Wow, this is a great review and run through - thank you! I bought a Take 5 a few weeks ago from a local shop, convinced when I walked in that I was going to leave with a REV2, but just couldn't make myself believe that the Take 5 didn't sound better. I agree 100% on the number of patches and I *really* wish it had 5 octaves... love the sound of it though.
It’s easier to get a decent sound out of the T5 … but with a little programming/using the gated sequencer, the REV 2 sounds amazing - plus, all the voices, mod options … Nobody buys any Sequential synth for the FX … 😊
This is a great review really. Watching a review like this really makes me wonder about my friends that buy synths and still have no idea how to operate them. I just came to hear some timbres from this machine and maybe catch a couple features I wasn’t seeing on paper and here’s homie giving synthesis and technique lessons sprinkled throughout. Good show mate!
What a great video! Thank you very much for talking through the process of creating a patch as it really helps understand what's happening. Very educational as well.
Hands down the best demo and custom tones I've heard from this new synth! Many others have had me thinking meeehhh on the Take 5... You got the gift mate.
Does it sound better than a P6? Interested in your comment about being the best sounding modern Sequential synth. I have a P6 but thinking of picking one of these up. Just bought the TEO5 which is killer!
Thank you very much for this video! Very useful! I have take 5 since 1 year but only use presets because im beginner but hope and believe this video will help me to start design and use mod matrix!❤
Hello, I have a question: I am seriously considering buying the Take 5, but I see quite a few people complaining about recurring tuning problems, and that worries me. What do you think ?
Another well structured demo/review, cheers Jamie. I do actually like the aesthetics of this synthesizer, and it seems very versatile, although personally, sound wise it's probably not my kind of unit, but that's just my personal taste. - The name still jars me though, - be like Roland releasing a new groovebox and calling it, - It's A Rap - of something similar.
hello, I have a problem with the Take 5 that I received yesterday. the stereo delays do not work. For example, the first delay, simply called delay, is stereo. But if I plug my headphones into take 5 or if I listen to my speakers, there is no stereo. Do you have any advice for me? I said that the synth is set to stereo and not mono in the global menu.
OK, you convinced me. Just ordered a used one from a reputable dealer. Thanks for the review. If there was a Prophet 12 for an extra $600, which would you choose for sound possibilities? Or just really different? The small size of the Take 5 could be an advantage if the smaller keyboard size is good enough. Do 40 keys feel like too few to you? I guess could do bass on another small synth such as a Pro 3 or Subsequent 37.
Great review! I really miss the filter tracking knob and would be happy to see it replace the drive knob. I do believe the Prophet X sounds a tiny bit better with its excellent SSI2144 stereo filter, but the Take 5 is a monster - especially for its price.
So Take 5 doesn’t have Filter Tracking function at all, or it doesn’t have Filter Tracking knob? I’m considering it to buy, but without filter tracking function I don’t think so.
Is it me? The Take 5 has like a very brassy sound almost like a metallic sheen or glaze to it I dont really hear the warmth on youtube. I feel like Sequential might of went the cheaper route on the ocillators.
I feel the same way, but it does sound like its price point. Still sounds good, not cheap like a Roland GAIA. But I can't unhear that "glaze" you describe after hearing some demos of the P6
Hi Jamie, just wanted to ask you if you thought the Take 5 was anywhere close to the Prophet 5? I know the Take 5 has the Prophet 5 rev4 filter, but unsure about the SSM chips? Is it just a budget Prophet 5 stripped down with less keys and a plasic/mental housing? Edit: the filter is an SSI2140 low-pass filter from the Prophet 5 Rev 1 & 2 and 4. Curtis chips are present on the Rev4
It can get close for sure, though the Prophet 5/10 has multiple waveshaped that you can use at the same time, Osc 1 has 2 and Osc 2 has 3, so there's a lot more weight you can add. Also, the P5/10, P6 and OB6 can use Osc 2 as an FM source at very slow rates, like an LFO, be great to see that as an option on the T5. The truth is, if the T5 had the extra voices and was housed in the same chasis/style as the P5/10, it's the one people would choose. The other Prophets are superior in many ways in terms of style, size, features, but for Sound, I much prefer the T5...Except the OB6.
@@GEOSynths Really appreciate your reply Jamie! I did have the ob-6 for but returned it after a week as I was looking for something more portable as I live in a small flat in London. I'm really tempted to buy this now! One last question if its possible; would you say its good for late 70s early 80s funk disco? Again my dream synth is the Prophet 5 which was basically in every song I used to listen to in the 80s. Love you're channel and looking forward to tonights video! Keep up the good work mate
@@callumcc8897 Yeah, i'm sure it would be good for those genres, it's all about the programming really and lots of sounds in the 80's were very simple with not a lot going on. If I was starting again and wanted my first Analogue Synth, I'd get the T5 for sure, then a decent Monosynth like the Moog Grandmother/Subsequent 37 and some decent VST's from u-he or Arturia and be done.
Sounds thin/bright, for a VCO/VCF synth, to me … It has digital LFO, Envelopes, and VCA/Amps(?), so the entire back-end (after the filter) is digital, as I understand it? Not sure if that alone explains it, or it’s the VCO/VCF chips used in this particular model, as well. I mean, they were working to a price point, and obviously don’t want to cannibalise their higher-end synths sales.
34:47 I hear a lot of overlap in the modern Sequential products such as P08, Rev2, Prophet 6., It sounds nice but I don't personally think I would choose it over the OB6. Just my "take". Good review, Jamie. Great synth for some people looking to get into electronic music production (price point). Well done.
it shows and to repeat from the sequential forums, it's the Juno from the Sequential series. It's a safe training wheels take on a P5 that makes it just sound good. Which works for many tracks.
@kierenmoore3236 I'm sure it can sound good. I ended up getting a Take 5 a while ago and like it. I like the fat VCO sound better than the DCOs of the Rev 2.
@@vatolegato I’m glad you like it. You can get VCO sounds with the REV 2 … that’s what most people don’t realise … Sequential hasn’t made a bad synth, so you can’t really go wrong …. Cheers! 😎👍🏼
★★★★★ Great review, sir. Surprised that you said it’s their best poly synth though. I hope you covered up your OB-6’s ears when you said it! 😄 In all seriousness though, it does sound great. And you’re right, at that price point it’s really hard to beat. I can see that making a big dent in the sales of their Rev2 synths.
Yeah, I had a section on comparing, but cut it out as it was going on too long. The OB6 is an exception, but compared to the other Prophets and I've designed for all of them, the T5 is a great Sound Engine, best of the Prophets...Not necessarily Scale/Build Features, but having 20 LFO's does not necessarily make a good sound :)
@@GEOSynths gotcha. Certainly sounds good and if I didn’t already have a P6 it would be a no-brainer, for sure. Silly patch storage limit though. Surely they will address that in a firmware update.
@@ZaffinMusic i guess that will depend on available flash ram space on the chips used in the synth... certainly though it's not 1985.. there' should be at least 128kb spare somewhere!
@@cresshead yeah, I very much doubt it’s an addressing issue. Probably imposed limitations so other synths in their lineup don’t get upset. 😊 I would imagine that once the Rev2 is discontinued - which I think it will now. At least the 8 voice version - they’ll release a firmware update to allow overriding of the factory banks or something. 🤷♂️
@@ZaffinMusic yeh artificial limits are a bit of an own goal sometimes for a company...throws a coffee stain over their marketing and brand perception.
I’ve been a guitarist and music producer for the last 30 years, and I intend to buy my first synth now. Well, I do have a Korg M1 and a Korg TR61, as well as other sound modules in rack format, but I’d like to go deeper now. One question for those of you who are experienced in this field, please: why would you buy the Take 5 instead of the Deepmind 12 ?
I've made Patch libraries for both and either Synth is a great choice. Obviously the DM12 has a larger keyboard and has 4 FX Banks, I tend to use 2 for processing (EQ/Compression) and 2 for Reverb/Delay etc. The main drawback to the DM12 is that to get 2 Sawtooths, you have to use 2 Voices per note, so you effectively get 6 Note Poly. There are ways around it with Pitch Shifting, but on the whole, it's 6 voices for many Sounds. Of course, the Take 5 is 5 voices, but you'll get a much fuller Sounds and while the FX aren't as extensive, they do sound pretty good. The price of the DM12, especially used is hard to not get really. Check out my website www.geosynths.com and every patch I make is on demo for both Synths, have them playing in the background while doing something else, see if either Synth "speaks to you"
It's not the Poly Pro 3 I was hoping for, but it seems nice regardless. The really nice thing though... is a review from GEOSynths! That doesn't happen often.
Haha...They take ages to do, that's why...Plus, I don't get sent stuff to review, apart from the Leipzig V3, so I have to buy them...buying to review is a fools game!
poly pro3 sound like a dream but i can imagine all the comments "not worth it, nothing new, overpriced..." :) if i was the "ceo" of sequential i would say no go, too ambitious, too expensive. many will praise but will not buy, better to make something for keyboardist.
@@xfghffhfg Yeah, it'd be a very ambitious project, and they'd have to give it a rather, uh, "premium" price tag. I don't really expect it to happen. But I can dream. :D OTOH, it's not that hard to just multitrack a monosynth. So... that's what I'll keep doing. I have a Pro 3 and I plan on enjoying it for a long, long time.
I feel like this is a nice compromise for someone who doesn’t want the expense/studio real estate of both the Pro3 and Rev2. Great video! Edit for spelling
Hi @Jamie. Good demo video. I just purchased one this afternoon tomorrow it’ll be in my hands 🙌. Hopefully this is a keeper… so far for what and how you introduced it it seems like the baby you want to stay as is…. At home. Take care my buddy! A. ☺️
@@GEOSynths hey Jamie! I’m alright, thanks 😊 I received the Take 5 I’m still getting into it-at first I noticed that some of the fab features that are on the PRO3 aren’t on this synth. Also I’m kinda throw off as source and destination feat has to be done within the so small screen dialing the knobs for the S. & D. parameters (?) . Ill try it for couple of weeks and see how I can make a good use of it(?) If you have any advice please feel free to share. Thanks 😊 also thank you for this video. 😊
The great thing about this particular review and demo is that some of your custom patches are the type that I would write myself if I purchased a Take 5 of my own. It is October 2023 as I comment. This model would kill several birds with one stone. I have yet to purchase an analog polyphonic synthesizer with voltage-controlled oscillators instead of digitally-controlled ones. I would like to be able to save patches, some thing I cannot do with my Odyssey. I would also like to be able to better explore matrix modulation, something I haven’t endeavored to do with the insurance I’ve got that include it (the Matrix 1000 and microKorg XL). It would also be a treat if this model could loosely emulate the sound of Keith Emerson playing the solo at the end of “Lucky Man”. Most of that pertains to the band that I currently play with. The Odyssey is the synth I tote back and forth from our practices. if I thought something like Take 5 could supplant it, it would jump to the top of my perspective purchase list for 2024.
The Take 5 is probably the most flexible Analog Synth that Sequential make, in terms of the Sound Engine, yes the others have better this and that, but for range of Sounds, the Take 5 is incredible…
Thank you for you review. Any owners of Take Five please tell me if your Take Five has Wobbly Pot or Knobs ? I played Sequential synths in the past and some of them really felt weak and on the point of breaking if turned really fast as I do often ! Any input is highly regarded as there aren't no music shops left in my country so no way of trying one before buying it .
Sounds really nice, I do wish manufacturers would stop putting in tiny screens though as my ageing eyes can't cope with postage stamp sized displays! i'd need my 5"" magnifying glass. wish it had a sy77 sized display or a Fa-06 color style display.
Totally agree about the small screen sizes..... but it seems even worse with this synth because on reviews I've watched, it appears that none of the values of the pots are displayed on the screen when you alter them. This seems like a major step back for me, if you have a screen, surely you should be displaying the values of the knobs you are turning?
@@GEOSynths It’s definitely the cheapest synth they’ve made, for a good while. Good value, if you like the sound, filter, build, smaller keyboard/size, controller layout, etc.
2:00 … “And of course, like the Pro 3, the Mod Wheel and the Pitch are moved from the left, up to here …” Except, that’s incorrect … You must have been thinking of the Rev 2, I’m guessing? 🤔
depending which sound you prefer, as they sound totally different. I have the rev2 (and previously I had the P08) and I love it, but I am probably also gonna get the Take 5 for gigging.
I love my Rev2 but I also miss the kind of natural phasing and movement you get with VCO's (I have a Minilogue XD which gives me some of that). On the other hand I'd probably feel really limited if my only analog poly had just 5 voices. Rev2 feels so "limitless" in use, especially the 16-voice. You never worry about running out of mod slots, envelops, LFO's or voices. Rev2 is a good "foundation" for your bread and butter synthesis needs, but I feel you also need a few other synths to add character and variety to your setup.
Great question. I owned a Rev2 and agree that's its a dream synth for sound designers. It has a ton of modulation possibilities. I'm digg'n my Take 5 more than the old Rev 2. I like the VCOs on the The Take 5, the simple layout, knob per function, and of course the magical sounds. At the end of the day, either synth would be an excellent choice.
Good video - thanks for giving more insight into this synth. Did you take a sneaky look inside? I’d love to know if there’s a connector for a possible voice expansion card :-)
@@midnightsocean2689 A completely personal view of course, but the Pro 3 is characterful in so many ways (3 of everything) and is uncompromising as it doesn’t have to be polyphonic. It’s such a chameleon and can change character in an instant. The Take 5 is very nice though. I guess as a way to ‘take’ key aspect of the P5 and modernize in an affordable way, it’s a triumph, but I’d select a less compromised mono/para (the Pro 3) and have a single poly with a bit more polyphony and scope (in my case, a Polybrute complements my Pro 3 SE and my Matriarch). But I do see your point as characterized by the ‘all things considered’ - that, though, sounds like a bit of a compromise to me. I know all things, ultimately, have some value engineering in them, but the Take 5 gives my that feeling first. I’d rather notice other characteristics first.
@@final_mile_music9713 Ah yes I see. I agree. From a personal point of view, I would also choose a mono synth with more personality and have a separate dedicated poly, if it was between that and only having the take 5. My praise for the take 5 is much more from a business and performance/price point of view. Most people are looking for smaller, more affordable synths that are analog but still have modern options. There are few that are analog, affordable AND poly. Fewer still that are all those things AND made by such a reputable company. I just think it was a very smart design choice by Sequential. The market demand check list is long and full of contradicting attributes. The take 5 checks most of the boxes without making compromises that would put off a significant portion of consumers.
Just make my choice harder..... Im now having to choose 2 from OB6, P6 and Take 5 to go with my Pro3 (and Peak and Deep mind - but hey). One module/desktop (which rules T5 out for now) and one keyboard (which doesnt)..... NO Idea which to go for.....
@@MetatronsCube23 "game changing" is a little exaggeration :) it is really great feature i agree but allot of analog synthesizers have it, almost any dave smith synth have it, maybe a game changing in the 80's... if he liked the sound of the xd it's important.. the take 5 will never do all the logue sdk... they are very different, ideally get them all. why choose, it's all so cheap and verity is always good.
Thanks, nice video! Yeah, I'm really smitten with my Take 5 too. More than I thought I would be honestly. I think it could definitely use some minor software updates though. My main gripe is that the knob values aren't shown on the screen when twisting them. Especially the LFO & Delay clock sync divisions.
@@bachcontra3606 True. But they somehow figured it out with the Pro3, why not include it on the T5? But I think they'll release a pretty significant software update soon so I'm not worried
Pro3 has a similar screen layout as the Pro2 (and Rev2). I hope Spectrasonics will soon add Take5 to their Omnisphere hardware compatibility list allowing for full screen feedback.
@Snake Plissken I love the way the Take 5 sounds absolutely. It pairs really well witht the Pro 3 as well. Like cousins. It's real freakin easy to dial up sounds too, which goes a long way with me. The screen stuff is a minor gripe, it must be admitted, but I'm sure they'll release a future update sorting those kinda things out anyway. Sometimes I sorta of like not knowing some of the values to be honest. It's like playing an old vintage analog in a weird way. But the delay and lfos clock divisions would still be helpful IMO
On the fence, Take 5 or Prophet 6? Looking for big warm sustained brass pads mainly, Space is an issue so Prophet 5 out of the question. Great vid btw!
never understood this logic, synths have different features and don't sound the same... they all called "synths" but they are completely different instruments...
@@xfghffhfg completely agree. it's more like 'synth' is an instrument class like 'guitars' would encompass classic acoustic guitars, electric guitars, banjos, balalaikas etc instruments that are somewhat similiar but still very different, just like minimoog and a juno and a dx7 are all synths but are really far from being the same instrument
The filter sounds great and Sequential appear to have solved the problem of modern polysynths that sound too 'tight'. I like the form factor too. But it's only 5 voices.. for £1099.
Love the video.... But what makes this different? ocs-evl-mod.... This is the same cow..... Just with lipstick .... I did not hear one sound that was different.. Just another synth..... I wish Elon Musk was into synths....
Nothing new for other manufacturers but the combination for Sequential is new, that's what I was saying. If you don't hear a difference, no problem, I can, but I've designed on all of their Synths apart from the Evolvers, so maybe that's why I noticed the difference.
listening to demo's will not help you finding the differences. it's like expecting someone to do the work for you. it will be better to check the manual to see what each one can do differently.