get a yamaha MODX mainly for the FM engine though I'd also find use for the samples and I imagine it could be used in a pinch for virtual analog. My 30+ year old TX416 power supply died, switching power supply possibly a can of worms to component level repair so I don't have any FM at the moment. It would be "easier" to get a MODX than repair the TX416, and more convenient as well because the TX416 demands four XLR mixer channels in order to do its thang.

Maybe in a decade after the new-generation analog customer market matures, somebody will get around to selling a really good, affordable, easy to use full-blown hardware sampler, kinda like emu EIII but better or whatever. First time around, when samplers came out they sold like hotcakes because musicians had got so burned out on subtractive analog... Had plumbed the depths of the sound potential and were sick to death of filter sweeps.

Or maybe somebody will build the ultimate easy-to-use powerful programmable physical modeling keyboard...

[HanafiH]

Then I heard the Prophet 12, which has the polyphony, but uses official (not Behringer) Curtis chips for the filters, and I really really wanted to love the sound, but I'm not feeling it at all.

Well it might be that you just don't like it. The thing I found watching people using mine, is that they never worked out how to use the Character section properly. They use it like its there suck a character of the Osc section, when in my opinion, it's there to push flavour into the filter. That's why the Character controls (e.g. Air) have such enormous ranges. You use the filter envelope to make the Air peak just as the Filter does and you can approach that zingy Waldorf flavour. Use girth in the same way, you can get the sort fatness people would associate with classic analog.

I found running mine through mullard amplification was a very good route to a CS80 sound. The P12 is a very pure synth. It's like having a Steinway grand. You shouldn't expect honkey tonk if you don't build around it.

[V0RT3X]

For anyone looking for a cheap Prophet 12 desktop, you can't do much better than this.

https://reverb.com/item/19537571-dave-s ... top-module