DSI Pro 2

The fact that the specs state ‘1 MIDI In, 1 MIDI Out, and 1 MIDI Thru/Out 2 port’ makes me think that poly chaining is on the cards!

Could be a sequencer feature, too, since there are so many tracks to play with - the Pro-2 could run 4 sequencer tracks out of one MIDI port and 4 out of the other, reserving six for internal stuff. Route the ribbons to MIDI too and the Pro-2 could be a very nice performance centrepiece controlling two other instruments (maybe more via MIDI thru).

Not sure what you are basing your assumption on but I know for a fact that this is not how the evolver series worked and as far as I know not how the newer DSI synths handle sequences. In DSI synths all of the sequences are part of the program and thus you are limited to the 16 sequencer tracks for that particular program.
This is by design since the sequences are a huge part of the sounddesign (not just notes or gates but big amounts of modulation). This has been an enormous part of the sonic possibilities in DSI synths and I don’t see why this would change in the PRO 2.
In short, I think you are wrong based on historical experience with DSI synths. :wink:

Absolutely - there are plenty of patches on the Mopho that make absolutely no sense without the sequencer, i.e. detaching the sequencer and playing the patch from a keyboard would probably sound bland or downright bad, because the sound mutates so much as a result of the sequence.
On the A4 a patch is usually a useful sound in its own right, so you can load one up and start playing keys and get something out of it before you start to sequence or apply plocks. The patch can be used in different contexts, but a Mopho sequencer-based patch might well be nothing without the accompanying sequences.
Being able to add multiple plocks to a step is a huge strength of the Elektron approach - trying to replicate that across 16 tracks on a Pro-2 would be a fool’s errand, I expect. But internal structure and organisation are clearly regular stumbling blocks for A4 / OT newcomers. The DSI approach is arguably less complex, but not necessarily less powerful or useful.
As I said earlier, I think they’ll probably make a great double act, because getting either of them to work how the other one does would probably be time-consuming and unrewarding - which means they both have something unique to offer. In fact just thinking about the Pro-2 running an internal sequence and also being controlled by the A4’s CV outs is so exciting that I’m going to stop and think about something else for a while.

[quote="“Acidfever”"]

Not sure what you are basing your assumption on but I know for a fact that this is not how the evolver series worked and as far as I know not how the newer DSI synths handle sequences. In DSI synths all of the sequences are part of the program and thus you are limited to the 16 sequencer tracks for that particular program.
This is by design since the sequences are a huge part of the sounddesign (not just notes or gates but big amounts of modulation). This has been an enormous part of the sonic possibilities in DSI synths and I don’t see why this would change in the PRO 2.
In short, I think you are wrong based on historical experience with DSI synths. ;)[/quote]
I know. I have an Evolver (given to me by Dave Smith himself back when I worked at M-Audio. He appreciated that my first synth that I bought was the Prophet 600 the very month it was released.)

I guess it is just wishful thinking on my part. I heard “16 tracks” and “most powerful sequencer ever” and it brought me back to the days of my Ensoniq synths that actually were pretty powerful sequencers for their time.

But as I mentioned, I could be (and probably am) completely wrong. We’ll have to wait and see… It’s not unthinkable that Dave would actually do something different you know. This Pro 2 is different enough from it’s closest relative, the Prophet 12, so it’s not unthinkable to be miles away from the Evolver, especially if he wants to push the boundaries of synth design from what he’s been doing. :wink:

Robert Rich posted his demo:
https://soundcloud.com/robertrich/dsi-pro2-demonstrating-new-presets

His comments here:
http://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=116097

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I agree with the cautious crowd… Sorry dsi,but I lost money on the tempest with no midi implementation after a year. Luckily I bought an a4 … (no fanboy, but this is why I’m here instead of there)

It was pretty complete and then they expanded on it instead of it being incomplete and never fixed. Still isn’t complete, the tempest is it? Or has it got midi now

Now that DSI has big-time customers like Robert Rich (Prophet 12 owner) and CHVRCHES (they use Mopho X4 and Tempest), I don’t think DSI can afford to irritate them with too many bugs and long delays in fixing bugs.

Ha ha, you’d be bloody surprised! Especially at the thought of " who the fuck is multiple consonants- chrbvstdagers???" which is what I would think if I saw multiple consonants like that…

Well, I’m thinking of when Cortini of Nine Inch Nails let slip that he gave up using the Buchla Music Easel reissue because of bugs - man did that create a shitstorm and negative publicity for Buchla.

He did later come back to clarify he had a beta version of the Music Easel and the band couldn’t wait for the production model to be released because of the touring schedule.

Now, Chvrches (too lazy to search for whether that name should be all caps) isn’t at NIN’s level of popularity, but what if they said “Yeah we used to use this drum machine called the Tempest, but it’s a total piece of crap, so we replaced it with an Electribe” - that can’t be good for DSI. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

well i just changed my sub 37 order! this thing sounds dope!!

^ hopefully a bunch of people will cancel their sub37 orders so maybe I can pick one up…I will take the sub37 over this without a second thought

I wasn’t impressed by the sound demo’s. Sounds like it would fit well in a mix but just generally quite bland to my ears.

I love the mopho/tetra/prophet and have wanted a PEK for years, but this just doesn’t cut the mustard.

Also I think CHVRCHS already dropped the Tempest. I don’t remember seeing it in the fm stage tour video though my memory may be falling me.

haha, i’m planning on it. :joy: that’s my test to decide if i buy it. basically, my gear buying rule is i have to be able to make full tracks on it. :astonished:

even compared with the 4 voices of the polyevovler i’m expecting it to be easier, based on the options available and synth architecture. i like fm… :wink:

also, those multiple, tempo synced delays can go a long way to making things sound really full because your sound’ll modulate and change, but the repeat of the old sound will play and then the changed sound can repeat after it changes to something else and… ( think the pro2’s are longer?)

i mean if i devote enough machinedrum tracks to LFOs targeting other tracks or setup enough scenes in the octatrack i can often get a full tune or nearly one out of one pattern if i adjust a lot real time. pro2 won’t be able to lock the shear number of things you can with elektron’s sequencers, but you’ll be able to make mass changes easily and quickly. it’s like, if you set up a sequencer track and then set it to modulate a few LFOs in the mod matrix and also to a few sound parameters and then added those LFOs to the mod matrix and used them to change a few more sound parameters you have a ridiculous CTRL-AL style thing that you can easily change and have it be tempo sync’d in lots of different ways.

In some short parts of the two audio only demos one can hear a significant difference in the filters to the curtis-equipped DSI synths.

I will have to test the Pro 2 next to the PolyEvo to get a realistic opinion. Also the P12 lacked a lot of the roughness of the Evo, at least to me. Maybe the new filter design can make up to that.

You can see the Tempest in this video, which was posted in May, 2014.

http://www.npr.org/event/music/311114992/chvrches-tiny-desk-concert

having lived on the dark side, and hence well versed in marketing speak, the claim of “most advanced sequencer ever for a synth” only needs to be technically accurate to be a valid claim.

so, for example, if the number of possible targets for the step sequencer is larger than any other synth, then the claim holds true, or, if this is the only 16*16 step sequencer in a synth that supports full polyrhythmic per track, then the claim would also hold true.

It does seem likely that the extra midi port is for step sequencer out capability, which is a real rarity afaik in a synth…

Call it fate,

I won a Pro One on ebay and week later received a refund. Seller was honest and said the ONE needed a lot of Maintenance.

Less than 24 hours later Dave rolls this video out. I’m in Heaven.

My finger is on the trigger.

Has anybody announced pre sale discount like we heard on the Rytm?

Where is Junior or JR R at?

Btw found 15% off from a west coast vendor.

More Pro 2 sounds, from one of the sound designers.

Here

Dave Smith Instruments Pro 2 Demo by INHALT: http://youtu.be/chhlMgECigE