The Official Sequential/Oberheim Forum
SEQUENTIAL/DSI => Prophet => Prophet Rev2 => Topic started by: jazonbug on January 26, 2019, 05:51:04 AM
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Hi
I'm considering buying a used rev2 and I'd appreciate any advice what to check when trying it out.
I know some of the issues have been fixed by firmware update but what are hardware/software problems I should look for?
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Software ones you cannot look out for... in that case you just download the latest beta OS from this forum, and if you encounter any software problems after that (bugs), you report them to Sequential.
Hardware wise... well... if you buy a 16 voice REV2, I'd double check that it is in fact a 16 voice, and not an 8 voice... hold down 9 keys (pressing them one by one) and notice if the lowest you pressed goes away on the 9th keypress... if it does, you're dealing with an 8 voice (unless stack or split mode is on of course).
Other than that I'd simply check that all keys are functioning, that buttons are working and knobs and wheels too.
Eventually check the inputs and outputs on the back of the synth to ensure that they work (for that you may need to bring along a foot switch, foot pedal and a pair of headphones etc.)
If you have the option to see it connected to a computer via USB or MIDI DIN you could check this too.
Other than that, I do not see any other things to check for really... in most cases, what you want to worry most about are the keyboard and the wheels, buttons and knobs... these are the ones that is usually worn down on synths, plus the occational audio outputs that may be defect (scratches and noises when you wiggle the plugs).
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Make basic preset (press transpoze up + down + hold) and just play the same note 8 or 16 times (number of voices) and listen if all of them sound the same. If not, try to recalibrate oscilators and filters. If then they sound different, oscilators or filters has some faulty. Check mod wheel and pitch bend (same process here). Check all keys.
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I would also seek any physical damage. Check the wood sides, look for scratches on painting.
All buttons are soldered hence a fall of the unit or an object falling on buttons may damage them. This being said it is always possible to resoldef or change a pot.
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Upon boot up my Rev2 says 16 voices perhaps all do? Not sure if its in the firmware but can always check that. As far as used I would just get a feel from pictures if site unseen and what surrounds the pictures. Purchasing things online can be hit or miss at times.
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Upon boot up my Rev2 says 16 voices perhaps all do? Not sure if its in the firmware but can always check that. As far as used I would just get a feel from pictures if site unseen and what surrounds the pictures. Purchasing things online can be hit or miss at times.
If it’s 8-voice then it says so on boot-up. If you were to later add the expansion, it would then say “16-voice” on boot-up.
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Thanks for your answers, guys! I'm mostly concerned about issues that are typical to Rev2, like hardware defects. I remember reading about faulty encoders and oscillator bleed but some of these issues had been solved by firmware updates, right?
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Thanks for your answers, guys! I'm mostly concerned about issues that are typical to Rev2, like hardware defects. I remember reading about faulty encoders and oscillator bleed but some of these issues had been solved by firmware updates, right?
Yes, I believe those issues have been solved. If anything it'd probably be a faulty voice card, which would either give a dead or bad voice. The procedure to check it has already been described in this thread. But you may want to do the same check with the filter, ie crank the resonance up way high, to get a clearly discernable filter tone, then hit the same key for 8 or 16 times to cycle through the voices to check for anything strange. Though there could be stuff that an update and calibration should take care of, if anything more than so it should be audible this way.