The Pro-3 On The Eyes

chysn

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The Pro-3 On The Eyes
« on: September 26, 2020, 08:26:36 AM »
Is there anybody on this forum who

(1) Owns and regularly plays a Pro-3, and
(2) Is in the 50-ish age range?

You and me, we're the children of the synthpop 80s, and the Pro-3 seems like it was made for us, with its glorious VCOs and generous array of analog filters.

My problem is, you know... my eyes. I haven't bought a Pro-3 because I don't really want to operate in the screen-universe anymore. It's not clear to me how I'd program a Pro-3 without having to watch the screen, and I'm worried that it'll be too small to really see, especially if it's the focal point of the whole sound design experience. I play my synths standing up, meaning I'll be about as far away from the screen as possible.

So I'm looking for some testimonials. How are you getting on with it?
Prophet 5 Rev 4 #2711

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www.wav2pro3.comwww.soundcloud.com/beige-mazewww.github.com/chysnwww.beigemaze.com

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Re: The Pro-3 On The Eyes
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2020, 08:53:05 AM »
Is there anybody on this forum who

(1) Owns and regularly plays a Pro-3, and
(2) Is in the 50-ish age range?

You and me, we're the children of the synthpop 80s, and the Pro-3 seems like it was made for us, with its glorious VCOs and generous array of analog filters.

My problem is, you know... my eyes. I haven't bought a Pro-3 because I don't really want to operate in the screen-universe anymore. It's not clear to me how I'd program a Pro-3 without having to watch the screen, and I'm worried that it'll be too small to really see, especially if it's the focal point of the whole sound design experience. I play my synths standing up, meaning I'll be about as far away from the screen as possible.

So I'm looking for some testimonials. How are you getting on with it?

I'm not quite there, but getting close. I've had terrible eyes my entire life anyway, made worse by a career in front of computer screens. That said, the screen is easy to read, the values themselves are very large, the descriptive text is clear. OLED is anyway pretty crisp.

I love editing on the hardware, it's a very friendly instrument to program, despite my prismatic bifocals.

Re: The Pro-3 On The Eyes
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2020, 09:06:48 AM »
I fit that criteria, and it's been just fine for me.

The mod matrix text is small, but when I'm editing it I'm typically sitting down.
When I'm standing and playing, I use the knobs, and it's very easy to see everything as the values are very large.
The screen is also high contrast white text on a black background.
Plus you can do most things without the screen. 

The only times I've had trouble seeing is when the room is dark. The LEDs are quite bright, and this makes seeing the knobs and buttons harder. I fixed this by adjusting some room lighting.

And, I have to say if you are looking for "that sound" from true analog in the 80's, this has you covered.
I'll never sell this synth :)


Re: The Pro-3 On The Eyes
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2020, 10:55:50 AM »
I just wear Dollar Store glasses and all is well.

What IS amazing is the sound, these are the tones I always tried to get from my long, long list of synths, starting in the 70's.  I am underwhelmed by Jup 8, this sounds so much more interesting.

Re: The Pro-3 On The Eyes
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2020, 11:01:19 AM »
I'm in my 40s but the screen is clear. I see you're into Euro. I find myself squinting more at labels on Euro modules than at the Pro 3. The Pro 3 is also a lot less screen-dependent than some of its DSI predecessors.

That said, maybe it's time to have your eyes checked?  8)
« Last Edit: September 26, 2020, 11:04:45 AM by guyaguy »

Re: The Pro-3 On The Eyes
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2020, 08:48:20 AM »
I'm 65 and I'm good with the screen, but I've been wearing bifocals for 30 years. I will say a lot of the magic crafting Pro 3 sounds is in the mod matrix, and of course screen programming is a big part of that. Personally I really like how the mod matrix is set up and find it (mostly) easy to do what I want.

Don't get me started on pill bottle instructions or Apple and others printing with teeny-tiny type and gray ink!

chysn

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Re: The Pro-3 On The Eyes
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2020, 09:35:50 AM »
Thank you all! These are encouraging replies.
Prophet 5 Rev 4 #2711

MPC One+ ∙ MuseScore 4

www.wav2pro3.comwww.soundcloud.com/beige-mazewww.github.com/chysnwww.beigemaze.com

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Re: The Pro-3 On The Eyes
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2020, 12:03:03 PM »
Touching 60 here....with reading glasses its good on my SE> But I also use the SoundTower Pro-3 editor, which I have on my Mac next to the Pro 3. In that case -if necessary- its always possible to zoom in there :)

chysn

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Re: The Pro-3 On The Eyes
« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2020, 12:32:22 PM »
Touching 60 here....with reading glasses its good on my SE> But I also use the SoundTower Pro-3 editor, which I have on my Mac next to the Pro 3. In that case -if necessary- its always possible to zoom in there :)

Thanks! That's a good point, I might spring for SoundTower.
Prophet 5 Rev 4 #2711

MPC One+ ∙ MuseScore 4

www.wav2pro3.comwww.soundcloud.com/beige-mazewww.github.com/chysnwww.beigemaze.com

he/him/his

chysn

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Re: The Pro-3 On The Eyes
« Reply #9 on: December 30, 2020, 02:22:52 PM »
I thought I might post an update here, now that I have a Pro 3 standard edition.

The screen is crisp and readable from pretty much any distance, and it's unnecessary for most functions anyway.
Prophet 5 Rev 4 #2711

MPC One+ ∙ MuseScore 4

www.wav2pro3.comwww.soundcloud.com/beige-mazewww.github.com/chysnwww.beigemaze.com

he/him/his