Native Instruments Pro-53

I've played several instruments for the last 12 years, but I've only been playing around with synths for about three years now. I have several different types of synths (anything from VA to digitally-controlled Analog), and I've been starting to get into soft synths lately, especially with Sonar 2XL. Even though the Pro-53 isn't a resource hog, I've noticed that Sonar 3 is (compared to 2XL), so I've uninstalled Sonar 3. I figure if Sonar 2 aint broke, there's no sense in fixing it.

Anyway, Pro-53 fits like a glove into my setup. I usually use it stand-alone in conjunction with my two soundcards (SB Audigy, M-Audio Delta 44). No glitches, no snags, no crashes, just a sequencer and a synth that work great together.

If you've got a decent idea how subtractive synthesis works, this is a very versatile tool. If you're unfamiliar with subtractive synthesis and this is your first synth experience, you'll probably do alright, but take advantage of all the included tutorials and do your homework on the internet. There are plenty of sites out there that will explain the functions of subtractive synth, but your best guide will be your ears.

That said, the interface is pretty slick. All the knobs and buttons are always visible by default, saving and loading is a breeze, and hopping from patch to patch is a cinch. The sweet thing is you can assign the mod wheel to do anything from LFO to filter and still have your pitch bender free. It doesn't sound like such a big deal, but given that the Juno 60 only has one wheel, it's neat to me. My only gripe is that the filter/amp ADSR envelopes apply to both oscillators, so you can't independently assign them.

Pretty darned good. The filters are nice and fatty, the highs are chimey and the pads and strings are lush. The oscillators provide enough waveform combinations to satisfy everyone but hard-core FM synth'ers. There's a built-in delay section with a good deal of parameters to add texture to your patches. I've really had some fun playing around with the synth to get a good feel of the sounds it can create. The oscillators can be detuned to give you that cool "Magic Man" sound. It has a "glide" feature, but I've not had much luck with it. It's either choppy and overly-subtle or super-slow to the point of being unusable. Take the good with the bad, I suppose.

I've never used a Prophet 5-voice, so I cannot say if it sounds like the real McCoy. However, I have heard recordings of the real deal in action, I can say that this synth is fully capable of reproducing some hip, vintage-sounding patches with little coaxing. I've never been one for presets, but I must admit the included presets are at least worth checking out. Of course, given the ease of use this synth affords, there's no need to bind yourself to the presets, however dynamic they may be.

Overall, it's a good synth. I've had nothing but good experiences from NI products. I have their DX clone and their B4 organ as well, and all of their soft synths seem to be easy on your wallet and your CPU.

If you have a DAW, you really owe it to yourself to hop on the soft synth bandwagon. With the amazing classic synth emulators like the Pro 53 available, you can snag some of that yesteryear vibe and save some cash too. This synth is no exception, and if you were too young to get access to the Prophet 5 in its hardware heyday, you'll be pleasantly surprised to hear this faithful reproduction.

I've been making music since 1993, and been using this program since it was the pro-5. I run it through fruityloops quite a bit, and also on its own, running a guitar midi converter into it.

I think this is pretty much as easy as subtractive synthesis gets. over the years they've added little things, but I can't say they make it any more comlplicated. if you're totally green to this, do a little homework and find out how subtractive synthesis works, then fiddle away, you'll get the hang of it soon enough. Installation is a no-brainer, VST automation works fine, though I don't have much occasion to use it, and assigning knobs to twiddle in real time is easy. It's really not hard to make it sound good. My one gripe is in saving new patches, and creating new banks. it wants to dump what you make as soon as you change patches. dammit.

OK, I think it sounds damn good. the filters have gotten a bit better than the 5 and 52, but I don't think the difference is huge. Compared to the real deal it sounds a little grainy, but when you put it up against the world of synths at large, it does more than hold its own. Since arturia started putting their synths on the market, I think they really upped the ante for smooth warm-sounding virtual synths, and if NI decide to keep up with the joneses, then their prophet line will really end up sounding exactlyThe presets are good, and there are more out there to be had, I like the richard barbieri set that's available.

light on the CPU. yay. I use it a lot to try to cop andy summers' cool ghost in the machine era guitar synth sounds, which it does a pretty good job of, especially considering that he used some completely different roland jobbie. I'm happy.

I have a load of experience with all types of synthesisers from analog to digital. I have been doing this about 32 years now. I remember when the first polyphonics became available in the late seventies. Everybody would have died to be able to afford one then! I first heard the "Prophet 5 Voice" (as it was then called) at a trade show. There was also initially a ten voice version (just a five with twice as many voice cards), but it was just an empty case at the show I attended. The ten voice was quickly withdrawn after it was introduced for overheating problems I understand. Later there was a "Prophet Ten". Which brings me to my point here: You cannot know what a hassle the old instruments were like in those days unless you lived then. I owned a Rev 3 Prophet Five up until the Roland D-50 came out. It cost me a fortune in those days, compared to what this little piece of software costs. Just getting the thing serviced would cost you easily twice what this software plug costs. I now can use this plug from Native Instruments to replace my cranky old analog!

The user interface is almost exactly like using the original Prophet except for the added features. Even the load/save of presets is similar! I would like to try and see if NI's claim that it will load Prophet 5 voice data from sys X really does work, but I can't seem to find any banks avalable anywhere. I would like to see an option where you could have the synth operate exactly as the original or let you take advantage of regular computer dialogs for loading and saving the way some other softsynths let you. I must say that this thing installs and runs great. I have never had it crash, and it uses only a little CPU on my fast P-III. I can run six or more and still have resource left for a great reverb. The built in delay is nice for echo and great for chorusing, but it does not sound vintage at all. I used an MXR chorus unit on my old P-5 back in the day, and I think NI should have included something similar. I also find turning the little knobs a minor annoyance. I wish they would have given an option to enlarge the front panel graphic. This plug DOES give a very good sim of a Prophet 5 (or ten or more!)in working up patches. The manual will proably not be needed by anyone who remembers working with their old P5. I programmed alot for mine as I didn't like what others were doing with theirs. Btw, the copy protection of NI is really good (no dongle).

How does it sound? Great. Does it sound EXACTLY like a Prophet 5? No. For some reason the top end seems too bright compared with the original (not that the original was dull sounding) I think the oscillators NI are using are still too digital sounding. They sound like they were borrowed from the FM7 (which has a GREAT digital sound, btw) My Prophet had a very 'loose' quality to the VCOs that is still not captured here even with the analog adjustment. The closest it comes too in sound is a late Rev 3 Prophet. I had wanted a Rev 2 at the time I bought mine back in '83 and I could have bought one used instead for less money, but the dealer rightly told me it would be harder and more costly to make it midi. I did play it at the music store in Las Vegas where bought the Rev 3. At the time there was a bit of a controversy over whether the Rev 3 was STILL a Prophet, you know. This softsynth sounds better than the Pro-52 in it's filter, but it does not sound like the origianl Rev 2 Prophet heard on so many recordings from that era. I would suggest, to get close to the Prophet sound I would not use onboard effects but a good vintage plug in. It is great having the highpass filter and the invert switch. I have heard a couple sounds coming out of this plug which are darn close to what I remember. But what I can forget is the sheer HASSLE of owning an old analog synth! No more curtis chips to replace at a hundred dollars a pop! No more tuning problems on humid summer nights. And no more breaking key switches! You young guys don't know what your're missing.

I think this software is so worth it, I'd pay even more for it (but I'm glad NI prices are so reasonable). I think I like this plug over the others I used. I seem to gravitate to it for pads and such. It's alot of fun tweaking a picture of a synth I used to own that actually makes the sound of the instrument in the picture! As I mentioned above this thing is really conservative on CPU. Typical NI. I think they have gotten beyond the somwehat buggy Reaktor simulations to produce a uniquely stable product (like FM7). I also like the extra range in the begining part of the envelope controls over the original instrument and even the Pro-52. Gray-beards like myself are no doubt in ecstacy to see the sci-fi of our time an everyday reality on our studio computers. Virtual instruments ARE the future.

I'm using a Windows 98 computer, circa 1998 (Pentium II, 192MB RAM). My computer is very slow compared to modern computers, so I'm pleased that Pro-53 runs correctly on it. I imagine that someone with a faster computer would have no problem running several Pro-53 instances simultaneously.

Pro-53 is based on the Sequential Circuits Prophet. In the mid 80s I had a Sequential Circuits Pro-One, which is a mono version of the Prophet. I spent a lot of time tweaking Pro-One presets back in the day, so the Pro-53 interface makes perfect sense to me.

If you understand substractive synthesis (the classic synth approach of the 70s and 80s), then you'll quickly grasp the Pro-53. If you don't understand substractive synthesis, then the Pro-53 manual contains a moderately good tutorial, and there's lots of tutorials on the internet. If you just want to use the factory presets, Pro-53 is a great synth right out of the box. If you're new to subtractive synthesis and you want to create your own presets, you'll need to spend 10-20 hours trying all the knobs before you really grasp this synth.

Getting a good sound is fairly simple. It's a very playable synth: moving the knobs alters the sound significantly, and every available parameter is always on the screen. The modulation capabilities are a little complicated for newbies, and I personally don't find them very useful. The architecture is somewhat limited, for example, both A and B oscillators use the same amplifier and filter, but this limited architecture also means that it's relatively easy to adjust. If you want unlimited tweakability, perhaps the Arturia Moog is right for you.

It would be nice if somehow knob values were displayed on screen. For example, when adjusting the frequency knob, I can't tell if I've selected C or C#.

NI placed all 512 presets in a large bank, and also placed these presets in instrument banks so you can easily try all the bass presets or lead presets, etc. So far, so good. But actually storing and accessing your own presets is awkward. NI merely copied the Prophet's preset management, with a few little improvements. Attention NI - we're no longer living in the 80s, we have computers with user interfaces now. :)

Pro-53 has a MIDI learn capability, so you can assign knobs to external controller knobs, such as on M-Audio's Oxygen keyboard.

The manual is moderately accurate and complete. If you need more info, a manual for the Pro-One, which has a very similar architecture to Pro-53, can be found at: http://www.spies.com/~jet/Projects/Audio/Pro-One/Section-1.html

Sound quality and variety is very good, but of course it's a subtractive synth, and you're limited to that paradigm. You can get very fat/deep basses, gnarly mono leads, and juno-type strings. Sounds can be creamy or harsh. Most people that want an "analog modelling synth" should be satisfied. You can fake many acoustic instruments, such as organs, guitars and violins, but you'll never get as close as a sampler can. The delay/chorus/flange section is very good. The filter section is good, but you might want to post-process the Pro-53 with an external EQ for detailed tweaking.

Pro-53 has the standard sawtooth, triangle and pulse (square) waveforms found in the average subtractive synth. I found this palette limited, so it would be nice to have more exotic waveforms, but Pro-53 is a Prophet emulation ... and I can use NI's product Abysnth for exotic waveforms.

Although Pro-53 has only two simultaneous oscillators (A and B), you can fatten up the sound in unison mode, which creates several copies of the two oscillators . Perhaps NI can add waveform C in the future?

Pro-53 is a stable and mature product, having gone through previous incarnations as Pro-5 and Pro-52. It does a very good job of emulating the classic synths of the 70s and 80s. It has lots of nice little features that I haven't mentioned (see the NI website for the details). I've never had a crash (I really wish I could say that about other NI products). Well worth the price, and lots of fun.

Ive been involved in music for the last 17 yrs. I am the keyboardist for a high profile pop band. I use all kind of synths and have just recently discovred software synths.

I use high end production tools.

Along with FM7 and Wave 2.0 this is my favourite software synth. Compared to the real hardware version its a little different but accurate. Very easy to use.

It is very easy to get good sounds out of this and the presets are suprisingly good.

Excellant sound expression.... They did a very good job. Yes it sounds very prophet to me, still digital but lovely.

If it were a little better in the uppers and lowers then I would trade in my real P5.

Overall it cannot be beaten....its beautiful.

This is one of the very best software synths available. If you need the sound of a Prophet and are unable to get the real thing...then this is exceptional. Very very accurate emulation, I full yrecomment this. Brilliant value for money!

1.0? It's New.

The presets sound great, I downloaded the additional set Native-Instruments provide from their website. Nice Bonus.

Simple to edit, just adjust onscreen knobs. A patch editor is not needed.

The manual is very informative and I was impressed with the hands on examples it gives for tweaking presets as well as giving you a lesson
on subtractive synthesis.

Polyphony depends on your CPU. It's a software synth but I use a Yamaha SO3 as a controller.

Has delay as an effect, easy to use.

Can expand the presets or create your own.

Responds to midi controls.

No onboard sequencer.

The presets are very good indeed. I have to say I have yet to get a dud from Native Instruments. (I have the B4 as well). The controls over the
presets and the warm analog sounds are worth the price for sure. Latency is minimal using RME Multiface for my interface.

This synth works well for Techno, as do most synths nowadays, or any other style you might try.

Onboard effects serve the sound well.

It does react to touch and playing style.

I would depend on this soft-synth, it has not crashed once or glitched up an any way. These things are the future for sure.

I would always have some sort of back up for a gig.

I would certainly buy this again if lost or stolen. It is certainly worth what I paid. I have recently started using keyboards with my home
studio. I own Emagic's EVP88(great EP), Native-Instruments B4 (another winner) and Applied-Acoustics Lounge Lizard EP (another best
buy).

I love how the Pro53 gives you nice sounding presets and the ability to change them to your liking. I waited for the Pro 53 vice the Pro 52 for
the improvements.

It certainly helps me make music and inspires creativity.

This is a reasonably priced very good soft-synth.