Sequential Pro 3

Normally I wouldn’t feel this way, but since I have a decent central poly-synth, and several machines with nice sequencers, I’d REALLY like a Pro-3 in a box. :smiley:

1 Like

I always felt that way about the Pro 2. Waited for the desktop module version that never came.
At least the Pro 3 is a little more compact, though.

3 Likes

Can you explain your experience here? I’ve always wanted an OB6, and once i get a minor fix done on my GliGli-modded Prophet 600 and play with it some more, I may sell mine to fund a Pro-3.

I sold my Ob-6 for a P6, much prefer the sound of the P6.
I never gelled with the raspy bright sound of the ob-6.

2 Likes

I’m really curious about the Pro 3, however I’ve sold every DSI / Sequential instrument in the past due to not feeling the sound. I’ve only tried a few though and the only one I miss is the Drumtrax. The Pro 3 is so dope on paper, I really hope it delivers on sound.

I’ve got my eye on the Pro 3 as well. I currently don’t have any analog gear, and starting to want a mono synth for bass lines.

I’ve checked out some of the YT reviews and demos for the Pro 3, and it looks and sounds great to me.

The thing is, I think it’s just me wanting it more than I actually need it :slight_smile:

1 Like

I just ordered a Pro 3.

The #1 reason is that I have never owned a true analog synth. I’ve messed with other peoples analog gear and loved the sound. In the past, I’ve always sided with a fully digital path, and it’s time to change that. YOLO.

Very excited about the mod capabilities, the sound, and the sequencer. I want it for drones, leads, bass lines, and to sample analog percussion I make into the DT. And of course sound exploration.

Now, the waiting and anticipation starts…

3 Likes

I think you will like it. Having owned numerous other analog synths (not the Pro 3…yet), VCO’s generally have a very nice weight and presence to them, and a nice analog filter can make it feel alive. Of course, I am not at all debating digital synths, I also have some of those, and I love them as well. But there is just something, with certain analog synths, that just pull me in.

And really, for a first analog synth to own, the Pro 3 seems great with its VCO’s and 3 different analog fitlers. Also, the sequencing, and modulation lanes, along with ease of assigning LFO’s, and wavetable osc., really make a it a very deep synth, that also seem very user friendly.

1 Like

You will love the Filter knob. Best one on the market, IMO.

1 Like

I got it!

My 14 day trial ended seconds after I powered it on :slight_smile:
I immediately fell in love with “F5 P1 Old Saw” (the default patch).
I hit play on the sequencer and turned the filter knob. All my countless hours trying to get that same tone flashed by in a moment. Wow!
Love at first listen :heart_eyes:

YT videos are great for a general idea, but hearing the Pro 3 straight from my monitors was like a punch to the face (in the best way possible).

29 Likes

How does it feel …?

That’s great!

1 Like

Smooth! :wink:

This synth is such a hot rod. I feel like when I was 14 and got to ride my dads motorcycle.
Careful with the throttle :slight_smile:

Working with such a robust analog mono is challenging me in a good way. It goes well with my digital arsenal, and adds some real grit. I cranked up the plate reverb and droned for about an hour, the layers of distortion tools on this thing are insane.

8 Likes

I did a conservative estimate on the routing possibilities of the Pro 3.

This was my assessment of 20 hand picked typically used mod sources X 40 mod destinations with up to 32 slots for the mod matrix.

Imagine this like a modular where you have 2 panels, one with 20 jacks, and one with 40 jacks, and 32 virtual patch cables to connect them. 20, 40, and 32 are not big numbers, right?

Well… here is what I came up with:

Note that if I did my math right, this is a very low estimate, and it’s actually far higher.
Each mod slot has an amount changing how much each “virtual cable” affects things, and the mod slots themselves are targets which arguably adds another 32 destinations.

Officially the Pro 3 has “32 slot modulation matrix with over 46 mod sources and over 171 mod destinations”. But if you take a close look at these, some are not typically used for sound design.

Anyway, the point of doing this was that I was making crazy patches with the Pro 3 and was really impressed with how flexible the modulation system is. So I thought “Hmmmm I wonder roughly how many possibilities there are?” and the answer is effectively infinite :slight_smile:

Best regards,

Gino

7 Likes

Wouldnt it be 32! Cause u have 32 choices for the 1st slot, 31 for the 2nd, 30 for the 3rd etc, which I believe is 263,130,836,933,693,530,167,218,012,160,000,000 I think @tnussb is a math/stats person, can we get a 3rd opinion?

e: or would it be 32^32 cause i guess they can all route to the same location

I know I posted this on another thread already but I do like Carlo’s demo. With a name like Mezzanote, I figure he had no choice but to grow up to be badass muso. Granted I hardly know any Italian, his name might actually mean something other than what I think it is.

In his “not a review” he does cite the mod matrix as something he particularly loves.

1 Like

Would love to be corrected on the math. It’s just a fun exercise, but worth getting right.

Forgot to mention that there are an additional 5 fixed mod slots for LFO1, LFO2, LFO3, ENV1 and ENV2.
So it’s really more like 37 virtual cables, but 5 of them are special as the source is pre-assigned.

Osc Slop too strong? Using the waveshape mod Can have a detune effect, but doesn’t phase. (I’m looking at this from the perspective of the other DSI’s)

But you can make your own now. And they are making a user database on their website.

Is it really “clicky” if you don’t? (Classic DSI design lately)

I’m on the knife edge now, deciding whether or not to buy in. Just waiting to see what the mystery “August release” is. Perhaps a poly6 or poly8 Pro3 :drooling_face:

2 Likes

Regarding the Detuning: I do not mean that detuning 2 oscillators does not work. It totally works. I mean that if you want a value of let’s say +4, good luck. The pot will snap to 0. So you’re forced to use the encoders above the screen.

I knew about the user wavetables. I did not know there would be a database. That is awesome!

Regarding the VCA ENV AMOUNT: With a maximum value, the headroom is gone and you get super saturated sounds. Obviously you want this sometimes. But a lot of people think the Pro 3 sounds too harsh. Turn this down and The whole character changes. I often set it to about 12 o clock. The ‘clickiness’ of the envelopes with attack/release set to 0 is a great feature imo. One of the advantages of digital envelopes, snappiness that analog envelopes cannot match. Great for percussive sounds.

I expect the August release to be a drum machine. Poly Pro 3 will probably happen sooner or later. But obviously it will have some differences. 1 filter only. Maybe no sequencer, or a more simple one like the Rev2/Prophet 6. Maybe only wavetables, no VCOs.

The Pro 3 is a seriously great synth and I think you would love it if you like the Dave Smith sound. Pro One on steroids.

1 Like

I’m quite in a hurry, but where does the exponential growth (^32) come from? All connections are completely independent from each other. So the growth should be linear.

Let’s allow duplicate connections to simplify the math.

Suppose you have one cable then there are 20x40 possible connections. With 2 cables it doesn’t go up to (20x40)^2, but to (20x40)*2.

So your final number is way too large. IMHO it should be 20x40x32.

2 Likes