Those are very helpful pointers. Thanks a bunch for the tips.
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I agree that it looks like the sheet metal used in the Pro3ās case may be thinner than the power receptacle was designed for. Zip ties may be too thick, but the hard plastic from a blister pack might be ideal.
Iād would look into adding shims to stop the wobble and then secure everything with something like Sugru or maybe a hot glue gun. I would avoid powerful adhesives like epoxy.
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This exactly. Re: zip tie thickness, they come in a large variety of thickness but Iām now realizing that I may be in the minority in having hundreds of them on hand at all times.
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PRO 3 vs. Prophet 6 question
Looking to make a decision between a Pro 3 and a Prophet 6. We are aware one is a mono/paraphonic synth and the other is a poly. But the relevant question comes from usage. We are an acoustic/soft rock/bluegrass band. Weāre looking to add a new dimension to our recordings. We wonāt be doing synth leads or anything of that sort ā more like we are looking to add energy underneath our music. In the old days it might have been āstringsā or a pedal steel, but we will also look for āfillsā and āstingsā to fill things out from time to time. Also, we are NOT piano players. We play triads at best, so itās not about the performance element a good keyboardist would have with the Prophet 6. Bottom line, myself and another band mate are proficient (sorta).
When we lean toward the Pro 3 itās because we despise the idea of pads or anything lush accompanying our music. This instrument we seek might make the song amazing, but it will never define the music. If the phrases are legato, they will be simple and understated. If they are stings and fills, they will not compete with the guitars or the cello. They will serve them.
We keep coming back to the Prophet 6 primarily because we love the sound of it. With the Pro 3 we envision a lot of attempts to build our sounds up from scratch, less from presets. With the Prophet 6, we may take some presets or other fuller patches and attempt to tear them down to their core. We often listen for inspiration from other music, why not here?
So the question is the Prophet 6 ā with its amazing body of presets and its much simpler interface ā where we might often be at cross purposes with its polyphony to get to core sounds ā but where maybe the polyphony enables a āheighteningā later where it could be needed ā¦ verses ā¦ the PRO 3 where we are forced to live by the limitations of a mono/paraphonic synth ā but have to deal with more complexity and the uncertainty of learning the whole paraphonic thing ā with less opportunity for presets to inspire us ā¦ and perhaps less opportunity for a the aformentioned heightening that polyphony might offer. Will we miss the simple addition of another key that comes with the Prophet 6, even though it makes us vomit at times?
So would love to know what say you. We came to this forum because I am a an owner and devoted fan of the Rytm and you guys rock compared to any other forum or collective of minds ā
Sorry for the odd, long question. But thanks for our thoughts!!!
C
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You are proposing a big gamble: a premium polysynth vs. a premium monosynth.
A good experiment might be to pick up something like a Monologue or a Minilogue to get some experience trying to develop the sounds you want with a subtractive analog architecture. If you start with the Minilogue, you can play with polyphony to see if that matters to you.
Another more adventurous option would be to try the Digitone. FM will cover more sonic ground than the traditional subtractive layout, and you get the Elektron sequencer with plocking. I find this a great way to work with FM to create novel sonic textures on my Monomachine.
It is also worth considering whether something like the Roland SE-02 will cover enough sonic ground for you. It is small, inexpensive and has a sequencer. It sounds great too.
I have both the Pro 3 and Prophet 6. My experience with the two is that the pro 3 tends to lean into more aggressive sounds. The prophet 6 can certainly fill that role but from what you described the pro3 could be a better choice.
In all honesty Iād look outside the sequential lineup, maybe at the Arturia minifreak.
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If you prefer the sound of the Prophet-6, why not get that and just play one note at a time?
(Have some antiemetics on hand, too, of course.)
Have you considered any other synthesizers beyond these two?
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You might want to consider the Moog Sub 37, itās less complex than the Pro-3 and even though the Pro-3 has the Moog ladder filter, the Sub 37 is very special on its own. If you really need polyphony, get the Prophet 6.
I wonder how far out we are from an update to the Sub 37, or its replacement.
The sequencer on the Pro3 is something to keep in mind. Itās not as flexible as an Elektron sequencer, but very powerful in its own right.
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Pro 3 preset demos (all by peff; not me)
Prophet 6:
Trigon 6:
Also the Pro 3 interfaces with modular (CV) superbly- lives next to my Modularā¦
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Itās a bit hard to tell from your post what sounds exactly you are looking for. But from what I can tell from all the demos Iāve heard, the Pro3 seems to be pretty aggressive/abrasive if you donāt force it to be something else. It doesnāt sound ideal for an instrument thatās more in the background to enrich a bluegrass sound subtly.
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Totally. Maybe Iāve just seen too many live performances from the 1970s, but feels to me like a Moog might be the better way to go. A Grandmother or Matriarch would be where I would be looking, although no patch memory could be an issue.
If it has to be Sequential, I guess the P5, P6 or Take 5 would be where I would be looking, although as an owner of a Grandmother and Take 5, Iād lean more towards Moog for this.
Have you checked out the Take 5? It also sounds very good. It is a little smaller and more portable than a P6 and the shorter keybed shouldnāt matter much because you arenāt really performative keys players. It has a more flexible architecture as well and you could save a couple grand compared to the P6.
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Thanks, this is amazingly helpful.
I was particularly drawn to the Pro 3 because of its sequencer. When I Demoed it it was very cool.
If I get the prophet 6 I will get a desktop and try to use a sequencer like an Oxi or a Hapax.
But Iām unsure how hard or easy it will be to control the Prophet 6 with a hardware sequencer.
I definitely need to be able to control note duration, etc. The parameter by note functionality would be awesome but I assume unlikely.
If you have any practical thoughts of such a setup please let me know. Thanks so much ā¦
My two cents are: buy Behringer pro 800 and Sequential Pro 3. Than if you really donāt like Pro 3 you can sell both and buy Prophet 6.
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My take on situations like this is to get your hands on one of your top choices and work it into your setup. Thereās really no substitute. You might find that the Pro3 caters to aggressive sounds more than you like (as mentioned above and I completely agree with), or that you love the immediacy of the sequencer and really dig the CV integration.
If you are buying new, many retailers give you a period to try it (Sweetwater being well known for this). Then you can get your hands on it, keep it if it works out, or send it back if it doesnāt gel with your needs.
If buying used, if you get a decent deal you can always resell and get most of your money back. Think of it as renting 
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For a bluegrass band I wouldnāt suggest either of these. Some of the things you say make me think the challenge is in arranging vs specific instrument.
Itās one thing to not be able to play piano, itās another to not be familiar with synthesis at all and dive in with one of the most expensive and complex instruments for sound design.
If itās got to be a synth, What about a Korg minilogue? Thatās most of the way to a Prophet 6. What about a Wavestate? Thereās a thousand different sounds in there and some interesting sequencing.
Do you have an example of the kind of sound you are hoping to make? Are there other bands that compare at all,?
If youāve got the budget for the Prophet 6 and canāt stand having leftover $ Iād consider a Nord Electro - tons of great sounds, much less digging to get to them. If you are looking for ways to save $ go for any workstation keyboard - the Yamaha mx range is just fine.
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One thing to consider is that even if playing only one or two notes simultaneously, a prophet 6 would allow notes to ring out their release phase.
Iām mentioning that because of your description of how you want to use it, Ā« like strings Ā»
Sounds to me that prophet 6 is the sound you prefer, why not going for that?