Considering going from Rev2 to P6

[philroyjenkins]

Hey guys just wanted some thoughts. I'm in the early stages of considering selling the Rev2 alongside some unused studio gear and moving up to a Prophet 6.

I've spent a few months with the Rev2 and love so many things about it. I've gotten pretty deep into modulations and made some wacky patches. Really love everything you can do.

Not long ago I added a Moog Mother 32 to my collection and was really blown away by how instantly accessible it was. Every knobs movement felt just right and the sounds seem to be right there begging for you to pull them out. I'm also a huge fan of nice sounding audio rate LFOs and other analog FM type sounds which the mother has in spades.

Since adding the mother, I've used my Rev2 more for bread and butter/on the surface style pads and to be honest I see myself using it more in this way for the most part since the M32 covers my experimental/crazy modulations fix.

I am thinking the P6 might have a bit more of that instant feel I love so much from my Moog. I'd love to hear from someone who has both Rev2 and P6. The Rev2 is far from menu divy but even the play of the the knobs is more suited for crafting patches rather than knob tweaking live. I really enjoy getting into the knobs and playing them as an integral part of the instrument. Rev2 is a bit touchy here do to its relatively fine sweet spots and overall steppy nature. (tuning the OSC for instance is a bit harsh sounding while doing in the moment patching since they are tuned in semi-tones)

Other than that, there are a handful of other pros for me with the P6 that add up to me considering the switch.
-4 octave keybed feels juuust right to me.
-pitch/modwheels on the side is great
-actual patch buttons
-polymod
-2 fx at once and drive separate from those two fx
-standalone high pass that doesn't waste an effect slot.
-I prefer the mixer style with independent volumes per OSC
-more instant arp

The biggest downsides to me are having only one LFO, and in general the lack of modulation options compared to the Rev2. Thats being said, for pads/ambient type atmospheres, P6 can more than hold its own without incredible deep modulations, especially if the knob tweaking felt a bit more instant and enjoyable like I am hoping.

E: I actually just read that the P6 still uses 0-127 for its potentiometer data. I suppose this is necessary for any patch synth. Does anyone know if the knobs are still stepped in panel mode (with patches turned off)?

I'd love to hear some thoughts! Specifically as to whether or not the P6 provides more of that "Plugged in" feeling of being connected with the machine.

[luk.vermeir@gmail.com]

my experience is:

- prophet 6: sounds nice, with analog drive, lo-pass / hi-pass filter and more instant access to almost all necessary sound-editing parameters, so that's already something what you're looking for.

It has all six voices you can use in chord memory

The downside is it's smaller keyboard, it's more limited sound architecture and thus less possibilities / less modern or diverse sounds to be made than a REV2.

As far as I remember the knobs from the P6 are the same or at least the same size. So, as is the case with most DSI's: a small turn can result in bigger changes quite rapidly, so also with the prophet 6 you have to be carefull and more precise than on a moog.


- prophet REV 2: you can make it really sound nice, but asks for a little more work to program subtile modulations into it, so you can make it sound more 'vintage' or 'less precise'.

To obtain that more instant-tweaking approach with less menu diving, the key is to prepare some kind of a 'default' patch!

You can program some modulations routings you like to start from (for example, I use the Foot controller a lot for VCF freq, add a LFO to pitch via MOD wheel etc; another other LFO to VCF; setting up a delay or chorus FX already; prepare a basic ARP and glide setting; etc...). Then just save it somewhere and use it as a default patch to start from, each time you want to program a new sound.

Some downsides: for being the ultimate DSI analog workhorse, it just misses some additional options / user defined tweaks (independent sustain pedal for each layer in a splitted or stacked preset;  hold function (also the case on Prophet 6 btw); independent pitch bend up/down assignment; limitation of chord memory to just 4 voices (even on a 16v); only 1 fx per A or B patch; no analog drive;...).

Also the rotary's don't always work fine and feel a little cheap, which can be frustrating at times! They don't turn fluidly all the time, and sometimes its hard to dial in the right setting quickly (especially the rotary's for oscillator semitone tuning).


But, the REV2 really is a very cool and versatile analog instrument with a lot more possibilities than the Prophet 6 has!

I can advice you to test the Prophet 6 by yourself, spend some time with it in shop and then decide if it's more your thing than the REV2.

Personally, I wouldn't sell the REV2 too soon.

I do hope DSI do some improvements on it though...

[jazzygb1]

Sounds to me like you need a Prophet 12!
It has much bigger and better Oled Display, illuminated pitch and mod wheels at the side of the keyboard PLUS 2 ribbon style sliders that respond to both pressure and position - great for live tweaking.
It also has a dedicated ‘playlist’ mode designed for live work too, so if it’s tweaking on the fly you want, then the Prophet 12 could be ideal.
You should definitely try one out.
I have both a Rev2 and Prophet 12 - both ace but the P12 definitely easier to use.

[philroyjenkins]

my experience is:

- prophet 6: sounds nice, with analog drive, lo-pass / hi-pass filter and more instant access to almost all necessary sound-editing parameters, so that's already something what you're looking for.

It has all six voices you can use in chord memory

The downside is it's smaller keyboard, it's more limited sound architecture and thus less possibilities / less modern or diverse sounds to be made than a REV2.

As far as I remember the knobs from the P6 are the same or at least the same size. So, as is the case with most DSI's: a small turn can result in bigger changes quite rapidly, so also with the prophet 6 you have to be carefull and more precise than on a moog.


- prophet REV 2: you can make it really sound nice, but asks for a little more work to program subtile modulations into it, so you can make it sound more 'vintage' or 'less precise'.

To obtain that more instant-tweaking approach with less menu diving, the key is to prepare some kind of a 'default' patch!

You can program some modulations routings you like to start from (for example, I use the Foot controller a lot for VCF freq, add a LFO to pitch via MOD wheel etc; another other LFO to VCF; setting up a delay or chorus FX already; prepare a basic ARP and glide setting; etc...). Then just save it somewhere and use it as a default patch to start from, each time you want to program a new sound.

Some downsides: for being the ultimate DSI analog workhorse, it just misses some additional options / user defined tweaks (independent sustain pedal for each layer in a splitted or stacked preset;  hold function (also the case on Prophet 6 btw); independent pitch bend up/down assignment; limitation of chord memory to just 4 voices (even on a 16v); only 1 fx per A or B patch; no analog drive;...).

Also the rotary's don't always work fine and feel a little cheap, which can be frustrating at times! They don't turn fluidly all the time, and sometimes its hard to dial in the right setting quickly (especially the rotary's for oscillator semitone tuning).


But, the REV2 really is a very cool and versatile analog instrument with a lot more possibilities than the Prophet 6 has!

I can advice you to test the Prophet 6 by yourself, spend some time with it in shop and then decide if it's more your thing than the REV2.

Personally, I wouldn't sell the REV2 too soon.

I do hope DSI do some improvements on it though...

Thanks a bunch for the thoughts! I actually have a handful of new "init" style patch starters for myself and I'm actually making a small arduino patch selector with a keypad to use with my Rev2 for instant patch selecting.

I think what I needed to hear most was that the knob movement would be very similar to the REV2. In a way, I'm relieved. I really do love my REV2. I just have to accept that there is no way it could be as instant as the moog (which are known for having super broad sweet spots and its honestly such a pleasure to tweak knobs on.)

[philroyjenkins]

Sounds to me like you need a Prophet 12!
It has much bigger and better Oled Display, illuminated pitch and mod wheels at the side of the keyboard PLUS 2 ribbon style sliders that respond to both pressure and position - great for live tweaking.
It also has a dedicated ‘playlist’ mode designed for live work too, so if it’s tweaking on the fly you want, then the Prophet 12 could be ideal.
You should definitely try one out.
I have both a Rev2 and Prophet 12 - both ace but the P12 definitely easier to use.

Heh I'll have to try one out sometime. It is even bigger than my rev2 though. The smaller size of the p6 was a actually a big pro in my book.