Hi...I'm Bardahl...new here...cant make up my mind....

[Bardahl]

Hello...i just joined up. I wanted to introduce myself. I love this forum and have been reading for awhile prior to taking the plunge and signing on.
I am pretty much a "failed' musician' and now retired, but still maintain a small home studio as a serious hobby. I am primarily a guitarist but have dabbled in synthesis ever since i got an M1 way back when. I tend to utilize synths to augment my compositions but have found myself much more interested in new sounds etc. as of late and of course DSI seems to be a the the cutting edge of design and coolness, so here I am...
My current boards are a Kurzweil k2600s and an Alesis Andromeda which i did have the good sense to purchase back when they were reasonably priced.
My Andy seems fairly stable but does exhibit the occasional quirk....sometimes i wonder instead of looking for a new synth that perhaps i should buy a another Andy and stick it back just in case. I am nowhere near some of you folks when it comes to programming acumen but even the neophyte in me knows what a phenominal machine the Andromeda is. I use the Kurz for trad sounds mostly and in its own right its like an early Kronos. I know, i know....
I am in the market for something new...i keep going back and forth between a Pro2 and a Prophet 12 and maybe even the new OB6 desktop. Its hard to make up my mind. I have even considered a Kronos to replace my aging Kurz but fear it is at the end of its life cycle and something bigger and better is coming. I do utilize these types of sounds but I feel myself being drawn more to the DSI way of things...if that makes any sense.
For the price of a Kronos i could get a Pro2 and a Minilogue, or a Prophet 12 for about 3k. I am leaning towards the 12 simply because it may be one of those landmark synths that i may regret not purchasing someday. I never had a PEK or V synth but i am aware of the cult around them and what they are capable of.
Anyhow, just kind of saying hi and babbling. i have a birthday coming soon and will probably make my pick in the next couple days. Wish me luck. Im sure i will be happy with whatever i choose...wish i had enough cash for all so i could go nuts with it.
I have read many of the posts here, and have listened to music from some of you on youtube, and just wanted to say hi, and that its good to sign on and learn..Bardahl!!!

[chysn]

Hey, Bardahl, and welcome!

The best thing to do is listen to as many demos and pieces of music as you can, and think about what you want in an instrument. There's a quite a difference between the Prophet 12 and the Korg.

Personally, I never warmed to workstation keyboards. I've had several (including an M1 of my own, and a K2000), and they tend to nudge me into a workflow that I don't enjoy.

[BobTheDog]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

I have a P12, P2 and a Kronos. They are all fantastic synths.

Between the P2 and the P12 you really need to ask yourself if you want a mono or poly synth. If you are after a mono synth then the P2 might be the better choice, the filters are a bit nicer than the P12s for mono stuff and you get the super wave type waves in the oscillator. The P12 though offers linear FM so you can get the FM type mono stuff going, also with two layers you can have an 8 oscillator 4 filter mono monster. If you want a Poly just get the P12.

The Kronos is an amazing piece of kit, even if they replace it the day after you buy it it will still be amazing. I have had mine for nearly 4 years and have still only scratched the surface of its possibilities.

If I was going to pick a favourite it would be hard but I think I will go for the P12, it's a future classic. Even bough the Kronos can do so much more the P12 is just more fun to use.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Hi, Bardahl.  Welcome to the official DSI forum.  I hope you're made welcome to post your thoughts.

Regarding your future choice of instruments, you didn't mention much about your needs.  For example, do you have a
preference in keyboard length and number of voices?  Based on what you presently own, you're obviously used to full-sized instruments with generous polyphony.  These would be important features to consider at the start.  Also consider the number and types of oscillators.

[Shaw]

... And you're on the DSI forum, so you will hear this a lot:  get the P12, you won't be disappointed.


Cheers!

[Sacred Synthesis]

Ah, you've got a Prophet 12, Shaw.  I missed that.  It's the synthesizer I most want to like, but just can't.

[Bardahl]

Hi, Bardahl.  Welcome to the official DSI forum.  I hope you're made welcome to post your thoughts.

Regarding your future choice of instruments, you didn't mention much about your needs.  For example, do you have a
preference in keyboard length and number of voices?  Based on what you presently own, you're obviously used to full-sized instruments with generous polyphony.  These would be important features to consider at the start.  Also consider the number and types of oscillators.

Thank you... I have listened to a lot of your stuff and I am enamored of the textures and sounds you get...love your user name as well. I wish the P12 had the sequencer that the P2 has in it..my choice would be simple then...slam dunk. I lean towards the P12 because of the polyphony, but I am not opposed to a mono synth at all. its just so hard to choose. Right now I am leaning towards the 12, and maybe a Kronos later on when my wife is looking the other way....( :

[Sacred Synthesis]

Hi, Bardahl.  Welcome to the official DSI forum.  I hope you're made welcome to post your thoughts.

Regarding your future choice of instruments, you didn't mention much about your needs.  For example, do you have a
preference in keyboard length and number of voices?  Based on what you presently own, you're obviously used to full-sized instruments with generous polyphony.  These would be important features to consider at the start.  Also consider the number and types of oscillators.

Thank you... I have listened to a lot of your stuff and I am enamored of the textures and sounds you get...love your user name as well. I wish the P12 had the sequencer that the P2 has in it..my choice would be simple then...slam dunk. I lean towards the P12 because of the polyphony, but I am not opposed to a mono synth at all. its just so hard to choose. Right now I am leaning towards the 12, and maybe a Kronos later on when my wife is looking the other way....( :

Thanks, Bardahl.  I've been leaning towards a Prophet 12, too - for three years now!  So you are a big synth guy  Have you tried the Prophet '08?

By the way, wives never look the other way; they just know how to make us think they do.   

[Shaw]

Ah, you've got a Prophet 12, Shaw.  I missed that.  It's the synthesizer I most want to like, but just can't.

We have to come up with a way for me to convince you you need one... Some type of experiment.   

[Bardahl]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

I have a P12, P2 and a Kronos. They are all fantastic synths.

Between the P2 and the P12 you really need to ask yourself if you want a mono or poly synth. If you are after a mono synth then the P2 might be the better choice, the filters are a bit nicer than the P12s for mono stuff and you get the super wave type waves in the oscillator. The P12 though offers linear FM so you can get the FM type mono stuff going, also with two layers you can have an 8 oscillator 4 filter mono monster. If you want a Poly just get the P12.

The Kronos is an amazing piece of kit, even if they replace it the day after you buy it it will still be amazing. I have had mine for nearly 4 years and have still only scratched the surface of its possibilities.

If I was going to pick a favourite it would be hard but I think I will go for the P12, it's a future classic. Even bough the Kronos can do so much more the P12 is just more fun to use.

Yep...my thinking is maybe down the line, perhaps a more modern workstation...keep in mind I'm still a dumazz guitarist anyway. Your rig sounds like my dream rig. I have listened to a lot of Kronos samples and it does seem amazing. I have not played one though. Even when I listen to Kronos samples I find my self gravitating towards the analog type sounds....what will it actually do?...over the more traditional things. In a perfect world I will end up with a DSI and a Kronos this year, but the road to hell dot dot dot, and that little thing called cash. DSI has a unique ability to make me want one of everything. Neat trick. Just blessed to be able to maybe get something new. I am excited about it and I do appreciate everyones response and input. I love what I hear from the Pro2 and the 12 ....really really really hard choice.
 That being said, my Kurzweil still is a great board. I lusted after that thing for a couple of years until I finally got it...VAST is not easy, nor is an Andy. I know a 2600 is nowhere near the capabilities of a Kronos, but in a way I see it as a forerunner of sorts, as it has many of the same architectural features that Korg expounded upon. I think a knob per function type synth is what I need to try for a change. I think a P12 would be great with my Alesis but I would be lying if I didn't think that someday I will go to turn it on and it just doesn't work anymore...scares me, as it is one of my prized possesions.

[Sacred Synthesis]

Shaw -

I want so badly to like the thing because the size and architecture perfectly suit me.  But the sound is always disappointing.  Granted, I haven't heard one in person, but I do find I can get an accurate sense of an instrument from watching many videos of it.  It just doesn't have that "oomph."  It sounds sterile and thin.

[Robot Heart]

SS- Why not order one so you can try it out in person in the comfort of your own home and return it if you don't like it? Most everyone has a 30 day money back guarantee these days.

The OS is mature so you won't have to update it, you've been contemplating it since we announced it, and as you say it suits you perfectly on paper. If you end up liking it after hands on experience then great! If not, at least you'll know definitively it's not the synth for you and you can finally put it to rest.

[Shaw]

SS- Why not order one so you can try it out in person in the comfort of your own home and return it if you don't like it? Most everyone has a 30 day money back guarantee these days.

The OS is mature so you won't have to update it, you've been contemplating it since we announced it, and as you say it suits you perfectly on paper. If you end up liking it after hands on experience then great! If not, at least you'll know definitively it's not the synth for you and you can finally put it to rest.

+1


I believe Guitar Center has a 45 day return policy -- either that or I buy so much shit there they give me extra leeway. 


45 days, and you'll keep it. 

[Bald Eagle]

I have a Kronos and a P12 among other things. Given a choice between Knonos and P12 I would choose the Kronos. There are endless possibilities with it and so many things you can do with it. But it is very deep and has a steep learning curve. If you want a knobby synth that's easy to tweak then the P12 may be a better choice. They are two different beasts so in the end it all depends on how you are planning to use it.

[Shaw]

I am leaning towards the 12 simply because it may be one of those landmark synths that i may regret not purchasing someday.

My first synth ever was a K2000 -- so the Kronos seems a logical upgrade.  I've never played a Kronos, but it seems deep indeed.  However, Korg will always make a newer, better "Kronos".  I doubt a rompler will ever be considered a "landmark synth".  That doesn't in any way lessen their value.


Interestingly, The P12 seems to go further along the lines of your A6 roots.  It all depends on your needs and intended uses.  As someone just pointed out, they are very different beasts.  But both are beasts and you'd undoubtedly enjoy years of taming either one.


Cheers!


P.S.  Get the P12

[BobTheDog]

The thing is it's not just a rompler, in fact its mostly not a rompler at all.

If you look at the 9 engines:

EP-1, CX-3, MS20-EX, PolysixEX, AL-1, MOD-7 and STR1 do not use samples.

HD-1 is a classic rompler, and SGX-1 does use samples so maybe it could be called a rompler, but only in the same way that any of the piano libs in Kontakt.

If Korg just released a synth with the MOD-7 in I think it would be a great synth, people don't see this in the Kronos though as they see a workstation/rompler.

I got the Kronos because it is an amazing synth, not because it is a workstation.

[Shaw]

The thing is it's not just a rompler...

I knew that would draw a response...

[Sacred Synthesis]

SS- Why not order one so you can try it out in person in the comfort of your own home and return it if you don't like it? Most everyone has a 30 day money back guarantee these days.

The OS is mature so you won't have to update it, you've been contemplating it since we announced it, and as you say it suits you perfectly on paper. If you end up liking it after hands on experience then great! If not, at least you'll know definitively it's not the synth for you and you can finally put it to rest.

Thanks for that reminder, Robot Heart.  I've been contemplating the Prophet 12 since before you announced it, because we were expecting something large-scale at the time, and large-scale is what interests me.  It's hard to get a sense of the instrument, first, because it's so complex, and second, because the vast majority of demos use it to make sounds and music so different from my own.  I'm constantly hearing this terribly harsh, dry, metallic quality that so many people like; and then, once in a great while, I hear a warm rich patch poke its head above the others, and I'm impressed.  And I still like Dave's original demos above most of the others. 

The P12 is a very difficult instrument to get a sense of, without first-hand experience.  What I'd really like to hear is a Prophet 12 Keyboard and Module pair panned for deep stereo and playing some serious neo-classical music.  And where on earth am I going to find that?  Probably only in my crowded little music room.

[Shaw]

And I still like Dave's original demos above most of the others. 

Dave's demos of his synths are always the best.

The P12 is a very difficult instrument to get a sense of, without first-hand experience.  What I'd really like to hear is a Prophet 12 Keyboard and Module pair panned for deep stereo and playing some serious neo-classical music.  And where on earth am I going to find that?  Probably only in my music room!

That's where the 45 day return policy comes in handy.


Cheers!

[Paul Dither]

The P12 is a very difficult instrument to get a sense of, without first-hand experience.  What I'd really like to hear is a Prophet 12 Keyboard and Module pair panned for deep stereo and playing some serious neo-classical music.  And where on earth am I going to find that?  Probably only in my crowded little music room.

Exactly!