Sonic LAB: Sequential Prophet X Big Fat Review

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  • čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
  • Its a long one so grab a cuppa - we take a look at the Sequential
    (Dave Smith Instruments) Prophet X - a hybrid synthesizer with a REV 2 style synth engine (sort of) and twin multisample oscillators for a new direction from DSI.
    #prophetx #sequential #dsi #polysynth #soniclab #synthreview
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Komentáře • 468

  • @rye_on_toast
    @rye_on_toast Před 6 lety +41

    It's like a standalone movie soundtrack machine.

  • @ionianechoes
    @ionianechoes Před 6 lety +275

    It's called "EX" because that's what your girlfriend will become if you buy it

    • @Heathcliff_hensel
      @Heathcliff_hensel Před 6 lety +27

      You left to buy a car but came home with a synthesizer instead.

    • @ionianechoes
      @ionianechoes Před 6 lety +36

      Yeah... Car didn't do granular

    • @ionianechoes
      @ionianechoes Před 6 lety +9

      Al Gonzales yeah, the keyboard won't ask for divorce

    • @KeithCanisius
      @KeithCanisius Před 6 lety +2

      Hahaha

    • @pcuimac
      @pcuimac Před 6 lety +3

      Ionian echoes We all need an Imogen Heap type of girlfriend. lol

  • @sub-jec-tiv
    @sub-jec-tiv Před 2 lety +5

    That Rossum filter is crazy beautiful. Wow, it really sounds like a flagship contemporary Prophet. I did notice there’s a high-pass in the effects section, if you need more of a bandpass-type filter flavor. This may have just won my heart. 🥰 and you know Nick likes it when you see him make the stink face. 😉

  • @SRDhain
    @SRDhain Před 6 lety +16

    I have to give Nick credit for his speed at demonstrating some of the beyond surface level aspects of the synth during the video. This helps enormously when you're sitting on the fence when watching (and listening ) to a review of a complex and 'different from the pack' instrument.
    The immediate comparison that comes to mind , is the Roland V synth, with a hint of prophet 2000.
    I owned a V synth for years & was a very early adopter. So early that I had to wait for the better o/s to come out, which really made it an amazing piece of kit as it ironed out the very audible stepping in the filters and more besides. I sold it as I'd gone into full on analog synth mode regards hardware ownership, and it no longer gelled as much in the mix for me at the time , but that's another story altogether.
    This by comparison, is a BETTER piece of gear & so it should be, considering its higher price & the 14 years since the original V synth. How much better at its current price, is an interesting scenario, as there's such a plethora of hardware now available , as well as software which offers all kinds of bells and whistles (pardon the pun).
    Amongst the many things in its favour, the Dave Rossum filter design is unique sounding ( he did the morpheus z plane filters and they were incredible at the time; it never really took off as it was very difficult to program imho), and It's bitimbral (is the split or layer accessible over different midi channels?) with a very user friendly Interface.
    But it's also over £3k at current exchange rates , with no idea of wether the follow up sample.packs are included in the outlay or..?
    Imho, if it were closer to £2k , It'd be a winner. Comparisons to the brilliant but ageing V synth would then pale enough due to the higher resolution of everything available AND you're buying newer technology which should be less 'hiccup prone' than the older stuff.
    Overall it's an interesting instrument, packed with oodles of potential AND it looks (and sounds) like fun, straight out of the box.
    Ultimately it's market forces that'll make or break the deal. On a Personal note, I hope it's around for as long as the V synth.

  • @digitaldiezel5870
    @digitaldiezel5870 Před 6 lety +21

    Marvelous! I love it! There are some minor short comings, that are irrelevant if you use it with Ableton or any DAW. The most important parts are the oscillators (samples and wave forms) and the ease of sample manipulation to produce patches. 34:33 Very Nice Patch with the Pink Noise! I see that some people want to compare it to software, an in truth if you just want to make music as inexpensively as possible (not a bad idea), you can do anything you want inside of a computer and sound fantastic! You can be a star with just that. I think when a person buys certain types of hardware, the motivation is different, it not just about making music. In some sense its a trophy, in others its legacy, yet still with others inspiration, exploration, or reliability. Do what makes you happy.

    • @digitaldiezel5870
      @digitaldiezel5870 Před 5 lety +1

      Donal Finn Yes, It is a computer with an awesome dedicated interface, DA conversion and connectivity. Much more satisfying than software alone. That being said, grabbing Omnisphere 2.5 and using this as controller is a very exciting prospect.

    • @paulmapp8306
      @paulmapp8306 Před 5 lety +5

      @Donal Finn how many computers do you know that have analogue filters?

    • @sub-jec-tiv
      @sub-jec-tiv Před 2 lety

      This synth is 100% about that analog Prophet filter. Makes Pigments sound like a toy. Listen in earphones, you’ll hear the difference.

  • @EverettDudgeon138
    @EverettDudgeon138 Před 6 lety +21

    Love this thing. It’s replaced my Kronos, Kurzweil and other workstations. Absolutely adore it as a composer.

    • @busch028
      @busch028 Před 6 lety +1

      Congrats on purchase. It seems like a really beautiful instrument. I am sure it is AWESOME for work as a composer.

    • @wakerickman
      @wakerickman Před 6 lety +2

      i think you must be nuts to think this synth can replace a kronos, i have a kronos and certanly wouldnt replace it for a two engined one for a 9 engined kronos, and the kronos has twicce the no. of both programable patches and programable combinations. as i believe total memories for the phrophet x ,and is a far, far more flexable synth, once yourve learned to program all its engines. not shure how the patches and performances/combinations are arranged but no where as numourous as the knonos'. your mad, sorry mate.

    • @EverettDudgeon138
      @EverettDudgeon138 Před 6 lety +17

      carl aylward I’m aware of all that, I don’t care about all that. If I have to spend more time programming a synth than composing on it, to the gallows it goes.

    • @EverettDudgeon138
      @EverettDudgeon138 Před 6 lety +1

      M Busch Best synth I’ve owned as a composer. I’ve already scored three short films with it. It’s super fast to use.

    • @ZeroG
      @ZeroG Před 5 lety

      EverettDudgeon138 How about the sound? Does it offer an advantage on sound compared to flagships of Roland/Yamaha/Korg? I find those ones so complicated to use and I don’t care for their built-in patches or the tweaking options on those very much.

  • @edenhunter9904
    @edenhunter9904 Před 4 lety +21

    best synth reviewer in the game....

    • @TruthTube777
      @TruthTube777 Před 3 lety +2

      Reviewing the best synth in the game.

  • @kaboozle
    @kaboozle Před 6 lety +19

    Excellent review. Now I need an excuse to justify the purchase because I really have no legitimate reason to own this other than “it sounds fun”...

  • @tommymandel3326
    @tommymandel3326 Před 3 lety +2

    Thanks again, Nick. Well worth a 2nd watch. Your summary is spot on, and seeing what you pull up out of this cleverly designed rabbit hole of an instrument, I'm amazed at how you blend 'a little' detune, slop, filter mod and envelope, the way a master chef would, just off the cuff, and come up with a world class sound - generic but unique and it sings!

  • @ProckGnosis
    @ProckGnosis Před 6 lety +56

    I do like this synth...I just don't like it enough to pay that much cash for it. I also respect they're trying to do something beyond basic sampler/rompler functionality ('cause this can sound pretty cool), but again...that's a hefty price tag.

    • @KiR_3d
      @KiR_3d Před 6 lety +5

      1000$ maximum is my feeling.

    • @Space_pulse
      @Space_pulse Před 6 lety +18

      This synth costs 4000 USD! It’s more like a Montage-level synth than a Blofeld or Analog Keys price point! 1000 bucks being what you want to pay for this thing? Good luck with that! Lol. You can buy a lot of great synths for 1000 bucks, but this won’t be one of them!

    • @SPAZZOID100
      @SPAZZOID100 Před 6 lety +1

      ProckGnosis yeah. Agreed. For the sample playback stuff, i use logic exs 24.

    • @SPAZZOID100
      @SPAZZOID100 Před 6 lety +4

      MoolahNasreddin stick to vst’s dude.

    • @kaboozle
      @kaboozle Před 6 lety +3

      Being used to vst’s (and a virus ti that I mainly use as a dsp powered vst) there is something to be said for immediacy that turns a synth into an inspirational instrument. What I mean is that having knobs to turn and buttons to press and immediately hearing the result can increase creativity and turn a synth into a musical instrument. I’ll have to try one out IRL to find out if this is it. Also, I’ve heard people, including Nick, say that this synth just “sounds right” in a mix organically. Again, that “x-factor” might turn this from a modestly specced synth (at this price point) into a genuine one of a kind instrument. Kinda like playing a real piano versus a really good sampled one. If you’ve never done both you’ll not get the difference but if you have you’ll hopefully get it...

  • @mattsynth
    @mattsynth Před 6 lety +3

    This is one powerful quality made synth. It reminds me of my Prophet 12 which is my #1 go to analog synth in my studio. The fact that this synth can make sounds that no other synth can do is the biggest plus to me. Well worth the cost of admission. Nice long in depth demo, thanks.

    • @CO5MA
      @CO5MA Před 6 lety

      mattsynth Yes, for me it’s a kind of P12 on steroids, with samples :) Check out my own presets and noodling of the Prophet X on my channel ;)

  • @FarHanSolo
    @FarHanSolo Před 6 lety +2

    I love it when Nick geeks out and gives us all the low down on new synth goodies

  • @halodust1304
    @halodust1304 Před 6 lety +12

    The similarities between this and my favourite synth , the Nord Wave, are striking.

    • @bisamkiez
      @bisamkiez Před 5 lety +4

      i used to own Nord Wave, and loved it really, but this one sounds far better.

  • @fundementalroast7002
    @fundementalroast7002 Před 6 lety +1

    I respect Dave Smith for letting an independent like this channel review the product. It shows confidence and a respect for their market. Yamaha should take note.

  • @busch028
    @busch028 Před 6 lety +4

    Sounds really nice and Nick is right, the strength lies in combining both synthesis and sample creativity. I think you could get lost in this synth and I think the layout and workflow is really great for a synth like this, BUT, if you want to get deep with it, the workflow seems a tad clunky and cumbersome. For me, as a person who likes synthesis more than sample ROMpler type play, I favor the Quantum right now. I just think the workflow SEEMS to be a bit better for a big flagship synth that wants to have A LOT in terms of options for sound design. Also, Low Pass Filter only for a "Beast Synth???" Ugh. Great review and I do wish it was in a price point for it to be a no-brainer purchase.

  • @agerven
    @agerven Před 6 lety +1

    Wow, oscillator cross modulation using the sample as one of the oscillators. Yamaha SY99 RCM revived again! This is really a huge step ahead compared to the old prophet 2000 (to which I compared initially before actual details and sounds were available).
    Another thing that really makes this instrument shine is the quality and depth of the sounds. Beautiful, and really usable and required when doing all these modulations and layering. Although I really like the other DSI synths, this one really in a league of its own. Thank you for a very (really) professional demo.

  • @nkozi
    @nkozi Před 6 lety +7

    16:00 - Son Lux in a single keyboard lmao

  • @ploytuell1332
    @ploytuell1332 Před 6 lety +4

    the chor demo at the end is insane! superb!!!

  • @rolandgerard6064
    @rolandgerard6064 Před 6 lety +11

    Nice demo Nick, sounds good. Plenty of features.

  • @jeremjerem
    @jeremjerem Před 6 lety +4

    What a dream machine !
    So expensive but so awesome...

  • @Wijnfles
    @Wijnfles Před 2 lety +2

    CANT WAIT. Getting it in 2 weeks 😍

  • @robertsyrett1992
    @robertsyrett1992 Před 6 lety +3

    Dave Rossum literally invented low-end compensation for resonant filters :)

  • @geirnordheim6986
    @geirnordheim6986 Před 6 lety +2

    Great demo! I have the Prophet X now and I love it :-) As I love my prophet-6 and did love my previous instruments: my korg prologue, my Nord C2D, my Kawai VPC-1 with VSTs, my Nord Wave, my Nord electro 3, my juno 106 and so on. There is so many nice instruments out there that nobody should need to feel unhappy if they don’t like the px ;-)

    • @2ammusik
      @2ammusik Před 6 lety

      Geir Nordheim which do you prefer on the synth side of things?

    • @geirnordheim6986
      @geirnordheim6986 Před 6 lety +1

      Well the prophet 6 is really hard to beat for what it does. I will sell it though, but I will really miss it for what it is. It is so cool. The prophet x is so new to me that I am still blinded by first love. You can’t trust me on that one yet ;-) I will defend it no matter what. Oscillators, samples and stereo filters are high quality. It can certaintly do «crazy shit» as Dave Smith said, but it does «basic» stuff really well too.

    • @geirnordheim6986
      @geirnordheim6986 Před 6 lety +2

      Your question got me experimenting some more on the px with «old school synth sounds». Two oscillators pluss two sampled oscillators or VS waves of choice through that filter with all the modulation possibility...it’s equally pleasing to my ears as the p6, but it is a way more powerful synthesizer when it comes to synthesizing, if you know what I mean :-)

    • @2ammusik
      @2ammusik Před 6 lety

      Geir Nordheim definitely know what you mean. This decision has me stuck in between lol. I love the Prophet 6 for it’s sort of “dark” character. Very smooth/mellow in my book. It’s like I need it, because I feel it’s part of my sound. Then I hear the PX and I’m like.. FUCK, I need this! I’ll keep going back in forth until I eventually own both lol.

  • @stateazure
    @stateazure Před 6 lety +4

    Nick, your monitor is going to turn off in 3 mins if you don't press a button, just thought I'd let you know!

  • @CaidicusProductions
    @CaidicusProductions Před 6 lety +3

    No denying, it sounds pretty amazing. I want to get a 16 voice Moog One, but living in China, it's debatable whether I'll be able to get one. Should that fail, I'll likely get a Prophet X.
    Nice review, Nick.

    • @Pharmacymusic1
      @Pharmacymusic1 Před 3 lety

      What did you get in the end? I also live in China (Shanghai) and know a Moog distributor in Beijing. Just ordered the Prophet X myself because I have enough analog, this fills a gap for me.

    • @CaidicusProductions
      @CaidicusProductions Před 3 lety +1

      @@Pharmacymusic1 Ooh, the Prophet X is a very nice machine. I know what you mean about having enough analogue. There's just something so different about digital that analogue can't do.

  • @s90210h
    @s90210h Před 6 lety +1

    Thank you for this demo. The noise as granular source sounded amazing, thanks for trying that out!

  • @youtubeii434
    @youtubeii434 Před 6 lety +4

    It sounds incredible, absolutely amazing

  • @russellbutterfield1419

    5 years on and it still amazes me how good this synth is, the only thing which comes close is the Quantum MKII. I will still be using this in 10 years time.

  • @gesslr
    @gesslr Před 6 lety

    I gotta say: I thought this was a pricey and likely short-lived gimmick when it was first announced. But this looks damn interesting. If they really do open it up to user samples...wow. Really appreciate your reviews Nick. Always helpful.

  • @mootsym
    @mootsym Před 6 lety +1

    Nick really is the master with all things synth. so amazing.

  • @Bananskuden
    @Bananskuden Před 3 lety +2

    Three years down the line, I'm wondering if this synth was/is a success for Sequential. The official samples packs are disappointing as they run along with the current vintage analog craze rather than provide what this synth was actually made for. I mean, why on Earth would you put old Prophet samples in a newer and perhaps even better Prophet? It seem to me even Sequential's own marketing department got it all wrong. Thanks to Nick Batt for showing this synth's true potential. I'm getting one.

  • @Zalanes
    @Zalanes Před 6 lety +10

    The only meaningful question for me is whether Ty has got one or is getting one?

  • @davebellamy4867
    @davebellamy4867 Před 5 lety +1

    I love the deconstruction of the sound!! Backwards mandolin? Who would have known?

  • @wombra8314
    @wombra8314 Před 6 lety +1

    cheers! super soundesign work on the fly, with still unfamiliar and complex/capable synth. nice job demonstrating the potential, the granular part was gorgeous! moar choir! 😂🎛🐛

  • @PhilAndersonOutside
    @PhilAndersonOutside Před 6 lety +1

    Considering the cost, I'd easily take a John Bowen Solaris over this. Granted, samples aren't the focus of the Solaris, and the Prophet X has analog filters, but what the Solaris can actually do is considerably beyond this, for roughly the same price.
    What Dave Smith REALLY needs to do next is sit down with John Chowning and make THE definitive FM synthesizer (in a way that Yamaha ignored and pushed aside), with user-defined algorithms, and long, multi-stage envelopes, running through Dave's "custom discrete" filters. The cost for such a unit would also in theory be considerably less than this unit.

  • @MrPcise77
    @MrPcise77 Před 4 lety +1

    makes me remember my prophet 2000. killer 12 sampler with analog everything else. like a dco on crack. very cool. bring it back full circle.

  • @Kung_Fu_Jesus
    @Kung_Fu_Jesus Před 6 lety

    It’s got to be said that this is a stunningly beautiful looking synth, I doff my hat to the Dave Smith aesthetics department. Sleek, sexy and stealth looking all in one design.

  • @nym053
    @nym053 Před 5 lety +1

    I think it sounds great and I really like the combination of synth and sampler. But I don't get the price. It doesn't even have analogue voices (sounds great regardless of it). Maybe total stability, very detailed sampling and very fast loading time is the expensive part.

  • @geecen
    @geecen Před 6 lety +2

    Seems nice. I like the renewed interest in sample keyboards.

  • @noiselabproject9659
    @noiselabproject9659 Před 6 lety +1

    Thanks for the great review Nick. It`s a nice machine if you are a Live performer and have the money but in the Studio or at home I think I`d just stick with something like the Rev2 plus some decent Kontakt libraries where you can alter the articulation easily on the fly, have no real voice amount restrictions and have much deeper multi samples for each note

  • @danwentz
    @danwentz Před 6 lety

    Really good, in depth review! Great to hear about importing user sounds being planned, would be ideal to see the sample waveforms, especially with so many editing tools. Lots of potential here!

  • @briansherling5515
    @briansherling5515 Před 5 lety +6

    Boards of Canada should be lusting hard after hearing that final patch!

  • @HomeCinemaJunkie
    @HomeCinemaJunkie Před 5 lety

    Wow the sound at 34:30 and forwards is absolutely beautiful. Oh and BTW, people complaining about the price, funny didn't hear any complaints about the
    price on Moog One. But I guess people would probably pay 100k for that synth because it's a Moog.... which undeniably also sounds very good.

  • @lstlvls2521
    @lstlvls2521 Před 2 lety

    “Letting users import their own material was an essential part of the Prophet X design from the beginning,” commented Dave Smith. “It makes what’s already our most sonically versatile instrument truly open-ended. We can’t wait to hear where musicians take it now. Things are going to get pretty wild.”
    Yummy! I reckon we were (and may still get) a Tempest X as some point.

  • @wlsgtplayer2
    @wlsgtplayer2 Před 5 lety

    I've been thinking about an XL, but many other demo's left me at "meh". I'm not sure if I can live without bandpass filters for my samples, but your demo is the first one that showed me that this instrument might make it worth trying. There were many moments during your video that I said "I want that sound!" Very well done. (the granular stuff around 32:15 was awesome!)

  • @Heathcliff_hensel
    @Heathcliff_hensel Před 6 lety +7

    Im curious what the V-Synth fans think of this. Its similar in architecture but lacks the sampling functionality. And of course no D-Beam!

    • @ottobyte
      @ottobyte Před 6 lety +4

      Heathcliff Yes it got my attention as an XT owner. The fidelity is much higher at the oscillator level here. I think the V-Synth has some strength in the variphrase etc but the quality here blows it away in almost every other way.

    • @fortheloveofnoise
      @fortheloveofnoise Před 6 lety +1

      Heathcliff sampling coming

    • @zachayse
      @zachayse Před 6 lety +1

      Michael Otton Agreed. V-Synth GT forever, but this sounds more grand.

    • @SPAZZOID100
      @SPAZZOID100 Před 6 lety

      Michael Otton not hearing that.

    • @architectofechoes4
      @architectofechoes4 Před 6 lety +3

      Roland should resurrect the V-Synth gt, already a classic in my eyes.

  • @aloharay
    @aloharay Před 6 lety

    great detail in this presentation, it helped me understand the arcitechture of this synth much better.

  • @gravyguns
    @gravyguns Před 2 lety +1

    What is the timestamp when he reviews the digital synth oscillators in full detail? I would like to know whether it has tons of wavetables or many different waveforms other the usual analogue waveforms.

  • @neuron05
    @neuron05 Před 6 lety

    This is much more fun and flexible in a DAW that is freely routable (like Reaper) with a few plugins. But, yes, it takes more work, especially in the startup phase.

  • @isoldeisobelle552
    @isoldeisobelle552 Před 6 lety +13

    Lovely but a bit 'niche' at that price.

  • @motherbrain2000
    @motherbrain2000 Před 6 lety +4

    seems like 2 lovely products the sum of which is less than its parts.

  • @MadelnMachines
    @MadelnMachines Před 6 lety +1

    This is pretty cool. Like having a hardware kontakt or Omnisphere. Its very pricey for a digital oscillator rev 2 with a sample engine thrown in. What are the alternatives to the Prophet X for a kind of hands on subtractive style rompler synth?

  • @chinmitten
    @chinmitten Před rokem +2

    I know this is an old video now but I wish I had bought this over the Quantum

  • @bicycleninja1685
    @bicycleninja1685 Před 2 lety

    Getting Blade Runner 2049 vibes. Samples are a bit lo-fi, but as he said, they're to build on. Looks like it's something you'd need to spend some time with to carve out the sounds you want, but once you do, they'll sound unique and amazing.

  • @joshwilson8501
    @joshwilson8501 Před 6 lety

    I was skeptical about this synth at first but it actually sounds good and also looks fun.

  • @machettman
    @machettman Před 4 lety +1

    Its approaching the "hardware omnisphere" title

  • @kevanbarrett7411
    @kevanbarrett7411 Před 6 lety

    Great product for the professional composer who has a good grasp of sound synthesis. Lack of touch screen and Seamless Sound Transition that has enabled me to just use a Montage for live use, makes the Prophet less less attractive for live use unless money is no object.

  • @Superlover
    @Superlover Před 6 lety +1

    some pretty interesting sounds in there! just not sure if the price tag is justified

  • @MarshalArnold
    @MarshalArnold Před 6 lety

    Very nice! I do agree with some others it's a bit pricey. I would love to scoop one up eventually, but will prob wait till there is either a sale, or a good price on a second hand one. Thanks as always Nick!

  • @davebellamy4867
    @davebellamy4867 Před 5 lety +1

    Could you use the Voice Pan to widen the MONO samples too since they seem "smaller" when in Mono?
    Oh well, the XL now out with 32 voices mono / 16 stereo and 76 keys - if you've got the money! I haven't. :-(
    27:00+ 16x4=64 Nick! 64 LFOs then. 64x as much as the Prophet6 or OB6.

  • @mikecorbett5831
    @mikecorbett5831 Před 6 lety

    The "Children" patch on the Prophet X will make it as iconic as the "Soundtrack" patch on the Roland D-50.

    • @mikecorbett5831
      @mikecorbett5831 Před 5 lety

      It must be a different patch on the JX-8P with the same name. I'm referring to the sound from 1987 used in many late 80s hits. This was indeed a D-50. I have two of them.

  • @eatandlistenchannel1576

    Just love the sounds from this amazing and awesome sounding synthesizer hybrid. Gives me the vibes of a mixture between the D-50 and a Wavestation EX.
    Going "gaga" over the lush long plate reverb....
    Nick, make a video with more lush sounds from this synthesizer using the "granular" side of this beast.
    Cheers
    Daniel (host) of Eat and Listen channel (a CZcams series about food and music production)

  • @WingHouseCup
    @WingHouseCup Před 6 lety

    What Im shocked about is that the oscillators are digital. Not that I mind digital oscillators at all (if they sound good), but on a machine with this price tag I'm not so sure. It does sound very nice though.

  • @KiR_3d
    @KiR_3d Před 6 lety +1

    Thanks for the review, Nick!
    Access ditched new Virus (if it was there) and... not surprising that we see this great VA synth here now :) Oh, analog filters, pardon me :) BTW, sounds better than any Virus'. And samples... "Boom! Boom! ..." New winner :) Depends on the price tag tough.
    Square (Pulse) wave is surprisingly well emulated! Looks like real one on the scope.
    Hard Sync is unnatural.. Too accurate and (as mentioned here) the range is narrow... Strange choice (or a poor UI) here!
    No simple HP filter over LP... is strange.
    Granular is great... But not for 4k $!
    Be honest, it's better to buy DM-12 and any good small granular synth (or even a module) instead of this big machine. Of course if i've have a studio and a constant income (or really commercially successful music) then i would buy this _for real_ . As some other synthesizers as well ))

    • @MrCcfly
      @MrCcfly Před 6 lety

      lol what it beter in this board ?? nothing .... bunch vst samples that u can buy online ,,but with way better sound ,instrument wise ,not cinema samples they cant sell to no one ,and digital board with nalog filters ...that any pc dsp audio board eat for snack ,so u buy samples u need omni 2 ,exit all to audio board = 2-3x cheper with wow sound compared to this meh board

  • @RainMainDein
    @RainMainDein Před 6 lety +1

    I would, buy an old sampler for example an Emu III XP (the cheap ones) and an analog filter, the rest is sampling your own stuff together and build your sound. This machine is so wrong, it is not a Prophet in any way, sounds so digital, thanks for the effort, great show.

  • @atommachine
    @atommachine Před 6 lety +1

    for that price i want to load my own samples . Looks good though.

  • @TomCasey
    @TomCasey Před 5 lety

    Here’s the thing: why not just buy a rev2 and use midi to trigger a software sampler. You pay a fraction of the price, get better quality synthesis, and have the flexibility of using whatever samples you want with the power of your computer processing. I love the product, but balancing practicality with price, this really isn’t that necessary.

  • @derrickaf1
    @derrickaf1 Před 6 lety

    Thank you for the honest great review...as always. On point! Ordering one today.

  • @LouisSerieusement
    @LouisSerieusement Před 6 lety +18

    i Wonder if the choir samples have enough words to say "FUS RO DAH"

  • @andrewhodge1702
    @andrewhodge1702 Před 5 lety

    Can't help thinking that they could have saved us all a whole lot of money by simply adding an audio input to a REV16 and route it through the filters and LFO's. That way I could use my own sampler and achieve something pretty similar

  • @karl9411
    @karl9411 Před 5 lety +2

    Sorry take a rewind ...what 4000 $ ,buy a Waldorf Blofeld keys and a Behringer deep mind ,both for under 1000$ .Thats right $ 3000 left in your wallet .As the previous guy said Dave is pricing himself out of the market .No sell !

  • @mac651000
    @mac651000 Před 3 lety

    Hi, Nick. Fantastic review, as always. It looks and sounds like a synth should. I was wondering how you might compare this to the Roland Jupiter X, which I am contemplating purchasing. Obviously, I appreciate there is a significant difference in the cost between the two. But, which one would give the richer pleasure? Which one is more DAW friendly? And finally, the playing experience from the respective keybeds of the two instruments? Thanks

  • @marvinkmooneyoz
    @marvinkmooneyoz Před 6 lety +1

    as someone without a polysynth, OR a proper stage piano, this could be the right thing for me, two brids in one stone!! weighted keys would suit me in that regard, though i dont think DSI has ever done a weighted unit. Question about controlling the samples, can you make it sound like you are PLAYING, say, that bowed string bass? If this is coming out in 2018, maybe its only another year or two before theres a physical modeling engine combined with a filter per voice. Id personally be super enthused about a DSI-Kurzweil dollaboration.

    • @DaveDaves
      @DaveDaves Před 6 lety

      Idk how Kurzweil's emulation of acoustic charachteristics like bowing works, Roland's "superNATURAL" method seems to work well sometimes. As deep of a sampler this ProphetX is, I wouldn't expect physical modeling of bowing/strumming/plucking etc - but in true DSI fashion the synthesis capabilities are vast and so if you think about how the bowing is sonically, you may be able to come up with a good sounding approximation via the LFO and modulation matrix. I agree the piano and string sounds are beautiful, but its really not designed to do acoustic instruments (like Nick says at end dont think of it as a sample instrument as those that emulate acoustic instruments as closely as possible are), its more about what all the synthesis facilities can do to create new interesting sounds

  • @benedictjohnson2176
    @benedictjohnson2176 Před 6 lety +3

    I’ve been an 8Dio fanboy for the last 5 years or so (since they stopped being Tonehammer and started making deep-sampled orchestral instruments with realistic legato transitions). I completely don’t get this keyboard, I guess it’s Omnisphere in a box? Also 8Dio don’t have bass guitars and saxophones libraries among their range of Kontakt libraries so I suspect they were “produced” especially for this “X”

  • @synthanatomy
    @synthanatomy Před 6 lety

    Great demo thanks :) A real granular playback feature would be a big feature for it :)

  • @rickk4990
    @rickk4990 Před 6 lety

    Those samples he goes over at around 14:00 sound like they're straight from the presets of NI Prism, Spark or Kontour. . . . . The modulation of the oscillators with samples even sounds like something you'd get with those; also that sound at 35:00.

  • @laurencevanhelsuwe3052
    @laurencevanhelsuwe3052 Před 6 lety +18

    Insane price. I'd really prefer to get a Roland JD-XA and have plenty of spare cash to buy some complementary gear.

    • @ECollinsMusic
      @ECollinsMusic Před 6 lety +1

      I agree

    • @Digiphex
      @Digiphex Před 6 lety +7

      Apples to oranges.

    • @Heathcliff_hensel
      @Heathcliff_hensel Před 6 lety +3

      I was kind of thinking Prophet 12 and a Roland V-synth GT instead.

    • @GrizBass
      @GrizBass Před 6 lety +5

      If you had a JD-XA (I do), you will wish you waited, saved and got this instead.

    • @alexmax9832
      @alexmax9832 Před 6 lety +2

      Prophet X, another world

  • @solaryzer
    @solaryzer Před 6 lety +9

    I didnt realise there was atucal sign language for Linear , exponential and logarithmic cross fades !!
    Interestingly the illuminati use the same symbols ..... coincidence ? I think not !
    Great review / demo .

  • @Zinfidel1
    @Zinfidel1 Před 6 lety +1

    12:37 - 13:18 That is peculiar. If I'm understanding this correctly, it should be like the Toriaz SP-16 which shows the sample waveform and has a really good zoom feature. It's super easy to sample synth waves and get the start/end/loop points exact. I've seen Dave's youtube videos, he had a Toraiz in his synth room! Surely it's something they could achieve in a firmware update?

    • @ischmidt
      @ischmidt Před 6 lety +1

      That surprised me too. I would expect they'll fix that in a firmware update, because it's such an obvious thing.

  • @Jeremy-su3xy
    @Jeremy-su3xy Před 4 lety +1

    are they still updating samples in 2020?

  • @shookmusic
    @shookmusic Před 6 lety +2

    Awesome Nick!

  • @BigBadWolf..............
    @BigBadWolf.............. Před 6 lety +8

    Nice review. Are you going to do the Korg Prologue at some point?

    • @SPAZZOID100
      @SPAZZOID100 Před 6 lety

      Big Bad Wolf had one. It sucks.

    • @BigBadWolf..............
      @BigBadWolf.............. Před 6 lety

      James Reeno I played one for several hours at switched on in Austin, Tx. It seemed to me like a 8 voice minilogue with the monologue filter and low end. I liked it but without a sequencer it just wasn’t as alluring for the price. Would still like to see what Sonic State thinks of it.

    • @DaveDaves
      @DaveDaves Před 6 lety

      I'm a big minilogue owner (see my channel for my custom sounds) and I was SHOCKED to realize the $1500/$2000 (3x/4x minilogue price) version lacks the sequencer - um, wtf! This was their opportunity to fix the sequencer's limitations (such as no metronome, something the volcas all have) and allow for seperate sequencing of the 2 layers / splits. But in regards to the DSI ProphetX, the Prologue has 16 slots for users to upload PCM samples which it can playback chromatically via osc3 and of course that goes thru the VCFs like ProphetX, so I'm curious if the Prologue can come close sonically to the ProphetX; clearly the Prologue isnt all about sample based synthesis the way the ProphetX is, doesn't have multi sampling etc, but still. At least the Prologue has a sustain pedal input, minilogue has no such input or way to respond to a sus pedal.

    • @SPAZZOID100
      @SPAZZOID100 Před 6 lety

      Big Bad Wolf flimsy build quality, characterless tone, etc. i opted for an OB6 instead. MILES better sounding. Better interface too.

  • @this_connor_guy
    @this_connor_guy Před 6 lety

    It's like a Prophet DSS-1, haha. I'll have to mess with this one in person. Seems really freaking cool!

  • @TimShoebridge
    @TimShoebridge Před 6 lety

    This synth is honestly no match for a decent kontakt library and what I can do to samples on a pc. So I’m left wondering why I would spend four grand on it to be honest when I could buy a plethora of great synths and software libraries for less money.....? Or am I missing something....? The sound at the end is beautiful but so easy to recreate for a tiny fraction of the cost. I get that it is an instrument to be inspired by but I’d rather be inspired by a continuum or something worthy of such a hefty price tag.

  • @genevievebhatia-up3nk
    @genevievebhatia-up3nk Před 11 měsíci

    I wish they would've also made a review of prophet XL

  • @mariohartmann0001
    @mariohartmann0001 Před 6 lety +5

    "that's alot of LFOs.. like 16*4 that's like... 256 LFOs"
    raaather close :P

  • @dep1001
    @dep1001 Před 6 lety

    Great review, Nick! Lovely sounding - but 4K.... damn!

  • @hERETICSiNtHElAB
    @hERETICSiNtHElAB Před 6 lety +9

    I really enjoyed the review NIck.
    I don't understand who this keyboard is for; it's like Dave Smith built a Yamaha Montage.

    • @EagleEyedTiger
      @EagleEyedTiger Před 6 lety +4

      I think it would be an interesting flavor to add to a composer's studio. It's obviously not an all-in-one workstation but to me it feels like it excels at soundtracks/scoring.

    • @BluffMunkey
      @BluffMunkey Před 6 lety +2

      It is significantly inferior to what composers would use in terms of depth of sampling, expression and sheer width of tone. I can't imagine many composers using this which is weird given the 8Dio connection. I would never buy one of these as I think this kind of synthesis just works better in software, but I'm glad they had the balls to make it.

    • @VickersDoorter
      @VickersDoorter Před 6 lety +6

      I have purchased one of these and keep going back to Omnisphere 2 and thinking why did I buy the Prophet X? The PX does not reach the depth, breadth or dynamics of Omnisphere or Falcon, but it is very immediate and fun to program.

    • @ischmidt
      @ischmidt Před 6 lety +4

      Dave is remaking almost every original 80s Sequential synth, and this is the new Prophet 2000.

    • @MrCcfly
      @MrCcfly Před 6 lety

      not even close to it ....... montage is pro tool this is toy for rich kids

  • @MathHammer
    @MathHammer Před 6 lety

    Hmm... ahh.... interesting synth that doesn’t scratch any of my itches. I own three DSI synths already. I still think the Pro-2 is still my favorite Dave Smith design architecture, though I wish it had 8, 12, or 16 voices.

  • @HydeBaker
    @HydeBaker Před 5 lety

    I like my vintage synths & samplers. I don’t care it they have a tiny screen. If they have amazing capabilities, that’s what counts. I feel like I could get some cool sounds out of this, if I really dug in. But, not much that I’m hearing really inspires me too much. &, I’d likely use outboard effects anyway. PLEASE, just find a way to make us a Prophet VS 2019, 2020 if that’s what it takes.

  • @brandonbanks32278
    @brandonbanks32278 Před 5 lety +1

    okay so this is the Ferrari of synths right?

  • @zuikomedia
    @zuikomedia Před 6 lety +6

    ( looks around room for things to sell )

  • @PilferMusic
    @PilferMusic Před 6 lety

    Dave... would you please just build us a nice full featured Rack Sampler or perhaps a beefed up version of this in a rack - editing via the computer would be all right.

  • @Marian1st.
    @Marian1st. Před rokem

    RufusDuSol is using this synth too. 👍

  • @joeydoorten
    @joeydoorten Před 11 měsíci

    How so you create a fixed pitch as shown at 34:20?

  • @g_shkolnik9851
    @g_shkolnik9851 Před 6 lety

    Nice voice-leading Nick, thanks for the demo :)

  • @albywelch
    @albywelch Před 6 lety

    nice review. one thing that bugs me about dsi is why they make the filter resonance step when self oscillating? apparently so u can properly tune the filter resonance but I don't buy it..just use a sine wave as one of the normal oscillators and u have the same result. when I hear 'analog filter', I do not expect to hear any stepping what so ever. dsi's analog filters to me do not resemble analog when the resonance is high it steps chromatically..one of the beauties of an analog filter is when sweep the resonance slowly by hand without hearing stepping...dsi please in the future work on interpolation of the filter resonance..

  • @cornerliston
    @cornerliston Před 6 lety +2

    Anyone more than me that would like the knobs to be firm instead of a bit wobbly? Doesn't effect the functionality, I know, but it's that quality thing I think you should expect from good synths...

    • @ZeroG
      @ZeroG Před 5 lety

      corner liston I did not find them wobbly on the one I tried. Felt firm.

  • @Psychlist1972
    @Psychlist1972 Před 6 lety

    better than expected. Sounds great.

  • @Jeremy-su3xy
    @Jeremy-su3xy Před 4 lety

    So many features. All good. Are they still updating?