Prophet vs Prophet - The Blind Test!

[@AlexBallMusic]

THE ANSWERS: 1A Rev 4 / 1B Rev 3 2A Rev 4 / 2B Rev 3 3A Rev 4 / 3B Rev 3 4A Rev 3 / 4B Rev 4 5A Rev 3 / 5B Rev 4 6A Rev 4 / 6B Rev 3 7A Rev 3 / 7B Rev 4 8A Rev 3 / 8B Rev 4 9A Rev 4 / 9B Rev 3 MISTAKE - I originally mixed up 7A and 7B and that's entirely my fault (sorry!). So the corrected answers are: 148 people gave a full set of 9 answers and out of 1,332 individual answers 762 (57%) were correct and 570 (43%) were incorrect. I wound up making a video explaining the outcome as that was easier: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4rNloqArKlph7M Basically they both sound great and the differences are a bit like how the rev3 is different to the rev2. The rev4 now joins the fold of Prophets.

[@macsat708]

thanks for the results, when you say 7A is rev 4 and 7B is rev 3, are you referring to the the youtube video or the wav files? because they're swapped in one or the other. also, there is a typo in your answers, even if we can guess it easily, 2B and 3B should be 5B and 6B. (I'm telling you this in case it is simply a copy/paste mistake). anyway, it was very interesting and informative, thank you for this test.

[@AlexBallMusic]

@@macsat708 Thanks, corrected. These refer to the video.

[@AlexBallMusic]

@@ZaffinMusic Q, the trousers that turned into jam, I didn't fine a use for those.

[@hidikitalks]

Hot Dog, jumping' frog I got a perfect score!

[@xfghffhfg]

from my experience usually "newer clones" have more precise timing and the mids are more "forward sounding" (to me anyway) but here it's the other way around. i was "correct" once out of the 9 times, at the last test i was a little tired of it and this is the only one i got "right":) so maybe i can hear the differences but almost exactly the opposite of what i expected. maybe the vintage knob confused me ears, it's probably all circumstantial but it was fun, thank you alex!

[@ZethKeeper]

Plot twist: actual sounds were coming from Arturia Prophet V and Repro-5.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Busted..

[@JayTheLane]

Funny I was trying the older version of Arturia's Prophet as in version 2 for some reason it sounds nicer than Arturia's Prophet v3.

[@DaveG207]

Brilliant - there’s me thinking “I’ll watch, but I don’t do these”…then you convinced me. 1A - Rev4 1B - Rev3 2A - Rev3 2B - Rev4 3A - Rev4 3B - Rev3 4A - Rev4 4B - Rev3 5A - Rev3 5B - Rev4 (actually sounded identical to me, but hey) 6A - Rev4 6B - Rev3 7A - Rev3 7B - Rev4 8A - Rev3 8B - Rev4 - (funny kind of stepping on this one, but I actually liked it) 9A - Rev3 9B - Rev4 Love that you’re collabing with pretty much everyone I follow!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you good sir. :)

[@xs10tl1]

Funny. I couldn't tell on #5 either. Left it blank.

[@sounddoctorin]

i think i agree on all but maybe 4 and 6

[@DaveG207]

Intriguing!

[@AdamRobertshaw]

@David Grant - I guess the complete opposite way around to you! I guess you chose the softer tonality with less stab as the newer Prophet!?

[@possible-realities]

Well, if you insist. There is definitely a difference, doesn't mean I know which one is which. It was nice listening either way. 1a - rev3 2a - rev4 3a - rev4 4a - rev4 5a - rev4 6a - rev3 7a - rev4 8a - rev4 9a - rev4

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you for taking the time to answer.

[@peterkadarmusic9728]

From what I can tell, they both sound good so I’d likely buy the newer version.

[@AlexBallMusic]

They do. :)

[@ogasi1798]

common sense wins :-)

[@LukaRay]

Very interesting video! They both sound amazing. 1A: Rev4 1B: Rev3 2A: Rev4 2B: Rev3 3A: Rev3 3B: Rev4 4A: Rev3 4B: Rev4 5A: Rev4 5B: Rev3 6A: Rev4 6B: Rev3 7A: Rev3 7B: Rev4 8A: Rev3 8B: Rev4 9A: Rev3 9B: Rev4

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you Luka!

[@yusufkhan-ig7dv]

This video just makes me appreciate how versatile the prophet 5 (both new & old) is. It's just amazing all the different sounds this synth can make and they all sound unique! Thank you for this great video!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Given how few parameters it has, it has a big palette, yes! I guess it's choosing _which_ parameters was the key and Dave nailed it. The magic is the poly mod of course, so many sounds from just that!

[@johnnymorgansynthdreams]

Here's my pics: 1A - Rev 4 1B - Rev 3 2A - Rev 3 2B - Rev 4 3A - Rev 3 3B - Rev 4 4A - Rev 4 4B - Rev 3 5A - Rev 4 5B - Rev 3 6A - Rev 3 6B - Rev 4 7A - Rev 3 7B - Rev 4 8A - Rev 4 8B - Rev 3 9A - Rev 4 9B - Rev 3 Keep up the great work Alex!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Ace - thank you Johnny!

[@TheWarriorSongProject]

I probably should not have watched this. I can’t really afford a new $4000 keyboard, but now I have to have one.

[@melonenstrauch1306]

1A: Rev4 1B: Rev3 2A: Rev3 2B: Rev4 3A: Rev4 3B: Rev3 4A: Rev4 4B: Rev3 5A: Rev3 5B: Rev4 6A: Rev4 6B: Rev3 7A: Rev3 7B: Rev4 8A: Rev4 8B: Rev3 9A: Rev4 9B: Rev3 PS: I would recommend making a seperate Video out of the results, so that everyone gets notified.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks. OK, I'll consider another video!

[@MusicoElectronico]

Hi Alex, great video! Here's my answer: 1A = rev4 1B = rev3 2A = rev4 2B = rev3 3A = rev4 3B = rev3 4A = rev3 4B = rev4 5A = rev3 5B = rev4 6A = rev4 6B = rev3 7A = rev3 7B = rev4 8A = rev3 8B = rev4 9A = rev4 9B = rev3

[@tuc5987]

Wonderful, Alex! I followed Marius ever since his lovely Repro-5 video, very excited to hear about his album being finished. Here are my votes: 1A - Rev 3 1B - Rev 4 2A - Rev 4 2B - Rev 3 3A - Rev 4 3B - Rev 3 4A - Rev 4 4B - Rev 3 5A - Rev 3 5B - Rev 4 6A - Rev 4 6B - Rev 3 7A - Rev 3 7B - Rev 4 8A - Rev 3 8B - Rev 4 9A - Rev 4 9B - Rev 3

[@AlexBallMusic]

Ace - thanks. Yes, Marius is fantastic and that Repro video was the first of his I saw too!

[@jamoore84]

Rev 3: 1A, 2A, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6A, 7B, 8B, 9A Rev 4: 1B, 2B, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6B, 7A, 8A, 9B Preferences: 1A, 2A, 3A, 4B, 5A, 6A, 7A, 8A, 9A Edit: Switching my initial 5A/B guess and adding preferences...looks like I'm heavily influenced by the primacy effect! Can't wait for the reveal!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you! Very interested to know how this unfolds!

[@JulianDoe]

I'm not able to tell the difference but I enjoy the sounds (and I'm copying the patches on my vst :))

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks Julian

[@lorenmorgan1931]

I'm going to laugh if a few of these come back as Repro5. Awesome way you did the tests btw.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Haha. Imagine!

[@alanmaxwell6649]

Better still the Arturia Prophet I played it (the plug in as an AU in Logic Pro X) from an actual Prophet-5 rev 3 earlier in the week and it sounds quite different.Not in a good way at all!

[@lorenmorgan1931]

@@alanmaxwell6649 The Arturia stuff is just not good. It's OK in a mix, or something like Analog Lab playists are amazing for cover bands, because again, it's OK in mix. Play that same rev3 into Repro5 on HQ setting and you will be close to fooled. :)

[@st0rmchild]

You could absolutely slip in Repro-5 and no one would be the wiser.

[@st0rmchild]

@@lorenmorgan1931 The older Arturia stuff is definitely not great, but some of their newer emulations are quite good.

[@NoisyMachines]

Both sound really good! There're some differences, but two P5 rev3 would also have differences! Nice video, and nice patches bro! ::)

[@AlexBallMusic]

This is very true. Fancy a crack at which is which in each example? No pressure obviously.

[@NoisyMachines]

@@AlexBallMusic Of course, I will publish my list soon, but here in my country if someone gives us time, we take the time hahaha and you gave us at least a week hahaha

[@ENSONIQ5]

Excellent video, THIS is how a proper A/B test is done! 1A:Rev4 1B:Rev3 2A:Rev3 2B:Rev4 3A:Rev4 3B:Rev3 4A:Rev4 4B:Rev3 5A:Rev3 5B:Rev4 6A:Rev4 6B:Rev3 7A:Rev3 7B:Rev4 8A:Rev4 8B:Rev3 9A:Rev4 9B:Rev3 Some of these are outright guesses!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks Tony!

[@philiplundberg6862]

Really nice comparsion and lovely sounds. No 3 I can listen to forever. One is more "middy" to me than the other. 1A Rev4 1B Rev3 2A Rev3 2B Rev4 3A Rev4 3B Rev3 4A Rev4 4B Rev3 5A Rev3 5B Rev4 6A Rev3 6B Rev4 7A Rev3 7B Rev4 8A Rev4 8B Rev3 9A Rev4 9B Rev3

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks Philip, much appreciated.

[@eddydeegan]

Ha, I was listening to a bit of Rick Wakeman earlier so I'm in the mood for a bit of this experiment! My guesses are: 1A: Rev4 1B: Rev3 2A: Rev4 2B: Rev3 3A: Rev3 3B: Rev4 4A: Rev3 4B: Rev4 5A: Rev4 5B: Rev3 6A: Rev4 6B: Rev3 7A: Rev3 7B: Rev4 8A: Rev4 9A: Rev3 9B: Rev4 Looking forward to seeing the real results ;-)

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks Eddy, much appreciated. I might have to go listen to some Wakeman too. :)

[@ricktaira7940]

I think I'm more fascinated and mesmerized by Marius Leicht's right toe on Patch 5A & 5B.

[@AlexBallMusic]

He's amazing to watch, yep!

[@vaiman7777]

I love these tests, there’s always a lack of answers 😂 I preferred the Rev 4 on most

[@JimAlfredson]

Great video. But one question: Do you both have the same audio interface? I only ask because in the samples with low notes, one of the two has WAY more sub-bass than the other and I'm wondering if that's due to the difference in interfaces or is actually a difference in the revisions. If it's a difference in the revisions, I'm going to say that the samples with more bass are the Rev4 only because modern op-amps are much more linear than in the late 70s / early 80s and the older components might be limiting the frequency response of the older Prophet. But I could be full of it. So... 1A - Rev4 2A - Rev4 3A - Rev4 4B - Rev4 5B - Rev4 6A - Rev4 7B - Rev4 8B - Rev4 9A - Rev4 Thanks for the cool video!

[@AlexBallMusic]

We don't have the same interfaces, which was always going to be a drawback, but we thought it worth doing nonetheless. Neither have any EQ or processing. Well see in a week if you were right. :)

[@JimAlfredson]

@@AlexBallMusic totally worth doing and thank you and Marius for spending time to do it right.

[@brushandcolorpainting]

had the same question! Also is one of each played via midi and one played by the respective owner? Just curious really.. Big differences in sound and going with the same answers here as Jim

[@AlexBallMusic]

@@brushandcolorpainting When the person who made the patch filmed and recorded it, they also recorded the midi so that the playing and timing matched. We then used each others midi when recording the matched patch. It also meant the audio could be dropped over the video clip and the viewer can't see any timing differences which would obviously give it away.

[@brushandcolorpainting]

@@AlexBallMusic thanks Alex :) nice work

[@greatheightsu]

Thanks for the recommendation to Marius' channel. Some really cool synth playing over there! Thanks!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yeah, what a talent!

[@kerzwhile]

Very strange!! The ones I was sure of, like positive, I was right. Maybe half of the excerpts. My 1st synth was a six-trak in 86'. The sequential sound is burned into my consciousness! There is still a similarity. Enough, I think, to influence my answers.. This video was excellent!!

[@Khae.]

I honestly can't participate in the blind test, but this is an interesting insight into what the Prophet can do to me. Thanks for the video!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for stopping by!

[@antoinebernollin]

1A : 4 1B : 3 2A : 3 2B : 4 3A : 3 3B : 4 4A : 3 4B : 4 5A : 4 5B : 3 6A : 3 6B : 4 7A : 4 7A : 3 8A : 3 8B : 4 9A : 3 9B : 4 So, in order of "appearance" : 43-34-34-34-43-34-43-34-34 (hope it will be easier to read that way !) So many thanks : great experience ! And such a brilliant idea : the results of the blind test will be meaningful !!! Take care Alex and thanks for your great job !

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you Antoine, much appreciated. We've got a lot of entrants, so I think this should be interesting!

[@antoinebernollin]

@@AlexBallMusic Interactive videos : such a great idea ! But you won't sleep at night if you answer to everybody !!! ^_^ . Anyway, your answer is so much appreciated !!! Many many thanks.

[@MIDERA]

I would have no idea. Love the comparison, but to me it demonstrates that there are no differences here that I care about. In fact, looking at the answers people give, I often prefer the one they say sounds like the REV4. Well... maybe I should give this a go and I'll pretend that the 'better' sounding one is the REV3 and see if I'm right.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Give it a crack! Would love your input.

[@MIDERA]

​@@AlexBallMusic Alright, I will!

[@palpiethesithlordofchillin8149]

Rev 4: 1A, 2A, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6A, 7B, 8A, 9A Rev 3: 1B, 2B, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6B, 7A, 8B, 9B

[@AlexBallMusic]

Much appreciated!

[@jamoore84]

Alex, How would you classify each of these 9 patches? Such as: lead, bass, pad, etc. I'd be curious in a breakdown of people's accuracy (or preferences) by patch type in case there was anything interesting to see there. Maybe the Rev4 excels at leads while Rev 3 is preferred for pads.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yep, that's a very good point. Noted.

[@davekerzner]

Ok here's what I think it is. Really curious! Patch 1A - Rev 3
 Patch 1B - Rev 4
 Patch 2A - Rev 4
 Patch 2B - Rev 3
 Patch 3A - Rev 4
 Patch 3B - Rev 3 
Patch 4A - Rev 3
 Patch 4B - Rev 4
 Patch 5A - Rev 4
 Patch 5B - Rev 3
 Patch 6A - Rev 3
 Patch 6B - Rev 4
 Patch 7A - Rev 3
 Patch 7B - Rev 4
 Patch 8A - Rev 4
 Patch 8B - Rev 3
 Patch 9A - Rev 3
 Patch 9B - Rev 4 PS. It would be cool to compare the SSI filter mode to a vintage Rev 2 as well! Thanks for doing this though.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks Dave. Yeah, that would be interesting! Maybe at some point I'll get hold of a rev2, I know a couple of owners.

[@andrewblackburn1426]

My first thought was…”No way, it’s the keyboard player from all those Martin Miller videos!” While I can tell that the patches are subtly different, I couldn’t tell which came from which instrument. That said, this video is yet another reminder of how darned great an instrument the Prophet 5 is.

[@MusicalWizardryMarcoIannello]

For me, 2b/3b/5b/7b/8a/9a are Rev3. The other ones really sound similar on both machines, and I really cannot differentiate (and mostly because of my ignorance)

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for answering what you were able. Much appreciated.

[@MusicalWizardryMarcoIannello]

@@AlexBallMusic my pleasure 😊

[@danielpirone8028]

Patch 6 is savage!

[@fabiang.805]

Not really interested in comparing synths but still had a great time watching the video. Both awesome synths, both amazing players!

[@AlexBallMusic]

That's fair enough, thanks for watching for the synthing anyway!

[@leeselectronicwidgets]

Tough… Definitely some of the examples there’s one version that sounds sweeter. More than anything I think it’s a great example of how the original P5 was so good, considering lack of other good real polysynths at the time. Dave Smith solved a lot of engineering really quickly to get something so versatile and musical 👍

[@leeselectronicwidgets]

And, as usual, really funky riffs!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers! Let me know if you fancy having a go at answering each one.

[@ResonantBytes]

In some tracks there was some note stealing happening in one of the tracks, so I'm quite confident that was the rev3 with only half the polyphony. Also some in some tracks one synth had more variance in oscillator pitch than the other. I'm going to assume that is the rev3, because I would expect a newly made synth from Dave Smith to be perfectly in tune over the next few years. But I might be wrong here, 7B which is the less detuned one has some note glitches which I would expect rather from the rev3. There were some tracks I could not identify using these indicators, so I compared the base sound of the synths and looked for patterns. Depending on how the patches were "transferred" (MIDI or by hand and ear) I might be completly off in those cases. I found one synth was usually more mellow and that always happend to be the one with more pitch variance and in some cases the one with note stealing, so I'm going to assume that is the rev3. The last indicator (when I was completely lost) was which synth sounded more "musical", as in "The way the sound is shaped and operated better suits the performance in my personal opinion", e.g., the vibrato intensity sounds more like I would use or expect it. Let's be honest, that's pure guess work, though. 1A: rev4? (higher filter cutoff, but noisy at the end) 1A: rev3? (more mellow, lower filter cutoff, shorter filter env) 2A: rev4 2B: rev3 (more pitch variance/detune) 3A: rev4 3B: rev3 (note stealing, more mellow) 4A: rev3 (note stealing, more mellow) 4B: rev4 5A: rev3 (higher filter cutoff or just less resonance, note stealing 6:04) 5B: rev4 (warmer, more resonance, louder, slightly shorter filter env) 6A: rev4? (vibrato sounds very nice, brighter) 6B: rev3? (too much vibrato) 7A: rev4 7B: rev3 (more mellow, more detune, warmer, shorter filter env, lower filter sustain? sounds more rounded, but filter more similar to 5B and strange note glitches around 8:04) 8A: rev3 (note stealing) 8B: rev4 9A: rev3 (more pitch variance) 9B: rev4 (super clean)

[@ResonantBytes]

Typo fix ;) 1A: rev4? (higher filter cutoff, but noisy at the end) 1B: rev3? (more mellow, lower filter cutoff, shorter filter env)

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for the detailed reply! All will be revealed very soon.

[@MacXpert74]

Looking at other peoples results, it's clear the choices vary quite a bit, so at least it's save to say it's not obvious which is which. Looking forward to seeing the real results. Thanks Alex!

[@jhhhfdm11]

a little trickery going on with patch 9 there but i appreciate it, its just hard to tell with these comparisons if they are made to point out something or made to hide it

[@Sajxi]

I might as well give it a go! By the way, the music sounded awesome, as always. 1A - Rev 4 1B - Rev 3 2A - Rev 3 2B - Rev 4 3A - Rev 4 3B - Rev 3 4A - Rev 4 4B - Rev 3 5A - Rev 3 5B - Rev 4 6A - Rev 3 6B - Rev 4 7A - Rev 4 7B - Rev 3 8A - Rev 4 8B - Rev 3 9A - Rev 4 9B - Rev 3

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for giving it a go!

[@ebeyslough]

Don't have the $ for hardware, so I use the Prophet 5 and VS VSTs in Arturia's V Collection. They sound great and I challenge anyone who can pick out the hardware vs software in a mix.

[@joakimeliasson3244]

I tried to mostly listen for how the filter sounds when driven by the envelope and I feel like if you would describe how open the filter sounds by a curve, they wouldn't be exactly covariant. To my ear one has a more slow starting filter that gives it a bit more refined sound whilst the other feels a little more open and saturated? I'm guessing the rev4 is the more refined and the rev3 is more saturated. 1A - Rev3 1B - Rev4 2A - Rev4 2B - Rev3 3A - Rev3 3B - Rev4 4A - Rev3 4B - Rev4 5A - Rev4 5B - Rev3 6A - Rev3 6B - Rev4 7A - Rev3 7B - Rev4 8A - Rev4 8B - Rev3 9A - Rev4 9B - Rev3 Great video and I'm really excited to see the result.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for the answer and explanation, I'll be able to tell you very soon.

[@liambate2301]

my favourites: 1A Rev 4 - More bassy and warm 2B Rev 3 - More warmth with nicer envelopes 3A Rev 4 - More depth and warmth 4B Rev 4 - Sizzling bass sounds really good 5B Rev 4 - Warmer and more pronounced bass 6B Rev 3 - Less aggressive and warmer 7A Rev 3 - Really nice smooth envelopes, my favourite sound 8A Rev 3 - Really the 8B patch sounded terrible because of the filter stepping 9B Rev 3 - Tighter and has a nicer resonant filter sweep If I had to pick one it would be none as I can't afford one ;)

[@brettlarson3504]

The resonance on 9B says it all. Those rolling harmonics. These little differences do add up :)

[@qlyde]

I only got 4 out of 9.. Kinda makes me happy though, I was guessing only based on grittiness and how much I liked the sound. Meaning I preferred the Rev4, 5 of 9 times. What a time to be into synths! My P6 arrives this week so im overloading on Prophet content while I wait 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Md2802]

I don't know the units enough to guess which is which, so I'll just say what I prefer: 1 - Clearly Prefer *B* 2 - Clearly Prefer *A* (mainly because the extra wobble in B didn't suit the part) 3 - Clearly Prefer *B* 4 - Slightly Prefer *A* 5 - Clearly Prefer *B* 6 - Clearly Prefer *A* (patches were quite different, so it's difficult to judge on the character of the units) 7 - Clearly Prefer *B* 8 - No Clear Preference 9 - Definitively *A* (patches were again different, but you can better hear the underlying character in this one) Looking forward to seeing the results. Hope it's the newer / cheaper / higher-voice / more-reliable one that's dominating my picks, or at least there with an even split.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers for answering with preferences, that's itneresting.

[@Md2802]

​@@AlexBallMusic Thank you for putting it together. Especially in this format. I love the honesty of blind tests, where people are forced to go on record before the reveal. And not to get too far off topic, but *man* your demo songs kick ass. I'll often watch a review for a piece of gear I'm not interested in just for the treat at the end. Ah hell, that's a lie - I always enjoy your walk-throughs as well.

[@FreshPrinceOfEnid]

Only one I can confidently say is 4A was Rev 3 because 4B didn't have voice stealing ;)

[@AlexBallMusic]

Or was it....(does spooky waving fingers and pulls face)

[@MacXpert74]

Yep, that's also what I noticed right away. I'm a bit surprised many people didn't seem to catch that looking at their choices. 🙂

[@nearcoincidental]

This was fun! Thanks for putting this together:) Rev3 1B, 2B, 3A, 4B, 5A, 6B, 7A, 8B, 9A

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for taking part. :)

[@justinmerritt3843]

At this point, they sound so close, the only drawback will be the musician playing them. I don't think the difference would even be heard in the mix It is very slim, not actually big enough to be noticable and also factor in component age.. in that regard, no difference.

[@AlexBallMusic]

It does always come down to the musician, yep.

[@PWMaarten]

Great set up for a comparison like this! 1A - 4 1B - 3 2A - 3 2B - 4 3A - 4 3B - 3 4A - 3 4B - 4 5A - 3 5B - 4 6A - 3 6B - 4 7A - 4 7B - 3 8A - 3 8A - 4 9A - 3 9B - 4

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for playing the game!

[@tremot7143]

1a: Rev4 1b: Rev3 2a: Rev3 2b: Rev4 3a: Rev4 3b: Rev3 4a: Rev3 4b: Rev4 5a: Rev3 5b: Rev4 6a: Rev4 6b: Rev3 7a: Rev4 7b: Rev3 8a: Rev3 8b: Rev4 9a: Rev3 9b: Rev4 My reasoning is that the Rev3 should sound fatter and smoother or just less dynamic, while the Rev4 should clearer and punchier. I'm thinking because of the amp section and the filters on the Rev4 should be a hair faster. Maybe every A and B tracks are the same synth, but this was a fun listen all the same. Nice work on those gorgeous patches!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you. We'll find out soon enough whether your hunch was right. A few others have used the same line of reasoning. :)

[@artisan002]

By my best assessment... Patch 1a: Rev3 / Patch 1b: Rev4 Patch 2a: Rev4 / Patch 2b: Rev3 Patch 3a: Rev4 / Patch 3b: Rev3 (Really dig that one, btw) Patch 4a: Rev3 / Patch 4b: Rev4 (Dig that one too) Patch 5a: Rev4 / Patch 5b: Rev3 (Nice! Reminds me of something by Empire of the Sun) Patch 6a: Rev4 / Patch 6b: Rev3 Patch 7a: Rev4 / Patch 7b: Rev3 Patch 8a: Rev3 / Patch 8b: Rev4 (I think I hear stepping?) Patch 9a: Rev4 / Patch 9b: Rev3 (Love that filter sweep in both cases)

[@lumigado3542]

This is an interesting concept, I'll try it out, despite not knowing much of what each revision would sound like, just their specifications 1A - Rev4 1B - Rev3 2A - Rev4 2B - Rev3 3A - Rev3 3B - Rev4 4A - Rev4 4B - Rev3 5A - Rev4 5B - Rev3 6A - Rev4 6B - Rev3 7A - Rev3 7B - Rev4 8A - Rev4 8B - Rev3 9A - Rev4 9B - Rev3

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for taking part!

[@Blowinbox]

Both are so close, im happy that i have pulled the trigger for the Rev 4 10 voice. I always loved the tone of this beauty and i absolutely prefer the Rev 3 Filtermode. Also the actual prices for „serviced“ Rev 3s are nuts for a 40 years old masterpiece. BTW thank you and Marius for the marvelous content, i would love to see a Video with the Baloran - the River from you, also a lovely and huge vintage sound and i think you would love it too.😉✌🏻

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks. I'll have to check out Baloran - never heard of that.

[@aliross8744]

There is an audible ground hum on one of the machines. Shame really as a great concept for testing. Would have to suspect the Rev 3 is the culprit but who knows.

[@benanderson89]

Listening with halfway decent headphones and a clean DAC makes it a bit easier because the old Rev 3 has a bit of a noisy output (I assume, for all I know your Rev4 might have a ground loop issue that has crept up). Plus, the Rev4 has a slightly more elastic quality (pretentious language I know) with the tiniest cut in the high frequencies that I picked up on; but if I didn't own a Rev4 myself I never would've made that connection. The differences with both of them are miniscule anyway. This is the same level of difference you'd get between two Rev 3s that had been serviced by two different people. My guesses are: 1A: r4 1B: r3 2A: r4 2B: r3 3A: r3 3B: r4 4A: r4 4B: r3 5A: r3 5B: r4 6A: r4 6B: r3 7A: r3 7B: r4 8A: r4 8B: r3 9A: r4 9B: r3

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you, I'll reveal very soon.

[@CertainlyCaro]

To paraphrase a quotation from Mr. Incredible, *PROPHET IS PROPHET*

[@torroidal7545]

But... what about the 2000/2002, the 3000 and the VS. ;) I have the 3000 and the VS (and a 2000'ish transformed into a 440) and they all sound different... ; ) But I know what you mean. :)

[@nickhaldin8674]

There’s a fairly clear difference in most patches. But as for which is which is totally unclear. All analog synths will sound slightly different from each other and that’s never a bad thing.

[@hardcorehouse]

There is a difference, but I wouldn't say it's entirely clear to most years. I want many vintage profits, and the variances aren't that great actually; I think the difference between these models is slightly more

[@AlexBallMusic]

All part of the fun. :)

[@nickhaldin8674]

@@AlexBallMusic exaaaaactly!

[@davemaverick8438]

Its similar but the last preset shows real quality of vintage fluid filters and punch/ presence

[@WhiskersInc]

Guesses for version A for patches 1-9: 4, 3, 3, 4, 3, 3, 3, 4, 3; version B vice versa. Great video!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for taking part!

[@macsat708]

I think the prophet-5 rev 3 is 1B ; 2B ; 3A ; 4A ; 5B ; 6A ; 7B in the video (or 7A with the wavs) ; 8A ; 9A because it seems to have more presence and clarity to me. The other one is sounding close on some patches but duller on some other patches.

[@_s_d_k_]

1A - Rev3 1B - Rev4 2A - Rev3 2B - Rev4 3A - Rev3 3B - Rev4 4A - Rev4 4B - Rev3 5A - Rev4 5B - Rev3 6A - Rev3 6B - Rev4 7A - Rev3 7B - Rev4 8A - Rev4 8B - Rev3 9A - Rev4 9B - Rev3

[@AlexBallMusic]

Legend - thank you!

[@VultureCulture]

1a: Rev3 1b: Rev4 2a: Rev3 2b: Rev4 3a: Rev3 3b: Rev4 4a: Rev3 4b: Rev4 5a: Rev3 5b: Rev4 6a: Rev3 6b: Rev4 7a: Rev3 7b: Rev4 8a: Rev3 8b: Rev4 9a: Rev3 9b: Rev4 Incredible how close these two sound!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks!

[@polydata]

I was able to identify 9 out of 10 correctly. The only one I got wrong is the high resonance example 8, which is hard to tell the tone because you mostly hear resonance. Having owned both, the bigger low end on the new one is a big giveaway to which is which.

[@John_Stone_]

I could listen to an hour of this.

[@jesseanderson3835]

Either way we all win. Been saving up and selling off for a 6. Looking forward to adding to my meager collection. Cheers

[@NicolasMelis]

one of the two is fuller on bass , i guess is the new rev but not sure :) 1A - Rev4 1B -Rev 3 2A - Rev4 2B -Rev 3 3A - Rev3 3B- Rev 4 4A- Rev 3 4B - Rev4 5A- Rev 3 5B - Rev4 6A - Rev4 6A- Rev 3 7A- Rev 3 7B - Rev4 8A - Rev 4 8B - Rev3 9A - Rev4 9B- Rev 3

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you!

[@GertBoers]

Yes, I have heard of the Prophet. That's as far as my knowledge of these synths goes. ^_^

[@AlainHubert]

I might be wrong, but here goes: 1a - Rev4 1b - Rev3 2a - Rev4 2b - Rev3 3a - Rev4 3b - Rev3 4a - Rev3 4b - Rev4 5a - Rev3 5b - Rev4 6a - Rev3 6b - Rev4 7a - Rev3 7b - Rev4 8a - Rev4 8b - Rev3 9a - Rev4 9b - Rev3 Thanks for this very interesting video "blind test".

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers Alain!

[@AlexBallMusic]

If I recall, you were one who asked for this?

[@AlainHubert]

@@AlexBallMusic Absolutely! Thank you, and Marius, for this ! I hope that I'm at least half right half of the time? 😆 Cheers Alex!

[@tehedx]

Nice, Kenny Baron voicing for patch 3. Always works well.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Gotta love those open 5ths.

[@nickclark7761]

Great idea and a lot of fun to do! In all honesty I assumed the clip I liked the best was the Rev3, which reveals a very silly prejudice even in a blind test. Would be funny if I got every single one wrong. 1A = Rev3 2A = Rev4 3A = Rev4 4A = Rev3 5A = Rev4 6A = Rev3 7A = Rev3 8A = Rev3 9A = Rev4 Thanks!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks Nick!

[@philmarsh5593]

I never do these either - but I did. Seemed to me 1 of the pair always sounded slightly more mellow with more body than the other. I took the more full bodied one to be the 3. But I've never played either so probably hideously wrong on all counts! I am also quite envious of Marius's ability to sit with his legs crossed (assuming he could still stand up unaided to turn the camera off) :-) 1A - Rev 3, 1B Rev 4 2A - Rev 4, 2B Rev 3 3A - Rev 4, 3B - Rev 3 4A - Rev 4, 4B - Rev 3 5A - Rev 4, 5B - Rev 3 6A - Rev 4, 6B - Rev 3 7A - Rev 4, 7B - Rev 3 8A - Rev 3, 8B - Rev 4 9A - Rev 3, 9B - Rev 4

[@AlexBallMusic]

Ace - thank you. Marius - yes, so serene. He sometimes swings a leg out to seamlessly control a pedal too.

[@MelonadeM]

I really wasnt going to bother participating but I Have Been Influenced 1A Rev4, 1B Rev3 2A Rev4, 2B Rev3 3A Rev4, 3B Rev3 4A Rev3, 4B Rev4 5A Rev4, 5B Rev3 6A Rev3, 6B Rev4 7A Rev4, 7B Rev3 8A Rev4, 8B Rev3 9A Rev4, 9B Rev3

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers for the answer, very symmetrical. :)

[@MelonadeM]

@@AlexBallMusic no problem - thanks for not actually putting the answers at the end just for that little extra incentive to do this, too

[@falconhoof6]

I hear it, but in all likelihood I've got them the wrong way round. Good fun regardless. 1A - rev3 1B - rev4 2A - rev4 2B - rev3 3A - rev4 3B - rev3 4A - rev3 4B - rev4 5A - rev4 5B - rev3 6A - rev4 6B - rev3 7A - rev4 7B - rev3 8A - rev4 8B - rev3 9A - rev3 9B - rev4

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you!

[@electrowayne2918]

ELECTRO WAYNE Alex we need the patches after this is all settled! Please? Lol . Great video! There are a few rev 3 owners that I know who post on every prophet video on the net stating some “enormous” sonic gap between these 2 😂. Some even cancelled there rev 4 pre orders lol! I’m waiting to see if they will have the pair to post their thoughts now. That huge sonic gap and 10k top end” Sizzle” they swore was missing even after the extra caps issues was resolved. . I’m needing to see 97% or better answers from that lot. that 7k worth difference. I love my rev 4 and will still get a rev 2 or 3 one day. Looking forward to the results and the patches 🙏 Thanks for the video

[@AlexBallMusic]

Would be very interested in anyone and everyone's answers. A blind test is quite humbling and that's why I said we should leave all that crap at the door because I know the scenario you're describing. Another reason a blind test is great is that even if there are differences, that doesn't necessarily identify which is which. There isn't just one precise way for something to sound great. Will see what the results are , we've got quite a few entrants now. :)

[@leesimeone]

Roy Harper on the lovely Prophet 5.

[@nickdryad]

“Sir, will there be an exam on this?” “I’m afraid so, Spotty major, I’m a afraid so.”

[@LouisSerieusement]

I choose the rev 3 as the one that had phase issues with the osc, and more "resonance induced basse", or more dynamic overall but to be honest I absolutely have no idea in the end ! 1A rev 4 1B rev 3 2A rev 4 2B rev 3 3A rev 3 3B rev 4 4A rev 3 4B rev 4 5A rev 4 5B rev 3 6A rev 3 6B rev 4 7A rev 4 7B rev 3 8A rev 4 8B rev 3 9A rev 3 9B rev 4 Good luck for collecting all the answers :p cheers Alex !!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks! Will reveal all soon.

[@Ashfaq1999]

Great video, both prophets are brilliant.

[@AlexBallMusic]

They are!

[@Ashfaq1999]

@@AlexBallMusic Thanks Alex 😊

[@williamcookmiller6997]

translation -- "rev3" sounds "vintage" to my naive ears. and/or i like it more. 1a - rev3 1b - rev4 2a - rev4 2b - rev3 3a - rev4 3b - rev3 4a - rev4 4b - rev3 5a - rev4 5b - rev3 6a - rev3 6b - rev4 7a - rev3 7b - rev4 8a - rev4 8b - rev3 9a - rev3 9b - rev4

[@AlexBallMusic]

Ace - thank you!

[@angel2of7death]

1A - Rev 4 1B - Rev 3 2A - Rev 3 2B - Rev 4 3A - Rev 4 3B - Rev 3 4A - Rev 4 4B - Rev 3 5A - Rev 4 5B - Rev 3 6A - Rev 3 6B - Rev 4 7A - Rev 3 7B - Rev 4 8A - Rev 3 8B - Rev 4 9A - Rev 4 9B - Rev 3

[@graxjpg]

I think maybe one has different default envelope curves and the oscillators seem to have a bit of a different thing going on. Once I get back home to my reference system I will give a little guess just to see if i can even consistently guess the same synth one patch to the next.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Please do! Look forward to your answers.

[@mar7838]

I have never played a prophet so I'm probably totally wrong. It would be nice to know how consistent people were with their choices in addition to if they were right or wrong. 1A - Rev3 1B - Rev4 2A - Rev3 2B - Rev4 3A - Rev4 3B - Rev3 4A - Rev3 4B - Rev4 5A - Rev4 5B - Rev3 6A - Rev4 6B - Rev3 7A - Rev3 7B - Rev4 8A - Rev3 8B - Rev4 9A - Rev3 9B - Rev4

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for playing

[@seersound1]

for the test whichever sound I preferred I gave it to the Vintage....8 out of 9 correct...Vintage just sits better nothing is jumping out note to note...phase is tighter as I now find with all these vintage vs reissue comparisons....wonder why they just cant nail the phase aspect in present day?

[@nisroch]

1A - Rev 3 1B - Rev 4 2A - Rev 3 2B - Rev 4 3A - Rev 4 3B - Rev 3 4A - Rev 3 4B - Rev 4 5A - Rev 4 5B - Rev 3 6A - Rev 4 6B - Rev 3 7A - Rev 4 7B - Rev 3 8A - Rev 4 8B - Rev 3 9A - Rev 3 9B - Rev 4 Looking forward to the results!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers!

[@MPPelli]

Sure, I'll play. They both sound great. 1A - rev4, 1B - rev3 2A - rev4, 2B - rev3 3A - rev3, 3B - rev4 4A - rev4, 4B - rev3 5A - rev3, 5B - rev4 6A - rev4, 6B - rev3 7A - rev4, 7B - rev3 8A - rev4, 8B - rev3 9A - rev3, 9B - rev4 BTW, you could do this test with two rev3s and probably get at least the same amount of variation in sound. 😀

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you for taking the time. ...and yes, you're absolutely right. I've had two of the same units in the same place at the same time more than once and they sounded different. I picked the one I preferred.

[@user-fo3ug3cr4m]

What happend in 9A/9B that's a difference between day and night. I am not going to estimate which is which because I have no experience at all. But I'd be interested in the presets (how these sounds are synthesized).

[@AlexBallMusic]

I'm not saying anything until I reveal the results, but I'll give my opinion at that time. :)

[@TheWarriorSongProject]

I suspect it was the difference between the 5-voice in unison and the 10-voice in unison. The 10 would naturally sound dramatically different. These were Night and day, and both patches were fantastic, but nowhere near the same thing.

[@AlexBallMusic]

@@TheWarriorSongProject You can change the voice count of the unison on the P10, which is what I did. But they were still very different but both very cool (as you say). There's actually a mode to disable 5 voices on the 10 now, so that it behaves like a 5. People requested it but it's not something I'd ever use.

[@ArchipelagoEnt]

Love your videos! Which mixer is that under the Prophet?

[@ToyKeeper]

Some of the clips gave hints about which was which, due to turning a knob or a mod wheel or the sound generally just being a little "off" in one clip or the other. Using that as a guide, it seemed like the rev4 had more bass and treble, while the rev3 seemed darker with more middle frequencies. So with that as a guide, here are my guesses: 1A rev4 1B rev3 2A rev4 2B rev3 3A rev4 3B rev3 4A rev3 4B rev4 5A rev3 5B rev4 6A rev3 6B rev4 7A rev3 7B rev4 8A rev4 8B rev3 9A rev4 9B rev3 Patch 7 didn't match what I expected though, which makes me think perhaps my entire approach was wrong.

[@ToyKeeper]

This exercise definitely brings to mind the definition of an audiophile though... someone who listens to the equipment instead of the music. :D So I'm'a stop trying to find hidden audio fingerprints, and instead just enjoy some music.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for the answers. All will be revealed soon and you've touched upon something I was going to talk about. :)

[@sw1ne2001]

Objectively I'd need to understand the recording chain; interface, sampling rate and any processing pre-you tube crushing?

[@AlexBallMusic]

Straight into the audio interfaces. No compression, no EQ (channel or master). 24 bit 44.1khz

[@sw1ne2001]

@@AlexBallMusic Another reason I like you and your channel. Thank you very much for the response. I'm still amazed one of the funkiest dudes out there is nearly live in my eyes...

[@AlexBallMusic]

@@sw1ne2001 Cheers!

[@Pablo668]

I have no idea which is which, I just don't know enough about these synths, but, to me one sounds a little brighter overall and the other a little more mellow, and there really isn't a lot in it.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for your thoughts, all good to know.

[@denversos]

Thank you for this vidéo. Is there a noticeable difference in build quality, buttons, knobs, plastic keys etc? And The rev 3 component where made in japan that can make a difference....Thank you.

[@deantiquisetnovis]

I could not hear a difference, but I love 3A most! Any chance to get the settings? I shall try to recreate the sound with my Prophet 600 👍

[@muggywaters6309]

B sounded better on all of them except 1, 8, and 9. (In my opinion) so I guess they're all the same rev? I have no clue which. 6 was a bit of a tossup, but I thought "the B's" sounded warmer, and more voices present on 8A.

[@AlexBallMusic]

All will be revealed very soon...

[@aptudo]

Interesting, my opinion matches yours on all but two of them. To my "except" list, I would add 3 (strongly) and 7 (somewhat).

[@IoannisKazlaris]

I will play: 1A: Rev4 1B: Rev3 (sounds a little more fuzzy) 2A: Rev4 2B: Rev3 (sounds a little more bright) 3A: Rev4 3B: Rev3 4A: Rev3 4B: Rev4 (envelopes decay is different) 5A: Rev3 (sounds almost identical with 5B) 5B: Rev4 6A: Rev3 6B: Rev4 (sound a bit more "static"?) 7A: Rev4 7B: Rev3 8A: Rev4 8B: Rev3 9A: Rev4 (sounds a bit fuller) 9B: Rev3 Most likely I got all of them wrong, lol.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you for playing!

[@UKMikey]

Does the winner get a free Prophet synth Alex? Ha ha. I don't know which is which so I could be listening out for the wrong stuff but one of the synths sounds brighter and fuller to my ears. I'm guessing that's the rev4? Based on the above this is my guess. Looking forward to the survey results. 1a: rev3 2a: rev3 3a: rev4 4a: rev4 5a: rev3 6a: rev4 7a: rev3 8a: rev3

[@AlexBallMusic]

The winner gets a sandwich. :) Thanks for the answers, I've added it to the database!

[@MarshalArnold]

I'm afraid that since I've had zero time with a Rev 3 it would be impossible to even make educated guesses That said, I'm super excited to see the actual results so that I will have a frame of reference in terms of differences.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Cheers Marshal. Will be interesting to find out how it ends up...

[@danielhertzmaybe]

I'm still a bit new to synths (even newer to vintage ones+emulations) but I think I could spot the differences most of the time, anyway here's my take on it: 1A: Rev3 1B: Rev4 2A: Rev4 2B: Rev3 3A: Rev4 3B: Rev3 4A: Rev4 4B: Rev3 5A: Rev3 5B: Rev4 6A: Rev4 6B: Rev3 7A: Rev4 7B: Rev3 8A: Rev4 8B: Rev3 9A: Rev3 9B: Rev4

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you, much appreciated.

[@NeoTeAika]

I reckon... 1A. R4 1B. R3 2A. R4 2B. R3 3A. R4 3B. R3 4A. R3 4B. R4 5A. R3 5B. R4 6A. R4 6B. R3 7A. R4 7B. R3 8A. R3 8B. R4 9A. R3 9B. R4 **HOWEVER** I noticed some of these have a noise floor. I wanted to try and judge without taking the noise into account, so my thoughts are based on what I thought I was hearing out of the actual oscillators and such. Looking forward to seeing the results! Thanks for the video!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks! All will be revealed soon.

[@H4NDCRAFTED]

A real mixed bag , I guess wrong about 50%. The rev 3 patched I did guess , just seemed to a slightly smoother sound. I preferred the shorter envelope sounds for the rev 4. It really so close.

[@jazzbeats8168]

the rev4 sounds slightly harsh to my ears... im not really fond of mine. the envelopes also don't sound very natural.. its a a little more snappy then the rev3. has too much low end in a lot of the cases.... I like the TRI wave on the rev3 more, sounds rounder