Sweet Review! After using the p6 and ob-6 at work on a daily basis, I do think that they are the best modern takes on vintage designs. The sound design ease, classic filter designs, and compact package make these two really good bargains and synths that would last a lifetime in the studio. That being said, I do own a Prophet 5 rev 4 and I think that there is a certain magic to its sound and limited feature set (Fixed continous wave forms, 1 lfo, and mono output). The fact that it has both legacy filters and envelope curvatures of the three original revs breeds great results and the synths sound is organic and buttery smooth.When you use the rev 1/2 filter (ssm 2140) and crank the resonance it sounds like it overdrives the signal in this gorgeous siren like way. The rev 3 filter (on chip systems 3320) is also a classic that just sounds great but doesnt have the same magic as the rev 1/2 filter. I do think that the rev 3 filter and envelope settings are more versatile in sound though. The Vintage knob is also amiracle when it comes to voice dispertion. The prophet 6 adds more modern features to the table but I do think it lacks that initial magic. I do feel this way about the OB-6 vs the OB-X8. After playing the X8 it also has that magic with everything that I mentioned about the P5. The Vintage knob literally effects everything in the individual voices very subtlely such as pwm, mixer/filter level, and envelope start times. The page 2 funtionality goes well beyond anything else Ive played. So many features to list. The biggest difference with the OB-6 vs Ob-x8 is the fact that the OB-6 feels like a P6 with a sem and slightl different oscilator while the OB-X8 os a worthy compilation of the original obs in one package. The P6 and Ob-6 are waay better options if you are gigging and need something analog with modern sound design tools. I would never bring my P5 outside of my house due to the walnut enclosre and sheer size. I cant wait for your reiew on the X8!
Thanks for the great comment Roland! I totally agree. Between these two, you pretty much have every subtractive synth sound covered + all the modern features. I am happy to hear you find a big difference with the P5 thought cause for me I'm really curious to compare one myself. You are making me so excited for my X8 to arrive, UPS says this Friday!
11:34 The high pass on the Prophet-6 is underrated as the synth itself has been. It's a lovely HPF. A bit different from the OB6 in feel. The grrat thing about tje Prophet-6 LPF and HOF is that they have separate cut offs, separate resonances, separate key tracking and separate envelope amounts (+v and -ve) and also separate velocity sensitivity. So you can do band pass any width, two resonant peaks, all kinds of combinations.
Brass all day long. I just get lost every time I sit down with this beauty. I have and og sub 37 and a P6. I feel so lucky to own these desert island staples. Great review btw. I can feel your love and appreciation for this one of a kind classic. Great outro jam also Really inspiring.
Well said! And thanks so much for the kind words :) not sure if you saw already but the link in this description to my custom patch set is what I used for all the outro music!
One thing i NEVER hear ppl talk about is the incredible workflow when using prophet 6 with the codeknobs vst. Flexible librarian, vst automation, and easy to place multiple instances in a session independently. Furthermore, you can then add any kind of modulation you want to it with midi lfos if so desired.
Wow! That looks awesome - if I understand you correctly, does this 3rd party make it like the Sun 37 editor or Modal app where you basically can save tracks as midi instruments in projects and use your P6 like a vst?
@@MilesAwayOfficial that’s exactly right. So how i use it is can have 6 instances and for each I’ll have two tracks, one midi with the vst and one I’ll bounce the audio to. And it will inactivate the vst when you select another instance so that knob turns don’t affect the wrong instance
Excellent overview of the P6, superb sounding patches also. I regretfully sold my P6, but this definitely fueled my GAS to buy another sooner than later. I’ll be sure to buy your fantastic patches when I do. Thanks and keep up the excellent work.
@@MilesAwayOfficial your very welcome, awesome, yes I’ll definitely check that out as I’m planning to add an OB-X8 to my arsenal. Just have to sell some other synth first.
I agree. The P6 is a workhorse and ALWAYS sounds good in a mix. The other synth that is somewhat underrated is the Summit. It has something about it that allows it to sit in a mix well too. I have dozens of synths including the OB-X8, One, etc and I seem to always reach for the P6.
@@MilesAwayOfficiali have a P6 and have been watching your E7 and OB6 videos. What would be a good pair w/P6 for lush analog pads between the E7 & OB6?
The master volume knob at the top left seemed weird to me, until I realised that, playing the synth right handed at high resonance, you can just whio your left hand across and trim the volume, especially with the sequencer or arpeggiator. You can turn resonance up with RH and master volume using LH, just in case the loudness spikes.
the envelope click is not actually a negative at all, it's typically integral to using the synth to create synth kicks and drums in sound design, something you also find happens with the MS-20 for example which excels in that area imho, it's a minor inconvenience to move the attack a touch if you are using it conventionally, likewise you also would love that resonance knob if you were using it for that application too, maybe if the pots are digital it would make sense to have modes for those features that lets them loose instead from a user preference point of view, even acoustic drums have a click as the beater hits the beater head before the resonator head creates the transient if that makes sense so removing entirely would effectively nullify that use case from the instrument.
Here, me! Keyboard lacks one octave, no daw integration & librarian, no patch names on display. Last thing got fixed: with vintage mode they finally made the slop knob what it should have been from the beginning.
What lovely sounds at the end! It inspired me to actually try to recreate the sounds on the rev2! (and it made me notice you transposed the keys on a patch at the end :) not sure if it matches up with the p6 but the result is some lovely sounds also out of the rev2 so thanks :)
@@MilesAwayOfficial that would be great, looking forward to it! Tip for the review, include trying out the VCM (voice component modelling) patches for it. Its kind of like the vintage knob. I still have to try it out though. Anyways, have a nice day and keep on synthin
It's really a special one eh! I was surprised how quickly and varied my custom patches were for it, great ideas just fall out of the P6. Super intuitive layout
Oh man, Pro3 and Matriarch have been sold in order to make room for the Prophet 10. Been trying to hold on the purchase for a few months and focus on what I've got left in the studio, but this video is not helping. Beautiful demo of the Pro6!
Thanks for the love Nick! Exciting upgrade! Do you have the P10 yet? I'm almost positive eventually I'm gonna sell some gear towards a P10, maybe in 2023-2024 as I'd love to experience one. But for now P6 is just perfect for me! :)
I agree with your assessment that you may as well get a P5 over a P6 since they are so close in terms of cost. I regularly see mint used/B-stock P10s around $3200-3600 USD. That would be my suggestion if you want the Prophet sound in the studio setting. If you are using it live I’d go for the Prophet-6 or Take 5 due to the FX, sequencer and arp. In terms of raw tone and playing experience P10 rev4 is the ultimate Prophet.
bingo. this is my exact thoughts; I'm still grappling with that idea next year of selling this guy to get a B stock P5/10. But i like the P6 so much it's a hard choice! Thanks for watching!
@@MilesAwayOfficial absolutely! The P6 is no slouch. It’s just hard not to smile with a P10 in front of you haha (although I’m sure you run into that with your P6 as well 🙂)
@@eventualinfinity3862 I bet it’s just magic. Well my OBx8 arrives today so I can’t wait to dive in and make the video for you guys finally, so stick around here 😍
Had a P6 and vastly preferred my Ob6, then got a Prophet 10 rev 4 and now both coexist happily as great sounding synths in a way I didn’t find with the Prophet 6.
Great video thanks. Watched your ob6 video and bought the desktop module. Now watched this and can't make my mind up to buy this (full keyboard) and use with the ob6 desktop or visa versa. Both are just amazing. That filter on the ob6 is stunning and nails that haunting 'early 80s' sound like nothing else but the P6 sounds like it has a lot more versatility and captures that Stranger Things vibe on its own.
Thank you so much! That’s a tough question and you can’t go wrong either way. My pick will always be the OB-6 but I’m lucky to have stuff that can cover the P6 sound decently well. If you think you can swing it, both keyboard versions are imo the best laid out compact keyboard synths possible. Ps I have custom patches for both synths if you feel like checking them out, linked in this description:)
@@MilesAwayOfficial thanks for the reply.I actually just sold my Take 5 as it was a great interface but the sound didn't have that p6 and 5 warmth. Yes both would be ideal. The ob6 keyboard was my planned upgrade this week and then I watched your video on the p6 last night and it blew me away! Choices Choices! Will look out for the patches. Cheers
@@MilesAwayOfficial Hi Miles. In the end went P6 keyboard ( for now 😀). I figured it gives me a greater range of sounds and diversity over the OB6. The OB6 module works great with my keystep 37 and I can run both sequencers at the same time to create some some nice baseline & lead combos.
@@horder2344super late reply but congrats! How are you liking it? I still use my P6 all the time, actually more than my OB-X8 even. Just such a good synth the P6 is
Hey Miles, first of all thanks for the great reviews you have on this channel, I always find myself back here to compare my favorite synths!😇 I am about to buy my very first analog synth and it is so hard to decide which one would be the right one for me? I mainly focus on producing music like the weeknds after hours or dawn fm, but I also like modern edm like illenium etc. Since you have said that the prophet 6 is more versatile I thought I would get it right away, but maaaan your ob6 sound demo really made me think🤣 The sem filter and character are just perfection but then the prophet has more sound design capabilities as far as I understood. What would you suggest in my home studio situation? My dream synth is the OB X8 but right now it is not realistic for me to get one unfortunately… Also I have noticed that I could get the prophet 5 or 10 (which look better imo) for a similar price now🤔 Since they are mono I have a hard time figuring out if those are worth it compared to the ob6 and prophet with the stereo capabilities? Thanks in advance!!!
Late reply sorry for missing this! I vote OB-6 if you like the sound, its still my fave, whereas I sold my Prophet 6 to fund the 3rd Wave which can replicate it. OB-6 is magic and if you like the sound there's nothing like it! I'd love to buy a Prophet 5 but I don't have one so no comment there.
@@MilesAwayOfficialDon’t worry, it’s fine!😁 I’ve actually already bought the Prophet 6 ( and I bought your Patches from this video, they are incredible🤩) since my last comment and I must say I do not regret it! Eventhough the sound of the Ob6 might be more pleasing in some cases, I find that the Prophet 6 feels incredibly versatile especially when sound designing! I might just get the ob6 desktop version next, if I don’t get the Moog Matriarch first tho🤣 Thank you for the reply anyways, keep up the great work🤝
I had P6, and from the get go I loved the concept, but swapped it for the OB6. I have many other DSI/Sequential synths, and while I dont expect P6 to act like P5/10, as it is a new instrument in its own rite, I preffered multi modulation beast like REV2, SEM driven OB6 with negative x mod (for me, it really is a big deal, that tiny exception). P6 filter is smt I use heavilly on my Pro 3, but I think it was too dim for a poly. While REV2 is very brassy, this one is easy to get dimm, and not creamy. I got tons of good soiunds out of it, it is a solid instrument that, if you like the character of, you will enjoy all the way. It cannot match raw power of P10 (it took me 2 mins to get that conclusion, as soon as I plugged new P10 it blew me away), but it is now a piece of history and a really good instrument. I love how Haelos use it.
Great video and review Miles I really enjoyed this. Question..... around the 20 minute mark you talk about the mod wheel being tied to the LFO depth.... are you saying that you CANT patch the mod wheel to the filter cutoff??????? That seems like a MAJOR oversite. Thats basically a deal breaker for me and that breaks my heart. I spend a lot of time riding the filter cutoff with my left hand on the mod wheel. Why in the world would they not even give you the option??????
Thanks for the comment! Technically you are correct, it’s a bummer. BUT there’s a great workaround that J3PO has a video explaining, where you can sync the LFO to a super slow speed and bpm, send it to cutoff, then mod wheel functions exactly like you are talking about
Nice to hear the Summit get props - such a seemingly underappreciated powerhouse value; especially used. (Only synth with decent onboard effects IMHO) Personally if I were spending in this space I cannot imagine getting something other than P10 desktop paired with a poly AT controller setup.
I really want to give it a try! I reached out to Arturia for a loaner unit but never heard back unfortunately, and I haven't seen one come up on the used market here. But it's on my radar to eventually rent or trade for and make a video and preset pack for it so stay tuned!
Question. Would you recommend the prophet 6, prophet 12 or prophet rev2. Mainly having trouble deciding between the 6 and rev2. I definitely love the warm sound of the prophet 6. I know there are a lot of features on the rev2 though. Having a lot of trouble deciding since I can’t get my hands on one to try.
I’ve never played the rev2 sorry but it looks amazing! I can definitely say that if the Prophet 5 was an option when I got my 6 I would have probably got that since they are almost same price now and I don’t use the effects. But the 6 is amazing!
Interesting verdict! I’d say, a purchase decision between P5 and P6 would be informed by much more than just stereo and added effects. IMHO, the P6 sounds very different. The oscillators are quite different from the P5, you mention the high pass filter yourself, the distortion can be used very musically too… It takes a nod at the legend, but it also stands perfectly on its own. Yes, it’s more “modern” in character. But it’s also a lot more versatile (as you also point out) than a P5. It’s the one synth to have if you cannot afford any more than that. ;)
Totally fair point! I think the P6 is still pretty much the best "only have one synth" option, though I'd like to try the new Trigon too. Great instruments!
regarding the sub, i think that in some patches yes it’s not as good as the square because it doesnt always blend well with a pad for example. HOWEVER, for bass, it is killer in a mix and makes the prophet really great for many kinda of bass patches, from 80s funky high res to muted modern sounding r&b type basses to some big reese basses
Fair feedback, I can totally see how that would sound huge! For me though, I feel a lot of the fattest bass sounds don’t have too much phasing going on between oscillators. Like, I use my sub 37 for almost all my sub basses just cause I love the clean sound of a single osc going into the filter with lots of drive. Thoughts? Or do you prefer having the beefyness of a layered sub osc?
Yeah i never really would’ve thought to do bass like the prophet forces you into. I have the matriarch and one oscillator is all you need. But there’s something really tight about what the prophet is capable of with the clean triangle sub with an upper octave square or saw. I can get almost electric bass sounds and i find it translates super well over phone speakers. But it’s definitely different than the moog. To me the prophet has incredible tight low end that needs almost no mixing. It might be some magic in the way the sub has a few harmonics, and when you lay osc 1 onto it and close down the filter a lot, it still has presence in a mix. I’ve had the prophet only a couple months so I’m still learning what it can do but I’ve been blown away at how good it is for bass cus that’s not why i bought it.
@@jarjar45123 super late reply I did not see this! But that's totally a fair point, the prophet needs a bit more of the boost that a triangle sub gives vs a Moog that just has that wild fatness on its own. You've inspired me to try to use the sub osc more in my next session so thanks!
I see this video has been around for over a year, but I’ve a question: I really want the Summit and the P6 along with effects pedals. What do you recommend I start with? P6 or summit. How about the right effects pedal for pads and leads? I have the Strymon big sky already, and for synths the Roland RD 800, Roland Juno DS 61, the Yamaha Yc 61, the Roland Fantom 7, and the sequential Prophet Rev 2 16 voice.
That’s an awesome combo I had for a while! Summit is definitely more versatile, but the Prophet sounds better for basic stuff. I can’t really say which one you should get first but they are both great! For fx since you have a great reverb, I’d get a delay: look into the Meris LVX, it’s basically made for synths! If you want something analog, Walrus Meraki is phenomenal too.
I started with the original ju-06, got a behringer model D and then eventually prologue which seemed like a better deal compared to this and it was brand new at the time.. Some time later sold all of those and got a Prophet 6 and it is just on a whole other level for me tho. I feel things when I hear those pads and keys you played at the end of the video lol. I would love to hear your stuff through that empress reverb tho.. or the dba rooms if you still have that!
Every sound from 27 min to the end is played through the Empress Reverb! I love it with the prophet. ROOMS I used on my last Ob-6 video if you saw that, it's so good also! I like the Empress most on the Prophet. Congrats on getting it, it's such a great synth I agree! If you are interested, all those sounds you liked at the end will be available for sale in 2 days on my patch store. :)
@@MilesAwayOfficial no wonder that whole last part sounded so nice haha! Thanks for sharing your preference too.. I have been looking at both of those and its such a hard decision but I think im also leaning towards the empress. Also considering getting both and seeing which one I prefer in person. Also ill pick up your patches when I can, keep up the great videos!
Thanks for watching Ben! I actually just posted a comparison between this, my new OB-X8 and the Ob-6 / Summit. Give it a watch and let me know which one sounds best if you like!
@@MilesAwayOfficial just watched... great comparison... can't say one is better of course but the bite of the ob6 is surprisingly like tempting to say more "alive" in that patch..!?
Didnt you use some compression and sidechaining in the demotrack? Bcse i thought how well the synth accepts heavy processing while listening. - if that wasnt the case that you not used heavy compression then its great too. 🙌🏻
Always use side chain compression when making progressive! It’s one of the key “sounds” of the genre. Definitely. Recorded the synth into logic then added drums, comp, mastering
hydrasynth looks so sick! I've been asked more times than I can count to do a video on it. As for Rev2, unfortunately I've never used one but it looks like a great synth. I bought a Summit over a Rev2 for my high voice count mod matrix synth though, and I prefer it on paper and from demos. If you are curious I've got videos on the Summit here too!
Being honest, if the P5 Rev4 was out when I bought this I would have got it. I just LOVE the feel of the Rev 4. The build quality is better and it feels nicer to play. Sound wise they are pretty similar though, and the P6 is way more flexible, plus its stereo which is huge.
I cannot confirm that on the OB-6 the tone gets sucked away by the digital FX more than on the P6. What is very detrimental for the tone is the analog distortion killing all high frequencies, even more so on the Prophet than on the Obie. I hardly ever use it, and if so, with a setting of just 3.
Really like your demo song. It's very catchy which is hard to do. And the P6 sounds as fat as I've heard. I would license this out for some of my TV cues if you were interested.
Hey! I actually recently sold my P6 because I got the 3rd Wave. Check out my analog 3rd wave video. P6 is an incredible synth with a great sound, but for my the 3rd Wave did the same thing with way more mod/voices/features. I don't know the Rev2 too well but it seems really great. I would probably pair it with an OB6 instead because of how different they are, your rev2 is not sounding anything like an OB6 SEM filter and vice versa
I love the prophet 6 but I’ve recently run into a few issues with it. I’ve got a weird detuning issue where notes are not pitching correctly as well as the 6th note playing too loudly. I’ve noticed that this is only with presets where the unison is switched off… other than that the synth is, well, fantastic
LOL! My channel should come with a disclaimer :P if you get one enjoy it! Its a beauty synth. Just make sure your unit has no wobbly knobs. My first Sequential had bad QA, had to swap it out!
You can actually get rid of it just by slightly moving the attack knobs. But it's a bit finnicky compared to other synths, makes you have to be more careful in designing sounds.
For bass do you prefer the p6 over the ob6? Or is one better for bass? I have the ob6 and I often feel as if it’s just not the best synth for bass sounds … wonder if the prophet has more to offer
Late reply but yea I prefer the Prophet for bass! But I still like my Moog Sub 37 the most for bass and do most basses with that. But Prophet 6 is definitely nicer with the filter it has for bass than the OB-6
@@MilesAwayOfficial no I mean if I start with a fresh init patch, is the LFO aktiv? I got me a prophet 6 and I had some trouble with and after reset it to factory reset init and panel mode worked. But then I realized LFO is aktiv when going from initial patch. Is this normal?
@@MilesAwayOfficial Don’t sell stuff you like to get it then! I want to get an OB-X8 to complement my P10, but not going to sell anything I love to get it…someday will have it though!
Yea - but I'm a bit obsessive lol, I really enjoy the subtle differences and collecting synths. For the average listener they will never tell between a P5 and P6.
Kinda off topic, but you mentioned that you sold the Matriarch to fund this. Just wondering, how did you use the matriarch in your music? Was it worth selling it?
Good question, it was actually a trade, where I traded the matriarch plus another piece of gear to get to the prophet. I definitely miss the matriarch, and I might re-buy one eventually cause I still think it's a fantastic synth and pretty much the best sounding moog on the market. BUT i let it go as I've found my new music I'm making uses the Sub 37 a lot more. The matriarch's really big, mid heavy vintage sound wasn't working as much in the mix for the way my ears wanted, but I'm sure future me will want that flavour and re-buy it or grandmother! I sort of always like keeping my studio a revolving door for inspiration and to combine different synth flavours to see what workflow I like, the only synth I will never ever sell is OB-6 cause something about it just speaks to me.
@@MilesAwayOfficial Interesting to hear your thoughts! I like your idea of keeping a studio open to new synth flavors, and sometimes you have to let things go to try out other things. Thanks for sharing, amazing video!
@@mcubing7462 my pleasure! thank you for watching :) I actually just posted a video comparing this to the OB-x8, OB-6 and Summit - give it a watch to hear those different flavours and see which one you like most!
@@MilesAwayOfficial that is how I feel about the prophet 6, it is perfect for me, something about it, nomatter what other stuff they make, that particular one is just perfection..
how did you know early?? I just saw it and it looks amazing! I'd love to get a loaner unit but after my OB-X8 and E7 I gotta hold off on new synths haha
@@MilesAwayOfficial :) I know some people… I guess I should also mention “cocaine bear” too.. just do a search on RU-vid for that. I think it can be revealed now. Not related to Trigon, but just as cool😃
Depends on what synths you have. I’m spoiled with my studio so I sold my P6 to eventually buy the more limited P5 as a collector item, but if I didn’t have other synths that do the same thing I’d recommend P6 all day. The extra filter, distortion, effects, mod destinations make it super well rounded Vs the P5
@@MilesAwayOfficial right now I just have the Matriarch so I’m looking for that first poly. I’m torn between either a prophet 5 or 6 or an OB-6 (based on your strong recommendations) as well as something more general like a Summit. Only thing is I already have a lot of great soft synths so I’m wondering if I should skip getting a “general” synth and go straight for character? What do you think?
@@joshtackett I use (and love) several software VST’s. I am looking to get a matriarch soon as something about it is so raw and tactile, which I love. To your setup, if I were you, I would get an ob-6 for the poly. I feel it’s the most unique while still retaining versatility. Just my opinion tho, wish you the best
I'm glad you didn't show off the brass. The brass sound is so iconic on a Prophet but my least favorite on a synth. My hats off to anyone who can showcase new sounds instead of throwback sounds on a Prophet. Same for Roland I 'm not buying a synth for throwback sounds but that's just me.
