Why did you choose the Prophet 10?

[JCinvisible]

Hi,

I am on the fence on whether to purchase the P10 or OB-X8. I just wondered what it was that got you to settle on the P10?

Thanks in advance

JC

[Quatschmacher]

Knob per function, everything on the panel. In fairness though, I got the P10 not long after it came out. Have tried the OBX8 a few times but it hasn’t really grabbed me in the same way, sound-wise or feel-wise. Really not a fan of the fiddly menu-based way of setting basic functions such as oscillator levels, etc.

[JCinvisible]

Thanks for this, I love the sound of them both, I am more drawn towards the P10 for the reasons you stated.
What do you do to widen your sound?

[Quatschmacher]

Thanks for this, I love the sound of them both, I am more drawn towards the P10 for the reasons you stated.
What do you do to widen your sound?

I often play it raw. Do occasionally use a Source Audio Collider (delay+reverb) and a TC June 60 chorus. I should probably experiment running it through the Pro3 and Summit effects at some point.

[Manbird]

Thanks for this, I love the sound of them both, I am more drawn towards the P10 for the reasons you stated.
What do you do to widen your sound?

One thing you'll hear many Prophet 5/10 users say is that the sound is so solid and strong as-is that effects - stereo in particular - aren't typically the first port of call. I run my Prophet 5 through an Effectron II, a mono unit.

The OB-X8 wasn't out when I bought my P5, but gorgeous as the former is, there was zero question of me ending up with the Prophet. That sound is THE sound for me.

[chysn]

Thanks for this, I love the sound of them both, I am more drawn towards the P10 for the reasons you stated.
What do you do to widen your sound?

More often than not, I'm playing my Prophet 5 without effects. But it's always being run through an MPC One+ when I want to add something. The new Jura chorus is great.

[LPF83]

I am on the fence on whether to purchase the P10 or OB-X8. I just wondered what it was that got you to settle on the P10?

I got the P10 first because it was released first..  I think the release was really kind of a monumental moment in the second coming of the golden analog age... especially considering Dave Smith's passing not too long after, I just feel lucky to have it and glad Dave did the reissue.

Then the Oberheim merger and the OB-X8 announcement.  Another dream come true... the keyboard version was too large for my needs and I'm thrilled they released the desktop version.  Also being more of a wheel guy than a lever guy I like being able to use whatever MIDI controller I want with it. 

So I didn't choose one or the other, I needed both.  But I also bought them some  distance in time apart, as owning both is not a small expenditure!  I'm also never giving either up.  They are different instruments that can sound similar when demanded to, but don't by default.

I've heard some describe the Prophet sound as more "natural" and the OB sound as more "synthy".  I could somewhat agree with that, I think the Rev4 is better at producing tones that sound like acoustic instruments, but also sound synthetic.  The OB-X8 seems more geared toward lush sounding synthetic sounding tones -- the oscillators have this relationship to each other that just sounds beautiful.  As others said, the Prophet is more immediate, the OB-X8 more fiddly while also having so many sweet spots you feel like you can't go wrong.  I often run the Prophet through outboard FX, such as the Strymon Mobius to chorus/stereoize the sound.  Right now I have the OB-X8 optionally running through a Boss DC-2W, but honestly the OB-X8 can easily sound naturally chorused (widened and modulated) without any FX so sometimes I leave that off.  The Prophet's mono sound comes in strong and hot and thus benefits a bit more from chorus?  At the same time I've heard Rev4 owners say that it was the first synth that did mono bass and lead better than their Model D, so sometimes that sound up the middle is what you want.  I also think that's one factor that makes both synths sound good together -- get them both if you can, even if it takes some time.

[Catchthehare]

The Prophet 10 chose me, I didn't have much say in the matter to be fair. 

[Analog Prophet]

Have them booth:

When the P5 rev 4 first was released I bought it. When Firmware 2.0 was released I bought the optional voice card and upgraded to a P10 because of the new layer and split functions.

When the OB-X8 was released I bought it as well. Was a little bit worried it should sound to close to the P5 as well as to my Oberheim Xpander. But they all have different tonal qualities.

The P5/10 is more edgy, punchy and has a very nice mid. The OB-X8 is more mellow, fat and more possibilities.

If I had to keep just one of these two it would be very hard to chose as they booth are winners. For the sound it would be the OB-X8, for the classic vibe, the joy tweak and to play it would be the P10.

Here a short comparison I did with 4 similar patches I did for the P5 (10) and the OB-X8:

https://youtu.be/gxBtPEgJQRo?si=90zpgiPD0ZrCS5wS

[g3o2]

Programming patches is more straightforward on P10 thanks to its knob per function interface. Performance wise, the OB-X8 is the easiest to use.

My subjective notes.

In mono mode, they both sound pretty fat and comparable. The X8’s stereo would initially have you think otherwise - it’s like an effect.
X8 sounds obviously brighter (filters) and appears to be capable of a wider sonic temperature range (warm to cold), where the P10 is more often on the warmer side. Still, texture wise P10 is probably the most versatile (eg polymod, filter self-oscillation, wave form variety).

To illustrate this with a few sounds. You’d use the X8 to produce a wide cathedral organ, while P10 would be your inspiring little pipe organ. An electric piano sounds pretty convincing (and tight) on the X8 but imo not as drifting-away/natural as on the P10. The same goes for warm pads (very warm on P10) but the X8, still warm, is able to produce a wider range of pads and strings sounds.

[JCinvisible]

Thanks for giving me the insight.I think I am with catchthehare here. I believe the P10 has chosen me. Order placed. Can't wait!

[Pl@ton]

OB-X8 might have more possibilities, but P10 is bi-timbal which opens many possibilities impossible with the OB-X8.

[LPF83]

OB-X8 might have more possibilities, but P10 is bi-timbal which opens many possibilities impossible with the OB-X8.

Sorry, but that's incorrect... the OB-X8 is bi-timbral, and IMO easier to configure for that particular purpose in the various modes for stacks/splits due to the screen and dedicated buttons.

[JCinvisible]

She has arrived! P10. Beautiful!

[Pl@ton]

Sorry, but that's incorrect... the OB-X8 is bi-timbral, and IMO easier to configure for that particular purpose in the various modes for stacks/splits due to the screen and dedicated buttons.

My bad !

[Analog Prophet]

She has arrived! P10. Beautiful!

Congratulations! A great choice!

[JCinvisible]

Having tried one out in a store, I didn't appreciate how intense and rock solid the sound is. It is a work of art!
[/img]

She has arrived! P10. Beautiful!

Congratulations! A great choice!

[Ncapone]

I always dreamed about having a Prophet 5 since the mid 2000s but they were always out of my price range. When the rev 4 dropped I could finally afford it and I splurged and got the ten voice because why not? It's my favorite synth out of all the synths I own.

[MicroRNA]

Have them booth:

When the P5 rev 4 first was released I bought it. When Firmware 2.0 was released I bought the optional voice card and upgraded to a P10 because of the new layer and split functions.

When the OB-X8 was released I bought it as well. Was a little bit worried it should sound to close to the P5 as well as to my Oberheim Xpander. But they all have different tonal qualities.

The P5/10 is more edgy, punchy and has a very nice mid. The OB-X8 is more mellow, fat and more possibilities.

If I had to keep just one of these two it would be very hard to chose as they booth are winners. For the sound it would be the OB-X8, for the classic vibe, the joy tweak and to play it would be the P10.

Here a short comparison I did with 4 similar patches I did for the P5 (10) and the OB-X8:

https://youtu.be/gxBtPEgJQRo?si=90zpgiPD0ZrCS5wS

Just listen to the bass patch in this video and if you are like me, Prophet every time. Other patches are similar.

[MicroRNA]

Hi,

I am on the fence on whether to purchase the P10 or OB-X8. I just wondered what it was that got you to settle on the P10?

Thanks in advance

JC

Wood!~ beautiful wood.