Synthesist Starsky Carr shared this playlist of videos that offer a comparison of the Dave Smith Instruments Prophet 6 and Prophet 8.
The videos cover:
- Oscillators and Basic Modulation
- Filters
- Making Simple Pads
- Sequencers and Arpeggiators
- Complex Pads
Carr notes:
This isn’t a technical overview, levels aren’t matched perfectly etc. its more a general walkthrough, as if you had the 2 synths to hand in a store. Hopefully it gives a good impression of both synths and their respective capabilities.
I purchased the Prophet 6 thinking I’d sell the Prophet 08 and have decided i NEED them both 😉
Hopefully you’ll find it interesting, maybe useful if you’e considering purchasing one of them. I’m not sure it will help with the decision, as its subjective and I’m not recommending one over the other. Although they have many similarities, they have their place in different situations and for different users.
If you’ve used the two synths, let us know your thoughts on them in the comments!
Starsky Carr also produced a very helpful extended walkthrough for the Prophet ’08 if you have any questions about how the synth works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1iJs8zjoeU
Hmmm? A good used Prophet 08 can be had for half the price, has two more voices, a five octave keyboard, and way more modulation possibilities.
Oh yeah, the Prophet 6 VCOs sound warmer, better, creamier, etc. than the Prophet 08 DCOs, yadda, yadda, yadda. Pfft! Suuuure they do.
actually, this holiday season, P08 keyboards were going for $1200 new at some retailers. Others stopped selling them altogether. bye bye P08, I guess.
The Prophet 6 sound way better in my opinion, mainly because it doesn’t have that brash Curtis filter sound, but the modulation capabilities are indeed very disappointing.
I had a Prophet 08, then I bought a Prophet 06. As Mr Carr says, they’re both excellent synths. My intuition is that the P06 has more finesse, sonically. Is more capable of making you tremble. But, the credit goes to DSi, whichever one you prefer! Really expressive sound creation tools. Honour to Dave!
Hi, Thanks for the tweet. It’s good to see that people watch and enjoy the videos and that I’m not just talking to myself 🙂
Just say thanks to Starsky, made me buy a P12M 🙂 and bi-timbral like the P8. Clearly DSI is positioning the brand more and more in the higher pricing segment by phasing out almost all of the “affordable” products. DSI, please make a new product module version in a form factor that fits in a 19″ rack, like the P12M.
Goodbye P8, Hello DSI Voyager 6 ?