Dave Smith Instruments Prophet '08 PE Reviews

4.8/5.0 based on 4 customer reviews

Sweetwater Advice

David Stewart

I can't say enough good things about the Dave Smith Instruments Prophet '08. It has everything that the original Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 had (including its great string sounds, analog effects, and punchy analog basses) but adds more polyphony, a gated sequencer, a 4-mode latchable arpeggiator and MIDI capability! This is by far my favorite "modern" analog synthesizer.

Nate Edwards

I love the Prophet 08! You have heard this synth so many times on top-selling recordings, both classic and modern, that it's unfathomable. It can be everything from punchy and bright to evolving and evocative, and no matter what it always sounds good! And warm! And fat! Awesome. It's 100% of what the old-school Prophet was, and a lot more. And for a few hundred more, you can even buy a signed limited edition version! I wish I had five of these.

Sort By Date Sort By Rating

Customer Reviews

Tyler Burns
from Portland, OR
January 8, 2013Music Background:
Songwriter

Fantastic Analog Synth

As far as modern analogs go, this is about as good as it gets. Incredibly warm and very thick. Does pad sounds better than just about any synth I've heard, vintage or new, analog or digital. Also does incredible bass sounds. Very tight and very warm. Just put a little reverb on this puppy and you're golden. Drone sounds are also second-to-none as far as analogs go, thanks to the VCA Level knob, which gradually disengages the amplitude envelope.

Matt
from PA
July 8, 2011Music Background:
Pro Musician

Wow what a synth

Eight voice pure analog synth. Need I say more. Fantastic synth. Make sure you purchase the PE version only or you will be replacing the encoders in one year. This one is a winner.

from
June 29, 2011

Amazing

I own/have owned a lot of gear, but rarely write reviews. This synth has compelled me to do so. There is NOTHING else like it. It covers Vintage Prophet ground but goes into another level of which I've wanted but never achieved. It's warm, analog, and only limited by your imagination.

Bob Gomez
from WI
October 17, 2010Music Background:
guitar keyboard hobbyist

A few surprises

To start off I was surprised & impressed with the complexity & depth of sound generated by the Prophet 08...better than any online demo!..Next surprise the keyboard was tuned to "D" ..I was happy to find that tuning was an easy task..eventhough DSI recommends recallibration of the mod wheel to accomplish this..(WHY?) im not sure. Surprise 4..4 Voices in stack mode play very nicely in most instances..Surprise 5 ..the manual is totally minimalist ..I think about 300pages would be a good start..surprise 6..the operating system was not up to date..thot it would be.
Ok enough surprises. The keyboard is smooth & buttery..the case is solid...editing is something of a mystery..though it is forgiving & easy to tweak. Yes another 8 voices would be helpful especially in stack mode..however it is capable of much more than seems possible from what the resources would indicate.