Recommendation for Polyphonic Analog w/built-in sequencer?

breitt · Post by **breitt** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:15 am

Seeking buying advice for notable polyphonic analogs with built-in step sequencers. Would like to keep price under 3K and preferably have device be relatively modern and without keyboard. Rozzbox is interesting but sequencer on it looks impossible on tiny screen and no step buttons. I tried Spectralis (hybrid-I know) and it was too complex. Anything else out there? Something like a Sunsyn but with built-in sequencer, maybe?

Pilot352 · Post by **Pilot352** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:38 am

http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/

Hands down your best option. Fits the bill exactly!! (IMHO)

breitt · Post by **breitt** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 12:17 pm

Pilot352 wrote:

http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/

Hands down your best option. Fits the bill exactly!! (IMHO)

Excellent recommendation! Thank you. I forgot about this one. I'm scouring the Web for sound demos, pre-release reviews, etc. right now.

Post by **Stab Frenzy** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 12:27 pm

Word on the street is the Andromeda can use its sequencer and arpeggiator at the same time.

CapnMarvel · Post by **CapnMarvel** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:31 pm

Stab Frenzy wrote:Word on the street is the Andromeda can use its sequencer and arpeggiator at the same time.

Shh! Don't tell anyone!

breitt · Post by **breitt** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 5:13 am

Pilot352 wrote:

http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/

Hands down your best option. Fits the bill exactly!! (IMHO)

Has anyone bought one of these? I'm tempted, but I keep reading conflicting opinions about the sound quality (mostly in reference to the keyboard model, which, I assume, is the same). I really want that warm, deep, rich, "true" analog sound, and I'm nervous that there is a reason (aside from the DCOs) that the Prophet 08 is 1/2 to 1/3 the price of the Sunsyns, Andromedas and Omegas. I'd rather save and pay more later, if absolutely necessary, but if I'm missing out on the bargain of the decade, I'll jump in now and get the Prophet.

Post by **Zamise** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 10:48 am

Not that it matters since you don't want one, but I just wanted to throw out the Spectralis for ya for other reasons then what you listed. The Analog Synth part is monophonic, and its OSCs are virtual, its just the filter/filters that make it an Analog Hybrid as far as I'm aware. The other parts are pcm/sound fonts which allows them to be pollyphonic much easier.

Please do correct me if I'm wrong about any of this stuff.

A poly analog with a seq I figure is going to have to be on the pretty expensive side, most I can think of, even if poly then the seq will be one note per step at a time which seems like it defeats the purpose while using the seq, but I hope you can find something that fits your wants/needs. I know of no cheap answer for you off the top of my head, maybe multiple analog synths with seqs and synced up some how through midi or CV/Gate stuff(?). It might be why VAs are so great to have instead in this particular arena, something like a workstation with a VA plugin so you can seq multiple notes per step, I know the Alesis Micron's programable arpegiator can have more then one note per step too, anyway, good luck with the other recomendations you get on here. I'd like to see what folks come up with too out of curiosity.

Post by **meatballfulton** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 12:46 pm

breitt wrote:I'm nervous that there is a reason (aside from the DCOs) that the Prophet 08 is 1/2 to 1/3 the price of the Sunsyns, Andromedas and Omegas.

1. not multitimbral
2. fewer voices

Considering that the Andromeda and Sunsyn have histories of buggy behavior on top of their high prices I'd be more nervous about paying extra for them.

Pilot352 · Post by **Pilot352** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:17 pm

breitt,

PM'd

Carey M · Post by **Carey M** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 7:07 pm

meatballfulton wrote:
breitt wrote:I'm nervous that there is a reason (aside from the DCOs) that the Prophet 08 is 1/2 to 1/3 the price of the Sunsyns, Andromedas and Omegas.
1. not multitimbral
2. fewer voices

Well, in the case of the 8-voice Sunsyn and Omega, you can change the 2. reason to:

2. discrete electronics (vs integrated circuits for P'08 and Andy)

It's more costly to make an eight voice analog synth if oscillators and filters are built using individual components, rather than chips (Prophet has basically the whole synth architecture on one chip). Also:

3. "Boutiqe" companies with very small production runs

- CM

droolmaster0 · Post by **droolmaster0** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 7:09 pm

meatballfulton wrote:
breitt wrote:I'm nervous that there is a reason (aside from the DCOs) that the Prophet 08 is 1/2 to 1/3 the price of the Sunsyns, Andromedas and Omegas.
1. not multitimbral
2. fewer voices

Considering that the Andromeda and Sunsyn have histories of buggy behavior on top of their high prices I'd be more nervous about paying extra for them.

The Sunsyn has 8 voices, same as the Prophet. and also, while it is technically multitimbral, very few people use it that way because it just doesn't work very well. I really don't think that this accounts for the price differential.

I've never tried the Prophet 8, but assume that the sound is at least similar to the PEK. I assume that it's a really nice synth, but the Sunsyn I think would be in a different league in sound quality, which is of course subjective....in any case, I'd imagine that the Sunsyn uses more expensive components - unlike the Prophet, it has vco's, analog envelopes, etc - I believe that even the mod routings are implemented as analog connections. If you played on a sunsyn, I don't think you'd question its price.

The latest os on the Sunsyn works very well. There are stories of some sequencers giving it trouble, but after updating to the latest os, I had no problems with mine. One of the stupidest things I ever did was to sell that thing...

crufty · Post by **crufty** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 2:24 pm

If I could find -- well, lets be honest, afford -- a sunsyn, I'd get that. Is the p08 rack out yet?

Regarding p08 vs andromeda a6, anyone know if that sonic territory is fairly similar? I'm pretty familiar with the a6, but really know very little about the p08. I'm thinking the p08 is a subset of the a6 in terms of overall sound and features (not a bad thing), but just trying to figure it out. Has anyone spent time with both?

p08 might be more accessible, so that's a plus.

breitt · Post by **breitt** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 5:39 pm

crufty wrote:If I could find -- well, lets be honest, afford -- a sunsyn, I'd get that. Is the p08 rack out yet?

Regarding p08 vs andromeda a6, anyone know if that sonic territory is fairly similar? I'm pretty familiar with the a6, but really know very little about the p08. I'm thinking the p08 is a subset of the a6 in terms of overall sound and features (not a bad thing), but just trying to figure it out. Has anyone spent time with both?

p08 might be more accessible, so that's a plus.

The P08 rack is out. From all of the demos I've heard, the P08 sounds like a cross between a P5 and a Polyevolver. The demos reflect a lack of a certain analog "bite" that the A6 has. However, this is all conjecture on my part, having never heard either in person, and reading other people's opinions.