Why is the PX forum so dead?

[LoboLives]

I have owned my PX about 3 months after its release date. I bought it second hand and I have never had any issues whatsoever with it. Except for midi issues which they have fixed out along the way with OS updates. One of my favourite synths + more. Its a keeper. 8DIo and their support has been more than questionable. But I can feed in any material I want thanks to ThinkerSnacks aka Lady Gaia. And this is was the cherry on the cake that 8DIo hosed up so badly in their effort. Well done Sequential. Shame on you 8Dio. (P.s as of today the 8DIO Mapping Utility is still in beta since its 2018 release - quite the record.)

I use SampleRobot myself....something that I think should have been part of the PX's release from the getgo.

[StephenJamesBennett]

5)  No compelling hook...If there is truely something special there, the value proposition was never really presented well.  It might have some magic that I'm missing out on it, but if so I don't know what that is.

The 'magic' is the stereo filters. They are absolutely lovely.

All the X needs is the ability to access and delete the 8DIO stuff (and/or a bigger SSD) and better sampling software (à la Clavia's).

It's so close to being Sequential's best ever product, it makes me really sad that it appears to be so unloved.

Stephen

[MKDVB]

As for Basserman, I can't stand to watch his videos because of all the gyrations and weird movements. 

I'm glad someone else thinks the same as me. I had to stop the video playback as I found him annoying. I do agree with what has been said above about the demos, they haven't been great from Sequential/DSI over the years. I know that when I purchased my first DSI synth (the Rev2) it was due to watching a video on Paul Dither's channel which was more of a "how to" video than a review but it still won me over.

Personally, I was very interested in the Prophet X but it was the reports of hardware failures that put me off.

Those are generally resolved. It was mostly an issue with the PXL from what I gather and the power supply board needing to be replaced (which users can do themselves) or someone not following sample import instructions properly and bricking their synth.

I can assure you they are not generally resolved in my case. A few months back, I spent weeks with Seq support after it mysteriously stopped booting past the startup meter/bar.  Resolved it after I asked for older versions of the firmware/OS systems. I've been scared to do anything other than play it since but this week, it again mysteriously stopped booting, then started again and currently is in non-booting mode. I guess technically it's not a hardware failure but software/firmware. Was planning on recording this weekend but will be installing firmwares, changing batteries, etc. instead.

It's a shame because the PX is my favorite Seq synth ever (have owned OB6, Rev2, Tempest, still own Pro 3). The stereo analog filters are magical. No software can replicate that! 

I'd love to rave about it publicly but these problems make it hard to do so. Those mixed feelings may explain the lack of activity you are remarking about.

[amberenson]

I’m genuinely curious why the Prophet X forum on here is so dead. Even the Facebook user group (which I moderate) barely anyone shares samples or discusses techniques. On the Nord forums, people are sharing samples with one another and discussing techniques they use for the Stage 3 and Wave 2 so I’m wondering what the reason could be that hardly any PX users interact or share samples here.

I actually have a feeling the PX is going to be discontinued within this year or next. I really think it was a complete disaster for Sequential.

The XL is a work of genius.  If it's not being appreciated it can only be because it (as I believe Dave surmised) is ahead of its time.  I don't need to buy a Prophet 5, because I have Dave's very own Prophet 5 onboard my XL, and with its wonderful analog filter, I can sculpt beautiful Prophet sounds, in addition to ARP 2600, and OBX sounds. 

Many of my own albums would be inconceivable with the XL.  Below are a few: 

"partial objects": an album of contemporary avant-garde concert/classical music, improvised in one day, and rendered wholly on the Prophet XL.

"Homages and Worlds"  An album of homages to teachers, musicians, and also of tone poems.  (Much Pro 3 and Rev2 here as well.)

"The Royal Road to Consciousness"  A symphony of noise.  Made with the three synths mentioned above, and utilizing, ultimately over 35 distinct types of noise.  Lots of industrial samples from the XL.

[GergoKovacsJazzPiano]

I'm saving for a PX and the OB6 as well. What you say confirms my fears, that I should by the PX first before Sequential stops production. P12 was introduced in 2013, stopped in 2018. PX started in 2018, it is 2022 today.. BUT I'm also afraid, that Focusrite will decide one oberheim is enough  do sacrifice OB6 for the new OBX8, so a real dilemma. On the other hand I believe OB6 is still the best selling synth, even with the pricd increase. Better  then P6 or P5, and definatelly way above PX. For sure I dont know, just guess from the amount of used unit for sales.

[soundxplorer]

I can maybe offer perspective as a Nord Wave 2 user. I think it is just as un-popular and looked over as the PX.

Both of these instruments offer a vast amount of potential - if you want to put the work in and create your own samples. But most people prefer the ease of buying sample packs, and the lack of those 3rd party sound libraries are a big turn-off for those people.

I was also a long time user of the Nord Wave 1, and it was considered a dud by many people too. It's a shame that most synths live and die by the factory presets, but that fact is made worse in the case of these particular keyboards because the real power they offer is the ability to load your own samples. Anything and everything that you want to create. But I just think a lot of people don't want to bother with that, so their opinion boils down to the available samples that can be bought or downloaded.

Anyway, this is just a discussion about why the PX isn't more popular. But popularity has nothing to do with the quality or usefulness of something. Just keep on jamming with your favorite keyboard, and secretly think to yourself about how so many other people are missing out on something really great because they can't be bothered to put in the effort.

[Proton]

Anyway, this is just a discussion about why the PX isn't more popular. But popularity has nothing to do with the quality or usefulness of something. Just keep on jamming with your favorite keyboard, and secretly think to yourself about how so many other people are missing out on something really great because they can't be bothered to put in the effort.

Yes !

[Lady Gaia]

Popularity and quality aren't synonymous, it's true.  The Prophet X doesn't follow obvious trends, instead aiming to be very much its own thing.  It isn't a ROMpler for emulating other instruments that makes it immediately usable by gigging musicians.  It's also not aiming for that vintage analog that has been in vogue for quite some time for people seeking to recreate the past.  It is, instead, very much its own thing.  More like a Prophet VS or PPG Wave, also instruments that weren't huge commercial successes in their time but are instead appreciated more in retrospect.

Not fitting neatly into an established niche may not make it highly sought after, but it appeals to my sensibilities for other reasons.  I love being able to bring my own unique, harmonically complex content in the form of samples into what could otherwise be seen as a fairly conventional subtractive synthesizer.  I love the sound of the filters.  I love the true stereo analog signal path once you get past the oscillators - and the ability for instruments to serve as stereo oscillators with subtle or overt content feeding those filters.

Are there other things I could wish for?  Sure.  That's true of every single instrument I own.  It's important to appreciate something for what it is rather than lamenting what it is not.  If your purpose for owning an instrument is to be envied by the largest group of people possible, then buy something expensive and popular.  If your purpose is to make music?  Then believe in your own sensibilities and pick something that inspires you.

[Derek Cook]

A very good summary. I have a Novation Summit as a great Hybrid analog and a shitload of VSTs emulating all the classics. There is something different about the PX for sure and a lot of potential users may have missed the point....

[Brian Liston]

The Prophet X doesn't follow obvious trends, instead aiming to be very much its own thing. 

The reason I bought it, for sure. I almost sold it, but was too lazy. Then the update fixed the MIDI stuff, and now I use it more. Having an editor/lib seems like a must in todays world, and not having that working at all was pissing me off. But it does sound great and clients love how it sits in a mix. Many of our classic vintage toys sound plastic-y in comparison. And as expensive Waldorfs and the like tend to be so "clean" they just vaporize in mixes. Nord Electros and Stage and whatnots were just terrible until the more recent iterations. The distortion, yikes!

I have an OB6, and like it as well. Sounds great, easy to program. But no LCD showing me the F***in' patch name keeps me from falling in love. The blue stripes make me smile. But we'll see how I feel about that after I'm done refurbishing an OB-8.

[ellsworth]

If your purpose is to make music?  Then believe in your own sensibilities and pick something that inspires you.

This. I'm lucky enough to already have several nice analogs, and I have software on my computer that provides thousands of 'rompler-style' patches. I also have a Nord Electro stage keyboard with a truly quick and expedient sample load/play function (unlike Prophet X ha ha) ... this allows me to easily take any of my studio-created sounds with me onto the club stages. None of my other hardware ever leave the studio.

The Prophet X provides such a beautiful niche within this gear collection... easily the best pure sounding synth I've ever personally owned, and the deep sample + synthesis architecture lends itself to so many nice contrasts with the more conventional architectures of my other gear... such a creative powerhouse. Oh, and the most elegant looking piece in my collection... I'm not selling mine!