Added: 3 years ago
From: keybdwizrd
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  • My dream set up would be 3 things: The Prophet 08, Emu SP 1200, and an Emulator 3.

    This is a wonderful sounding demonstration, thanks for sharing.

  • would you recommend this synth brother :)

  • @Dectheboner Recommend it? That all depends upon what kind of music someone makes and what other keyboards they have. But in general, if you're looking for a nice, modern, analog polysynth, the Prophet 08 is awesome.  Remember that it has no effects (I add delay and reverb using a Lexicon MX200.)

  • Check out Morgan Page using this for a modern sound.

  • thankyou for doing this in stereo! sounds amazing through my monitors...

  • @zerotoglass No problem!

  • It's better than the Virus

  • @900GTi , LOL... it's different than the virus. There are things that each can do that the other cannot. The Virus is much much more versatile than the Prophet 08.... The prophet has it's own character where as the Virus is pretty status quo in all categories.

    If you're looking for one piece of kit, or your first synth, Virus will be the way to go for most producers/sound designers. If your a synth head... Prophet would probably be more your speed... completely different beasts

  • @TheGrowdaddy The Prophet is better because is sounds warm and analog.

  • How does this compare to the Virus?

  • I want this.

  • Der erste Sound klingt total nach Marillion..allein das wäre ein Grund das gerät zu kaufen..

  • Nice demo, I finally found someone who can actually play one of these instead of just twiddling the dials

  • @gmcenroe Thanks - that is what I aim for in all of my demos. If you want to hear people talking about synths and twiddling dials, my videos are not for you. :)

  • radiohead has this synth.. they use it in "staircase" and it has great sound

  • why are the demos for these amazing machines always performed by people with no musical sense

  • @Hoobtastic Are you referring to me?

  • @keybdwizrd haha I know what he means in general demo's but I disagree in this case.

    Thankyou for this demo, it's the only demo i've found that shows off this awesome thing well. Thanks Keybordwizrd! It's really great to hear the pad sounds on the p08 recorded well (with a touch of salt).

  • @keybdwizrd Don't feed the troll, I appreciate your videos and your playing, love how you go through so many styles and sounds in your videos, helping me to really get an idea of how this synth sounds and I am about to buy either this or the Tetra 4 very soon. The biggest issue is of course price, it feels like I am buying a 4 voice prophet in the tetra but still fun to get something else also, how far will I get with 4 voices if I ask you?

  • @M3sslah I am not really famiiar with the Tetra. If it is four voice with two oscillators per voice, then it could do some really nice chords. If it is one per voice, well, then it could get rather thin rather quickly.

  • @keybdwizrd Well it should be a 4 voice prophet really, so how is that, is that 2 oscillators per voice?

  • @keybdwizrd Just read on the net it's 2 oscillators per voice and also sub-oscillators to make it fatter. It even comes with the prophet presets and you can chain them to expand a prophet for instance or a mopho, they all build upon the same engine or how you say it.

  • @M3sslah Sounds good, then. Keep in mind that these instruments do not have built-in effects. If you don't have an external reverb/delay unit you'd need to get one, depending upon the kind of music you do.

  • @keybdwizrd Yeah I read that to, what about using reverb from Logic or maybe it would make a big difference to get a proper hardware reverb? Any recommendations for an affordable one that still sounds old and vintage, see you run Mx200 and that is pretty affordable but still a modern 24bit one? I am kinda allergic to todays modern "in the box" sound, it's very clean and without life in my taste and I fear that newer hardware suffer from the same. =). Thanks for all responses I appreciate it.

  • @M3sslah I use the MX200 so that I can hear the synths and their effects with zero latency outside the computer. Using Logic's reverbs would be fine in many cases, especially when adding effects after the fact. But it's just that playing a hardware synth through a computer and having effects added creates a latency situation when monitoring.

  • I love this synth. I've been demoing it a couple of times in the local music store and listened to maybe all the demos here on YouTube. I need one so bad!

  • Any out board effects?

  • @shackleton1 Yes, Lexicon MX200.

  • This is fantastic, thanks keyboard wizard. You are very talented, I appreciate you making these videos. I thought long and hard, after comparing your videos, and bought the little phatty!!! It's a beast, and my first analogue. No doubt the prophet will follow soon after, as I haven't slept much this week. Thanks again.

  • @doctorbower1989 Have fun with the Phatty, it is a great sounding little synth. The Prophet 08 is a completely different instrument and complements it nicely, assuming you're after analog synth sounds.

  • James Blake uses one of these.

  • Wow! Wait... wow! What a great demo. Two questions:

    First: The stereo effect is done by Prophet or by MX200?

    Second: What is that totally epic song you play from 1:10 ?

    Thanks,

    regards,

    Ronin.

  • @RoninCZ Thanks. The Prophet has a built-in stereo/pan feature for the oscillators which is probably what you're hearing. Regarding the tune, it's just something I improvised when making the video. Thanks again.

  • Is that a polar I see above the prophet?

  • @australiandj No doubt - I own one, and have made a ton of demos with it. They're here on YouTube.

  • 1:12... yum

  • Freaking epic, great job!

  • The song you play at 1:10 is totally amazing!!! It's, for me, the true sound of this marvelous synth. Thank you ;)

  • The Prophet 08 is a monster, brings me back to the days of Eddie Jobson bleeding out a CS-80. Do you plan on getting the Tetra anytime soon? Great playing and videos!

  • @secondfiddle No Tetra for me. I have been scaling back my setup - I still have waaay to many sounds, more than I could ever possibly need.

  • @keybdwizrd in these video's are you playing presets or have you crafted these sounds yourself?

  • @Mccracken987 I started with presets but may have tweaked them up a little bit.

  • Does anybody knows if the prophet 08 has a sound library from where to choose sounds???

  • God bless Rick WAKEMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Thanks! I actually found all the noise was coming from the usb video capture device. I wanted to get firewire, but there's only 1 firewire port on mac used by my RME. I will be contacting mygica, the makers of iGrabber.

  • Btw I have imac 27", motifxs, monster cables (no mic input, only line)...don't know why I get noise. I ahve everything running through the same ground source (Furman Power Filter)...but I get a lot of weird electronic noise...Ground loop isolator didn't help. Please help buddy :)

  • @ncheriyan Honestly, these things can be complicated and outside the scope of a comment section here on YouTube. There are many forums on the internet with lots of helpful experts, such as the Keys, Synths and Samplers" forum at the Harmony Central website. There is also a synth forum at Gearslutz, and at the Musicplayer forums. Sorry, cannot post links in YouTube comments, but you should be able to Google these sites - they are very popular.

  • @ncheriyan

    use canopus advc series. the best for amateur/semi-pro and pro productions.

  • @lavakava

    Thanks! I just bought an ADVC converter...That took care of my noise problems. There seems to be noise filters built in.

  • @ncheriyan All's well that ends well...

  • I really enjoy your video and playing skills. I wanted to make some videos with HQ sound like this for live video. I already have a USB video capture device and RME firewire interface.I couldn't find firewire video capture that's why I bought the igrabber (USB)...everything works fine, sound quality is pretty good when capturing audio (1/4" to RCA cable from RME outputs to igrabber). However, with fairly good sound quality comes a lot of weird noises...how do you get such crystal clear recording

  • @ncheriyan I simply run my synths into a Mackie mixer, and then run a stereo feed into a Canopus ADVC-100 converter box, where the audio gets merged with the video feed from my camcorder. I am not an expert on these things, this is just the stuff I have and what I have used for several years now.

  • this looks like the ultimate modern synthesizer. I hope to own one some day

  • Comment removed

  • I've been drooling over that video for almost 2 yearsbut I finally got my P08 last week! (I blame you, kbdwiz for that, haha!)

    Just wondering though: what setting did you use for the intro tune?

  • 2:53 is how an arp should be used! great sounding synth, would love to be able to afford one of these :(

  • Super les Sons du Synthétiseur,Encore Félitation tu joue trés bien,le son est génial,à bientot de la part de Didier de Belgique.

  • @MrSolitaire2000 Merci beaucoup, je suis heureux que vous aimez la vidéo.

  • always good to listen to your demos :)

  • Im A huge fan of the Prophet 08. listen! DCO Power

  • The problem with your demos is that you're too good a keyboard player!

    What I mean is that, like a good pianist who can make good music even on a bad piano, you can make any synth sound good because you are an amazing player and improviser.

    I'm convinced that you would be able to do a good demo with a crappy Casio.

    So, unfortunately, I cannot appreciate the intrinsic qualities, or lack of, of the synths you're playing...

  • @hoggy82003 Completely agree with you there...check out Jexus on YouTube, he's an amazing programmer and really pushes his synths to show their true nature.

  • Simply amazing. Can I get notes that You played from 1:09? So great.

  • @Pierdolejutube Thanks, but sorry, all this stuff is spontaneously improvised. You'd have to learn it by ear...

  • Bought P 08. HATED IT. cam broke out of the box. no matter how many times your spin half the knobs left, they wanna go right. Returned it in less than 24...

  • Just out of curiosity, what are your thoughts of the Moog Voyager?

    I find the Prophet 08 so much more interesting.

  • KEYBOARDWIZARD >>> everthing u touch is going to gold. Your amazing skills on the Keys i really much respect !

    You just must go for the Company to present the new Synthesizers.

    B I G U P

    RockinIT

  • @ZenAnalyse Thank you!

  • I envy you. It reminds me of a Prophet 600.

  • hello, can you tell me how do you save a user bank in your prophet.

    it's only with a computer or you can use a usb key to save a file (as a motif yamaha for example).??

    thanks a lot.

  • @graal7 There is no USB port on the P08.

  • Where should I start at the very very beginning with Playing Synth please, what should i get as a first instrument?

  • @YungShady01 I started with a piano.

  • @keybdwizrd And now that you're there you would start with classic piano courses?

  • @YungShady01 It is the only way I know, but other people have found their own way.

  • I also want to say, I thought the Roland Juno-G had a super comfortable key action, but this synth takes the cake. There is something very natural about it and you really feel like you can put your emotion into it and have it respond to you. It plays like a dream!

  • Is the sound starting at 1:58 a preset or something you tweaked yourself? It sounds so awesome!

  • These sounds are all tweaked presets. I made this video shortly after I got the synth, and was just twiddling around with the presets.

  • @keybdwizrd My only beef is very few of the presets are usable out of the gate. But with patience and persistance, you can create legendary sounds on here that few synths can rival. I am currently saving up for a Lexicon processor similar to what you are running. I may go for a 400.

  • @dunderdendur Reminded me a little bit of the start of Jean Michel Jarre's Rendezvous II

  • this or moog voyager?

  • Dear Keyboard Wizard:

    It's me again, and I've had my shiny new Prophet '08 for a month now!! I will admit, I'm quite new to synthesis. My other two keyboards are a Roland Juno-G and 300SX, so you could say that I am diving in head first with this synth.

    The sound is absolutely amazing, like someone blew the lid off a late 70s/early 80s time capsule!

    However I noticed that there are no settings or controls for reverb (that I can find). Is this why you use the MX-200 as a supplement??

  • Yes, the Prophet has no effects whatsoever. An external device is required.

  • I'm seriously looking at an MX-series unit... They've got a 300 and 400 now as well...What would you recommend? Is there much of a difference?

  • Sorry but I am not familiar with the 300 or 400. Those weren't options when I bought the 200. The 200 does everything I need - simply two effects at the same time.

  • Sounds really awesome!!!

  • Wizard, I'm a new fan of yours and listen to your demos every day at work until I get a Prophet 08 of my own in a month =)

    You sound like Dennis DeYoung on the opening onslaught!

    The part that sold me on it was 1:09 - That is the most beautiful pad I have EVER HEARD. It's so cold, yet rich with a sea of textures. A good synth passage can stir up emotion. It takes me away on a space odyssey =)

    1:58 - Again, fantastic composition of synth strings. Reminds me of Gary Numan!! BEST DEMO

  • Thank you very much for the kind words!

  • @keybdwizrd first of all thanks for the wonderful videos, you do have a great talent! Can the prophet 08 produce those classic warm vintage sounds that say a juno 60 could? Do they even come close in comparing? many thanks

  • Well, I have never played a Juno 60, and these things are always ver subjective. But do I believe the P08 is a "warm" analog synth - yes. Hopefully, people can get a sense of what this instrument (and others) sound like through my videos. Whether or not they're what you're looking for, only you can decide. :)

  • Comment removed

  • I have had both in my rig. The Juno 60 is a single oscillator synth with a great LFO but what made it outstanding was the built in chorus/ensemble effect and the dirt simple arpeggiator. You did need outboard midi converter and it was not a velocity sensitive keyboard. It is really old, but really good technology. The P08 is a modern beast with a longer learning curve and no on board effects. True analog - sounds great especially if you put it through a good effects box. P08 is a modern classic.

  • Thanks for the advice newpro5657. I will certainly look at incorporating one of them in my current set. I think they sound fantastic. :)

  • I agree. The Juno 60 is one of a kind. The right bass patch with the chorus turned up is something I've never heard duplicated. Too bad the new Juno's are total garbage. The Prophet 08 and the Alesis Andromeda are probably my favorites of the last decade.

  • @togglescratch

    It had a sub osc that really fattened the sound. I like it best among the early analogs if you could not afford a jupiter. I also played a Chroma Polaris for years - only 6 voices but a really good analog sound and a smashing ring modulator and a sequencer that remembers all panel movements. P08 and Tetra are good modern versions of the Sequential sound. Andromeda seems almost perfect in vids but I have not played one. Sometimes you don't know what you have until its gone..(;-{)

  • kind of arvo part sound at 1.59 :D

  • Пробивной звук!

  • Да, Вы любите это?

  • Да просто я никогда не слышал этот синтезатор. Только был наслышан об его красоте звука.

  • Это - хороший синтезатор. Я надеюсь, что Вы наслаждаетесь другими видео!

  • 1:58 magnificent

  • Thank you!

  • fantastic sorry i this seems starnge but i am a hardstyle producer and im thinking about buying a hardware synth everyone is saying the virus ti can produce those leads i am looking for what about this beast any good for hard harsh leads?please reply thanks

  • What about the big brother to this one `08.DSI Poly Evolver Keyboard

  • I have never played one.

  • thanks again! i know Arturia plugin are not the real thing but to me they are the best pluing for computer.. and maybe my question was not properly writhed.. obviosly my golad is to buy a prophet 8 but for now i can't... so i was wondering if the Arturia Prophet was sounding close to the real thing or as warm & phat.. i guest i need to take a chance and buy it lol

  • have you ever tried Arturia Prophet Plugin or Ear demo of it? if yes what do you think about it.. sound very close like a real one?

  • I only have the NI Prophet emulation - have never heard the Arturia one. And I have never played an original Prophet 5, so it would be difficult for me to tell if it is accurate or not. I think people need to buy these things for what they are. I find that the Arturia and NI softsynths are very musical and fine instruments to compose with. Whether or not they sound like the original hardware synth isn't really important to me.

  • Hello Keybdwizrd,

    First of all i thankyou for your brilliant demos. I play in a band which have influences such as OMD, Depechemode, New Order. Currently i use a korg R3 and roland juno d le in the live set. I want to invest in a better synth now things are taking off. My top 3 are: prophet 08, nord lead 2x and virus t1.

    Which one will be better suited?

    I want a powerful synth that cuts through the mix and capable of producing sounds similar to my influences.

    Thanks

  • keybdwizrd, have you seen or tried the Dave Smkth Tetra? I's supposed to be basically half a Prophet 08 but with the added bonus of the sub oscillators from the Mopho. Since I can't really justify the expense of an 08 the Tetra loks just the ticket. Any thoughts onm that?

  • I haven't played a Tetra yet, but given the description it could be what you're looking for.

  • I bought a Tetra a couple of weeks ago & it is exactly what I was looking for :-) Wel pleased with it. It sounds great. Same as the 08 but of course only 4 voices.

  • I think there's both delay and reverb. I usually start out with a preset but then fiddle with the settings. Very easy to do.

  • Awesome video, keyboardwizard. It seems to be the common opinion on the internet that the p-5 sounds fatter and thicker than the '08...yet I have owned 3 P-5's, and I don't think that any of them sounded as fat as my '08 (but unfortunately I don't have them side by side to compare). What's your take on this ??

  • I've never actually played a Prophet 5, but I honestly have little to no interest in vintage synthesizers. I think the 08 sounds great.

  • I know some may want to shoot me, but I prefer it to the P-5 !! By the way, you should be a clinician for DSI...your playing brings out the "analogness" of the instrument, and invokes the feeling of the days when analog ruled supreme and prog rock synths reigned. About 2 years ago, I told Andrew from DSI that they needed to check out your demos (he never heard them before that)...apparently, they loved them, as they included reference to them on the DSI website. Congratulations !!

  • ...oops...one more question...are your settings on the MX200 a preset (I just ordered one), or your own ?? In this video, is there any delay, or just reverb ??

  • Sounds awesome and terrific demo.

  • Your recorded sound is awesome! Do you mind telling us what your audio signal path is from the Prophet 08 to the monitors and also to your recording devise?

  • would it be redundant to buy a Moog 'Phatty' if I already own the Prophet 08? Is there really a significant difference?

  • Well it all depends upon whether or not you subscribe to the premise that "the only thing that sounds like a Moog is a Moog, and I want a Moog." The LP and the 08 do sound quite different to many keyboardists, but my guess is that most of the people who listen to music couldn't tell the difference.

  • Hey thanks for your input....I really enjoy your videos...you rock!!

  • Does the new Prophet do polyphonic portamento like the Juno 106?

    The Juno is getting a bit old (read: going bad) and I might put it up on the bay.

  • Yes it does.

  • You are amazing!

  • every one knows you don't know a synth till you've gotten down to the waveforms

  • I have a really old Prophet 5 Rev 2. I bought it from a guy for 35 dollars. I know how difficult it is to keep vintage synths running all the time and I'm sure it can get pretty expensive. Should I go ahead and have it repaired or just buy an 08?

  • Yo man, where can get the album for the 1st 1:08 of this vid?

  • That "tune" dates back to the late 70's. Go to my website and follow the link to "Vintage recordings from my days with Monarch..." The song is the first one listed, called Position of Authority.

    The synth used in that recording was an ARP Quadra, which in retrospect doesn't sound nearly as good as a Prophet 08. But polyphonic synths were just beginning to be invented at that time.

  • this vid made me buy this synth. Best one I ever had, including Moog Prodigy, a host of Juno's, Virus, Waldorf, Novation, Korg ....

  • My Juno 60 sounds better ! :P

  • It sounds amazing!

  • I agree!

  • I love this synth! Pity that is not my best moment! ;-)

  • hi there great demo

    which cheaper keyboard can "almost" be alternative to prophet 08?

  • For something cheaper, you would be looking a digital "virtual analog" synths. Options would include those made by Nord, as well as used models like the Korg MS2000 and Access Virus Indigo synths.

  • Well performed.

  • i watched many of your videos as iam thinking of getting some synth... Virus ti/ Little phatty / Prophet 08... i make electronic music, i had a virus before.... now i want again a Virus and i though it would go well with a Phatty for bassline and some retro sound... would you prefer to add the phatty or the Mopho for that purpose to a Virus ? then i though also the Prophet 08 for some retro 80 pads and brass sounds... are they complementary of could you dish one easly from your setup ? :)

  • If you are looking for a fat synth bass, then analog is best (Little Phatty or Mopho). The TI can make a wider variety of bass sounds because it is digital, but doesn't deliver the same big bottom as an analog, if that's what you're looking for.

    The Prophet 08 is perfect for retro 80's pads and brass, but you'll need external effects (reverb and delay) to complete the sound.

  • thanks :) i was not sure you would respond :)

    So they are complementary... thats cool.

    For bass you like better the Phatty or mopho ? because the mopho is 1/4 or the phatty price so i wonder... i think if i buy the P08 i would really use the phatty or mopho for only fat bass, things like that...i suppose for lead and other medium sound the P08 can do as well as the phatty so i wonder if best is P08 + mopho or P08 + Phatty knowing that i will have the virus anyway also..

    thanks you really :)

  • By the way did you had occasion of comparing the P08 to some arturia prophet or others emulation ? is it worth the difference ?

  • Software emulations are fun - I have plenty of them. Many of them sound great. But they're not the same as a physical synthesizer with keys and knobs. Whether or not they're worth the difference is up to you.

  • both are great. but there's a major difference.

    i mean. take a nice pair of boobs. do you want to touch them and feel the girl react?

    or, do you want to click them with your mouse on a screen and hear a sampled voice react? =)))

  • depends if they're analog boobs or digital boobs

  • @GJmusique Stick with your computer. It won't mind being groped by a bloke who only looks at a woman as a piece of meat. Look beyond her tits and notice her wits or you might not get the sort of reaction you want! As to whoever gave him a positive, shame on you too!

  • @Laura041974 thumbs up

  • @GJmusique :) well thats all good in theory but this isn't the past and midi controller are cheap and varied, not to mention with little research building your own custom midi controller isn't particularly difficult.

  • @GJmusique Slightly bad analogy and there are control surfaces out there. You could buy enough to control any synth and still have most of your change left over from the amount a prophet 08 costs.

    Secondly vst synths are not sampled, their signal chain is pretty much the same way as any other synth except its coded rather than electronic.

    That said having dedicated controls and no latency ... and not needing a pc on is defiantly alot better for sound design.

  • what is your opinion on the Andromeda compared to the mopho/prophet/phatty (in an analog synths context) ?

  • Sorry, I have never played an Andromeda. But they have their fans. Personally, I think they look rather odd.

  • I love that first sound...Somewhere from my past...Was it YES, Marillion? I can't remember.

    I'd love to nail it on my analogue keys!!

  • It is actually a riff from an original tune I wrote/played with my prog-rock band in LA in the late 70's, but we were never famous. The MP3 is on my website. I think there was a Styx song, however, that had a somewhat similar riff.

  • I was right with the era then :-) There were so many brilliant riffs around at that time, yours being no exception.

    It was the actual timbre of the sound that I was referring to though. It may just be one of the Prophet presets, it just seems so evocative of that time in music. Thanks.

  • I started out with a factory preset on the Prophet called "Tom Sawyer," which employs two different sounds and a keyboard split to play the Rush tune. The Prophet has no onboard effects, so I put a wash of concert hall reverb and some delay on it, and also tweaked the patch a bit.

  • sound!!!

  • do you like this or the poly evolver

  • Never played a Poly Evolver.

  • what would you rather, this synth or a Access Virus C??

  • That's like asking "would you rather have a four-door sedan or a pick-up truck?

  • Is that piece on the string patch at around 2:00 from something? It sounds incredibly familiar but I can't remember offhand what it reminds me of.

  • No, it's 99.9% original. However, the first two chords are comprised of the notes that make up the opening of Copeland's "Appalachian Spring," although he plays the notes individually instead of as a chord, as I recall. But that minute detail is the only thing I can recall being intentionally "borrowed" for this little improvization. :)

  • Mr. Keyboard Wizard, I have never come across someone so aptly named... I love listening to your demos!

  • Thank you! Glad you've enjoyed them.

  • Extremely lush...pure and simple.

  • Lovely playing and demo, thanks for posting...

  • Thank you!

  • it reminds me on my childhood ^^

  • excellent playing technique here.

    I spent some time with a prophet 08, and I just wasn't impressed..doesn't sound warm and rich enough, compared to my prophet 5.

    I have an alesis ION, and it sounds more analog than the p8.

    Reeno

  • Are you saying that a VA sounds more analog than a real analog? It must really be a good emulation..

  • Beauty is in the ear of the beholder. :)

  • So you use analog just as a term for "it sounds nice and warm"?

    Nice, I have 3 analog synths then! :)

  • it was between this and the andromeda a6 for my main synth.....this sounds really good,but i got the a6 and i am not dissappointed!!its a real analog beast!! some say its not as warm as this one,you just have to tweak a bit more for the warmth

  • really appreciate you doing all these videos! good on ya!

  • A last, some solid synth playing instead of dance geeks endlessly demo-ing Access Virus' etc on arpeggiators (which, in all truth, make *anything* sound impressive). Still not sold on the P 08 tho'. It probably has a wider palette of sounds than anapolys from the 70's/80's, but just doesn't have the grandeur of those which we played, and which we recall with such fondness.Great days! That US ensemble which played Bach on pro5's and Pro8? (and which I saw on a brit daytime tv show)

  • i agree with the arp part.

    Check out Jexus, his videos kick ass too

  • Comment removed

  • I have much respect for both youre playing and choice of synths.;)

  • Thank you very much!

  • This synthesizer is awesome!!!