WNAMM13: Dave Smith Instruments Prophet 12 - Video

[@lovesteersthestars]

After all these years I finally got P12. Love you and miss you Dave.

[@craigmoran893]

Ive got a Pro3se - is it cool man?

[@thefool2007]

On my wish list today in 2023! Wow what a synth. This man was the synth genius. RIP Dave Smith.

[@davebellamy4867]

Going through some of Dave's old videos. Didn't see this one. It's now 4 June 2022 and Dave is no longer with us, sadly.

[@AwakeFM]

You know, everyone bitched and moaned with the Alesis Andromeda came out for the same reasons (digital parts). I own one, and it's an amazing instrument. And now that it's out of production, considered a classic. 100% analog synths are great, and so are hybrid machines like this Prophet 12. I'm sure it's amazing in its own right - haters gonna hate.

[@davebellamy4867]

7:53 Filter stepping explained by Dave! Filter steps in semitones but sweeps are super smooth. Once you start to go into self oscillation on the Prophet-6 for example, you hear the stepping when you turn the cutoff knob so the filter resonance will always stop at an in tune setting.

[@SRDhain]

I want this so badly! Finally the very brilliant Dave Smith has made something that really will knock holes into walls (long live a HUGE unison mode), rattle window frames and blow the competition out of the water. The level of control PER VOICE, is astonishing! This is a legendary instrument in the making!

[@shookstylez]

Argh been watching synth videos all day.. MUST NEED TO MAKE MUSIC!

[@floatershaw]

Hey me 2 ,,, lol

[@AwakeFM]

True, the A6 does have VCO's. Elka Synthex had DCO's though - I don't hear anyone arguing about it's awesomeness :D

[@laxiton]

When I first heard an analogue I was amazed at the smoothness. Then I heard some beter digitals and thought, this is getting close but something is missing. Then I filtered a digital synth through an analogue filter and experienced the same smoothness as when first hearing analogue (while a it sounded sifferent but not worse). I find this choice for the Prophet rather logical at this point in time.

[@AdamTheAd-vanc3d]

Completly agree,;and for those that know about synth electronics will only truly realise the limitations of analogue , a blend between digital and analogue can work well and broaden the sonic pallete vastly , ive played and owned both analogue and digital love em both . !!@

[@ChrisSmout]

Great new video to compliment the others in the Namm 2013 set, nick

[@shookstylez]

NICK, when are you going to review this beast? Let's hope soon.

[@d34di3]

Dave Smith is a true visionary. While others do the same stuff over & over again - hint @ Moog - Dave does new innovative stuff. I love it.

[@MarcJX8P]

Absolutely brilliant! Also love the understated, stylish design.

[@mima85]

SMD stands for Surface Mount Devices, which are components that have to be soldered directly on the upper surface of the printed circuit board and not from the bottom, like it happens with discrete electronic components (resistors, capacitors, etc...) in their classic form or with older ICs (think about the chips you can find in a computer coming from the 80ies for an example of such ICs)

[@the80386]

50% the people crying about digital oscillators never touched a true analogue DSI/Moog because they are just stupid 15 year old forums warriors who do lots of talking, no actual playing. 2% are afraid that DSP chips may have an early death. Hard to beat analogue in life expectancy. Rest 48% did play an analogue device but still can't get out of their fantasy land where digital is 8 bit and can't compare. I can guarantee you none of them would be able to tell the difference in a blind comparison.

[@dudewhosaysarrh]

yep, SMD's have been used since the 80ies in order to reduce cost, size and weight, Roland juno 6, 60, 106 and even the Jupiter 8 and 6, as well as the SC prophet 05 featured quite a lot of SMDs.

[@jabelsjabels]

Well, the signal path goes osc -> character -> filter -> delay -> out. So, since only the oscillators are digital, and the oscillators are the front of the sequence, then, digital front-end.

[@econogate]

This thing looks so beautiful!!

[@MusisiKamarIndo]

I have a lot of respect for Dave Smith, when he explain about the digital oscillator he looks genuinely sad that he cannot use analog one due to limitation (which i believe is the cost).

[@Digiphex]

Ahh, but it had analog oscillators. And you could bypass digital for a pure analog signal path all the way.

[@Senopatix]

Thanks for uploading this video, it's really interesting. I just don't understand, instead of developing it further more, why Prophet 12 is discontinued if it's "the most powerful Prophet synth ever" according to Dave Smith himself..

[@tomj210]

the whole reason its good is because of the digital oscillators. dx style fm synthesis on an analog sounding synth? yes please

[@econogate]

He always keeps topping himself and amazing track record!

[@TanoIozzi]

Looks/sounds amazing

[@therealKINDLE]

Very slick synthesizer. Oh what I could do musically with such artilery :( Sniff Another great review from Mr. Batt here as per usual. I hope he does a FULL review on Sonicstate TV.

[@Robbinsffxi]

I wonder if you can modulate each oscillator volume with an individual envelope on each, that way I could make some cool classic FM sounds. :)

[@astrophonix]

This is my number one synth must-have!

[@Kinetikai]

What a sweet, sweet piece of kit.

[@Digiphex]

I would have preferred he simply add features to the Prophet 8 that it sorely misses, such as sub osc per voice and some of the analog FX that are on the 12. Then I would have placed my order that second. As it is, I must really try this thing out in depth a few times because, forgive me, I am skeptical.

[@mima85]

To be honest no, at least not in the Juno 106 and the Jupiter 6 (that I own and in which I did quite a lot of works such as recalibrations, repairings and customizations). There are nearly no SMD components in these machines, instead they're full of the old-fashioned ones which have to be soldered on the other PCB's side (I don't know the exact term for these). And I think that the same happens with the other machines you mentioned.

[@Psychlist1972]

Count up dollars spent on equipment, including that second laptop many people have, and those VSTs. Compare that to the price of the synth. You'll find that many people *can* afford it and many *can* justify it if they have patience and desire.

[@HornieCow]

about time they got sum extra voices....!

[@neilbradbury8303]

The filters are analogue which give the sound analogue warmth (just like the VS which used Curtis chips) so I think it's only fair to call it a hybrid synth. Most modern 'Analogue' synth are actually digital with exceptions such as an Andromeda. Any synth programmer will tell you that digital oscillators are far better than analogue ones as they don't detune.

[@Kinetikai]

I can't wait to see the Sonicstate review of this beastly beast when it comes out.

[@videosuperhighway7655]

Still no review.

[@mekkael]

beautiful

[@WizardlySundew]

the fight is on against king korg and dave smiths prophet 12 who will win?

[@TheSHARCRASH]

7:45 Accidents in artistic creation (even in science) tend very often to be the best discoveries!

[@econogate]

His synths maybe the industry blueprint as far as I'm concerned, the rest should fall in line with this kind of building and structure and design.

[@ryanholtz7382]

The analog vs. digital argument is just silly from the perspective of compactness, too. Sure, I'm sure Dave Smith Instruments could have made an analog version of the Prophet 12, and I'll bet it'd be even larger than a fully kitted-out Moog Modular. Where the heck are you going to put 4+1 oscillators times 12 if you're implementing them all as discrete components?

[@thegroove2000]

Does it sound as good as Omnisphere?

[@Psychlist1972]

That's a lot of coin, but seems appropriately priced. It's a beautiful synth, and sounds really good, especially when compared to some of the other recent offerings. Interesting that he can still get CEMs. Really do want.

[@CW2SCOGG]

btw, heard one locally here in the bay area, BEFORE it ever made it to the shops...

[@LFOVCF]

Looks and sounds delicious!

[@earx23]

looking good. analog vs digital : i think you can do compact analog electronics for sure. the problem is that it will be all SMD which is harder to maintain.

[@TheSkepticon]

Will this synth make me famous like Depeche Mode? Or do I actually need to know how to write a song? Really when it all comes down to it, I just want to press a key and twiddle a knob. Because I am a knob.

[@charnk]

I want this in a module.

[@dddux]

Dave Smith makes the only real synthesisers [not DSP] nowadays. I love Dave Smith's philosophy of making synths. Expensive but worth every penny.

[@the80386]

Love DSI too. prophet 12 has digital dsp driven oscillators btw

[@dddux]

Yes, I know that. It's just that analog oscillators are hard to control, so he chose to use DSP oscillators. But many [all?] of today's synths have everything DSP, so essentially there aren't any differences from VST instruments except for the DA converters. That's a shame.

[@dominicstocker5144]

What about Moog!?

[@TRADESMAN-xt4ce]

theres a lot of people goin on about the digital oscillators on this synth byt surely it should be about the sound , not wether its digital or not, why does it matter ? going on sound alone i think it sounds NICE!!!

[@adrianh63]

What does "SMD" symbolize??

[@jabelsjabels]

I want a bank of like 10 of those position + pressure sensor things

[@Gummo22]

this is the best thing i have seen dave smith put out...and 3000 not a terrible price. and i understand that its geared towards the pro player and not the geek bedroom synth player...i guess what the evolver is for. i want one. best i start pinching my pennies!

[@0909sleeper]

Wow, very impressed so far! Want MOAR DEMOS!

[@0M3N802]

good gawd want this so bad already ...arh nooo room!

[@TheZionXIIIGuy]

Cool Synth! Is that the Moog I spy in the back there;?)

[@mima85]

Dave Smith is not fooling anyone, he states clearly that the oscillators are digital and they can do things that are impossible for analog oscillators. Starting from 0:46 you can hear that. He's selling his synth as an hybrid, which is exactely what this machine is.

[@xontag]

I understood prophet 12 has only two layers?

[@Digiphex]

The truth is that if you want a new, modern version of an Andromeda or something like that, there is nothing out there for you. There is a huge, ignored gap in the marketplace. The Prophet 8 missed the mark because it had no sub osc per voice.

[@imyouandurme]

I totally agree, the analogue versus digital argument is just silly. There's nothing wrong with digital circuitry. Arturia boasts about their True Analogue Emulation( sigh, fine), but I've heard patches in straight up digital (and free) software synths that beat the hell out of traditional analogue.

[@jurennn]

the king!

[@synthlab]

Now THAT is a clever argument !!!

[@OKU-DA]

What a beast.

[@ernestgrouns8710]

Fantastic beast of a synth... The digital vs. analog argument is so tired and old... It's about good sound and that's all it's about. This thing is amazing and has limitless potential. Everything to everything modulation routing is very exciting...

[@MadelnMachines]

My OB-8 has this doesn't it? Sound like a dream too. So misleading of him to sell it as having "12 analogue voices".

[@jameswilliamson4144]

This synth is a nostalgia piece, liked a hopped-up muscle care of 30+ years ago. It would have been nice if this video was an impressive demo.

[@Somewhere_sometime_somehow]

Think thisbsynth still has some undiscovered depth

[@FastCarsLoudMusic]

That is the bottom line, but for some people, the analog sounds inspire new ideas, for others its digital.

[@Tuxiloo]

I really like how on every single video about the Prophet 12, at some point in the comments there's a Bill Jackson or a William Shirnberg being hyper-mega-aggressive and "THIS IS SHIT", as thought they were being assaulted with the mere existence of this synth. I never owned an analog synth and this just sounds sexy as hell. Just for the knobs, I mean.

[@xnonsuchx]

It matters because the "Prophet" name has usually implied analog-only. I know some are even peeved about it being used with the VS. Just like Roland using Juno and Jupiter and SH names for new non-analog synths, it seems a cheap marketing gimmick to use the same name.

[@12x]

Beast synth

[@TheDarkBudgie]

I'll DITTO that. The Prophet 12 is sounding pretty cool - as subject as sound is.

[@g00thier]

I will work my ass off in order to buy some of these beauties that were released on NAMM. I want this one for sure! 3K is a lot of money for a broke student though haha

[@ClayMann]

He forgot to mention that this thing can open a portal to another dimension and summon space harpies. But you can't do that over USB, you have to play it live to unravel space time. I can't even grumble at the price really, it's just aspirational gear. People who can't afford it (me), need something like this to aspire to. Those that can afford, we'll they'll probably be sucked into the OLED screen after abusing UNISON and never be seen again.

[@synthlab]

... because ... ???

[@synthlab]

The analog/digital argument is silly. Who cares if it is analog or digital? All we should care about is whether it is something that is fun to play, that it inspires new ideas, that makes music FUN ! That's what it's all about! End of story! (Prophet 12 rocks! )

[@g00thier]

Well I won't get one by complaining :) Already earned 1/30th of this synth today haha

[@xv750nz]

Prophet 5 was $4000 US back in the day, Prophet 12 seems like a good deal to me.

[@jabelsjabels]

yes! I'd rather have a fun digital synth over a vanilla analog synth any day, and anyone who doesn't agree doesn't get what music making is all about.

[@GODenWord]

High end digital music equipment even more expansive then high end analog music equipment. In fact to create high end digital music equipment is very very hard job and it is enormous job but if to do that awry thing right and with exactly 0 compromise it will be even better then analog.

[@mima85]

Things are not divided at all in my mind, rather the exact contrary, I also like both digital and analog gear and actually I own both the types of gear. The question it's not that one likes or not a given synth/type of instruments, these are tastes and every people have theirs. The question emerges when people, according to their PERSONAL tastes, judge "like shit" machines which are not. Simply as that. And you aren't included in this category, just to be clear.

[@mima85]

I'll tell you a secret, analog synths today use mostly SMDs on their mainboards. And nearly all the analog circuitry it's being integrated into custom chips, which are SMD too of course. We're in 2013 after all. Open an Alesis Andromeda or a Prophet 08 and you'll see almost only SMDs on the mainboard. When this stupid comparison and prejudice between analog an digital will come to an end? If a synth sounds good, who fucking cares if it's analog or digital? It just sounds good, that's it.

[@mima85]

Demanding new analog which'll sound like the vintage gear it's an utopy. Today's electronic discrete components are way more precise and with less tolerance than those of the 70ies and 80ies, so an analog synth built today will not sound like one built 30 years ago. Surely it will sound different than digital or hybrid instruments (worse or better, these are tastes), but still there will be people ready to muddy the new analog instrument because it doesn't sound like a Prophet 5 or a Jupiter 8.

[@mima85]

"Sounds more digital than analog..." How you can tell this, from a compressed KZbin video? Oh, c'm on... And even if it would be, well, where's the problem if it sounds good? Yes, there's prejudice, just read some of the comments below, there are people which call this synth "shit" without having even touced it. There's nothing wrong at loving vintage gear, me too I stick to my Jupiter 6 and my other dinosaurs. But I don't bash synths like the P12 just by watching KZbin videos of them.

[@CYBORGH2O]

WOW .

[@CW2SCOGG]

Before you go spouting off at the mouth accusing 'trollisms' understand that what people consider pleasing as sound is subjective. Some people think Kanye West is GREAT MUSIC. I disagree. Been working with synths since I was 14. I own: Emu Emax I, Ensoniq EPS16+,Roland JP8000, Oberheim Matrix 6, Korg Prophesy,JV1080, Virus TI, Memorymoog, Davesmith Tetra, Mopho and MonoEvolver. I like the sound of them all and the P-12 is just plain HARSH. sounds too much like the poly evolver-lobitrite or not

[@Psychlist1972]

But it's awesome that you say you'll work to earn it instead of complaining about the price or begging others. :)

[@inthefade]

I think the analog osc argument is getting weaker and weaker as the years go on. It is not too hard to emulate a sine, triangle, saw, and square waveforms; They aren't mathematical oddities, even if analog synths output them in a weird imperfect way and with subtle harmonics, those can be copied quite well too if done properly, 24-bit 96k perhaps. What is important still are analog filters; those are much harder to emulate perfectly. Plus, let's just listen and judge based on that. Don't just FETISHIZE analog because you think it is cool. If digital does just as good of a job on the way it sounds, then as musicians we shoudn't care, should we?

[@mima85]

And people which always muddy new instruments just because they're not vintage/they don't sound like vintage, aren't they sheep? You can wait until your death for a new analog synth which sounds like a vintage one, but such an instrument will never come. The reason is explained in my previous post. Fortunately we can still choose which is the best instrument for us, so if we want some old-school gear we can always buy a vintage instrument. Those which don't care about this can buy the new stuff

[@shaft9000]

some of the tip-top best synths made now - modcan and buchla - use a lot of digital, in the right places :o). the bias of 'analog is automatically better' is only a product of ignorance.

[@mima85]

Who's bashing? Not you, but read some of the comments to this video, there are people which are telling shit of the P12 just because of its digital oscillators. They've never seen nor heard the machine in reality. Yours and mine ears can be easily fooled by the video's compression, an instrument to be judged have to be played and tested in first person and not just by watching a video of it on the Internet. I'd never bought my Jup6 if I'd based all my judice just by KZbin videos.

[@jamesjackson2856]

"not bad for 12 analog voices"

[@neolojism]

Use line in!!!1 ;)

[@1wibble2]

I believe you'll believe digital is harsh and digital sounding no matter what the actualy reality is. Meanwhile the rest of us will continue to enjoy digitals power and control over the sound, that can do things pure analog synths can only dream about :) You're probably one of these people that thinks digital is harsh cause the bits form a step ladder shapped waveform right?, ie no understanding of pcm whatsoever.

[@devmiles]

i don't know, i'm not that impressed. 12 voices might be brilliant but i already own an andromeda. the P12 will cost 3000 bucks.. you could buy a P8 + a moog subphatty for that or lots of other things. digital Osc with analog filters... that was already done by waldorf with the Waldorf Q+ (underrated) it's good that DSI shifting gears and keeps releasing stuff but the overal thing that i see is that the 2nd hand market is flooded with his products. buy a mks80, juno 60, go modulair, space echo

[@Tuxiloo]

7:48 when the feedback kicks in, Dave gets all scared … hahaha.

[@IllogicGate]

1:03 Well, TECHNICALLY you could have FM with 60 oscillators, but it'd cost 50,000 bucks :D

[@adrianh63]

$3,000 Who said Dave Smith Instruments low priced???

[@squeakD]

Holy Freakin S***! This thing is a BEAST!

[@mima85]

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to say that the P12 sounds "out of this world", I don't like these kind of hypes and frankly, while I find the P12 an interesting instrument, I don't want to get it as I still prefere my gear. That's are my personal tastes. After all it's the same type of hype which makes some people to say that the Jupiter 6 sounds like shit (which that's absolutely not true). (to be continued in your other comment's answer)

[@djugel]

I'll take a 49 key Prophet 6 !!

[@synthlab]

I respect your view, but your comments have nothing to do with music, performance, sound, ease of use, playability, inspiration, mixing, etc.