Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module

Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« on: April 28, 2021, 07:49:20 AM »

Are the extra voices 'worth it' in daily use?

I also read some people actually prefer the 5 over the 10 because of the rythmic/creative way the notes are 'stealed' when the prophet 5 runs out of voices.

Anyone here have both and want to comment on this?
I also read that the 10 now has the option to convert it to 5 voices.

If its not too much too ask, could someone upload an audio example of how the 5 and 10 sound different when the voices run out on the 5? (and not on the 10)? I can't find any examples of this online or on yt.

thanks in advance!

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2021, 09:03:59 AM »
Do you ever play chords with 6 or more voices? (I do regularly.) If so, go for the 10; you can always put it into P5 mode if you want the lower voice count.

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2021, 12:43:51 PM »
Do you ever play chords with 6 or more voices? (I do regularly.) If so, go for the 10; you can always put it into P5 mode if you want the lower voice count.

No, hardly ever play a chord with more than 5 voices, mostly a triad or four note chord with a bass note...
and there is no stacked mode in the prophet 5 or 10 right?
and if I want long release time/tails I could do that with an fx pedal like a reverb/echo?

so in that case, the prophet 5? or am I missing something

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2021, 01:13:47 PM »
Do you ever play chords with 6 or more voices? (I do regularly.) If so, go for the 10; you can always put it into P5 mode if you want the lower voice count.

No, hardly ever play a chord with more than 5 voices, mostly a triad or four note chord with a bass note...
and there is no stacked mode in the prophet 5 or 10 right?
and if I want long release time/tails I could do that with an fx pedal like a reverb/echo?

so in that case, the prophet 5? or am I missing something

What do you mean by “stacked”. There is no multi-timbrality but there is a lovely two-voice polyphonic unison mode which can be best exploited on the 10-voice version.

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2021, 01:44:54 PM »
Do you ever play chords with 6 or more voices? (I do regularly.) If so, go for the 10; you can always put it into P5 mode if you want the lower voice count.

No, hardly ever play a chord with more than 5 voices, mostly a triad or four note chord with a bass note...
and there is no stacked mode in the prophet 5 or 10 right?
and if I want long release time/tails I could do that with an fx pedal like a reverb/echo?

so in that case, the prophet 5? or am I missing something

What do you mean by “stacked”. There is no multi-timbrality but there is a lovely two-voice polyphonic unison mode which can be best exploited on the 10-voice version.

Interesting; i saw this about the 1.5 update:
Main 1.5.0
Feature: New 3rd row of Globals, accessed by holding BANK SELECT and pressing GLOBALS. When the 3rd row of Globals is selected, both Globals LEDs are lit.
-  3rd row slot #1: turns 5 voice limit mode on/off (affects Prophet 10 only)
-  3rd row slot #2: selects between P5 style or Round Robin voice allocation modes
Feature: New Poly Unison mode. Hold UNISON and select “PU2” using the Inc/Dec buttons. Each note is allocated two voices.

3 questions:
1) What is P5 style voice allocation mode?
2) so do I understand correctly that the prophet 5/10 in unison are monosynths (so no stacking), except for the new PU mode?
3) so In the new PU mode, using the prophet 5, I could play 2 notes, and on the prophet 10 i could play 5? how does this sound, is it worth the extra money?

Thanks guys!

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2021, 03:37:06 PM »
Do you ever play chords with 6 or more voices? (I do regularly.) If so, go for the 10; you can always put it into P5 mode if you want the lower voice count.

No, hardly ever play a chord with more than 5 voices, mostly a triad or four note chord with a bass note...
and there is no stacked mode in the prophet 5 or 10 right?
and if I want long release time/tails I could do that with an fx pedal like a reverb/echo?

so in that case, the prophet 5? or am I missing something

What do you mean by “stacked”. There is no multi-timbrality but there is a lovely two-voice polyphonic unison mode which can be best exploited on the 10-voice version.

Interesting; i saw this about the 1.5 update:
Main 1.5.0
Feature: New 3rd row of Globals, accessed by holding BANK SELECT and pressing GLOBALS. When the 3rd row of Globals is selected, both Globals LEDs are lit.
-  3rd row slot #1: turns 5 voice limit mode on/off (affects Prophet 10 only)
-  3rd row slot #2: selects between P5 style or Round Robin voice allocation modes
Feature: New Poly Unison mode. Hold UNISON and select “PU2” using the Inc/Dec buttons. Each note is allocated two voices.

3 questions:
1) What is P5 style voice allocation mode?
2) so do I understand correctly that the prophet 5/10 in unison are monosynths (so no stacking), except for the new PU mode?
3) so In the new PU mode, using the prophet 5, I could play 2 notes, and on the prophet 10 i could play 5? how does this sound, is it worth the extra money?

Thanks guys!
In P5 voice allocation mode, a repeated note uses the same voice. Contrast with round robin where a repeated note uses a new voice each time and hence might eventually steal from other notes being held.

Unison 1-10 is monophonic. PU2 is two voice polyphonic unison where each note is assigned two voices so the P10 can play 5 notes, the P5 will play two notes with two voices each and a third note will only have one voice. (Perhaps this is what you meant by stacking.)

I think it’s worth it (but I was extremely lucky to get my P10 on a Black Friday deal that made it cheaper than a P5).

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #6 on: April 29, 2021, 12:01:40 AM »
Do you ever play chords with 6 or more voices? (I do regularly.) If so, go for the 10; you can always put it into P5 mode if you want the lower voice count.

No, hardly ever play a chord with more than 5 voices, mostly a triad or four note chord with a bass note...
and there is no stacked mode in the prophet 5 or 10 right?
and if I want long release time/tails I could do that with an fx pedal like a reverb/echo?

so in that case, the prophet 5? or am I missing something

What do you mean by “stacked”. There is no multi-timbrality but there is a lovely two-voice polyphonic unison mode which can be best exploited on the 10-voice version.

Interesting; i saw this about the 1.5 update:
Main 1.5.0
Feature: New 3rd row of Globals, accessed by holding BANK SELECT and pressing GLOBALS. When the 3rd row of Globals is selected, both Globals LEDs are lit.
-  3rd row slot #1: turns 5 voice limit mode on/off (affects Prophet 10 only)
-  3rd row slot #2: selects between P5 style or Round Robin voice allocation modes
Feature: New Poly Unison mode. Hold UNISON and select “PU2” using the Inc/Dec buttons. Each note is allocated two voices.

3 questions:
1) What is P5 style voice allocation mode?
2) so do I understand correctly that the prophet 5/10 in unison are monosynths (so no stacking), except for the new PU mode?
3) so In the new PU mode, using the prophet 5, I could play 2 notes, and on the prophet 10 i could play 5? how does this sound, is it worth the extra money?

Thanks guys!
In P5 voice allocation mode, a repeated note uses the same voice. Contrast with round robin where a repeated note uses a new voice each time and hence might eventually steal from other notes being held.

Unison 1-10 is monophonic. PU2 is two voice polyphonic unison where each note is assigned two voices so the P10 can play 5 notes, the P5 will play two notes with two voices each and a third note will only have one voice. (Perhaps this is what you meant by stacking.)

I think it’s worth it (but I was extremely lucky to get my P10 on a Black Friday deal that made it cheaper than a P5).


Thank you!!
Too bad there arent any audio example (that I can find) of the new PU mode, beacause that would be the question for me indeed, if thats worth the extra 800 bucks

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #7 on: April 29, 2021, 12:19:32 AM »
Member barbenzinc from Audiofanzine french forum has made examples with a P10 here:
Check the third example here for PU:
https://soundcloud.com/garganigostephane/p10r4-voice-mode-demo

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #8 on: April 29, 2021, 04:56:47 AM »
Member barbenzinc from Audiofanzine french forum has made examples with a P10 here:
Check the third example here for PU:
https://soundcloud.com/garganigostephane/p10r4-voice-mode-demo

thank you!
the differences are clearly audible, but I'm actually not sure which one I like best haha! (or which one would fit better in a mix).
« Last Edit: April 29, 2021, 05:00:39 AM by tendingtropic »

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2022, 09:51:17 AM »
If there were any doubt, now it is clear - 10 voice version is a huge update, no matter your play style.
Even if you don't play big chords, or even split, layering is something you can hardly look over IMO.
And even then, if that is not for you, PU is such a great addition that makes pads sound like Roy Batty screaming from the top of the Tyrell Corp tower.

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #10 on: October 22, 2022, 02:00:14 PM »
Hmm, I am thinking I can achieve similar results with proper reverb which I use in the studio as is for the note stealing issue.

As for 6-10 note chords, get the expansion. (With staggering the notes + verb you can get away with it up to a point (how long the verb tails are etc))

As for going full batty, recording a second track same notes etc hits the PU2 mode. (Can stereo-ize your prophet too)

As for giging or live situations, get the expansion.

As for a 20 vco mono synth (or 10/10 vco duo phonic) - get the expansion

Lastly, split mode, this too requires the expansion.  This one depends on your play style. For me personally, I would track out (record) each split separately. If I played live I would need the expansion.

All in all I just talked myself into staying with 5 voices, maybe there’s something I missed too or am flat out wrong on?
« Last Edit: October 22, 2022, 02:25:26 PM by cowfood »

LPF83

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Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #11 on: October 22, 2022, 04:12:57 PM »
All in all I just talked myself into staying with 5 voices, maybe there’s something I missed too or am flat out wrong on?

There is no right or wrong, if 5 voices works for you then that's all you need!
 
Multitracking is indeed a more flexible alternative to PU2.. for me there is at times a workflow advantage to hearing exactly how things sound as I play.  PU2 detuned slightly adds something, and sometimes it's nice to have that something while coming up with song ideas in real time versus using tracking techniques.

For me the sound of the Rev4 oscillators and filters is just so right... it remains my favorite piece of hardware and the one I connect with best personally.  So because of that elevated status among my hardware, it is nice to have the flexibility to put it in 5 voice mode and play it as a P5, or take advantage of all 10 voices (nice when it comes to pads and avoiding unwanted envelope retriggering, or high-voice chords).

The fact that an expansion board is available for the P5 sort of brings it all full circle, if you need it, get it.  I do think that the future value of the P10 will be slightly higher on the used market than a P5+expansion, simply because potential buyers won't have to wonder, but it's irrelevant for me because I'm never selling mine.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2022, 04:16:12 PM by LPF83 »
Prophet 10, OB-X8m, Prophet 6, OB-6, 3rd Wave, Prophet 12m, Prophet Rev2-16, Toraiz AS-1, Pro 2, Korg Polysix, Roland JP-8080, Roland System-8, Virus TI2, Moog SlimPhatty, Hydrasynth desktop, Roland SPD-SX SE / Octapad, Maschine, Cubase/Ableton/Akai MPC

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Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #12 on: October 23, 2022, 08:04:23 AM »
All in all I just talked myself into staying with 5 voices, maybe there’s something I missed too or am flat out wrong on?

Based on your own analysis, you seem to be asking yourself the following questions:
* will I ever (want to) use my Prophet in live situations?
* when songwriting or experimenting, do I like to get inspired by the Prophet “DAWlessly” ?

Another point to consider may be the impact of the vintage pot, that is if you use it at all.

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #13 on: October 23, 2022, 01:34:31 PM »
All in all I just talked myself into staying with 5 voices, maybe there’s something I missed too or am flat out wrong on?

Based on your own analysis, you seem to be asking yourself the following questions:
* will I ever (want to) use my Prophet in live situations?
* when songwriting or experimenting, do I like to get inspired by the Prophet “DAWlessly” ?

Another point to consider may be the impact of the vintage pot, that is if you use it at all.

Indeed I am asking myself these questions. (Perhaps OP/others too?)

For myself live/gig won’t be a strong factor.  I doubt that will be a thing in my situation, but if it does I would immediately buy the expansion.

As for dawless I see merit in the investment especially in getting where you want quickly without tracking. However, you can achieve this on multitrack recorders zoom etc or reel to reel / cassette using a sync stripe track. If I did not record sessions I would also see merit.  I gave up using these methodologies in favor of a daw these days.

I use both the vintage knob and round robbin :)

From the future value of a p5 + card I agree it won’t have the same monetary used value vs p10, but I too won’t be selling either way!

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #14 on: October 23, 2022, 06:31:20 PM »
One thing that is slightly putting me off adding the 5 voice expansion card is that the tuning time is doubled.

LPF83

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Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #15 on: October 24, 2022, 05:41:18 AM »
One thing that is slightly putting me off adding the 5 voice expansion card is that the tuning time is doubled.

By a few seconds, yes, but it's not likely something you'll need to do very often after the initial calibration tables are populated, unless maybe you're playing outdoor venues on days where the temperature is climbing or dropping by 10F in a single hour or something.
Prophet 10, OB-X8m, Prophet 6, OB-6, 3rd Wave, Prophet 12m, Prophet Rev2-16, Toraiz AS-1, Pro 2, Korg Polysix, Roland JP-8080, Roland System-8, Virus TI2, Moog SlimPhatty, Hydrasynth desktop, Roland SPD-SX SE / Octapad, Maschine, Cubase/Ableton/Akai MPC

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #16 on: November 08, 2022, 10:40:48 AM »
If you have the option to get a Prophet 10, I say go for it.

* It's bitimbral so you can sequence two sounds at once
* Polyphonic Unison
* Split and stack mode
* 5 voice mode to get that note stealing

The only thing better than one Prophet 5 is two of them! I think you'll be happy with the 5 but if you can swing it, splurge for the 10. The extra features really put it over the top.

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #17 on: December 06, 2022, 07:09:10 PM »
One thing that is slightly putting me off adding the 5 voice expansion card is that the tuning time is doubled.

By a few seconds, yes, but it's not likely something you'll need to do very often after the initial calibration tables are populated, unless maybe you're playing outdoor venues on days where the temperature is climbing or dropping by 10F in a single hour or something.

Ah you're right. Since i've had my Prophet a little while now i realize i need to tune it way less often.

Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #18 on: December 15, 2022, 07:05:42 PM »
I tried to talk myself out of it,  I failed..  sometimes failure ends in happiness count me in the happier camp.  :)


Re: Doubting between prophet 5 and prophet 10 module
« Reply #19 on: June 14, 2023, 11:52:01 AM »
Same dilemma here, with the added factor of do I go for module or keyb version?