Elektron-Users

I have owned a lot of Dave Smith gear over the years. Prophet 10, Prophet 5 (rev 2 and 3), Prophet VS, T8, Pro-One, PolyEvolver, and P08. The PE and P08 were the only 2 synths I bought new in the past 10 years.

Currently I still own a rev 2 Prophet 5 and a Pro-One...

My main issue with the P08 was the expectation versus reality. I expected an analog synth and yet it sounds no better (and in some ways worse) than most VAs out there. I didn't think my expectations were out of line, but in fact the sound of just the oscillators was unappealing and the filter didn't add enough to make it worth keeping.

The other issue (not sure if they fixed it or not), was that if you were driving it from MIDI and sending lots of updates to it (basic example - moving the mod wheel quickly on a remote synth) the display changed to the targeted parameter (filter cutoff in this example) and changed the display to show the updated value. Good luck trying to edit the synth while it is being played remotely from a sequencer while this is happening. The display keeps jumping around as MIDI CC info is received and you can't edit at the same time.

The reasons for not liking and returning the PolyEvolver were more complex, but in the end it came down to the fact I didn't like the sound of the digital side and the analog side was a bit underwhelming as well. There were limitations in the sequencer and such that also contributed, but at the end of the day, if you don't like the sound of something, you won't use it.

As I said in a few threads: I love my P08. It's my favorite synth.
I get that it's sound isn't for everyone. But it's perfect for me.
It's super easy to program and I never had issues with my unit (rack).
BTW non-synth-geeks really seem to like its sound (but that's just my experience.)

I owned a Evolver desktop before. It's a crazy synth, but not my cup of tea.
Also, I believe it has the worst logo in the history of mankind.
I hope DSI will stay on the design route they are currently taking with the tempest.
It doesn't look super cool, but it also doesn't hurt your eyeballs.

Love, love, love my Evolver desktop.

They really believe in their products, and they have great support.
I think they're a great company.

I bought the Tetra right away when they released it, but it wasn't for me.
4 part multitimbral analog seemed great, but the multitimbral operation and the editor weren't quite up to snuff at the time. I'd wager that's improved.

The sound isn't for everyone, I can agree to that.
And there are things about my Evolver I don't like.
But in the end, I can get sounds out of it that I love.

DSI mopho:

/ lol and it's 100% analog!

monoman wrote:
/ lol and it's 100% analog!



It is actually hybrid...

I for one like the idea of high-visibility studio gear. Music studios are always dark, and everything in them is black. I don't mind a synth I don't need a flashlight to find.

Yes, they are hybrids. DCO compared to VCO. I'll have to stand up for DSI as well. If you use the Mopho for bass. Once you have your patch dialed in, you won't even notice the noise. IF your doing more minimal or more subtle work, than it may be an issue. But I was using for nasty bass heavy Kryptic Minds type dubstep. And IMHO the mopho rocks for this because of all the expansive modulation matrix. Don't like the noise, get a moog. I'll admit, I just sold my mopho keys to get a Moog slim phatty (because I recently went all rack gear, easier to transport) and the moog rocks too, but I can't delay the filter envelope you can on the mopho, and I can't modulate in a million different ways like the DSI stuff can. And now that I'm using the Moog which has a true 100% analog signal path (VCO, no DCO) I now have a 15 minute warm up time before the Phatty will hold tuning. This is not an issue on the DSI models because of the DCO.

Everything has it's ups and downs, select your kit wisely. Give the Mopho some time. Play with the modulation. I bet you dig it. I'd still have one if they made a rack version. The Moog has it's own set of problems.

I'll stand up for them too. I sold mine as well, but I feel like half the people who think they don't like the sound are actually confusing the fact that they don't like the look and don't like the feel. It's not that I don't think look and feel are important (I think wanting to touch your instruments is of the utmost importance), but that they're often confused. (not saying this is happening here, with your specific comment on noise, but more with Dave Smith hate in general)