Pro 3 on the way

[Gino.Cortesi]

Hi Everyone,

I recently ordered a Pro 3 and it's supposed to be here by next Wednesday (but FedEx is saying it will arrive tomorrow, fingers crossed  ).

Anyway, really excited to get my hands on it, and make music!

One question I have, is that I love the sound of the Pro One, and I'm not sure if the Pro 3 can cover the same sonic territory (esp bass lines). 

Best regards,

Gino

 

[LoboLives]

Hi Everyone,

I recently ordered a Pro 3 and it's supposed to be here by next Wednesday (but FedEx is saying it will arrive tomorrow, fingers crossed  ).

Anyway, really excited to get my hands on it, and make music!

One question I have, is that I love the sound of the Pro One, and I'm not sure if the Pro 3 can cover the same sonic territory (esp bass lines). 

Best regards,

Gino

It can cover the Pro One territory. Back the oscillator levels off in the mixer. Don't crank the filter past 1 or 2 o clock and it helps get closer to a vintage tone. Similar to most gain staging in Sequential synths.

[Gino.Cortesi]

Thanks!

I just got it today and love it!

The first patch "F5 P1 Old Saw" sounds amazing.

The only thing is that I hear a faint noise, like digital distortion on that patch if I hold a low note.
Wondering if there is something wrong with my unit, or my set up.

It's slight, but noticeable. I'm going through that patch to see if I can figure out the source of it.
I can hear it on my monitors and my headphones. I hope it's not my unit, because I just want to play with it!

[LoboLives]

Thanks!

I just got it today and love it!

The first patch "F5 P1 Old Saw" sounds amazing.

The only thing is that I hear a faint noise, like digital distortion on that patch if I hold a low note.
Wondering if there is something wrong with my unit, or my set up.

It's slight, but noticeable. I'm going through that patch to see if I can figure out the source of it.
I can hear it on my monitors and my headphones. I hope it's not my unit, because I just want to play with it!

Go to an Init patch and see if you still hear it.

[Gino.Cortesi]

Yeah, I hear it on the init patch.

Down + Latch, then OSC1 to saw, and filter to 500.
I play a low E on the 0 octave and I hear some fuzz (sounds a bit like whistling wind).

I'll record it to see if it's just expected because of discrete VCOs, etc. or if it's not supposed to be there.

Edit: Here is a test tone, let me know if this sounds noisy to you: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ocj38udt6cTpsAxESdldk8sHq8LGPNdC/view?usp=sharing

This one shows it a bit better:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rb1vCblXI8O8qQuZSkFCC3vvjVOQp9pM/view?usp=sharing

 

[LoboLives]

I don't hear anything out of the ordinary

[osflaa]

Yeah, I hear it on the init patch.

Down + Latch, then OSC1 to saw, and filter to 500.
I play a low E on the 0 octave and I hear some fuzz (sounds a bit like whistling wind).

I'll record it to see if it's just expected because of discrete VCOs, etc. or if it's not supposed to be there.

Edit: Here is a test tone, let me know if this sounds noisy to you: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ocj38udt6cTpsAxESdldk8sHq8LGPNdC/view?usp=sharing

This one shows it a bit better:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rb1vCblXI8O8qQuZSkFCC3vvjVOQp9pM/view?usp=sharing

I have attached the frequency spectrums of the two test tones. I think they sound and look normal but have a little square wave color to the tone (odd harmonics are a little louder than even harmonics). My Pro 3 has still not arrived, but based on what I have read in forums/Facebook groups it can be a good idea to lower the volume a little from the osc to be sure the filter is not distorting and see if the sound changes.

[Gino.Cortesi]

Thanks for the answers.

Here is the 2nd test tone where I used a high shelf EQ so you can really hear it:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_4Qamk8y9x8Hll3k7rsAtiUcStvxyS8m/view?usp=sharing

If it's nothing but the way VCO's and analog Filters work, I'll move on
Just want to make sure my unit is working right.

[osflaa]

Thanks for the answers.

Here is the 2nd test tone where I used a high shelf EQ so you can really hear it:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_4Qamk8y9x8Hll3k7rsAtiUcStvxyS8m/view?usp=sharing

If it's nothing but the way VCO's and analog Filters work, I'll move on
Just want to make sure my unit is working right.

Ok, now I understand what you mean. It sounds like wind and has most energy around 2-3 kHz. Unfortunately, I am not the right person to tell if this is normal in analog VCOs and filters, hopefully somebody else can comment on this. However, I would check if the sound is still there if you use headphones, just to eliminate that the noise is picked up by the jack cables.

[S Y Z Y G Y X]

Im your previous audio examples, the 1st two that you posted here, I believe the noise is present even before a key is gated on. 

[Gino.Cortesi]

Im your previous audio examples, the 1st two that you posted here, I believe the noise is present even before a key is gated on.

Good observation.

On the first ones, I held the note and turned the filter all the way down. I definitely do not hear the noise when I'm not playing a note.

However, tech support wrote me back and they do not hear problems with the signal samples I recorded. I guess that's the nature of an analog audio path, you get a lot of character.  One persons "noise" is another persons "character"!

The good news, is that my new synth seems to be OK, so I can focus on music vs the concern that something might be wrong. 

Thanks everyone for the help!



 

[Gino.Cortesi]

Well, I've been trying my best to ignore the "whistling" sound, but tonight it was very distracting while working on a bass line. I find it happens on filter 1, when the cutoff is low and the drive is high.

Oh man, it breaks my heart as I'm LOVING this synth in so many ways, but I may send it back.

[S Y Z Y G Y X]

I know your pain, I just bought a mint condition 2nd hand Prophet 12 a month after I bought my Pro 3.  About a week or so after I got the Prophet 12 I began to notice this very high pitched ringing type artifact in the sound of the oscillators especially apparent with the filter closed.  It was highly annoying, luckily Sequential diagnosed the issue and it required a repair to the main voice board which they fixed very quickly. 

Do you have another hardware synth that you can plug into the same inputs on your audio interface and same cables you’re using on the Pro 3 and see if that sound is still present? 

Worst case return your Pro 3 and get another one because mine doesn’t have any artifact present.  I love the Pro 3 very much.

[Gino.Cortesi]

It was highly annoying, luckily Sequential diagnosed the issue and it required a repair to the main voice board which they fixed very quickly. 

I was hoping it was just calibration or something I could do without needing to send it back. I need to capture the "whistling" adequately, as the test tones I've done so far are not convincing. I really feel that if I could warp someone here, and have them hear it first hand they would agree something is not right.

Edit: Here is another test tone
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ILeBZo6sgiLATsM8lMnw-1ZOPFzTSqgt/view?usp=sharing
I started this one with silence to show it's not my audio set up, I also did not EQ this test tone, or exaggerate it in any way.
 

Do you have another hardware synth that you can plug into the same inputs on your audio interface and same cables you’re using on the Pro 3 and see if that sound is still present? 

Yes - this is coming from the Pro 3. I plugged it directly into my monitors to bypass the audio interface, then confirmed it with my studio headphones.

Worst case return your Pro 3 and get another one because mine doesn’t have any artifact present.  I love the Pro 3 very much.

Yes - that is what I want to do, and have already contacted Sweetwater.

It's like eating custard with sand in it, as it doesn't take much sand to ruin a great custard    
The moments it really stands out, is when the Pro 3 is producing some lush and evolving lows (custard), and then this high pitched teapot whistling ruins it (sand). I've noticed that when I first power the synth on, it doesn't happen for a few seconds, then fades in.

[Gino.Cortesi]

A new one is on the way! So now the thread title makes sense again

 The Sweetwater guys took one listen and said it was definitely not right compared to their other units. It's been a challenge recording it, as it's far more noticeable through monitors or studio headphones when your working on music. Really happy I'm getting a replacement, because I really love the synth.   

[S Y Z Y G Y X]

Great news!  Sweetwater is the best, been buying my gear there ever since 2000.  My sales rep took a return back from me even after 9 months one time!   

[Gino.Cortesi]

Fixed! 

Got the new Pro 3, and filter 1 is fine.
Thank the heavens, I thought I was going crazy

[S Y Z Y G Y X]

Great!  You just had a faulty unit...it happens even with the greatest synth company ever!  Enjoy your new Pro 3, the best mono synth ever made! 

Can’t wait for Sequential’s next synth announcement any day now!