In his latest Sonic State Sonic Lab review, host Nick Batt shares his take on the new Dave Smith Instruments Sequential Prophet X.
The Sequential Prophet X is a bi-timbral, 8-voice-stereo (16-voice mono) synthesizer that combines samples and synthesis. At the heart of its sound is a newly developed engine that powers two simultaneous 16-bit, 48kHz sample-based instruments plus two high-resolution digital oscillators with waveshape modulation — all processed through analog filters.
“Its a long one so grab a cuppa,” notes Batt. “We take a look at the Sequential (Dave Smith Instruments) Prophet X – a hybrid synthesizer with a REV 2 style synth engine (sort of) and twin multisample oscillators, for a new direction from DSI.”
Details on the Prophet X are available at the DSI site.
Note: Host Nick Batt is best known for his work with Sonic State, but he also has a recording career going back several decades. His latest release is the ambient EP, Lost Connection.
Thanks for the plug for the Ep folks!
Great work Nick! Really love all your stuff!
Cannot check the video now, but how were the pulse width modulation results?
I love Nicks reviews. He knows his stuff and always tells you what you want to know! And perhaps more importantly he doesn’t play jazz riffs on the synth reviews 😉 I did wonder if he was planning an album, as the sequences he plays in his Friday Fun videos are worthy of release.
Is a stereo filter just two mono filters in parallel?
A true stereo reverb is not just two mono reverbs in parallel, so I wonder if there is some idea of a stereo filter too.
Usually a stereo filter is, linked. Meaning that the same controls effect each side. So in essence it is 2 mono filters in a “linked configuration”. There maybe other filters that are setup different, specifically digital, dunno.
Not sure about reverb and other such effects tho.
I can confirm the filter is stereo, and you can pan each osc or sample an amount left or right. A lot of the 8dio samples in the PX are stereo (though you can alternately force them mono if you like). There is a “filter spread” function, that tilts one of the filter’s sides open or closed an amount.
Ah thanks. I see the evolver also has a “filter split”, which does what you say, and would be different from merely panning two separate filters.
Since filters affect phase and phase perhaps also has something to do with stereo perception I wondered whether there was anything more fancy going on. But evidently not.
If DSI gives me a Prophet X for free, they can use my name for product endorsements at a reduced rate.
If DSI gives me a Prophet X for free I would demo it in a borat bathing suit and create 100 patch banks for them.
I really like this synth but the price tag is just too much for me. The hobby can’t quite sustain those prices. That said I understand why it is so expensive at $4000. Maybe at 3k id buy it.
How does this compare to the Waldorf Quantum? About the same price range.
IMO (and I’m a Waldorf fan), the Quantum sounds dull and lifeless compared to the Prophet X.
I haven’t heard of the Quantum even being officially released and available in Canada yet. I love Waldorf but all the demos I’ve heard so far have led me to the same conclusion as The Anti-Trump above. They may just need a lot more time for sound designers to get up to speed with it but from the first moment I heard the X I had that feeling of excitement I had as a kid going into a music shop and hearing something incredible for the first time.
Lovely synth, great demo, big price: so why only 61 keys? Are 76 or 88-key versions planned too?
The fact that you can also FM all the samples and the VA waves with each other is huge. It’s almost like an SY-99 but covered in knobs. It also reminds me of the JD-800, and running waves through the analog filters is reminiscent of a lot of the old E-mu samplers, so it’s cool that they got their filter designed by Dave Rossum.
It strikes me as an updated version of some of the coolest synths of the late 80s/early 90s. It’s really quite a hell of a thing DSI did.
It’s not a new filter design though, the SSI2144 is a SSM2044 reissue. The SSM2044 was featured in various classic synthesizer and also a few samplers such as the Emulator and SP-1200. 🙂
There’s no question that its a real beauty. I think being only 8-voiced in stereo is not a drawback, but a sign of it being a player’s synth rather than a multi-channel sequencing item. Its a pair of killer Dave-synths plus easily $1000 worth of great 8Dio samples. Its his idea of a ROMpler, in a way. It has huge presets, but it really is meant to be massaged as a hybrid, hence the focused Start/End point knobs for the samples, for example. Nick makes that appreciably clear, as usual. Its clearly worth the $4k, but OW OW, MY GEAR LUST IS ALL SWOLLEN!!!
Yes it’s expensive as hell, but worth every penny.
Btw; Do yourself a favour and subscribe to sonicstate for their weekly podcast and more informative product reviews
“Borat bathing suit.”
LOL!!!!!!
The Sequential Circuits – Prophet VS did wavetables, but only merging, not morphing.
I don’t think it could do start/end-point offset either.
What about the Nord – Wave;
And the Waldorf – Blofeld;
Both support user waves, not mentioning multiple software VST’s as well !