I had a very quick play on one of these instore and was taken by the sound immediately, and the intuitive interface on it.
Can anyone who has owned one for a while comment on how much depth the Take 5 has from a sound design perspective?
Seems like lots of modulation routing options could keep one occupied for a long time, but what are peoples thoughts on this in practice ?
Judging from my experience, there’s definitely an inescapable Sequential vibe to the synth that remains pervasive within all that it can potentially do.
Other more capable users will likely disagree with me, but I don’t find it to be a blank canvas for sound design. It almost always sounds like some sort of amazing analog poly synth.
The mod matrix has its quirks that may annoy you (some routings result in paraphonic modulation behavior, some others produce no perceivable results) and all of the LFO waves are unipolar (why?) except the triangle.
In spite of this, it’s really inspiring to play. I’m still impressed with how good it sounds even after months of owning it.
If you need more sound design options, the Take 5’s small footprint, knob-per-function interface, and velocity/aftertouch capabilities allow it to also be an efficient controller for broader VST synth engines (I use it for Pigments as well).
I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface on mine. I’ve never been a synth wizard and have hated many synths in the past that I found non-intuitive to use (DSI Evolver, Microkorg, etc), so I really appreciate the combination of an intuitive knob-per-function interface for all the basics combined with all the routing possibilities afforded by the mod matrix. It will definitely keep me busy for years, and is exactly what I was looking for in a synth, namely a sort of modern take on an old school poly analog, with the Sequential vibe.
I would absolutely recommend it for anyone looking for that kind of synth. If you are looking for a more modern sounding experimental synth for like say film soundtrack work, I would probably look at something else. That’s not really the kind of synth I’m drawn to, but perhaps something like the Hydrasynth might be worth checking out.
If you like the sound then the Take 5 is definitely a winner. I would recommend also checking out the Take 5 thread over at Gear Space as well. It has a lot of fans from people that own a lot of high-end gear and people that do sound design (like Sean Costello from Valhalla DSP).
The mod options are quite plentiful for a classic style subtractive analog poly I reckon.
Far more than Juno, Prophet and the likes.
You can go quite experimental with it, there‘s oscillator fm, which works quite strange imo but produces wild sounds nonetheless and the lfos can go pretty fast
I had my saxophonist and flutist friend last night at my place for a studio tour. He’s beginning his journey into the Electronic realms. He went on a Journey he didn’t expect while I was tweaking some FXs. He was totally blown away by the Sound of the Take 5.
He could probably start looking at wind controllers if he hasn’t already:
Thanks for the input. He’s eyeing the Akai EWI.
Hi,
i have fried usb too, and i am from EU. Sequential was kind enough to offer me replacement board, i just have to pay deposit, and once when they get my old board back, they will fully refund it. I was wondering, since you are from EU too, did you have to pay tax for you board ?
Sorry I can’t remember what exactly and how much I paid. I think I got a bill from UPS for the US customs.
It wasn’t that much though. The whole board exchange turned out well, but it’s still quite questionable that board freezes caused by USB cables happens to quite a few users obviously.
Good luck with the exchange. Mine works fine, but I keep USB cables far away from it 
My take 5 is not frozen, it is just usb midi that doesn’t work, but din midi is ok, so I am having some second thoughts about changing that board and go trough all the trouble ( and possible expenses ) just because of usb midi is not functioning. I will clearly have to stay away from that usb port anyway so…
I just want to add, its a shame that take 5 is having problem with fried usb midi chips, because this is one of the best sounding synth i have ever owned or heard.
same! It was a real let down, but the sound easily made me fall back in love with it
Sequential recommended the iConnectivity Mio as a cheap, safe way to connect midi DIN to USB to avoid any potential issues. It apparently guards against voltage fluctuations that can fry boards. Might be something to consider to connect your T5 to your computer since the USB is fried. After hearing some of these horror stories, I’m not taking any chances so was happy to buy the Mio as an insurance policy. Good luck! I love my T5 as well.
I try to avoid USB with instruments whenever I can and thanks to some manufacturers this is unfortunately not always possible.
I use CME’s WIDI family of devices to connect between instruments or with a computer. For example, you can connect a WIDI Master to your synth’s DIN and, if your computer does not come with bluetooth, a WIDI uhost to the computer’s USB port.
Other devices to try: Kenton USB MIDI host, Roland UM-one mk2, etc.
Bear in mind you’ll want to use the USB port for software updates etc and there’s no saying how long Sequential will be stocking/offering replacement boards. Mine went and I did the same with the deposit. I too paid a small amount of duty to get it into the UK and they returned my deposit in short order. The swap took a few minutes and it’s been flawless since.
Thanks, you can do updates with din midi, usb updates are midi sysex data,
but u are right about part availability, and it bothers me a little to have a fried chip inside this great sounding synth, 
Thanks , never new bluetooth midi existed, i already have 4x4 midi interface, but this wireless staff looks so clean, no wires etc.
Ugh,
I’ve Been GASing for this one for so long and this ain’t helping
you should go for it - it’s a great synth even without the update!
I am currently checking out a pro 3… when I look at the sequencer options on that thing I really wish they would implement that or something similar on the T5. Then it would be a mind-blowing no brainer.
It’s official now. I don’t know if it’s the same as the Beta version or if it adds new features?