Dave Smith Instruments Prophet'08

Prophet '08 has a typical subtractive synthesis structure and its user interface layout is quite simple and neat. I updated my OS with the editor/librarian software that I purchased on-line from Soundtower ($ 49). Despite the fact that some of the preset programs reflect the sonic power and potential of it, they could be much better for sure. Editing patches is quite straigthforward, though I still prefer to use editor software for that purpose, due to my way of work actually. Owner's manual summarizes the features of Prophet 08, by assming that you are already familiar with synthesizers.

As it can be guessed from its name, Prophet '08 has 8 voice polyphony which is good enough to obtain fat/unison and pad sounds. Keyboard action is very nice. It does not have built-in effects but, it still has a tyical warm and analog Prophet sound. In addition, due to its two layered sound structure, amazing curtis filters, and good modulation capabilities deep, phatt and evolving sounds are easy to obtain.

Keyboard has a very good velocity and aftertouch response, and you can always adjust its sensitivity for that. This is not an instrument designed to give you some acoustic sounds but, it is designed to give you pure analog electronic voice spectrum from fat basses, to screaming leads, poly synths, pads, and much more to mention..

I own it for almost one month and for now there is no problem and it seems robust and strong. F??r sure, I can use it on a gig without any hesitation.

I contacted with Dave Smith Instruments company for a couple of times, and their response was in a quite short time, and it seems that they are open to my feedbacks.

If it were lost or stolen, I would certainly buy it again. It has a unique sound and with the integration of editor/librarian software it's easy to get new programs in a shorter time, thanks to both GUI and program genetics functions. My other hardwares are: Nord Modular G2 engine, Virus TI desktop, Roland XV5050, Yamaha CS6R, M-audio Prokeys 88.

Due to its MIDI capabilities and computer integration features with its editor/librarian you can organize, edit, save as many programs banks in your computer as possible. Once you program it, in a short time you face with its unique and great analog warm sound.

very easy to use, manual is great, I will never need a patch editor for something with this many knobs...a joy to program.

8 voices is more than enough for me.

sounds excellent! it has replaced all my other poly's. very wet sound, just beautiful... would recommend for any type of music you desire to play/perform as long as you can know how to program and EQ.

I'm not bringing this baby out of my house! It is such a sharp-looking instrument, however it feels just a bit light and delicate for me to be completely comfortable gigging without a very nice shock-proof case, and even then I still wouldn't even use it for a gig, would replicate patches on my Nord Lead 2.

I e-mailed DSI awhile back about Evolver issues and got a very prompt response and helped me out tremendously so I have to give em a ten here as well, god forbid I should have to get this one fixed, but if there was a problem I have full confidence it would be taken care of in the same manner.

I couldn't be happier with this synth. Definitely has its own character. Very straightforward interface, I was able to dial up sounds easily and did some studio work with it an hour after purchase. I really couldn't wish for anything more, didn't buy it as a do-it-all synth after all, but something that would be distinct among my other boards, and it definitely sets itself apart. Love the looks, feels like an instrument i would have had to spend more than $2000, so I would say this is a fantastic value indeed.

I've been lucky enough to borrow a close friend's PolyEvolver for the last couple of months, and I don't mind admitting that even though I think it sounds utterly inspiring and magical, I was a little lost finding my way around initially. I never quite felt comfortable programming it. So I was expecting to have to spend a little bit of time on the Prophet '08 before I got comfortable with it. My experience was EXACTLY the opposite. Pulled it out of the box, plugged it in, pulled up a preset, started tweaking and BANG. Magestic, growling, beautiful and FLEXIBLE polysynth at my fingertips. I'm not sure the previous reviewer and I are using the same keyboard. The layout is intuitive, quick and totally straightforward. Initially I found the area around the display to be a bit cramped, but it's an aspect of usability that has become less relevant the more time I've spend with the Prophet.

8 voices, split or stacked modes, blah blah blah. Read the specs and don't buy it if it falls short. Then again if "features" are all you care about, maybe you're spending too much time complaining and not making enough music and perhaps you'd be happier in a mail room or an office job. Classic DSI keyboard action (I love this action... feels like the keys are natural extensions of your fingers), flexible modulation capabilities - I love the way the mod section is laid out. Makes mod routing quick and easy and again, very intuitive. First thing I did with the board was create a MASSIVE resonant sweeping LPF and assigned pressure to LPF frequency. Receives polyphonic aftertouch, flexible glide modes. I was imaging the arpeggiator and the step sequencer would be a little difficult to navigate as well, but it couldn't be simpler. Everything's right there. It would have been nice to have an on-board delay (like the PolyEvolver) but this is a different board and I'm happy to accept it as it is.

Love can move mountains.

How else can you describe the beautiful sound of this instrument? DCO's??? REALLY??? The FILTER!!! AAGH!! It's just beautifully wet and thick and bubbling... it just sounds incredible. By the way over the years I've become familiar with some pretty rocking synths - and if you think I'm talking about a Nord Lead or a Korg Karma you shouldn't be reading this.

I have to admit, some of the presets are horrible and most of them just fit fairly squarely within boring old "analog synth" style programming territory. Once you start massaging the Prophet into life though... my GOD!!! And anyway, the presets are really just there to demo the various capabilities of the board. It's up to you what you do with it.

But two banks of 128 presets... plenty of room to store your own magic.

The Prophet '08 FEELS like it needs to be taken care of. Although it doesn't seem weakly constructed or flimsy, it doesn't exactly feel solid. It doesn't weigh very much. Overall I think the PolyEvolver feels more robust. I like the metallic feel of the Prophet knobs much more than the plastic/rubber feeling of the Poly's... but I think on both boards, this area is a real weak point. The knobs just don't feel solid; they feel lightweight and I'm just hoping they'll withstand years and years of use.

Having said all that, I haven't had any problems with actual FUNCTIONALITY. Everything operates as hoped and desired.

I've never dealt with DSI directly but my friend has had fantastic experiences as far as I know.

So far I'm in love. I knew this would be a great sounding keyboard but not THIS great. Classic analog synth but with an indefinable element... I read someone's thoughts on it somewhere that sums it up really well. It's not quite traditional Prophet, not quite OB-Xa or Memorymoog, not CS80 and DEFINITELY not JX-8P or Matrix 6/12... it seems to borrow qualities from all of these boards and add an indefinable element of its own.

I don't think I've been this satisfied with a piece of equipment since I got my MPC3000.

This thing's only been out a few weeks, I don't know the software version.

I guess I am responding to this first review. He/she makes a lot of comparisons to the Voyager, which I also have sitting here above my Prophet 08. I think a lot of what has been said is subjective at best. I am also not used to endless rotary knobs for controlling a synthesizer and I would prefer a more Moog-style interface in this sense. However, the only thing that's actually a litle bit annoying to do is name the sounds since the knobs jump around a bit. Actually controlling the sound is easy. I felt comfortable with it in like 15 minutes. It's a cinch. Things like mod destinations take a little longer to find, but I actually find it easier to use than the Voyager. The Voyager still occasionally has me scratching my head when I set something and don't hear what I was expecting. The Prophet is right on. I have been using analog synthesizers since 1986, and I will tell you that the rotary knobs are totally fun and fine. I wish, with many synths, that I could see the names of the patches I am overwriting, but whatevs.

The presets are not exactly 'all that.' They are a nice place to start though, and most of the really great ideas that went into this are represented somewhere in the lineup. I could've lived without the 45 brass sounds that all sound like Asia, but that's just me.

Bottom line: I haven't even opened the manual. Granted I am probably not the guy who needs it the most, but everything is right there.

Again, a disagreement. I prefer the keyboard feel of the Prophet to the Voyager. Maybe it's the psychological advantage of being able to play chords, but the action feels better, a bit heavier. The aftertouch pressure is also the best on any keyboard I have ever played.

The features of this synth are that you get a lovely 8 voice analog synth. A delay circuit would've been nice, or a flanger, but I knew there was nothing of the kind when I ordered it. It is 'old school' in that way. There is a super step sequencer which sets this thing apart. It also has a nice arpeggiator (a random setting for that would've been nice). People such as the above reviewer (below?) are grieving the missing poly-mod section of the Prophet 5 but the 08 has a much deeper mod section than the 5. You can pretty much do the poly mod stuff. Is it *exactly* the same? No.

The build quality is a shade lower than than the Voyager, I will agreee with this. But the price differential is pretty extreme. 3 osc for 3 grand. 16 osc for 2 grand. The only comparable synth is really the Andromeda. I've actually never seen an Andromeda in a store which actually had all of its knobs, so I will assume the DSI is a grade above that. Having said that it doesn't feel super sturdy. The knobs are a bit brittle feeling in terms of 'give,' but I would say nicer overall than the Poly Evolver keyboard. Also I can't disagree about the wall-wart. Wall-warts are pretty irritating. I was hoping it would be 'in-line,' but it isn't. Oh well.

I actually really like the sound of the Andromeda, but I can't stand the layout/user interface. I saw comments in some forum going on about the Andromeda's interface being nicer than the P08. I think this is actually insane. I have owned several Jupiters, several Moogs, Waldorf stuff, Clavia stuff etc and I promise the Prophet 08 is a very easy interface.

I think the P08 is a bit brighter overall than a P5, which is not a bad thing for me anyway. It sounds like a Prophet. Certain sounds are quite eerily similar.

Sounds great. Does amazing things. The presets are not super-inspiring, as I said, but the synthesizer itself is. The mod routings are super and flexible. 4 voice stacks sound incredible with 8 different LFO rates assigned to various destinations. It uses DCOs which I don't mind, but I know there has been grumbling that it won't sound as thick or drifty as an old VCO-based Prophet. Well, this is possibly true, but it sounds great. If you need VCOs maybe the Andromeda is your guy. I've been playing my Nord Lead 2 a lot recently, and the P08 is certainly a lot meatier than that (it does not sound 'virtual,' as some have suggested). I also have the NI Prophet softsynth, which I like as softsynths go, but it doesn't compete with this sonically, particularly in the lows and low mids.

The aftertouch is amazing on this and I have never been a huge fan of aftertouch period.

You can't really run this guy in mono, without changing all the patches. There is a lot of panning going on here and it doesn't sum the panning into mono of you run one signal. At a show I had to run it in stereo live then pan them both up the middle to not 'lose voices.' That was a bit annoying, but I'd rather have the panning capabilities than not.

Obviously don't buy this if you need realistic instrument sounds like pianos or orchestra instruments. That is not what the Prophet 08 is really for.

I already gigged with it. It was fine. I might not tour with it, as I would rather lose a Nord Lead or equivalent to having a beer poured into it, but it was fun at its first show. The knobs might worry me a little if it were traveling a lot.

I guess you call Dave Smith and you get...Dave Smith. I don't know. That would be a treat, but he probably can't afford to talk about Sequential for an hour with every customer who calls...

Price vs. Functionality in current analog synths makes this a winner for my purposes. A simple chorus/flanger and a delay circuit would've been lovely, but I understand the compromises that had to go into this. Making great sounds is easy if you have some experience, and probably pretty fun regardless. I was composing right away, so it has already proven inspirational. It doesn't feel too cheap to me. I am happy with what I got, and I also have some pretty hefty analog synths kicking around to A/B it with. Yes, the Voyager is a tank, but this thing would have to be a $5,000-$7,000 keyboard to really compete with that. I'd rather have it now and have it come in under a certain price point, such as $2000.

The Prophet 08 is easy to use. I'm currently using it on tour to replace my prophet 5. I've found quick to program the sounds I needed. I still havn't had time to explore it thoroughly, but I'm confident I will come up with some new interesting sounds with ease. In a live situation it's pretty hands on, the pots are a bit sensitive, but it's something I'm sure I'll get used to. Having the Mod/pitch wheels in a unusual place, hasn't been a problem for me and I use them alot live. The presets aren't bad either, this is of course subjective. I normally expect them to be a bit crap, but I found some real good ones that I only need to tweak a little to my taste. The manual is not so great, but I didn't really need it as everything is laid out very well. Maybe as a beginner synth, it may be a little bit challenging.

The polyphony at 8 is obviously great, you can stack the 8 oscillators in unison. Easily split the keyboard with 4 oscillators for each sound and stack the two sounds seperately with four in unison. Keyboard action is excellent. It has no effects, which is a good move by Dave Smith, it keeps the price down and they are normally rubbish. The synth architecture features are great and the modulation possibilities are what makes this board for me. More flexible than the prophet 5. Arp is OK, but sequencer is a really really great feature and is again one of the features which makes this synth special.

Velocity and aftertouch are well implemented and it feels good to play. A sound of a synth is such a subjective thing. For example I love the polysix and alway come back to it for recording, but I've read so much criticism of it. I like the synth sounds of Brian Eno, Talking Heads, Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Kraftwerk etc....The Prophet 08 is great for these kind of sounds. If you're into rock, I have no idea if you'll like it. It'd should be good for Hip Hop. It can sound fat. I'm lucky and have a few synths, but if you can only afford one, I highly recommend as you can get a choice of analogue sounds. This is not a Moog and silly to compare it. My Prophet 5 is my fav synth and compared to this it stands up really well. They both have different character. It's early days, but I'm hoping this will become my favourite ....

Again Early days. I've had an Evolver desktop for a few years and had no problems with it so far. So I reckon it should be good. I bought this to replace my old analogue polysynths for live. The old synths were becoming a nightmare....so I'm hoping this is the answer to my problems....

DSI are second to none for customer help. I really mean this

Having used the prophet 08 for two weeks now, both in the studio and live, I would highly recommend the prophet 08. Really great value for money. It's not perfect, but every synth has a character and this one has a great one. I personally wish the pots were a bit better, but they are ok and I dont agree with that poor review that was written before mine. I do not have an Alesis Andromeda to compare it too, which is the nearest competitor. Compared to old analogue polysynths this has to win hands down for reliablility and will hopefully bring down the over inflated prices that they have attained. I still prefer my prophet 5 at the moment, but give it time with the prophet 08 and that may change.

well-laid out, far easier to use and understand than my old Andromeda.

polyphony is a * major * improvement over the poly evolver in terms of how playable the instrument is, and keybedis pretty good too .

this synth is really flexible - I've already got it to sound like a yamaha cs synth, a prophet 600, sometimes a P5 and other times a bit like an oberheim . A great range analog tones. It also * does * have a pretty different tonality from the evolvers, not nearly as rough and distorting at the edges and sometimes quite creamy..

fine so far..

dsi are pretty known for exceptional support , don't expect to have any problems here.

I've had this less than a week and its already adding new dimensions to my mixes - plus its way more portable than my andromeda was. very usable , very versatile synth that will probably be a future classic.

You'd think this would be a no-brainer - it's an analog polysynth, right? Not so. It's difficult to use not because of the architecture, but because of the user-interface. Since all the knobs except Master Volume are continuous encoders, there is no indication of parameter value except for the LCD panel. With all other classic synths and even updates like the Moog Voyager, the use of normal potentiometers means that once you move a knob, you know its value because of the physical limits of the knob and its markings. Not so with endless encoders - unless, of course, they have LED indicators around them, ala Nord Lead 3, or even the cheapie control surfaces like the Behringer BCR-2000. Hey, if I have to keep my eyes glued to a screen while I fiddle with the knobs, I might as well use a soft-synth. But what really drove me bats is that touching any knob switches the LCD screen to that parameter, which is fine, except now to change patches you have to hit the tiny little Program button! And the positioning of that button and the inc/dec buttons is such that it's really easy to hit a knob, which means you have to go hit the Program button again. Grrrr... Compare to the layout of the 8 patch buttons on the Prophet-5, OB's, JP's, et al. Not only did you have 8 buttons to quick-change between, they were right handy, near the keys.

The keys feel a little stiff to me, and have rough edges where the top/front meet the sides. It just isn't nearly as nice a kbd as on my Voyager. I do appreciate the sep velocity curve and aftertouch curve, tho.

No effects, but I don't really care. Interesting that all the P5 clones have at least some delay on them, which would have been nice.

I do like the handy up/down octave buttons, which I wish the Moog had.

There is an on-board sequencer and arpeggiator, which is nice, and you can have each oscillator glide at a different rate. Four LFOs is handy, as well as the rich set of modulation sources and dest. Surprisingly, tho, there is no osc/osc modulation, except for hard sync - no ring mod, FM, or X-mod ala JP-8 or OB-X.

The filters are very basic: there's a 4-pole LP with resonance, but the 2-pole has virtually no resonance (!), so no Oberheim sound. No HP filter, either, let alone BP.

The oscillators are very basic, too - more limited than the P5 or OBs in that you can only have one waveform at a time: saw, tri, saw-tri, or pulse. The P5 or OBs you could simply push, say, the saw and pulse buttons and get both. I really don't like having to dial all the way around to 50% to get a square wave, either; it just feels cheesy, compared to buttons.

As for expansion, you can slave another P8 to it for 16 voices, but nothing other than that. (which is too bad, as there's plenty of room inside the case for an additional voice board, rather than having to buy a whole 'nother keyboard.

There's lots of potential here, given the 4 LFOs and rich mod capabilities, sequencer, and arp. However, the sound *quality* is extremely disappointing. Maybe there's something wrong with my unit, but I don't think so - there are no internal trim pots of any kind and I reran the calibration routine, but I don't think any of that would help, anyway. The problem: ridiculously high levels of crosstalk and bleed-thru. Really! Set the Osc Mix hard over to one or the other and you can still hear the supposedly muted osc. OK, that I could live with, perhaps, as there's an on/off switch for each osc (buried in a menu, tho). But the absolute deal-breaker is that unfiltered audio bleeds through the filter!! It's not subtle, either.

Plug in headphones and you hear all kinds of hash - I was really shocked at how dirty it sounds. And that's not just "an analog thing," either - the Moog Voyager (which is nice in that it has a sep headphone volume level) is totally silent.

The Prophet'08 looks and feels very cheesy and flimsy. The pots all wiggle and wobble terribly, and feel like they would snap off at the slightest mishap. The sheet metal is very flimsy and flexible. Again, compare to the Moog Voyager, which is friggin' built like a tank, the Prophet feels like a cheap toy. And the wall-wart power supply doesn't help, either.

I've heard that Dave himself answers tech support calls, at least sometimes. That's fantastic, and frankly I felt very good about buying this thing sight-unseen because of Dave's reputation.

I'm really, really, really disappointed. When I heard that DSI was coming out with a Prophet - one to commemorate the 30 year anniversary of the Prophet-5, I was elated, and ordered the thing sight-unseen. Sadly, the Prophet'08 is simply NOT a worthy successor to the Prophet-5.

Dave, buddy, you really should have taken a little more time with this one and not rushed it out the door. There's virtually nothing really strong about this instrument, except for its name, and that makes me very sad. I was just entering high school when the P5 hit the market in 1978, and I was really looking forward to buying a brand new Prophet, now that I can afford it. But this baby is going back in the box, and I'll have to content myself with something else.