I'm a bit mindblown that all examples of this $2k synth are basically just pads and A/B comparison to vintage gear on YouTube. I love all the Secret Synthesis pieces but I might have to record something to expose the flexibility of the P8
I actually agree with you. The Prophet '08 is a very flexible instrument and can do far more than just pads, and I'd love to hear others stretching its powers. But considering that YouTube has countless videos of synthesizers being tweaked
ad infinitum, making every imaginable sound and effect, I thought that producing pure music of a classical type, breathing with a somewhat free-rhythm, rather than bound to the strict tempos of drum machines, would be a refreshing change. Another objective was to keep the recordings clear of all other sounds other than the few I was using, so that people could get a clean and exacting listen to the tone of the instrument; this is one of the reasons the pieces are on the lengthy side and tend to develop the sound a bit, at least by opening the filter. Related to this, I also deliberately avoided multi-tracking, producing instead all the music in live performances. And as a personal project, I wanted to see if the Prophet '08 could produce digital-like pads, and thus, cover more than just the usual analog territory. I made with the Prophet '08 the sort of synthesizer music I wanted to hear, but couldn't find elsewhere. And I've had no interest in vintage imitation or emulation; God knows a retro-ish reproduction of the 70's/80's is the last thing that interests me.
By no means did I intend my recordings to be definitive sound demonstrations of the Prophet '08; sonic variety or complexity was never my intent, but only traditional musicality. My interest was never to impress people with sound design, but purely to provide - dare I use the words -
beautiful music made with an instrument that is so often used to make ugly noise. I realize those last two words could bring a barrage of criticism, but I'm obviously expressing an opinion and explaining my reasonings.
Although I do spend some time designing non-musical sounds on the Prophet '08, it's more as a programming exercise that I don't bother to record, since they would only add to what is already a mountain of online material.
And by the way, for those who remember, my YouTube channel grew directly from a rather heated forum thread called, "Quality Musical Demonstrations, Please!". What I had asked of DSI, I decided to try to do myself.
So, feel free to contribute your own material on the Prophet '08 and post it here.
Here is a YouTube link to a talented guy who does lots of sounds and effects with the Prophet '08:
https://www.youtube.com/user/xyloxophonic/videos