Sonic State's (Nick Batt) Prophet Rev 2 video review!

[jg666]

Finally a review by Nick Batt - Prophet REV 2 Sonic LAB Review :-

[Sacred Synthesis]

Oooo!  Thanks for posting that.  I'll save it for dessert tonight.

[Sacred Synthesis]

That was an excellent video review of the Rev2, but Batt had quite a few criticisms of the instrument.  I'm tempted to say those criticisms are unfair, in light of the origin and intent behind the instrument. 

The Prophet '08 was not an idea unto itself.  It was Dave's attempt to extract from the massive Poly Evolver Keyboard only the analog portion.  That extraction, together with the goal of creating a reasonably priced instrument, means that simplicity was at the core of the Prophet '08 idea.  It wasn't supposed to be the instrument that did it all. 

In the Rev2, DSI took a fairly simple synthesizer and made it a bit more sophisticated.  There's a bit of a risk in this - in taking the uncomplicated and making it a little more complicated - in that people will then have expectations that don't match the original idea behind the instrument.  To a substantial degree, the simplicity theme still lingers in the Rev2, but it has been somewhat confused by its improvements.

The Prophet Rev2 is not supposed to have everything but the kitchen sink.  The Prophet 12 is supposed to and it does, with the exception of the missing sequencer.  But I don't think the Rev2 should be faulted for not being something it wasn't meant to be.

[moogmusic]

The missing sequencer on the Prophet 12 is a big issue holding me back, I find it indispensable on my Evolvers.

[Paul Dither]

That was an excellent video review of the Rev2, but Batt had quite a few criticisms of the instrument.  I'm tempted to say those criticisms are unfair, in light of the origin and intent behind the instrument.

That may have to do with him not being particularly familiar with the Prophet '08. But then, I didn't really interpret his review as coming from someone who would have expected way more features. And in terms of sound shaping tools, one couldn't really ask for more, given that the mod matrix was basically doubled.

I'd say though that his criticism about the gated sequencer touches upon an aspect that makes it a bit harder to handle than it was on the Prophet '08. He didn't draw that comparison, but only hinted at it being a bit cumbersome to program, especially when it comes to note values and the overall dependence on the menu/display. I have to say that I found this to be realized more elegant on the Prophet '08, where 2 rows of potentiometers could be used for step value editing (on top of the extra LEDs that would show you what step you're on), which made it a bit more intuitive to operate.

It's all a matter of use cases and preferences though, and DSI tried to cover as many sequencer options as possible with the two types. There's also not an insignificant number of people who like the poly sequencer feature, which made it increasingly popular. I personally don't really use it on the Prophet-6, as basically my DAW takes over the task it is meant for and I like to avoid heavy quantization these days. I can still see why it's useful to have on a standalone unit, though.

Generally speaking, I prefer the capabilities of the gated sequencer conceptually, and also find it to be more flexible for note sequencing, as you can't just transpose a sequence on the fly with the poly sequencer (without holding down the record button that is). So if it was me, I'd given the gated sequencer the priority, mainly by keeping it implemented the way it was on the Prophet '08. But that would have probably also increased the production costs a bit due to the added LEDs. That's basically the only concern I can think of in terms of interactive aspects on an otherwise matured and loaded synth design.

[LoboLives]

SonicLab also doesn't review a lot from DSI or even have much demonstrations from them at all. His review of the Tempest was still the first OS. He reviewed the OB6 module. They seem sort of distant from DSI which is odd.

[Paul Dither]

SonicLab also doesn't review a lot from DSI or even have much demonstrations from them at all. His review of the Tempest was still the first OS. He reviewed the OB6 module. They seem sort of distant from DSI which is odd.

Nick also reviewed the Tetra and the Mopho Keyboard. And it's quite natural that the Tempest review still happened on the first OS because that was simply the OS it came with when it was released, and most magazines or review platforms only review an instrument once, and not any time a new OS update has been released. The release of OS 1.4 was a bit of an exception for some reviewers, but only for those who owned a Tempest anyway. And in this case it was mostly done as a corrective for previous Tempest reviews, some of which ended up being quite disastrous.

One more thing to take into account is also the availability of review units. In the case of the Rev2, it is my understanding that these weren't sent out before September, which was after the instrument already hit the retailers.

[yayajohn]

Well I think it was an honest review which is all that anyone could ask for.  Personally the criticisms he had for the synth were things not very important to me and certainly not enough to detract me from purchasing this awesome beast.  The sounds that he demo'd in the video were exactly the reason why I bought it!

[Paul Dither]

Well I think it was an honest review which is all that anyone could ask for.  Personally the criticisms he had for the synth were things not very important to me and certainly not enough to detract me from purchasing this awesome beast.  The sounds that he demo'd in the video were exactly the reason why I bought it!

That's what I would say too. Nick really demonstrated the Rev2's sonic capabilities to its advantage.

[jg666]

Well I think it was an honest review which is all that anyone could ask for.  Personally the criticisms he had for the synth were things not very important to me and certainly not enough to detract me from purchasing this awesome beast.  The sounds that he demo'd in the video were exactly the reason why I bought it!

Exactly the same for me. I watched the superb video that Paul Dither has done (the walkthrough video) and then visited a music store to have a play around with it just to make sure. I used it with my headphones on and I have to say that I only had to select a few voices before I knew I just had to have this synth. The sound quality just blew me away.

I do have to thank Paul for his excellent video because it meant that I knew where all the controls were on the Rev2 whilst playing around with it in the shop (I am a complete newbie to DSI synths).

[Paul Dither]

Thank you, jg666! Much appreciated.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Well I think it was an honest review which is all that anyone could ask for.  Personally the criticisms he had for the synth were things not very important to me and certainly not enough to detract me from purchasing this awesome beast.  The sounds that he demo'd in the video were exactly the reason why I bought it!

Oh, I'm not complaining that Batt offered criticisms of the Rev2.  That's the reason I like his reviews - he clearly isn't owned and is at liberty to be critical where he feels it's deserved.  You get just the facts from Nick, like them or not.  But my point is that the P'08/Rev 2 pair are founded on a concept of relative simplicity and affordability.  Therefore, Batts' criticisms that the instrument can't do this and that should be tempered with the understanding that it wasn't meant to do every this and that.

[jg666]

Oh, I'm not complaining that Batt offered criticisms of the Rev2.  That's the reason I like his reviews - he clearly isn't owned and is at liberty to be critical where he feels it's deserved.  You get just the facts from Nick, like them or not.  But my point is that the P'08/Rev 2 pair are founded on a concept of relative simplicity and affordability.  Therefore, Batts' criticisms that the instrument can't do this and that should be tempered with the understanding that it wasn't meant to do every this and that.

Agreed. Every single review he's done, there's always a couple (or more) things he picks up on where things aren't doable etc. I was pleased with the review as it seemed to convey well the sound quality, the ease of use and the plethora of modulation possibilities.

[Propheteer]

Sorry if this was already posted, if so please merge/delete as you see fit!



Good review and he seems more than happy with the sound, the abilities and the layout.

He mentions how he didn't really connect with the prophet 08 (nor did I) but has no such problem with Rev 2 (nor do I) Glad to see I'm not alone. He speaks of how the new additions really do add a lot to it and clearly enjoys the sound and the power. The way he talks it's almost like he wasn't that into DSI gear before the REV2 I know he liked the OB-6 he reviewed but somehow he seems to be admitting the Rev2 is the first DSI that feels like a fully cohesive/powerful instrument (which is the same thing I think; ob6/p6 as nice as they are sound wise are a bit hampered by a lack of keys and modulation).

So hopefully the Rev2 will now get even more respect that it deserves instead of people just writing it off as a Prophet 08 in new clothes. Sonic State can be quite influential over the synth buying masses (has little effect on me though as I go where I know the goods are without being told! )

[Paul Dither]

Sorry if this was already posted, if so please merge/delete as you see fit!

Done! 

[Propheteer]

Funny, knowing how picky Nick can be I didn't see this review as too critical at all. In fact I think it was an overall very positive review. Maybe I'm a glass half full kind of guy but I tend to dismiss the nitty gritty things he picks fault with as they are very (very) little consequence to me. I use the Rev2 as an instrument, good sounds, cohesive, nice to program, lots of features and on that score he highlighted that and did it credit.

His nit picks are probably because he's got a lot of synth hungry geeks watching and knows he has to be specific sometimes on what things lack, but he didn't look too annoyed by those little flaws, I certainly aren't, I see the seq and some other bits as bonuses so never expected them to be all singing/all dancing. It's not a digital workstation it's an analog synth, a ready to rock instrument that imo is the finest all round instrument Dave Smith has ever designed.

[Paul Dither]

Funny, knowing how picky Nick can be I didn't see this review as too critical at all. In fact I think it was an overall very positive review. Maybe I'm a glass half full kind of guy but I tend to dismiss the nitty gritty things he picks fault with as they are very (very) little consequence to me. I use the Rev2 as an instrument, good sounds, cohesive, nice to program, lots of features and on that score he highlighted that and did it credit.

His nit picks are probably because he's got a lot of synth hungry geeks watching and knows he has to be specific sometimes on what things lack, but he didn't look too annoyed by those little flaws, I certainly aren't, I see the seq and some other bits as bonuses so never expected them to be all singing/all dancing. It's not a digital workstation it's an analog synth, a ready to rock instrument that imo is the finest all round instrument Dave Smith has ever designed.

Totally agree with him not having been particularly nitpicky. In the pre-show livestreams he also pointed out more than once how much he enjoyed the sound of the Rev2. And comparing a new product to the same type of instrument by other brands in roughly the same price range and with sometimes different features is just a normal part of the review business. Consumers know what's out there, so they expect that alternative products are taken into account when it comes to a reviewer's ultimate verdict.

[Sacred Synthesis]

I don't know where the nitpicky charge came from, but it certainly wasn't from me.  My only point was in regard to the P'08-Rev2 legacy.  We're not dealing with a Schmidt or a Solaris here, but an instrument that started off with a simple design.  The Rev2 has moved a bit from that simplicity, but not too much.

[Paul Dither]

I don't know where the nitpicky charge came from, but it certainly wasn't from me.  My only point was in regard to the P'08-Rev2 legacy.  We're not dealing with a Schmidt or a Solaris here, but an instrument that started off with a simple design.  The Rev2 has moved a bit from that simplicity, but not too much.

With regard to its engine I would separate between the ease of use and the possible complexity of the Rev2. Although it's not a complicated synth, it comes with an insane amount of modulation routings, which is actually one of DSI's unique selling points in general. That's particularly an aspect that stands out in the domain of analog poly synths. The only analog poly synths that could compete on that level with DSI's designs are indeed the Schmidt (which almost no one can afford) and the Andromeda (which is long gone).

[Sacred Synthesis]

True, but even the Prophet '08 has a modulation complexity that's impressive by modern standards.  The Rev2 is the next step from that.