Product: Sequential Circuits Prophet 2000
Price Paid: US $0 (gift) used
Submitted
04/22/2000
at
09:51am
by
Brian
Email: brianw1225<at>aol dot com
Ease of Use
:
6
I am usure of the OS version, because mine has gone through many
upgrades and updates by previous owners. The presets (all 12 of them)
are mixed. Some are annoying, but others are surprisingly good. The
presets are all samples from a Prophet-5, and all can be overwritten.
Editing sounds is kinda quirky, the LCD is a 2-digit display. But the
nice matrix arrangement of the controls makes editing fairly easy. If
you can find a patch editor for it, I do think it would be a great help.
The manual is well-written in clear language with good diagrams. Not
a problem there.
Features
:
8
It is an 8-voice sampler, which can be annoying at times. The keyboard
action is clunky at high velocities, but comparable to other 61-key
synths. The effects are great, I think. It has some nice filters and
such, and they sound very nice. Very editable. Also, it is very
expandable. The "base" Prophet 2000 has 256kb of sample memory,
expandable to 1 megabyte with kits, but I can't find any more of
those kits around. There are also alot of other expansion options,
like an 8 output expansion (1 output for each voice). It also has
some satisfactory MIDI implentation. It accepts and sends MIDI SDS
dumps, and is velocity sensitive. I can be mapped easily in a max of
16 zones, so I think it could make a good master synth. It has a pitch
bend and modulation wheel, a programmable arpeggiator, and up to two
footswitches. All in all,for it's price and age, a good synth. But
for sequencing, you'll have to use an external device.
to use an external sequencer.
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
7
Being a sampler, the sound quality depends on the samples. I've heard
really good sounds and really bad sounds. Being a sampler, it can
adapt to any musical style. Like I said, the keys can be clunky at
times. Velocity-sensitive. But still a little clunky. The keys are
degrading (almost as old as I am), so I usually use an external
controller. But then it sounds beautifully.
Reliability
:
10
I've never had a problem with it's operation that could be blamed on
the synth. Constructed out of steel, not plastic. Built like a tank,
but heavy. Use a heavy duty-bag for this one. I have some of those
little metal carabiners that hold the handles on to its gig bag, the
plastic loops keep snapping. At least 30 lbs of synth.
Customer Support
:
10
Wine Country Productions (http://www.winecountrysequential.com) is
where you'd go for this. I've only contacted them once, and they
were very easy to deal with.
Overall Rating
:
9
For the price you can get it for these days (about $200-$400 US, depends
on condition) it's a great value. I'd like to upgrade, but the money
factor is preventing me from doing so. It's almost as old as I am,
and I've used it for about a year now. It served my uncle (who gave
it too me) for more than a decade faithfully. But then he got a
loaded K2000. Since this is all the sampler I have now, I like it.
It has helped alot. It is road worthy and durable, and can be easily
repaired. It helps me make music when I need a sound that my Yamaha
synth does not have, or when I want to record my own sounds. I wish
it had more memory (but hey, the thing is old). But I think it
was a good addition to my rig.
