Well, now I've heard it. I'm not at all impressed with the Prologue. The sound is thin and heavily veiled behind effects. That "Runner Brass" patch? My rickety old Prophet '08 would blow it to smithereens - never mind the Rev2. And the "Simple Saw" patch sounds as if it's got chorus added, or else, one of the oscillators is being slightly and slowly modulated to emulate chorus. The point is, it doesn't allow for an analytical listen to the sawtooth waveform. And the pads are drowned in enough reverb and delay to make even my falsetto voice sound lovely! It's the Deepmind 12 all over again.
I concur with regard to the overall sound. It has a thinner, sometimes even nasal quality (I don't mean the beautiful quality of BP filters by that), basically like the Minilogue, which of course shouldn't come as a surprise. Although I've heard some nice analog pads as well, the Rev2, Prophet-6, and OB-6 sound way more high-end. For a lack of a better expression, I find the Prologue to sound smaller and somewhat cheaper (as in: less luxurious) than DSI's poly synths. The quality of the effects seems to be nice, though. I wouldn't go as far as comparing this with the DM12, which basically only has 1.5 DCOs and offers way less substance in the raw sound department.
What I found really annoying about most presentations was the excessive focus on what I would rather call standard or elementary features, as if a company like DSI never existed. But I guess the lack of modulation options forces one to focus on less spectacular aspects instead. In that regard DSI is still miles ahead - even the rather simple Prophet-6 and OB-6.
Obviously, the user oscillator is interesting, and perhaps the most outstanding part of the instrument. The ability to crossfade between the two layers is also unique. And I do like the appearance, although it's strangely familiar-looking....Otherwise, it doesn't strike me as being strong in any one department, but a mixed bag; and I find the oscilloscope and VU meter to be fun but gimmicky.
The digital oscillator seems to me the most intersting part as well, particularly of how it may be tinkered with. The crossfade could be programmed on any DSI synth, but a dedicated knob does of course come in handy, especially in live situations.
I think the familiar look is mostly due to the wheels placed in a similar fashion as on the Rev2. The rest basically follows the design of the Minilogue and Monologue. It's just bigger.
The oscilloscope can have an educational purpose or can even be helpful for sound design. And the VU meter for the analog compressor is also fine with me. Since there's still plenty of space left, it would have been nice, though, if they could have added a second LFO and Aftertouch.
I'm impressed that Korg has used full-sized keys and long keyboards. That's a refreshing change.
By the way, exactly what does "stunning presence unlike any other poly synth" mean? And why is Korg calling bi-timbrality "multi-timbrality"?
Maybe they refer to the analog compressor with the "stunning presence". And bi-timbrality is a form of multi-timbrality, only the lowest possible one.
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