Prophet 12 / Rev 2 Keybed

[Shambler]

Hi, not been able to find this info, I assume they do but do the Prophet 12 and Rev 2 have the same Keybed?

[LoboLives]

Hi, not been able to find this info, I assume they do but do the Prophet 12 and Rev 2 have the same Keybed?

Not 100% positive but from playing each side by side I'm going to say no. The REV2 feels better to me.

[ddp]

There's a list of keybeds floating around that implies they're both Fatar TP/9S light weight, as is the Prophet 6.

[DavidDever]

There's a list of keybeds floating around that implies they're both Fatar TP/9S light weight, as is the Prophet 6.

They aren't - the keybed for the Prophet-12 is manufactured in the Far East IIRC, but the design is similar to that of the TP/9S.

[jazzygb1]

As others have already said the keyboards ARE NOT the same.
The action on the P12 is lighter than the REV2 and its a lot easier to accidentally trigger aftertouch on the P12 as a result.
The REV2 definitely has the better keybed and it's the only thing I'd change about the the P12 tbh.
In every other way a totally brilliant synth.

[Shambler]

Excellent thanks all.

[SandyS1]

I had a replacement keyboard shipped to me recently, and the newer one feels much nicer than the older one, despite being the same manufacturer and having identical markings (definitely something Asian, not Fatar). I'm not sure whether it would be something you could order, since I imagine their supply of spares for support purposes are not infinite.

[Peter K.]

I had a P12 before which was amazing in every way except that the keybed felt clacky and loose.  Like a cheap midi controller.  I loved the synth but ended up selling the P12 for the module which I later sold to fund some purchases.  Today I found a P12 keyboard that was lightly used at a store and the action was much quieter acoustically and much more pleasant feeling.  We opened up a brand new P12 out of the box which had a higher serial # and it was the same clacky keybed I remembered.  Both the salesperson and I noticed an immediate difference.  I've taken the used model home and am loving the feel.  It is still not quite as nice as the Prophet 6/OB6/Rev 2, but it's much better than any other P12 I have ever played in the area, and I have tried several to make sure I wasn't going nuts. 

I also found that it was easier to control velocity on this particular P12 than on any other one I have tried.  Not only with the P12, but with the Tetra and Prophet '08 I owned before, which had the same keybed. 

The only way most P12s are let down IMO is by the action of the keys.  If you love the synth but key feel is important to you, I'd recommend getting the module.  It's much easier to get around on than it appears.  As for me, this loaner P12 might just have to stay, because I don't know if I'll ever find another one quite like it. 

[Frocktar]

Yeah I must say I still find it amazing that they ‘seemingly’ cheaper out on the keybed for the P12.  Flagship synth and it has the cheapest feeling keyboard.

I don’t find it absolutely terrible, but no way near as good as my Rev2.  Other than just feeling too lite, aftertouch is just too easy to trigger accidentally. It’s a bit of a case of ‘what on earth were they thinking’ for me.

I actually pay to replace it with the rev 2 keybed in a flash of this was an option.

[Shambler]

I've similar feelings about the P12keybed, can be very hard to control velocity because the action is ultra-light.

Now looking at getting either a Rev2 or a Prologue... but that's another discussion altogether

[Quatschmacher]

Me too. Though I didn’t really play around with the velocity and aftertouch curves to see if that improved things. The Rev 2 keyboard definitely feels nicer than the P12 and better than the Prologue’s keybed too.

I've similar feelings about the P12keybed, can be very hard to control velocity because the action is ultra-light.

Now looking at getting either a Rev2 or a Prologue... but that's another discussion altogether

[Frocktar]

I’ve played with the curves multiple times, each time hoping past me missed something, but the best they achieved was minizing the obvious plain as day oversight of not having provided a complimentary quality keybed action to their flagship synth.

I might sound overly critical, but I truly deeply love my P12, I just find it such a shame that the keybed isn’t up to par with my Rev2 which was half the price.

Like I said earlier I’d pay for a keybed upgrade, and i wouldn’t even be bitter about it, I just want it to feel as good as the rev 2.

[jazzygb1]

It might be something that Dave Smith could offer.
I'm assuming they'll have replacement parts for the REV2, so it shouldn't be beyond the scope of possibility that you could replace the keybed of the P12 with one from a REV2 for a fee.
Might be worth an email do DSIs support to see if it's possible.

[Frocktar]

Excellent idea actually !

[Robot Heart]

Unfortunately, they're not interchangeable. We looked into it when we were designing the Rev2, and the Rev2 keybed is slightly larger than the P12 keybed so it won't fit in the metal enclosure. The connectors are also different, but that's a more solvable problem. At any rate, it can't be done without hacking up your metal enclosure.

One thing you could experiment with though, is different spring tensions for the keys. We don't have a line on them or anything but I remember seeing that you could change the behavior and feel of the keybed by using lighter or heavier springs.

[Shambler]

I'm going down to London on the weekend and hope to demo a Rev2 to see for myself what the key-bed is like.

I find the Prophet 12's key-bed is 'OK' but not something I would want to use as my main keyboard.

[Quatschmacher]

Thanks, Robot Heart, that’s useful to know. A shame it’s not possible but at least now we know not to go in hoping in vain.

Unfortunately, they're not interchangeable. We looked into it when we were designing the Rev2, and the Rev2 keybed is slightly larger than the P12 keybed so it won't fit in the metal enclosure. The connectors are also different, but that's a more solvable problem. At any rate, it can't be done without hacking up your metal enclosure.

One thing you could experiment with though, is different spring tensions for the keys. We don't have a line on them or anything but I remember seeing that you could change the behavior and feel of the keybed by using lighter or heavier springs.

[Frocktar]

Nutz, was quite excited for a minute there, Cheers for the info though.

[Shambler]

Back from London and I tried out a Rev2 at wunjoguitars in their synth basement on Tottenham Court Road.

The Rev2 has a great key bed, reminiscent of the PC361 from Kurzweil which IMO has the best synth action key bed of any synth.

The sound was also amazing, thicker than the Prophet12, they will be a great combination and I'll be placing an order this week.

[jeebustrain]

I've had my P12 for almost 4 years and the keybed is the only thing that I would change on it. That being said, I have to wonder if the newer ones have an upgraded bed because earlier this year I saw one at Synth City during a trip to Chicago and the keybed felt a LOT better... Way more solid, almost like some Fatar beds I've played. The keys wiggled a lot less and velocity response seemed better (although I didn't do much extensive testing).