Moog Music Forum

Yup the Prophet is around 25 pounds, kind of funny the Gator Case I use to transport it is almost as heavy as the 08 .

i have the a6. also used it live : it's a working synth, but you can get a lot out of it. can imagine the p8 is more handy also a bit more limited .
would really like to try out the omega.
till then keep me busy with all other synths available.

Carey M wrote:

rajprods wrote:

gd wrote:If you could find an Omega 8 used it would be more than your budget but it is a very nice synth.

I tested out the Prophet 08 last Saturday, and like I said before, it did sound good. One thing I noticed strange that I heard about was the "endless" pots.... they don't stop at a max point. Do you get used to this after a while? Haven't checked out the Andromeda. I'm sure an Omega 8 would be too expensive. Is this made by Studio Electronics?

A typical used price for an used Studio Electronics Omega 8 is around 2900-3000 dollars. 6-voices are usually around 2500 dollars. From all the modern analogue polysynths it is my absolute favourite and I've played them all. Sunsyn is a close second.

A used Andromeda will probably fit into your budget. A great synth for pads and strings. As is the aforementioned MKS-70. I had JX-8P, and basically used it just for those soft and romantic pads

What type of music are you making?

- CM

Mainly R&B, R&B/Pop, but I'm starting to work on R&B/Soul/Jazz type of material. However, I would like to mix it up with old and new sounds.... Piano, Rhodes, Strings, Pads, Synth, etc. Will definitely use some type of low end "Moog" bass sound.

nord lead keys?

Brian G wrote:The endless knobs are pretty easy to get used to. the downside is you can't see at a glance where your settings are but it's workable. The worst thing is they are a little sensitive to touch, if you brush against them a bit too hard the params will change, but that is something else you get used to . When you move a knob the display shows the stored value and the new value. Sound wise it's great and those few things do not bother me. Your Playing May Vary Though.

It seems a bit strange at first, but I guess you get used to them. I'm mainly used for synth, pads, and string sounds. I'm a tired of digital synth, and I'm going back to "old school" sounds. I asked about the Nord Lead 2x cause I have one, but haven't really used it, so I wanted to get some feedback which would help decide whether or not to keep it. I've sold off a few things (Roland V-Synth GT, Proteus 2000, Proteus 1, JV-1080, JV-880, Yamaha MO6) and here is what I have left:

Nord Lead 2x
Korg Triton Rack (with orchestral expansion)
SE-1 (upgrading to SE-1x)
Fender Rhodes Suitcase (not used for recording, just to play around with)
Roland A-90 EX (use as controller, internal sounds not that great)
Roland JV Series Vintage Synth card (no module to use it in at the moment)

I had more gear, but I scaled down since I record with Logic Audio and started using soft synths. I was thinking about getting a Roland JD-990 since I have the vintage synth expansion board. I could use a module with some decent piano sounds in it, but I could just use the piano soft synths in Logic. I was actually thinking about ditching the Korg Triton, but haven't decided yet. I think I could use something with pads, strings, and synth sounds. It feels like I don't have anything left to use!

By the way, I'm not performing live.... I'm working on indie production stuff and considering doing my own project. So, at the moment, I'm not really that concerned with how easy something is to play or edit live.

Carey M wrote:

rajprods wrote:

gd wrote:If you could find an Omega 8 used it would be more than your budget but it is a very nice synth.

I tested out the Prophet 08 last Saturday, and like I said before, it did sound good. One thing I noticed strange that I heard about was the "endless" pots.... they don't stop at a max point. Do you get used to this after a while? Haven't checked out the Andromeda. I'm sure an Omega 8 would be too expensive. Is this made by Studio Electronics?

A typical used price for an used Studio Electronics Omega 8 is around 2900-3000 dollars. 6-voices are usually around 2500 dollars. From all the modern analogue polysynths it is my absolute favourite and I've played them all. Sunsyn is a close second.

A used Andromeda will probably fit into your budget. A great synth for pads and strings. As is the aforementioned MKS-70. I had JX-8P, and basically used it just for those soft and romantic pads

What type of music are you making?

- CM

The Omega 8 sounds interesting, especially since I own a SE-1 that I'm upgrading to a SE-1x. However, the Omega is a too expensive. I would have to sell everything I have to get one!

you get used to the endless knobs, it's just a different interface . really it takes no time at all to get used to them .

Like in the 80's layering a digital and analog synth together will produce some really nice sounds. I don't own one but I think I would have kept the V Synth, but sure if it is not working for you, why keep it. Then again I am one of those that never gets rid of any synths .

Have fun and good luck in your quest, that is the cool thing there are a lot of tools out there to chose from, some work better for some than others. What fun would it be if we all had the exact same gear ?

Brian G wrote: you get used to the endless knobs, it's just a different interface . really it takes no time at all to get used to them .

Like in the 80's layering a digital and analog synth together will produce some really nice sounds. I don't own one but I think I would have kept the V Synth, but sure if it is not working for you, why keep it. Then again I am one of those that never gets rid of any synths .

Have fun and good luck in your quest, that is the cool thing there are a lot of tools out there to chose from, some work better for some than others. What fun would it be if we all had the exact same gear ?

I thought the V-Synth GT was pretty cool sounding, but in the last year, I only used it about 5 hours if that. It just wasn't getting any use, and I know I will use an analog type of synth more right now. There are tons of features in the unit, and I just didn't have time to explore them, and didn't expect I would have extra time to work with it. It would just time away time from being creative as I'm working on new tracks. Right now I just need something that sounds great and I can tweak a few knobs on the panel (instead of going through layers of menus) to get the sound I'm looking for.

Brian G wrote: you get used to the endless knobs, it's just a different interface . really it takes no time at all to get used to them .

Like in the 80's layering a digital and analog synth together will produce some really nice sounds. I don't own one but I think I would have kept the V Synth, but sure if it is not working for you, why keep it. Then again I am one of those that never gets rid of any synths .

Have fun and good luck in your quest, that is the cool thing there are a lot of tools out there to chose from, some work better for some than others. What fun would it be if we all had the exact same gear ?

Also, I know everyone has their own opinion, but one person indicated that they thought the Prophet 08 was a cheap digital sounding modern analog machine. I didn't think that when I heard it, however, I haven't really explored analog synth for a long time. I never owned an Oberhem OB-8, I only was able to get the Matrix-6 and later the Memorymoog (which has too many software issues... it was unstable). So, that's why I'm asking opinions from people who are using the stuff on a regular basis and have explored different options to get warm analog sounds. What's most important right now is to find something that offers the ability to tweak sounds very easily.

If someone does not like the Prophet 08 that's fine . There are those that think the Voyager does not sound good . every one can have their own opinion.

MemoryMoogs sound(ed) huge. While the OS was a little "primitive" and there were a few changes made along the way the main problems with it were hardware issues, the power supply for one.

Brian G wrote: If someone does not like the Prophet 08 that's fine . There are those that think the Voyager does not sound good . every one can have their own opinion.

MemoryMoogs sound(ed) huge. While the OS was a little "primitive" and there were a few changes made along the way the main problems with it were hardware issues, the power supply for one.

Are you using the keyboard version or rack of the Prophet 08? Can you get some good pad and strings sounds out of it? What does it do best?

rajprods wrote:

Brian G wrote: If someone does not like the Prophet 08 that's fine . There are those that think the Voyager does not sound good . every one can have their own opinion.

MemoryMoogs sound(ed) huge. While the OS was a little "primitive" and there were a few changes made along the way the main problems with it were hardware issues, the power supply for one.

Are you using the keyboard version or rack of the Prophet 08? Can you get some good pad and strings sounds out of it? What does it do best?

As I mentioned in a previous post, I got rid of some gear. I do use a few soft synths in Logic. Is there anything you would add to this list of gear?

Nord Lead 2x
Korg Triton Rack (with orchestral expansion)
SE-1 (upgrading to SE-1x)
Fender Rhodes Suitcase (not used for recording, just to play around with)
Roland A-90 EX (controller)
Roland JV Series Vintage Synth card (no module to use it in at the moment)

I had a Prophet '08 Rack for one day before I returned the unit. In my opinion, it sounded truly stunning. Huge sounding. Definitely had it's own character. Much different than the Voyager.

However, the unit just felt too flimsy for my liking. The knobs were very loose and wobbly and it didn't seem like it was built to last. It was an incredibly bitter sweet experience.

In regards to virtual analog poly synths, the Alesis Ion sounds great to my ears. I've had some issues with mine but have held onto it none the less. Most things are accessible from the panel. And with the mod matrix thing, you can get pretty "modular" on this thing. No effects though.

I recently got a Virus TI, but haven't really had much time to dive into it. Sounds great, but has a hefty learning curve when it comes to all the menu stuffs. I think it will be great for more digital sounding stuff too. Versatile.

I have a Juno 60 for sale if you're interested too!

I forgot about the Ion and Micron for that matter. They are nice VA's for sure.

WHat about the Andromeda A6?

Seems that Ive heard those things sound pretty nice, roughtly the same price as the Voyager?

Eric