Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

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kimsnarf
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Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

Post by kimsnarf »

After owning and enjoying the Jupiter-80 for a couple of years I recently acquired a Prophet 12. I just couldn't resist the hands-on tweakability of this thing. It's a beast! I was hoping these synths would complement each other and they do! This is just a thumbs up for anyone considering the same combination. ;)

The Jupiter is of course in its own class with regards to its massive layers, huge number of voices and pure fun in selecting and swapping sounds on the fly. However, editing sounds (tones) on the Prophet is so refreshing compared to the menu diving and screen tapping required on the Jupiter. These synths are clearly optimized for different purposes.

The sounds also complement each other nicely. The Jupiter produces (to my ears) mostly nice, pleasant sounds. There are certainly many sounds with lots of edge and bass, but the Prophet kills it in terms of raw, hardcore grittiness. Sounds can easily be energized and distorted while staying musical. Generally the Jupiter works its magic in layering and effects while the Prophet is a powerhouse in parameters, flexibility and routing (matrix). The Prophet also has the ability to generate soft as well as complex/evolving sounds. In fact, many of the pads of these two synths go very well together, complementing each other in surprising, lively ways.

Playability is another area where these two synths are complementary. The Jupiter is all about manipulating the sound layers live, and adding articulations for the acoustic sounds. The Jupiter does offer some ways to edit the sounds during playing, but mostly limited to a few selected parameters, as well as the all-in Tone Blender. On the Prophet, all important parameters, including delay and the arpeggiator, are all directly accessible during playing and are clearly meant to be used to evolve the sound constantly. It is very quick, and rewarding, to change the characteristic of a sound on impulse while playing.

The two ribbons (sliders) are the killer performance feature of the Prophet. They are so much more expressive, versatile and usable than wheels, knobs, pedals, and especially the inaccurate D-Beam. In addition to sliding, they provide instant access to any value and can be played in a very rapid, rhythmic fashion that is just impossible on the Jupiter. On the other hand, the Jupiter has the best keybed by far. Then again, the Prophet has a very sensitive aftertouch that is also useful on many of the Jupiter sounds and is definitely more accessible. Generally I find the Prophet more expressive, but the Jupiter is more playable in the traditional sense.

Finally, the Prophet is an analog/digital hybrid with the signal ending up analog. It is easier and more practical to work in the digital realm, so the audio-in port on the Jupiter is very useful. I currently send the audio from the Prophet to the Jupiter, basically using the Jupiter as the sound card. I can then send the signal digitally to the computer or receive plug-in sounds digitally from the computer, playing everything back on the Jupiter. This workstation aspect of the Jupiter is surprisingly useful, and the sound quality is very good. In fact, the sound quality clearly beats an older dedicated solution I tested (a MOTU Traveler MkI).

Adding the Prophet felt like unlocking the full potential of the Jupiter. Needless to say, I'm keeping both. :)
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Tom_1970
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Re: Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

Post by Tom_1970 »

Nice review!

I have my eyes on a Prophet 12 for quite a while, but decided to get a FA-06 first.
One of the reasons I waited with the Prophet 12 is that there is a lof of interesting developments goin on and I am in no hurry.

Your review keeps the Prophet still in my point of focus.
Thanks!
Synthtron
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Re: Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

Post by Synthtron »

I think the prophet 12 and jupiter-80 would be a combo. I only have a Jupiter-80 and the Prophet 12 seems to be a great synth.
Jaythejunkie
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Re: Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

Post by Jaythejunkie »

I went with the Alesis Andromedia and Mini Moog combo.
I almost got the jupiter 80 (as they both were $2500) but the Moog kind of was a no brainier over the Jupiter (as in Ill likely never find a mini for $2500)

O I also went with the Juno gi that im really liking.

I could be happy if the Gi was the only rig I owned,

I could be happy if the Gi was the only "Anything" I owned and have been using the Gi 8 track over cubase!
Correct me if im wrong, where is the bottle opened on the Gi? It has everything else!
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kimsnarf
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Re: Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

Post by kimsnarf »

The new Prophet 6... WOW! Pure analog, rich, warm, fat sound. Exactly the sound that is impossible to recreate on the Jupiter-80 (and the Prophet 12 for that matter). And very close to the coveted Jupiter 8 sound. But with modern reliability, features and ease of use. And as a bonus: the price tag is lower than on comparable vintage gear. :) I am definitely buying this!

But since this is a Roland forum, let's get back to the point. If I had neither the Prophet 6 nor 12 and were looking for a companion to the Jupiter-80 I would now pick the Prophet 6. The two Prophets share many of the same advantages, but the Prophet 6 has less overlap with the Jupiter-80. Also, if I had to get rid of the Prophet 12 to get the Prophet 6 I probably would. But fortunately I don't have to. The sounds and performance features I like best on the Prophet 12 are not possible on the Prophet 6 so they are very much complementary.

To hook this all up the new Roland MX-1 looks just about perfect. :) I've been looking for something like this but didn't know what it was until I saw it. Performing on and step-manipulating the final audio is very clever!
spottingjonah
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Re: Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

Post by spottingjonah »

kimsnarf wrote:the Prophet 6 has less overlap with the Jupiter-80.
Well said. I owned a Prophet 12 for about two weeks and sent it back. I felt that for $3k it didn't give me enough above what I could already do, and the uniqueness wasn't unique enough... at least for what I like to do (YMMV). Between the JP80 and a Kronos I'm already getting a lot of what I need.

Now, $2800 for a true analog synth, brand new??? That might be worth the investment. The Prophet 6 truly is what people have been asking for. Even the layout is classic and intuitive. No esoteric names for parameters. It is what it is and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. They're due out in June per Dave himself. can't wait.

I wish I was this excited about something from Roland. I really do. The Roland rooms at NAMM were kind of underwhelming for me...
Synthtron
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Re: Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

Post by Synthtron »

I think the Prophet-6 would be a great compliment to the JP-80 too.
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kimsnarf
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Re: Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

Post by kimsnarf »

I received my retro synth of the future today! The Prophet 6. Coincidentally on the same day designated by "Back to the Future 2" as "the future". :)

I have just played the Prophet 6 for a few hours, but it is truly a great synth. To conclude this thread I just wanted to quickly summarize my findings.

The sound is just amazing and powerful. I have never played an analog polysynth flagship before, just listened to sound demos (for years). It is a lot of fun finally conjuring up all these great, spine-tingling sounds with my own feeble hands. There is definitely something magical about analog. It is madness that it took so many years for someone to produce an instrument capable of such sounds again.

The keybed is very playable and is much closer to the Jupiter-80 than the Prophet 12. But I do miss the ribbons, extra voices and extra octaves of the 12. If I could have only one Prophet it would be the 6. It is much more versatile than I had thought, and even gets into 12 territory, partly thanks to great onboard effects. The distortion and filters are jaw dropping. It is a very complete, flexible package. If I could have only one synth I fear for my Jupiter-80. :)

Luckily, I don't have to choose. The Prophet 6 sounds totally different from the Jupiter-80, but both sound amazing and even better together. Of course, both supplemented by the haunting, tormented moans of the Prophet 12.

I also have a JP-08 incoming, which is digital and (relatively) cheap, but is possibly the best emulation of analog so far. It will be fun comparing it to the Prophet 6 when it arrives. What an amazing time to play with synthesis!
CShorte
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Re: Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

Post by CShorte »

For sometime, I have been considering the Jupiter 80 then the DSI P12 came out and now the P6. Having never had a synth beyond a few romplers, I decided that the DSI P12 or the P6 were not units that, stand-alone, could be taken out the door to play with others. Therefore, I ordered the J80 and it arrives tomorrow. I am so very excited! CS.
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kimsnarf
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Re: Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

Post by kimsnarf »

You've made the right choice! The Jupiter-80 was also my first hardware synth (except for a brief misfire in the 90s). It is an excellent all-round performance synth with a broad range of awesome sounds. You never have to worry about running out of octaves or voices, or about inferior keys or build quality. Also, if you primarily want to spend your time playing, not tweaking sounds, it has a remarkable workflow.
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kimsnarf
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Re: Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

Post by kimsnarf »

I have more experience with the Prophet 6 now and I'm having mixed feelings about it. Why mention this on a Roland forum? Because the Jupiter-80 is my reference and because I know others are interested in similar combinations.

Anyway, the Prophet 6 does have excellent analog sounds, but I keep running out of keys (octaves) and voices. I can get really beautiful pads from the 6, but voices drop out regularly, especially with long releases and bass notes. Also I like to move far up and down the keyboard, often simultaneously, which isn't really possible here. I have to plan ahead which key I need to play in and frequently have to use octave transpose. I've never had these kinds of limitations with the Jupiter-80, and rarely on the Prophet 12. It can get quite frustrating.

Now that the Prophet 6 module has been announced, it is looking more suitable for me since I want a bigger keyboard anyway. But I will still have the voice limitation. Also, a LOT of the presets (which represent the variety of sounds) are very similar in sound to the Prophet 12. But with fewer voices and less dynamic complexity. I don't really see the value of the high pass filter on this synth. It removes the fullness that equals analog to me, and reduces the sound to something that digital and software can do better. Interesting and good sounds, yes, but not worth paying a premium for. Especially since I prefer the Prophet 12 for these kinds of sounds.

I'm actually starting to lean towards poly chaining JP-08s instead. I can use the excellent Jupiter-80 keyboard and I can chain 8 or 12 voices without going broke (12 is a sweet spot for me, as I've learned on the Prophet 12). I will probably miss some vintage-ness in the sound, but I'm liking what I hear from recent JP-08 demos. I do have the option of returning the Prophet 6, so I will continue playing, experimenting and considering alternatives.
marctronixx
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Jupiter 12?

Post by marctronixx »

do it.jpg
do it.jpg (55.93 KiB) Viewed 4859 times


Yes do it!!!
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kimsnarf
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Re: Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

Post by kimsnarf »

Jupiter 12. Great stuff! :)

I have compared my two Prophets more thoroughly, and my conclusion is that I'm keeping both, as originally planned. Yes, they do have some overlap, especially in the high-pass area of sounds, but in general the 6 has a way fuller sound than the 12. The oscillators on the 6 just sound so much more alive. I have heard nothing like it and it is very fulfilling. I've got to keep that sound. But then again, there are so many types of cool sounds that only the 12 can do. And I really dig those ribbons on the 12. So the two Prophets had better get used to each other.

The Jupiter-80 might feel a bit lonely at the moment, but it will soon be joined by a mini-me and then it's party time!

For the record, I also have a Moog Sub 37 hooked up to a Commodore 64. Basically I play the 64s 3 SID oscillators from the Moog and route the audio through the Moog filter to mix it with its 2+1 oscillators. The result is an enriched 8-bitty-sound that is pure dynamite! Lots of fun.
marctronixx
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Re: Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

Post by marctronixx »

commodore 64! that setup sounds delicious!
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LA Keys
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Re: Prophet 12 + Jupiter-80 is a great combo (mini review)

Post by LA Keys »

kimsnarf wrote: Anyway, the Prophet 6 does have excellent analog sounds, but I keep running out of keys (octaves) and voices. I can get really beautiful pads from the 6, but voices drop out regularly, especially with long releases and bass notes
Here is something that may be interesting for you, this is directly from the dave smith website, on the prophet 6 desktop page:

"We’ve also added a poly chain feature so that any two Prophet-6s can be paired for twelve-voice polyphony!"

LA


EDIT: Ok, just realized that you already asked about this on the dave smith forum ...
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