Hey guys,
I just ordered the Dave Smith Prophet 8 all analogue synth.
Dave's the guy who designed and built the famous Prophet 5 for Sequential Circuits in the 70's.
Here's his site: http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/
I'm expecting it to be a nice complement to the Oasys , my Virus and Supernova synths (and my Kurzweils and vintage Rolands!!)
I'll post a review (it arrives tomorrow).
Dave Smith Prophet 8
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Dave Smith Prophet 8
Ed Dzubak
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peter m. mahr
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TagPass
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I purchased a P'08 at the beginning of September, and was able to put it to use on a few production music and video game sound effects projects in conjunction with the Oasys over the last couple of months. I will certainly attest that it makes a great companion to the O, complementing its sound and capabilities quite nicely.
It is extraordinarily easy to dial in the sound you want, although there are certainly a couple of operational quirks to get used to (but then again, isn't that the case with *any* synth?). Most of the online criticism of the Prophet is that it doesn't even sound close to the original P5 -- a synth that I have always wanted since first hearing Naked Eyes in the mid-80's -- but I think that's an issue for purists only. The P'08 covers all of the "analog" sonic ground I need, and I couldn't be happier with the purchase.
Other than the gate sequencer, there aren't a lot of "frills", but that's what attracted me to the synth. It's simple, solid, does what you expect it to and sounds great. Of course, I'm being overly simplistic here -- Dave Smith always has a *ton* of modulation routing options with his synths, so if you know what you're doing and dig deep into the programming (which I, by and large, don't necessarily do), you can create all kinds of synth weirdness, especially in conjunction with the sequencer, which can also be assigned to various mod destinations.
I also got a great deal from Nova Musik when I purchased mine, so it came with the Sound Tower editor (and a bunch of other stuff). Not that you need a visual editor, when the bulk of controls are laid out before you, but it does allow you to see all of the parameters on one screen, it certainly makes using the sequencer easier (at least for me), and it also offers "program genetics" which gives you a nice starting point for creating new and/or unexpected sounds.
In any case, enjoy it when it arrives... and best of luck!
It is extraordinarily easy to dial in the sound you want, although there are certainly a couple of operational quirks to get used to (but then again, isn't that the case with *any* synth?). Most of the online criticism of the Prophet is that it doesn't even sound close to the original P5 -- a synth that I have always wanted since first hearing Naked Eyes in the mid-80's -- but I think that's an issue for purists only. The P'08 covers all of the "analog" sonic ground I need, and I couldn't be happier with the purchase.
Other than the gate sequencer, there aren't a lot of "frills", but that's what attracted me to the synth. It's simple, solid, does what you expect it to and sounds great. Of course, I'm being overly simplistic here -- Dave Smith always has a *ton* of modulation routing options with his synths, so if you know what you're doing and dig deep into the programming (which I, by and large, don't necessarily do), you can create all kinds of synth weirdness, especially in conjunction with the sequencer, which can also be assigned to various mod destinations.
I also got a great deal from Nova Musik when I purchased mine, so it came with the Sound Tower editor (and a bunch of other stuff). Not that you need a visual editor, when the bulk of controls are laid out before you, but it does allow you to see all of the parameters on one screen, it certainly makes using the sequencer easier (at least for me), and it also offers "program genetics" which gives you a nice starting point for creating new and/or unexpected sounds.
In any case, enjoy it when it arrives... and best of luck!
I like this synth,it has a wonderful appeal,The only reason I have held off, is that after demoing one,I felt it had little to offer over a couple of synths I have which already cover the same ground,Namely the Virus TI and Nord Lead.
I do like this no nonsense approach to sound that the Prophet oozes though,its not overkill direct from the box,like many synths what you see is what you get.Who knows maybe later on I may give in,but right now I don't have or see any need for it.
Let us know your thoughts and impressions,I rather prefer to hear peoples thoughts than simply see a couple of you tube demos
I do like this no nonsense approach to sound that the Prophet oozes though,its not overkill direct from the box,like many synths what you see is what you get.Who knows maybe later on I may give in,but right now I don't have or see any need for it.
Let us know your thoughts and impressions,I rather prefer to hear peoples thoughts than simply see a couple of you tube demos
--Korg Nautilus~~Korg Modwave--Korg SV-1-Korg Wavestate--
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TagPass
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Good point -- although I wouldn't try to make this argument to analog purists!Namely the Virus TI and Nord Lead
The VAs in my collection are compatively few. Besides the Oasys and various soft synths, I have only one -- the Waldorf MicroQ, which kind of has its own flavor.
So it's true, if you're not going for pure analog integrity, one of the big VAs, like the TI or Nord, might cover similar ground.
Thanks Tag,
My beloved supernova 2 is beginning to give up the ghost on me, after 8 years of hard use it sometimes won't turn on and often stops producing sounds entirely - a reboot three or four times is usually necessary.
I love the SN2, even more so than the Access Virus TDM (my go to for non-tonal xfx), but a replacement is necessary and the DS seems like a good way to go - yes I know it has many fewer non-tonal sounds possible, but a real analog synth seems like the right move, especially since I have so many sources for the non-tonal stuff (I do film/tv music as well, we ALWAYS need non-tonal possibilities these days
)
My beloved supernova 2 is beginning to give up the ghost on me, after 8 years of hard use it sometimes won't turn on and often stops producing sounds entirely - a reboot three or four times is usually necessary.
I love the SN2, even more so than the Access Virus TDM (my go to for non-tonal xfx), but a replacement is necessary and the DS seems like a good way to go - yes I know it has many fewer non-tonal sounds possible, but a real analog synth seems like the right move, especially since I have so many sources for the non-tonal stuff (I do film/tv music as well, we ALWAYS need non-tonal possibilities these days
)Ed Dzubak
Let us know how you go with the DS8. I purchased one back in June, but only kept it for 3 weeks before selling it and buying a Moog Voyager instead. Maybe 3 weeks wasn't enough, but for me it wasn't worth continuing with.
I found that the DS8, although a nice sounding synth, just didn't come up to my expectations in many ways. I found that the rotary encoders/pots were way too sensitive, even to the extent that some of them changed values after being set.
Also when calling up a factory preset I found it quite hard to see what was going on with each control - what's modulating what, where's this routed too, where's that going , etc.
On the up-side the 4 step sequencers are fairly easy to use and the ARPs are good fun. Also if you are programming your own sounds from scratch it's easier to know what's going on with the controls.
Another thing which isn't a big problem but just kept nagging at me each time I used it, was that it doesn't look and feel like a serious instrument. The keyboard has a lot of click/clack and feels cheap, the rotary controls feel cheap, the small wooden panels on the end look cheap, and a wall-wart on a $2000 synth - it wouldn't have been so hard to have an integral PSU in there - would it ?
Having said all that, it's all relative. If it had been my first synth, or if I had never owned an Oasys ( or similar ) to compare it too, it would have seemed like a great machine and well worth the money. I am sure many owners of the DS8 love it and would disagree enturely with my opinion. But that's what forums are for.
I hope yours turns out to be what you expected and that you have many hours of fun with it.
I found that the DS8, although a nice sounding synth, just didn't come up to my expectations in many ways. I found that the rotary encoders/pots were way too sensitive, even to the extent that some of them changed values after being set.
Also when calling up a factory preset I found it quite hard to see what was going on with each control - what's modulating what, where's this routed too, where's that going , etc.
On the up-side the 4 step sequencers are fairly easy to use and the ARPs are good fun. Also if you are programming your own sounds from scratch it's easier to know what's going on with the controls.
Another thing which isn't a big problem but just kept nagging at me each time I used it, was that it doesn't look and feel like a serious instrument. The keyboard has a lot of click/clack and feels cheap, the rotary controls feel cheap, the small wooden panels on the end look cheap, and a wall-wart on a $2000 synth - it wouldn't have been so hard to have an integral PSU in there - would it ?
Having said all that, it's all relative. If it had been my first synth, or if I had never owned an Oasys ( or similar ) to compare it too, it would have seemed like a great machine and well worth the money. I am sure many owners of the DS8 love it and would disagree enturely with my opinion. But that's what forums are for.
I hope yours turns out to be what you expected and that you have many hours of fun with it.
Steve M
Kurzweil K2000, Yamaha CS1X, Minimoog, Oasys76, GEM Promega 3, Korg PA3X, Kurzweil PC3K8
Too many toys are never enough!
Kurzweil K2000, Yamaha CS1X, Minimoog, Oasys76, GEM Promega 3, Korg PA3X, Kurzweil PC3K8
Too many toys are never enough!
Re: Dave Smith Prophet 8
And Dave is generally acknowledged as the father of MIDI.sharp11 wrote:Hey guys,
I just ordered the Dave Smith Prophet 8 all analogue synth.
Dave's the guy who designed and built the famous Prophet 5 for Sequential Circuits in the 70's.
Here's his site: http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/
I had a problem with a Prophet 10 a few years ago and e-mailed Dave Smith as a last resort. He told me (correctly) what to do to fix it. Really nice chap
...I am not worthy......
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curvebender
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I have a P08 signature.
Bought it from Nova Musik (very good int'l shpping service).
At the time I still had a P10 and a T8 at home.
I made a comparative test and found that the new P08 is more in the T8 area than similar to P5/10.
Anyway, a good analog synth. I do not use it very much, it's there for collection purpouses.
If I remember well, it miss the possibility to have triangle/saw/square wave at the same time.
Too bad they decided for the external power supply.
The instrument's casing does not seem to be solid. That's probably due to make it lightweight (and it is).
Here in Italy there's an argument on which one sounds better, has the best price/features ratio, is more flexible, between the P08 and the Alesis Andromeda.
Bought it from Nova Musik (very good int'l shpping service).
At the time I still had a P10 and a T8 at home.
I made a comparative test and found that the new P08 is more in the T8 area than similar to P5/10.
Anyway, a good analog synth. I do not use it very much, it's there for collection purpouses.
If I remember well, it miss the possibility to have triangle/saw/square wave at the same time.
Too bad they decided for the external power supply.
The instrument's casing does not seem to be solid. That's probably due to make it lightweight (and it is).
Here in Italy there's an argument on which one sounds better, has the best price/features ratio, is more flexible, between the P08 and the Alesis Andromeda.
So far, I'm really enjoying the P8.
I'll need to purchase the sound editing/librarian software - it's a must have with only 256 slots onboard for patches.
The P8 appears to be the perfect companion to a digital setup - the sound is the thing, and it's quite beautiful.
I also like the compactness and design of the unit; the knobs feel fine (perhaps a running change in response to the numerous complaints I've read on the subject) and the overall build is solid yet the unit is nice and light.
As with most keyboards of this type, the angle of the surface is much to parallel to the user, but hey, what are ya gonna do?
I'll need to purchase the sound editing/librarian software - it's a must have with only 256 slots onboard for patches.
The P8 appears to be the perfect companion to a digital setup - the sound is the thing, and it's quite beautiful.
I also like the compactness and design of the unit; the knobs feel fine (perhaps a running change in response to the numerous complaints I've read on the subject) and the overall build is solid yet the unit is nice and light.
As with most keyboards of this type, the angle of the surface is much to parallel to the user, but hey, what are ya gonna do?
Ed Dzubak
As soon as I heard about it, I really wanted the P8 and I went to try it out as soon as it showed up at my store. After experimenting with it for a while, I found although I liked its sound, I had two gripes none of which got mentioned in reviews that turned me off of it (my focus is on live performance, not studio,
1) The knobs are just too small --- hard to twiddle them live
2) You can't see their current position by just looking at the knobs
The "origin" does look interesting but I'm seriously considering a Receptor instead of carrying around a laptop with MainStage. It seems to me that a Receptor could probably do pretty much everything that "origin" can do (apart from knobs)
1) The knobs are just too small --- hard to twiddle them live
2) You can't see their current position by just looking at the knobs
The "origin" does look interesting but I'm seriously considering a Receptor instead of carrying around a laptop with MainStage. It seems to me that a Receptor could probably do pretty much everything that "origin" can do (apart from knobs)
receptor is a good choice, it will do things that origin can not, but it will not do what origin does. you can put all the arturia softs in the receptor, but origin is different, you can mix modules from all those synths, what the software version can not do. you can take a minimoog osc and a arp2600 filter + a jp8 filter + envellopes...etc this is unique !! 
Yeah, I know that but it didn't seem like a particularly compelling selling point - I'd rather be able to choose from almost any software synth out there rather than be tied into Arturia stuff only. Is it really that big a deal to be able to stick a Moog osc into an Arp 2600 filter? If one wants to do that kind of experimentation, seems to me that software like Reaktor would be much more flexible.
It also wouldn't surprise me if Arturia get arounds to selling a software version of origin at some point, and then that would work in Receptor too.
It also wouldn't surprise me if Arturia get arounds to selling a software version of origin at some point, and then that would work in Receptor too.