Dave Smith Instruments Rev 2 Hands-On Demo

This video, via once upon a synth, features a series of audio demos of the Dave Smith Instruments Rev2 keyboard synthesizer.

Video Summary:

Dave Smith Instruments (DSI) Prophet Rev2 demo featuring presets (pads, leads, basses, etc).

This is DSI’s newest analog synth, which is an upgrade of their Prophet 08 synth. It includes new features like polyphonic sequencing, waveshape modulation, a new effects section and more.

No other effects or processing was done, the sound was recorded straight from the synthesizer.

Recorded at the DSI office showroom in San Francisco, CA.

20 thoughts on “Dave Smith Instruments Rev 2 Hands-On Demo”

  1. Nice sounds. I like how musical this synth is, having its own character. Also, apparently it sits well in a multiple instrument (band) setting as demonstrated by the various artists that use this live. The Mehliana record is a very good example. Also the Marc Melia songs in youtube are a fantastic demonstration of its capabilities.

    I wonder about the purported 8 voice version. I’ve read that it does exists but I don’t see any real evidence of its existence. Anybody has a link to that?

    1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRMyTPaz55w

      @2:01 “8 AND 16 voices” (on the board).

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1QPp5yVQGA

      @10:26 “selling 8 and 16 voices”

      @10:38 “voice card expansion”

      http://www.guitarcenter.com/Dave-Smith-Instruments/Prophet-Rev2-Synthesizer.gc#

      “Please select an option” 8 voice or 16 voice

      I am curious of the price of the expansion. It would be nice to wait 6 months or a year after purchasing the 8 voice and get the expansion card for only 599 or 649.

      1. Thank you for taking the time to answer.

        “I am curious of the price of the expansion. It would be nice to wait 6 months or a year after purchasing the 8 voice and get the expansion card for only 599 or 649.”

        Exactly my thoughts.

      2. The REV2 IS an updated Prophet ’08 using the same voice architecture but with new features added. There is a 16 voice version and 8 voice version available.

    2. It is an upgraded Prophet 8 with 8 or 16 voices. You can purchase it with 16 voices, or purchase the 8 voice, and have the option to buy an additional 8 voice expansion module later.

      1. Where is this 8 voice version? It certainly isn’t in DSI site. Do you mean the “old”, regular Prophet 8?

        Nevermind, I just saw your response, thanks crall

  3. this is a great update from dsi. i already have a propher 08, but would love to get my hands on the 16 voice. what a monster synthesizer. PLUS WITH 5 OCTAVES. I haven’t bought a Prophet 06 because of it’s form factor. Who wants a poly synth with 4 octaves? that’s such a weird compromise imo.

    1. I prefer the Prophet 08 over the 6. Oh yeah, the Prophet 6 VCOs sound better. LOL. What a subjective crock that is.

      1. But the Prophet 6 is more expensive so it HAS to be better right 😉 Myself I’m enjoying my new lowely piece of junk Deepmind 12 lol.

    2. I agree about the four octaves. When Dave came out with the Prophet 5 he kind of set the standard for five octave keybeds and thats what we came to expect throughout the 80’s/90’s. I find it strange his choosing four octaves for his flagship stuff. Makes it hard if you wanna comp left hand and solo with the right, or in my case I do a lot of classical ‘switched on’ stuff, and four octaves is simply not enough.

  4. I semi-begrudgingly sold my beloved Prophet 08 to fund this beast. Can’t wait for it to ship. The updates were exactly what I wanted, especially the poly sequencer, sub osc and greater routing options. The width modulation on every waveform is very intriguing as well. I never understood all the hate for the 08, especailly the filter, which I happened to get on really well with.

  5. Some great sounds in this demo. Prophet 08 has better modulation capabilities than the P6 and the new effects on this update go a long way.

  7. I’ve had my 16 voice Rev2 for a while now and I am really having fun with the all the modulation possibilities. It makes my old Prophet 600 seem like something out of the stone age. But the basic sound is just as loud and powerful as the 600. There aren’t any professional reviews out there, but the instrument speaks for itself. If you want an analog synth with lots of voices and modern modulation options, I’d say the Rev2 is a pretty good choice. Assigning OSC SLOP to aftertouch is a cool trick. There are also 4 LFOs that you can assign to just about anything. I wish I could assign more than one effect to a layer, but maybe there’s a workaround that I haven’t discovered yet?

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