Question about Prophet 12

The Lounge Other Gear
#1

Hi all…
I’ve noticed quite a few posts here on EN about Prophet 12; so the question is aimed at the owners or players of this instrument.

I just sold my Prophet 08. Before I bought the Prophet I owned Mopho X4 which I loved, but I needed one an analog with at least 6 voices… so I went for the O8. Don’t get me wrong… the sounds I made on it were beautiful, but I couldn’t fit them into my music. (The Mopho X4 was heavily included) So now I’m after a poly again (at least six voices) and tbh there’s not too much choice… well I don’t want any vintage synth… been there… got the PhD in synth repairing.
So looking at the Prophet 12, and the obvious differences between 12 and 08… that’s cool. I don’t mind DCO’s. Listening to presets… oh lord… the usual… DSI make the worst presets… but I’m hoping they do that only to show the synth capabilities and to encourage people to program their own patches. YT videos… there are like 2 I like… the rest is a murder. I don’t want to make an opinion about the P12 based on that… so my only worry is that if I buy the P12… I’d end up with an overpriced P08 with dco’s. fm and shitty delays. Also… if I decide to go for P12, should I go for the module or full key. I could save around £500 on module… a buy something like Minilogue too… but the function per knob is just so good for programming… well. thanks for your opinions.

PS There’s not even one P12 in the area where I live… only banjos and bagpipes.

#2

Hi,

I also own a P08 since 2010 and it also cannot find its place into my music. I usually feel like selling it but I’m afraid I’ll miss the filter.
That said I still think it sounds better than a P12, who has that nasal and brassy sound. Its a 2500E tag, so I’d say go play it then make your mind.
If you don’t mind DCO’s Clavia NL4 could be a good option, even being full digital.

#3

Wish I had the money for a P12… So I could buy an OB6 :wink:

2 Likes
#4

my pal has Nord… there are a lot of qualities the synth has… but it kind of left me cold…

#5

Yes, OB6 is one to be considered

#6

I love the sound of OB6, but I kind of need a workhorse… when you look at the mod matrix on OB6 you realize that you’d run out of possible routing options quite quick.

and who needs money when it’s Christmas?
(I sold the prophet and a kidney)

#7

c’mon, it comes with a bagpipe preset :innocent:
Sorry but what about deepmind 12?

#8

:smile: I need bagpipe and banjo stacked…

4 Likes
#9

and re; deepmind… it sounded ok… i’m a bit worried about the build quality

#10

What are you trying to solve? What gap would it fill, that the P08 failed to?

2 Likes
#11

It’s hard to describe it in technical terminology… simply it failed to get the major role… I used it only for supportive sounds. It sounded great on long evolving sounds… not necessarily pads, but with any lead sounds, plucks etc I felt it lacked something special… I always wondered why is P08 marketed as “modern” poly-synth… to me it sounded very vintage… so I kind of expect the P12 be massive in pads … however I’m more curios if it’s going to be as successful in the lead, pluck etc area… (basically I’m hoping it will be like 12 voice AK :loopy:)

#12

Maybe it failed cause you didn’t need it? And all others will fail too, cause another synth won’t add what’s missing, no matter the synth?

#13

you might be right… I bought and sold quite a lot of stuff… maybe I’m looking for something which would inspire me as much as AK did

#14

I was on the fence with the P12, OB6 and other DSIs. I wanted a DSI instrument. I eventually went with the OB6. While it seems to have a limited modulation section, the synth seems to be able to make all of the sounds I need from it. I like the size and feel of the keyboard. I like the no menus (my other keyboard is a Virus Indigo 2). It’s immediate. I never get bored of playing it. It’s a lifetime keeper.

I know the P12 will have more modulation parameters. I don’t need 12 voices. I didn’t need more menus.

3 Likes
#15

yeah if I had unlimited budget then no doubt i’d get one (or 2, so I could play while standing between them, wearing a cape).

menu diving; I don’t mind; it’s usually rewarding.

I’m still hoping to hear from P12 owners :sunglasses:

#16

I don’t own a P12, but I’ve played one and covet it. There are menus, but there are also buttons called source and destination you can hold down and assign each to. Much deeper programming than the other DSI offerings, but not proper analogue (though you’d be fooled with the right patch).

#17

did you discuss on some DSI forums?
After posting here today I got inspired then decided to plug my P08 :slight_smile: and I felt the same you described regarding the sound and vibe: it does sound really nappy-classic and I cannot get excited playing it. I’m afraid all those DSI’s and OB’s have that oldie nostalgic sound on them. And yes, first time I plugged my AK I was surprised about that fresh touch.

#18

I currently fantasize about an Prophet 8, from the demos it sounds a lot more smooth than the Analog 4. I personally would like to have a synth which is capable to sound nice up to 8 khz with overtones.

I think about a Virus Desktop or Prophet Desktop. The Prophet even has a built in sequencer - but i dont know if i would use it that much, and sequence it from the Octatrack anyway.

I saw some youtube vids aswell - but i dont want a synth that generates “80ties” vibe. A lot depends on the time invested with that instrument - after a while i got more and more mileage out of the analog 4 - even more than i hoped. (guitar /violin / pipe like sounds besides the obvious bass etc.)

#19

I love my P12, it’s a sonic powerhouse. One of the few synths I will probably never get rid of. The wavetable oscillators make the synthesis very versatile, and I think the filters sound great for poly sounds. The mod matrix lets you do pretty much anything and is super fast to dial in. The recent OS with linear FM brings it squarely into DX-style FM synth category, only with more waveforms.

2 Likes
#20

I read recently that they’ve already changed the design to add vents and/or fans…not a good sign.