Bout to sell a grandmother and a few other pieces to buy a pro-3.
Is there any other mono/paraphonic synths I should consider.
I think I like the idea of the pro-3 for the multiple fx slots, mod matrix and sequencer although I do have a hapax.
Plan on keeping my Behringer odyssey, and plan on buying one of the Michigan synth work 101/202 clones to compliment the pro-3
I guess I’m looking for feedback if I’m overlooking any monos. Kind of want a heavy duty, versatile but bass/low end focused mono. Something that’ll end up on every track, and something I could build a patch library for.
I feel like I’m supposed to get the pro-3 but maybe if anyone had one and sold it for something else would be nice to get some feedback. Or if you love it and would never sell would be nice to hear too.
Hoping this could be something I keep n the studio forever
Pro 3 is a great synth. It’s pretty killer for bass/low end. I really disliked the action/stiffness of the pots when I had one. That’s a super subjective thing and probably not a big deal to most but it made it easier to sell it. In terms of dsi/sequential monos, I like the evolver or pro 2 quite a bit more just as they are both more unique imo and not bread and butter.
A used Matrixbrute ( I see them go for as low as $800-$1000 on the local market in NorCal) or a matriarch (that delay is worth it) would be the main alternatives in terms of new synths imo.
Honestly I just recently got the Behringer pro-1 and I reach for it much more than the grandmother but for whatever reason the grandmother the only mono I go to for ambient and sort of kinda funk rnb stuff it’s either that or my Behringer odyssey.
I feel like sequential is a bit gnarlier and grittier where the Moog is smoother but idk.
I listed my Moog for sale a while back and I feel like anytime u don’t want sumn u should explore more options.
Also at its price point I can find sumn that makes more sense and fits into my process more
It was almost entirely due to issues with my arms/ the knobs being stiff, sadly - more so my pain issues than anything wrong with the synth. Reclaiming some of that desk real estate was a nice bonus, I guess, sort of an extra rationale to make the sale sting less. But if OP has a grandmother, space shouldn’t be a concern. If my medical issues are ever resolved I will absolutely buy a pro-3 again, I miss it dearly. It was probably the most fun I’ve had playing an instrument.
If you like aggressive tones a PRO3 is tough to beat. It can do “pretty”, but it has a dark soul IMO. Those VCOs are no joke
I like the knobs and I’d much rather have tight vs loose. After a few editing sessions, they feel better (not sure if they loosen up, or you just get used to them).
One thing to mention is that it has a very direct audio path and this makes noise when you power it on or off. Highly recommend you turn off the speakers / amp before turning the PRO3 on or off.
I had the Pro 3 twice and sold it twice. I agree that the knobs feel very tight, and I never really liked that. Like most modern DSI/Sequential synths the oscillators sound brighter and more “in your face” than say a Moog. It can be challenging at times to get the gain-staging right when you are creating patches as you can overdrive at the mixer level and filter. It can do a lot of things, but to me it is a master of none. I’ve stuck with Moog synths, and the Subsequent 37 is what it gets compared to most. I ultimately like the filters and the way Moog synths saturate much more than the Pro 3, so I stuck with them. If you want to do more than create bass patches and get into experimental sounds, the Pro 3 might be better for that.
Pro3 owner here. I’m hesitant to say I’ll never sell it since I’ve so often been wrong when saying that in the past, that being said I can’t think of a reason I’d ever sell it.
It’s not for everyone though. If you aren’t used to the sequential architecture you might feel like you really have to work for your sounds at first, not that it’s hard, just different than something like a moog. I’ve had an Evolver (desktop) for a long time so the pro3 seems streamlined by comparison.
Maybe relevant is the fact that my view might be influenced by the price at the time. It’s gone up significantly since I bought mine, plus I got a discount too. Not saying they aren’t worth it now, just that my take is that of someone who bought one early as a long time sequential fan/ user.
I felt exactly like this before I bought the Pro 3 SE… everything was pointing me at it. But, I sold it not long after getting it (and I don’t sell gear that often).
I got much more of what I was wanting from the Pro 3 from the Pro 2.
I find the Pro 2 way more inspiring to work with, and it’s way more unique as an instrument.
I didn’t really like the fx on the Pro 3 either, they’re vanilla, the Pro 2’s quad delay running into dedicated FX boxes is way more interesting.
I also have a Moog Sub37 ticking the analog box, so the Pro2/Sub37 combo negates the Pro3 for me, and I honestly don’t miss it, even though I love the look of the SE.
Wow! I feel a lot of validation in this thread! I had the pro 3 for about a year, loved the sound, particularly how gnarly you could get with overdrive and feedback, but I hated the feel of the knobs. On another forum or another thread on this forum, someone told me it was my weak hands (couldn’t tell if they were joking). No way! My hands are of average strength. These knobs felt unpleasant, like a mis-design. I’ve almost never had a problem with any other synth where I turn a knob too much or knock a setting out of whack and I’ve never thought ‘wouldn’t it be nice if they made a synth where you had to try harder to turn the knobs’?
I kept the Pro 2 over the Pro 3. Though I preferred the base sound and the keybed of the Pro 3, there were so many more design possibilities with the simultaneously available filters and four oscillators that all functioned the same way (as opposed to the 2 limited but lovely analog oscs and the 1 limited digital osc).
Is that standard for a synth? I haven’t experienced that in any other that I’d owned (including Sequential/DS synths)? I also didn’t see much of a change in the action over the year I owned it.
No - it suggests that the caps are binding with the case or there was a manufacturing defect in the pots. Pot resistance should be consistent through their lifetime.
I do think the pots are a little off-putting. I usually do coarse adjustments with the dedicated pots, and then fine adjustments with the encoders near the screen.
And yeah, the gain staging is quite strange. There are like 6 or 7 stages, all of which can overdrive (supposedly?).
I do like the BBD and plate effects. It’s hard not to use a long plate on everything.
My pro3 (and take5 and Trigon6) pots have not loosened. They are higher rotational torque than older Sequential offerings, but they also don’t have that one uber-loose wobbly pot per synth, either. I’d rather they all have higher rotational torque than one or two have nearly none.
