Sequential resumes Prophet-5

Gahhh!! This is relevant to my interests.

Yes.

I own the module but played the keyboard multiple times. And owned a Prophet 6 for some time. I’m a piano player. The key on the VCO Prophets are fantastic.

But they are keyboard keys. It’s not a piano experience. But as a seasoned player, I can appreciate the quality of the Prophet keys for the context in which they provide.

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I quite like the Matriarch keyboard, but also the one on the Udo Super 6 has a Fatar one, and I absolutely hated that. So I guess it’s more about the different style (soft, hard, semi-weighted) than quality, and I should have phrased my question differently. Glad to hear that the Prophet one seems to work for most, especially with the velocity (which I find damn hard to get working on Matriarch, btw).

Do you use your Matriarch keyboard on your desktop Prophet, or do you have a master keyboard of some kind?

Oh yes, indeed! Weird organs can be fun, though. I find playing chords on the Matriarch interesting but challenging. Sometimes I love the sound, and sometimes I hate it. Picking the right voicing can make all the difference, and so does carefully mixing waveforms. But sorry for OT; let’s not turn this into a Matriarch thread.

Thanks for your answer! Sure hoping you get your studio back so, so we can hear some Matriarch / Prophet pairings!

Hearing this, I half delighted and half afraid for my credit card. My interest in the Prophet 10 is indeed very much fueled by the frustrations discussed in that other thread, and my wish to focus on playing and harmony, voice leading, and the like.

I also quite like the sounds this guy gets out of it, especially the e-pianos (which I have been flirting with forever) and the organ flavours. Everything in this direction should work well with thick jazzy chords.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX7WWiq0Xjs

There’s even a pro jazz organ player on YT who did a bunch of P10 videos!

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I haven’t gotten the desktop Prophet 5 yet. That was just a comment on how I envision using it along with the Matriarch.

Matriarch’s keyboard seems to work fine for me as a MIDI keyboard controller. But I’ll probably end up sequencing the Prophet 5 quite a bit, not just manually playing it.

Thanks!

If you’re looking for acoustic type sounds on the Prophet, I’d also recommend this video, which includes a free bank of sounds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAD4DhdCM2c
I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a synth simulate a piano quite that well, and the e-pianos and jazz guitar are very impressive also.

That said, if I’m going for an EP sound, I just use Keyscape. I used to have a vintage Wurli, and I can verify that played side by side you couldn’t really tell it apart from the Keyscape version (though the Keyscape version was a bit more in tune, didn’t have a bum D#3, and didn’t smell like my uncle’s cigars).

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the first week I had it, I felt like every patch I did just sounded like a modified Rhodes. guess I was just in that kinda mood :man_shrugging:

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And another, now with Chase Bliss CXM 1978 on the master -

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is this the P5 only just with some field recordings and reverb? That sounds so beautiful!

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Yep. And thank you :pray: :blush:

Four loops from the Prophet 5 and one field recording. Doesn’t sound so bad without the reverb either, but that subtle expansion of the room makes a lot of difference all the same.

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Anyone tried one of these already?

I’m looking for a good analog dekstop module polysynth.

I already own a prophet 6 (keys version). Do you guys think the prophet 5 adds anything? or too similar?

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yeah a bunch of people here have it. it’s tremendous. I think @circuitghost and a couple others have the desktop version so if you have specific questions there, they can help.

there’s some good P6 vs P5 videos on YT but I’m not sure if any were done after the vintage knob algorithm was added to the P6. there’s definitely some overlap between them but I’d say if the P5 adds anything it’s simplicity and more vintage “mojo.” it’s very easy to dial in a great sound. I’m not sure it’s worth owning both. I think it would depend on your use of it, whether you need arp/sequencer, if you have/use effects, and also which one you prefer the sound of.

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hey @tendingtropic I had a Prophet 6 for about a year, and still play it regularly in contexts where it’s around. I actually think there’s enough going on between the 5 and 6, the difference is noticable and not so subtle. The comparison videos out there kind of miss the point. It’s in the mix and especially when you start layering stuff, you’ll start to notice their characters differ substantially - considering they’re in the same family, of course. They’re still very similar. But not as close to each other as some make them out to be, in my modest opinion.

I’ll never get a Prophet 6 again and I know I’ll keep the Prophet 5 for a long time.

I was fortunate enough to try Prophet 5 in the same room as a Prophet 6, Moog One, etc.

Prophet 5 kept drawing me back with its particular sound quality.

I’m not saying the other synths suck or don’t sound any good. It’s just that the P5 had a character that drew me the most.

Whether a P5 would “add anything” for you depends on what you want to add. If what you want to add is a modulation monster, then maybe the Prophet 12 (with which of course our man circuitghost also has extensive experience) is a better pick. If you want to add DX-style FM, the P12 can do that too.

As for me, that visit to the music store sealed the deal. Prophet 5 has its particular sound - a particular sonic character that is appealing to me.

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I hear you on that. I find the Prophet 5 ever so slightly more intimate and close in its sound, compared to the Prophet 6, which is why I think the different matters and isn’t so subtle, in the contexts where you make the most out of the synths’ different characters.

On paper the P6 with its discreet circuitry vs the P5 rev4 using chips etc, you’d think the P6 has some sort of sonic edge. I use the AS-1 and love it. Every knob turn feels like a sweet spot. Reading comments online seems like people are preferring the P5 though :face_with_monocle:

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The Prophet 6 has the sonic edge if you prefer the Prophet 6 sound :blush: I’m pretty sure you won’t see Taylor McFerrin with a Prophet 5, not in the long run anyway, to mention an example where I think the 6 makes a lot more sense than the 5.

If I was into EDM or similar stuff with those kind of production values, I’d go for the 6 as well.

So I’m getting the impression that there’s not really any perceived difference in actual sound quality between the two and its more about the behaviour with the P5 being a recreation of the original.

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That’s a good way to put it. I do feel the Prophet 5 is slightly warmer, more tape like in its character, but that is probably due to the factors you mention. The filter, poly algoritm and modulation, to mention a few. And perhaps also the bias factor :blush:

There is a good chance I would prefer the P5 too, but just can’t justify buying one, already having the P6…

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