Prophet 5 Rev 3.3 (Vintage) VS. Prophet 5 Rev 4 Compared WATCH THIS! 

Anon iconoclast Thank you mate . Yes, it’s been brutal on the forums but it was worth it .

This! Yep.

@Electric Cafe You are missing out.

@@Cydelixization this is the new modified P5 rev4 without the two capacitors. His previous video demonstrates the "dark prophet" with the extra capacitors vs. the Rev3 if you're curious how the early "defects" sound before fixed. This is fixed.

@@HorrorCue yes it is the fixed one

In fact, I find it an advantage that picture and sound are no longer synchronized. At a certain point you will have to rely on your ears only. This is about supposed sound differences, right? They are there, but nevertheless the new Prophet 5 is a Prophet 5 and v4 sounds excellent. Happy to have one in the studio now. ps: Thank you for your videos.

How hard was it to remove....it’s a surface capacitor right?

Real Royal super duper tiny. I used wire snips and just cut it out. It was Easy

Doesn't it get out of sync halfway in?

@@spurv Yes it does, I am upset that happened.

jaucqq I agree. Should I leave it the way it is or upload again ?

@@javd007 I would like to see the demo with audio in sync. Maybe just do an additional upload of the part that went out of sync. Anyways, it's nice that the high frequency issue is fixed. The new one now sounds fairly close to the Rev 3. And there will always be slight differences between different units anyway.

Agreed, the 3.3 is a bit scooped sounding to me. The 4's midrange response is better.

@@100DollarHeadache For Patch 11 (511) I did not see him turning up Sustain on Filter Envelope. He just turned up Filter and Filter EnvAmt. So that should be double checked. Other than that .. no issue for me. Very good comparison.

Irife If you can believe it , my Rev 3 only needed a power supply rebuild and a Potentiometer in 16 years of ownership. It’s been solid solid .

@@javd007 mine too. Had it since 2001, and only now does it need a power supply fix.

@@SPAZZOID100 Yea, the Rev 3 was super reliable , oddly enough one of the most reliable keyboards I have every owned.

Not really.

@@SPAZZOID100 to his ears.

If there are software envelopes as Dave used on the t8 and 600, there might be some difference. RU-vid sound is often good enough to get a good sense. On the other hand, I’d trust him over any of the current manufacturers to get it right Soo I’d have to do my usual direct taste test..

i agree

@@hithereitsme7090 and only his.

I agree. I keep trying to tell everyone but they swear the Rev 4 sounds the same. It doesn't. It sounds amazing, and has more features but the Rev 3 sounds more alive and fatter. It just does. I don't know why the naysayers keep going. This video is proof

The cool thing is that they are both made by the same original creators

the capacitor dance.

If one were to buy a prophet now, which one would you recommend? prophet 5 rev3, rev4, prophet 10 ?

@@yorgohoebeke Between those two, Prophet rev4 all the way. It sounds just as good and it's far more reliable. I enjoy my P10 rev4 a lot. However I think the king is the Oberheim OB-X8. They did that one right. They kept all the original features but added really important ones for modern usage, including the screen (which makes accessing the Page 2 parameters far easier), multiple stereo outputs modes, and more. I use it far more than my P10 now. If only they had added stereo to the P10... it would be so much better.

@@JimAlfredson Thank you so much for answering! it's really helpful. I'm only started to get more into playing piano and have the Roli Seaboard 2. However, looking at those synths and the fun that comes from the analog aspect, tweaking nobs... man I can see myself spending hours on this. I will check the Oberheim OB-x8! Would that be your go to synth recommendation if one were to only buy one? (considering their price haha)

@@JimAlfredson I have a Rev 4 too and can't understand why they didn't give it stereo and the ability to add external LFO's. It sounds amazing as it is though. Just a bit limited compared to modern stuff.

@@uv77mc85there is this synthesizer called the prophet 6 if you like the prophet 5 sound but don’t like the limitations

yep, that's my assessment too.

@Electric Cafe I own both. Your comment is false.

lol. Yep

No

They sound identical to me.

@@SPAZZOID100 Are you literally commenting on each comment they are identical? :) My GAS keeps telling me I need to buy a rev 4, but every time I go to the store, I return disappointed, it doesn't sound like the rev 3 I had, and I'm really doing my best to like it because it would look so cool in my studio haha. Anyway, in this particular video there is for sure a difference that can't be denied. Every time I hear that sound and scroll up from the comments to see which one is being played it's the rev 3. But I heard demo's where they sounded closer. I also had a rev 2 before which sounded even better, I was disappointed with the rev 3's sound for quite a while, so maybe I would get used to the rev 4 easier than what I'm expecting.

R k yep agreed .

Seems to me the Rev3 is slightly louder here. That has an influence on “punchy” perception.

Vince Wizz Nonsense , I volume matched it , sometimes one synth is louder than the other . But you can clearly see me adjust volume about 8 times to match in the video. Watch my right hand .

Did you volume match it by LUFS or peak? If the latter, it really wouldn’t surprise me if the 3.3 had a little more compressed sound by default.

I wish that were the case but it sounds less alive. Is it a volumr match issue. I did a blind test and I can hear it every time. Obviously, two synths will sound different. But a synth is more than filter and vco chips. The envelopes are digital on this one. Hmm. May keep the polysix. Adding the Udo Super 6 and not sure I need this. Y’all enjoy it! May cancel my order.

It could be very close or exact, would take direct experience to confirm

I own both. The rev 4 has plenty low end.

@@SPAZZOID100 I have a Rev 4 and it can't do bass as well as My Behringer Poly D. Blows it away for anything else though.

My thoughts too. Still love Rev 4. Not as much though. Not even close.

Doing it yourself (in this case) will not void your warranty according to Sequential. If you can handle a soldering iron, it's a simple fix vs return hassles; email Sequential Support for instructions.

I'm making a ton of comments, but if you like to learn here is an answer: sound.stackexchange.com/questions/42597/do-inverse-reverse-sawtooth-waves-sound-different-to-human-ears-than-forward-saw Looks like the ear can't tell the difference between saw and ramp. However, some phase distortion can be audible.

Also, levels seem to be exactly the same, so the smallness is a real thing. The Rev 4 is definitely a little less raw and forward. Still good though. You guys decide. I needed to look at it under a microscope instead of guessing. Meters don't lie, he matched the levels.

Really? This explains the subtle difference. Its so subtle,. I really have no complaints whatsoever, it sounds just like a more precision Prophet 5

@@javd007 I'm keeping my order in. The slightly less 3d and forward sound is a price to pay for reliability, microtonal scales built in, cv gate input for a ribbon controller, aftertouch, velocity. Honestly, I'm going to shut up now and make music!

@@nickjones5641 Yep, I agree . The Rev 4 sounds like what It is a new modern era Prophet 5 but certainly a Prophet 5. It has the DNA and sound .

lol yep!

Yep.

They are pretty much identical.

“Pretty good”!?!? It sounds freaking amazing

@@SPAZZOID100 Incorrect. Now I now you lack good ears. The original has a slightly sweeter sheen over all the tones.

Anon iconoclast good ears tell me than the Rev3 is recorded louder than the Rev4 here...

Yep. Behringer is going to have a hard time with their counterfeit . This is certainly a Real Prophet 5

@@javd007 Behringer just does not hit the sweet spots

I think they’ll do okay - I just got a Prophet 10, and my Pro 800 is probably 90% close enough for most people in a mix. I bought the 10 because it’s on sale, is my dream synth, and that 10% matters to me - but also largely because as an object it pulls you in and asks you to play it, and it’s so much better made than the Pro 800 (obviously), not to mention the ethics of it feel a lot better. I compare it to a good life partner vs a hooker - both will get you laid, but only one will be there through thick and thin. But more than that, it’s a different market. I’ve been of the thought that Behringer really don’t hurt the original manufacturers as much as one might think - for somebody who is willing to spend $5,000 to begin with on a real Model D, the Poly D isn’t even an option; nothing but the real deal will do. Likewise, somebody who is spending $600 on a Poly D isn’t likely to ever be willing to spend $5,000 on the real thing. I don’t think there’s a ton of market overlap (I have a ton of Behringer stuff I’d never pay vintage prices for the originals. . .even the UB-Xa is nice to own, but I’d never spend that kind of money on anything but the Prophet 10 (I will consider selling it when the Teo 5 comes out - I love my Take 5, and this looks to be in a similar vein).

Matthias Connections mate lol

Ain’t that how the world works 😏

Vitaphone: Vision-Sound Yes you do. Every Prophet shipped has it . But it’s an easy fix. If should be the first thing you do before plugging it in.

@@javd007 I brought it up because it seemed a bit darker then the rev.3, does this mean you already pulled the capacitors before shooting this video?

3.3!

Already fixed.

Don Solaris Great choice .

what "other one." can you clarify? thanks

@@snoolee7950 The other one which sounds more warm. I just looooove it's sound!!!!!

Snoo Lee Don has a bit of sarcastic humor .

Personally I would go for the Prophet! But that's just me.

Yea man, now I have 2 prophet 5s with midi! And, the new one will load sysex data from the Rev 3.3 .I backed up the vintage one , and it worked perfectly. so cool

@@javd007 i am going to be in the same boat. I have an original rev 3.0 with Kenton MIDI, and will be getting the rev 4 too!! Btw. I like your music. My type of sound. Here is some of mine: reeno.bandcamp.com/track/acid-organics-2

@@SPAZZOID100 Awesome man! The REV 4 is definitely a Prophet 5, it sounds like a more polished Rev 3, but sure has the vibe and sound.

@@javd007 how does the rev 4 sound with vintage knob at “2” using SSM filters???

@@SPAZZOID100 Very similar , the Rev 2 and 3 aren’t as different as people think.

Tyler Burns Bottom is the original one .

@@javd007 Makes sense. Perhaps the new one sounds better with the "vintage" knob turned up.

@@burns46824 i own both. Near identical.

I did .

Do you lol?

@@javd007 lol no

CAPS REMOVED

yea, bad programming rendition of the original patch from the factory.

Yep!

Incorrect.

@@SPAZZOID100 Why keep defending this thing? We all hear a difference. Maybe that's not an issue for you. Not sure it's an issue really. It still sounds good, but not the same.

total. night and day. huge. interesting some people get the concept, many do not. I call it a 3d quality, depth and imaging. the new stuff sounds plastics, and with the current manufacturing methods pretty much across the board many companies, same manufacture method, similar global timbre. It's a real pickle, I tell you. We have lost so much.

@@nickjones5641 no difference.

@@SPAZZOID100 there are many, many people who don't taste differences between different wines, which is ok...but I owned two vintage prophet 5s and play a lot more in my vintage local shop. The difference is more than just a bit, maybe you need to exercise your hearing. The main timbre does sound the same in this comparison, but if you listen more carefully you hear one is not like the other.

Or time...

Not really.

@@SPAZZOID100 Just listened again with fresh ears and yea doesn't sound as bad as my original comment might have implied. Sounds like new model has a more detailed sound especially in the transient and higher frequencies. The vintage by comparison has a more rounded less detailed tone

Im not so sure about the tuning. Its pretty darn stable. Both are to be honest. But I agree with you. The Rev 3 certainly has more presence and sounds bigger. There's no question

It uses the same CEM oscillators and filter chips as the original REV 3 and a slightly updated version of the SSM filter chip for the REV 1/2 flavour.

Sounds near identical, so matters not.

Lexicon 224.

Ty

lol.Nice catch.Vintage style watch for vintage synth.

Chris Bran no. I removed them

Thx Mate ! But the old Rev3 still has a bit more sizzle and high freq on top, am I right?

Yes, I just noticed it now. Real upset about it. Dont get me going lol I rushed this video too fast.

I love it but the rev 3 sounds better, its far more loose, interesting to listen to, and fatter/brighter.

That was my thoughts on it too. How "far more loose" would you say....+15% ? Fatter/Brighter..... +10% ? It may seem like a small thing, but it actually makes a lot of difference in the end.

@@louiseisobelevans loose 20 percent. brighter 20 percent. Fatter-15 percent.

@@javd007 , thanks. I was deciding over this vs an ob-6. I think for me, the ob-6 is the way to go am really happy with mine.

I have 3.3s yet I’m sure neon would probably agree that smith did his homework better than most sooo this nu ones smoking cause it’s essentially hi end vintage done about as good as has been done

Haus Verkehrs Yhis video is the comparison WITH the fix. I did a comparison before the fix , I discovered the flaw.

I still feel like the original has more umph!

yea, its really small. Small enough to not matter in my opinion.

Nah. Close enough.

Not saying it’s bad but there is still a difference. It almost reminds me of a solid state guitar amp vs a tube amp. There seems to be more presence in the rev 3. It’s almost like if you play a b3 through a tube amp and bring the draw bars out , it’s a high freq sound that is so real! Also similar to a farfisa or vox organ- that’s the vibe I hear in the rev 3 as opposed to the rev 4

@@AllenMichael nope. I own both.

Just a tiny hair, but then again two vintage ones might be slightly different, and the difference now is within that range.

Neon Nights: 1980s Music Production on the few patches where there’s a difference a slight touch of eq to deliver the equivalent of ‘loudness’ would match both 100%. The main issue is there whole spectrum is there and so is the in-synth intra-oscillator interplay that gives it life.

Nope.

I agree. i love the Rev 4, it sounds amazing, but the Rev 3 does indeed sound fatter for most sounds, not all but most.

Snoo Lee Yes they would lol

Im sorry. It is an empty promise brother. I no longer have the time to make the video. I made this during the pandemic. All the best.