They sound different by design. I don’t have a Pro2, but do have a Pro3. They share the same filter types just that the Pro3 only has one at a time. Words like “smooth” or “polished” well describe the PX. “Classic” or “traditional” with the ability to be harder driven are OTOH.

There’s no easy answer. It depends greatly on the complexity of the sample itself. There’s lots of trial and error (at least there is from me).

I’d say your question is your answer If I show up at a funk band audition with BC Rich and Mesa Dual Rec, I probably wouldn’t even get to plug in lol.

It has been a while since I've noted an update for PXToolkit here! I've just made an experimental build available with native support for the new M1-based Apple Silicon Mac Mini, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air. It's currently a distinct "Apple Silicon" download rather than being packaged with the regular macOS build. Definitely not my preference, but it's how the open-source project I use as a foundation decided to do things at this point.

Users may also have noticed a 1.1.5 release back around the start of August. This addressed incompatibility with some non-standard WAV files produced by the MPC auto-sampler.

As always, the download is available from the ThinkerSnacks site.

X-plorations Vol1 - Patches 33 to 64.

Got mine a few months back and so far am loving it! A lot of my music is sample-based to begin with, so the Prophet X (well, XL in my case) has a really pleasant effect of blurring the lines between what are samples from vinyl and what is keyboard synthesis.

I'm very new to the kinds of complex modulation available in this beast (previously just relied on a lot of pedals and DAW effects for most such sound mangling), so currently I'm in the process of figuring out how to do modulations that occur automatically but which don't simply sound like different kinds of warbling/beeping/etc. I prefer playing with both hands and don't have an expression pedal yet, so am looking for tricks that will create constant but SUBTLE shifts without my having to reach for the sliders or mod wheel.
The first thing I'm learning is, of course, to use the LFOs as mod sources but at a low frequency/bpm, and to keep the level of the modulation's effect low (whereas in week 1 I was setting everything to +- 127 haha). Anybody have any tips for ways of modulating that will yield steady, pleasant changes?

To the poster above , just Buy a used PX the prices are so low right now if you don’t like it just sell you won’t lose much

A great video Tim Shoebridge put out might be helpful. It's for the moog one but the principles can be applied on the PX.

Awesome, thank you so much! I look forward to watching it.

Here's one of my favorite setups...

• Set LFO to Random, at a fairly slow speed, with the slew rate turned app a decent amount (speed and slew rate can be adjusted to your taste and sound)

Then in the mod matrix:
• LFO 4 __ +15 __ Cutoff L
• LFO 4 __ -15 __ Cutoff R
• DC __ +15 __ Cutoff R

So as LFO 4 meanders its way through life, it will slowly raise and lower the cutoff amounts on the left and right. This is in addition to whatever else may be modulating filter cutoff: filter envelope, Velocity, Keytracking... It really adds some life to your patches and sets the Prophet X apart since not a lot of synths have stereo filters.

Thanks a lot for your answers and your help in clarifying my mind about all this :-) .

hey these are very nice sounds!
I enjoyed listening both of your X-plorations videos, these are very interesting in terms of helping a potential buyer (like me) to understand some of the sounds the PX is able to create.
I found myself listening with attention and trying to understand when and what samples you used, it was really entertaining :-)

Tried this last night—it worked great and sent me off into some new territory of modulations that had me turning knobs and having fun. Thanks for the tip!

Following up my earlier filter issue post regarding lost filter knob control. It's still not resolved but that is my fault as I was busy with other stuff. Sequential first suggested I had MIDI loop issue with my setup. I went back today and tested my PX without any USB or MIDI connections. Didn't resolve the problem.

I sent this reply email to support today. Maybe some here can offer suggestions?


Hi,
I know it's been awhile. I've been busy

Unfortunately, I did finally do some other testing of my Prophet XL without any connections and find the filter control still intermittently faulty. I've not been able to reproduce the exact conditions of the issue. I doesn't seem to be related to loading a new or initializing a preset. Filter knob control just disengages by itself over time if I don't play the synth for a few minutes. Note, only the panel control is lost. The filter still works as programmed in the preset.

It corrects if I do a reset global though.

Any ideas? I'd hate to need to ship the whole synth to CA for repair. Seems more like a firmware bug than hardware related.

Thanks,
TJ

Probably asked already somewhere...

I assume no one has figured out a backdoor method to remove factory samples to create more room for user content?
Yes, 50 GB is A LOT, more space than any other board provides to my knowledge... But I wouldn't need most of the content built into the thing.
It's unfortunate that they didn't design it similar to Nord where you simply remove what you don't want and replace it.

Maybe some day. I wouldn't count on Sequential updating anything on the X.
It could happen

Well, apparently there will be new updates for the P6 and OB6 and I don't think those were updated in a long time either, so you never know.
This may also be an issue with 8Dio; they may not want their samples being deleted...or perhaps the samples are stored in a format that would permit easy extraction for use elsewhere and they don't want people messing with them out of the PX. I just want to remove portions of them...

I don’t see things the same way, as a previous... kinda underwhelmed owner of s Prophet 6 and a soon to be owner of a Prophet 10 Rev 4, to have BOTH together, regardless of the extra tricks a P6 can do, would be weird to me. Cos you’d have two samey sounding synths but with one, the P10, sounding clearly fuller and more interesting in base tone, while the other sounded weaker, harsher and smaller (and dressed in fx or stereo spread if you chose). With an OB6 I could imagine, though again, as an ex owner I think the P10 would be stronger sounding overall and a different family of synths (roland, korg) would contrast better with the Prophet 5/10 without being shown up by it. But esp the P6 which even outside of any comparison was always kind meh sounding when you got down to it, for what it was TRYING to be.

No way on earth would I spend Prophet 10 money on a digital hybrid with lesser (2044 remake vs 2040 remakE even as a fan of the polysix with 44s) and combo it with a P6 for even high price vs just buying a prophet 10 and doing the sequential thing properly with just one synth and seeking elsewhere for other sounds.

The SSM2040 and 2044 aren't worse and better implementations of the same design. They're intentionally different filters suited to different source material as Dave Possum intended when they were first designed. The SSM2040 is great at adding character to the classic raw oscillators, while the 2044 is better suited to a wider range of signals found in sampled material.

The Prophet X isn't any less a "proper" Sequential instrument. It's just not a conventional subtractive analog synth. Whether what it is suits your tastes and needs or not is entirely subjective.

Threy didn't abandon s#it!!!!

Every time you open your mouth....

why do you say that?

Here's a video where I attempted to fix my Sequential Prophet X. Join me into the inside guts as I disassemble and put it all back together.

Here's patches 65 to 96. They will be released 18th December

Some helpful users over in this Arturia V Collection 8 thread have dug up and converted a massive library of Emulator II and Fairlight CMI samples.

Those of you looking for some vintage samples for your Prophet X might want to hit up the download links before they expire.

Arturia Emulator II V: Missing factory library?

if s1 did the work to get these px ready, id buy!

Just got one in. Anyone else notice it's a bit quiet even at max volume? Am using standard TS/unbalanced cables. Adjusting gain afterwards unfortunately brings up a noise floor.

It's not extreme, like something's obviously 'wrong', just surprising... and I don't read anything elsewhere about this.

Hope to solve this as otherwise it's a great synth.... I do think this will be one of 'the' classics like the EII is regarded today.

This does not sound right to me. Mine is far from quiet and I usually do not turn it up to "11." Keeping volume at 75% or so is usually more than enough. Sounds like there is something going on.

To put some numbers to this.

I tried -- same (TS) cables, same input channels/settings. Everything set as much as possible to unity gain -- Mixer, converters, software.

Prophet X 'Basic Program" Max volume. B flat 2 note. -34.967 dB (peak).

Quantum. Init patch, change waveform to saw (to match the Prophet X program), B flat 2 note. Max volume but no compression. -20.767 dB (peak).

So the Prophet X is 14.22 dB quieter on init patch than the Quantum w/o compression (???) this seems crazy but is what I am facing.

Already tried resetting Globals. OS = 2.2.0.0.0 Anything inside the machine (trimmers etc.) that can adjust max volume?

Rarely is my PX volume knob set past noon. It's anything but low output.

Quality thoughts on the Prophet X from Tim Shoebridge:

Tim Shoebridge does an excellent "someone just sh1t on my cornflakes" face