Prophet Rev2 Manual

[Robot Heart]

We're finished with the manual so I figured I'd post it here a little early for those who are interested in checking it out.

Edit: Manual is now available on our website.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Great!  Thank you.

[pmanderson]

Apologies for the whiny requests. Can you please post it somewhere in PDF form? IOS iPad does not appreciate ZIP files. in PDF format it goes directly to the reader.

Thank you!

[shakeski]

Thank you Robot Heart!  This will provide some light reading for the next few weeks.

[double-u]

sweet! was waiting for this to manifest; thank you!

[BobTheDog]

Apologies for the whiny requests. Can you please post it somewhere in PDF form? IOS iPad does not appreciate ZIP files. in PDF format it goes directly to the reader.

Thank you!

Hi,

A bit OT but ff you buy GoodReader (The best iOS app ever!) it can load pdfs in zip files: https://www.goodreader.com

[Fuseball]

Quick read... Flexible unison voicing! Oscillator note sync! Logical panning!

[Morgenspaziergang]

Ahh means my unit is well on its way to GC. The ship date has been solid  (early June) and hasn't deviated from that time frame. Yay!

[wavelogue]

Ace! Synth manual time!

[pmanderson]

Can someone elaborate on the last two items in Modulation Sources list?

"DC" - I have no idea what this is.
"Audio Out*" - "* Audio Out is the digitized audio signal after the Amplifier VCA."
I image the audio out is digitized for the DSP effects, but as a modulation source? Is this how the ring modulator works?

Also

I owned a Prophet '08 and sold it once the REV2 was available for pre-order... I've never pre-ordered a synth before.
I bought the '08 new and said "...I would never sell this synth...". But there were a few issues with the P'08 that drove me nuts.
1) They keybed was poor, possible one of the worst I've had and I've had lots of synths. The plastics were weak and velocity was not consistent from key to key.
2) Those teeny-tiny buttons. Yikes. The physical aspects of the user interface are very important to me. Teeny tiny buttons leave a negative impression with my experience with synths.
3) The 1 potentiometer that controls the waveform type AND shape is another bad idea. I don't want to waste time describing why, it would take as much time as it did selecting a waveform.

The REV2 greatly resolves my issues with the P'08; everything else is a bonus, especially the subosc, effects, matrix modulation setup.

I learned 2 new things in the manual:
1) Fixed Pan is an option in addition to Pan Spread
2) A separate effect for each layer.

[kris]

I played a bit with the MIDI implementation of the Rev 2, and have an erratum for the next edition of the manual ;-)

Page 87:

The table on the NRPNs is missing NRPN #9 Osc2 KBD On/Off

The NRPN #38 takes 4 as a max value, not 127

Page 88:

NRPN #170, Keyboard mode, takes 5 as a max value and 0 as minimum. Would be good to name which value is which mode there.

Page 89:

NRPN #192ff seem to take 126 as a max value, not 127. Not sure how you would set a Rest on the Gated Sequence then, again a little more info on the values would be nice.

Page 90:

The Prophet Rev2 responds to the device inquiry with 3 bytes for major, minor, revision for its software version, not with one byte coded major/minor.


Just minor things, but hey, I really appreciate that the Midi implementation is documented so clearly!

[skrohmer]

One question regarding the table on page 37: Shoudn’t it be a delay time of 2/3 beats for Quarter Triplet (= 8th triplet x 2)?

[skrohmer]

Maybe also interesting for the next version of the manual: The number of bytes of the program sysex is nearly twice as much as documented because now a program contains two different patches.

Just minor things, but hey, I really appreciate that the Midi implementation is documented so clearly!

I agree totally, worth to mention it again 

[shiihs]

And maybe also useful: the reply to the device inquiry sysex message doesn't seem to conform to what is described in the manual.

[RonGerrist]

Can someone elaborate on the last two items in Modulation Sources list?

"DC" - I have no idea what this is.

DC is basically a fix value. You can use that to control something with a fixed value. For instance (used in a lot of patches): Your source is DC, destination is PAN. You can position your sound with the amount value.

[rmachin]

By the way this is one of the most well-written synthesizer manuals out there. And the only one containing the word 'faux'.

[Autosynther]

Bit misleading with link to v1.0 only of manual.

Here is the link to latest v1.2.4 from product page
https://yo41t1y5gos9jw8f3lptw0xo-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Prophet-Rev2-Users-Guide-1.2.4.pdf

Request for updates
- panel says Program for browsing programs
- manual state both Program, Preset and Patch in a confusing way, I think
- maybe consistency is better

Also since pdf has no content bookmarks, and also is locked for modification
- think it could be nice to add your own bookmarks to quickly navigate
- I use PDF Xchange Editor which is free and also allow adding own bookmarks that are written in a permanent way

PDF XChange Editor way better than Adobe stuff
https://pdf-xchange.eu/pdf-xchange-editor/index.htm

Always keeps latest spot you were next time a document is opened etc.
Allows to write own bookmarks into pdf files
Search is fuzzy logic and nearby words are found too making search more relevant

Thanks for an incredible synth to Dave and Sequential Team.

[AndyHornBlower]

Also since pdf has no content bookmarks, and also is locked for modification
- think it could be nice to add your own bookmarks to quickly navigate
- I use PDF Xchange Editor which is free and also allow adding own bookmarks that are written in a permanent way

PDF XChange Editor way better than Adobe stuff
https://pdf-xchange.eu/pdf-xchange-editor/index.htm

Yes, I had the same thought.  I haven't tried that program but I will.  Thanks.  I used an online tool called Free My PDF:

https://freemypdf.com/ - you don't have to install anything, it just works in the browser

One change that ought to be made to the manual is explaining that the instructions for setting the split point don't work, on the Desktop module - which is weird, because that works fine on my Prophet 12 Desktop.

I had to google how to do it, and found it in this forum - you have to change it in Misc Settings; there is no other way.

FWIW, my Rev 2 Desktop came with 1.2.0 on it, and I've read that 1.2.1 wasn't really a new version, just some sort of unexplained test, so I've left it alone.  So, AFAIK, this limitation applies to all current and previous firmwares.

[Autosynther]

Great tip to unlock pdf, thank you.

I can now make own bookmarks all over as needed with  PDF XChange Editor.
Especially since there are no links to click on within the document either, very useful with bookmarks.
Manual is good with many tips and everything, but the tool used to make it not the greatest.

I also tested your remark on setting split point on v1.2.1, and it is still a bug there.
Does not work as described. Only work on internal keyboard probably, not as midi input.
Would be really smooth if it did work.

In general the LFO1 and LFO4 buttons on module serve as Up/Down transpose on keyboard version. Both for making Basic Program, and enter debug mode among other things. Could be in manual for desktop owners.

But as happy as can be with REV2, incredible instrument in what it offers.

[AndyHornBlower]

I also tested your remark on setting split point on v1.2.1, and it is still a bug there.
Does not work as described. Only work on internal keyboard probably, not as midi input.
Would be really smooth if it did work.

In general the LFO1 and LFO4 buttons on module serve as Up/Down transpose on keyboard version. Both for making Basic Program, and enter debug mode among other things. Could be in manual for desktop owners.

Thanks for checking.  If it was fixed in 1.2.1, I would definitely have upgraded it.  I don't necessarily know what note number my keyboard is sending, i.e. which octave, as the Rev2 sees it, so it would be much better to be able to do it the way the manual says.   Failing that, it should at least be in an addendum.

I'd read how to make an INIT patch on the Rev 2 Desktop module, with LFO1 + LFO2 held, then press Hold, but as you say, that's not in the manual either.

As a new owner, I've downloaded everything I could from the Sequential site, so in the process, I should have come across an addendum with any differences between the Desktop and the keyboard version.  Better still, they should have been in the manual.  An addendum listing anything that isn't in the last manual would be helpful though - like any shortcuts.

I hadn't heard of debug mode, and I'm having trouble finding anything about it.

Yes, It's a great synth.  It's the most expensive one I've ever bought, and possibly may ever buy, the way things are going, but it seems worth it and I'm pleased with it, on the whole.