Members dereksljuka Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 Anyone know if a Pro One with serial no. "100-9409" is the type with the j-wire keyboard or the membrane keyboard? I'm guessing it's the {censored}ty membrane keyboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kpatz Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 Pro-Ones with serial numbers over 8500 have the {censored}ty membrane keyboard. Ones with S/N under 1500 have the power supply mounted on the main board, which sometimes leads to breakage. So, the best bet is one between 1500 and 8500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sizzlemeister Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter what serial number you get, you're still getting a Pro One. The membrane keybed can be dealt with. The power supply is an EASY issue to handle with a minor mod. People forget that the J-wire keybeds in P1's also need service. They forget that there are bad caps in all of them. They forget that there are CEMs. And, they forget that there's a processor that essentially can't be replaced. So, obsessing over what amounts to minor issues (keybed or power supply) on the P1 is absolutely silly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ClavAnother Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 and they might forget that you can buy an awesome woody case for it. mine had a couple of j-wires snap, and I must say, after repairing them I didn't really like the j-wires anymore. P.S. why does everybody always talk {censored} about CEMs?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members carbon111 Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 I'll still take the J-wires over the rubber domes as they can always be repaired and are self-cleaning for the most part. If the rubber one dries out and cracks the keyboard is pretty much finished AFAIK. I do worry about the unobtainable processor though - thanks for reminding me, Sizzle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kpatz Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 Processors rarely fail... but when you play a synth, especially a vintage mono, what do your fingers deal with the most? Yep, the keys. If the membrane keyboard truly stinks, it makes the whole synth stink. That said, I wonder if replacement membranes are available... maybe one out of another synth would work. It's just a row of rubber domes with conductive rubber on each dome, as long as they're spaced correctly it should work. One could even cut up the strip from another keyboard and glue it back together with the proper spacing if it came down to that. A cheap PC keyboard would give you 100+ membrane domes to work with, almost enough to fully refurbish three Pro-One keybeds. But, J-wires are more serviceable, as they can be cleaned, and if they break, are readily replaced. If you find a great deal on a membrane unit, go for it, after all, it's a Pro-One. But if it's not the deal of the year, pass it up and wait for a J-wire one (unless you plan on using the CV/gate inputs, then the keybed doesn't matter so much). Re: the processor, now that would be a cool upgrade. Replace the processor in a dead Pro-One with a modern microcontroller with new firmware. Emulate the old functionality and add new features too! I wonder if adding patch memory is a possibility, but I doubt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 Unobtanium CPUs reminds me: I had a Tempest video game for a few years (I was slowly reverse-engineering it to put a different game on it, didn't finish), and it has some serious unobtanium in it, as well. Namely the 2901 bit slice (4 of them!) processors used for the vector display math unit. Nearly anything vintage is gonna have something irreplaceable in it, so it's just part and parcel to owning owning vintage stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sizzlemeister Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 P.S. why does everybody always talk {censored} about CEMs?? Because they're not models of integrity. They're old ICs and often take a hit if something else in the circuit goes down. I'm not saying it's a frequent occurrence, but I've had a lot of CEM synths and equally my share of failing CEMs. They sound and perform fine the great majority of the time. With regards to the membrane keybed - yeah, it's easier to deal with a J-wire because direct replacement parts are available, but these days there are plenty of good solutions for membrane keybeds. Caig has some really nice products, for example. But, you have to keep in mind how many membrane keybeds are out there now - since the '80s there are tonnes of them and I rarely see anyone running into a scenario where the rubber has dried out. You can put just as much work and resources into a J-wire keybed as you can a membrane keybed is all I'm saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members idiotboy Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 "What up, bit slice?" That's my new catch phrase. You may use it freely. You're welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members urbanscallywag Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 Re: the processor, now that would be a cool upgrade. Replace the processor in a dead Pro-One with a modern microcontroller with new firmware. Emulate the old functionality and add new features too! I wonder if adding patch memory is a possibility, but I doubt it. http://www.bmh.nu/pro_one.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 This might be a really, really stupid question. I saw that the Mopho board has "Pro One II" written, so at least at some point, the project was supposed to be a continuation of the Pro One concept. Does anyone feel that, sonic-wise, the Mopho is worthy of that name? Could someone use a Mopho and a controller if their Pro One died and get pretty much the same sounds? I believe the Mopho has more routing capabilities, and the Pro One can't do all the Mopho does, but does the Mopho do all the Pro One does with a very similar sound? They both have Curtis chips, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members urbanscallywag Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 Cue VCO versus DCO thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 Cue VCO versus DCO thread! oh god please no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 I forgot the Pro One has VCOs, sorry That was a big oversight on my part. The drift emulation is said to be improved on the Mopho though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 As it so happens, I was perusing the Mopho manual this very morning, and it does have that thar "oscillator slop" option. I'm not sure how equivalent this random fine-detuning is to VCOs though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sizzlemeister Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 Others will and have disagreed, however I just had and sold my second Pro One. Other than concerns over unobtainium and really {censored}ty build quality, I sold both Pro Ones after turning on my PEK and saying to myself "WTF do I need a Pro One (and the associated hassles) for when I have a PEK?" So I got a SH2 and I'm much happier. The PEK (the Evolver engine) easily replaces the Pro One for how I use it. So, if the MoPho is Evolver engine V 2.2 then IMHO it would handily replace a vintage Pro One. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sizzlemeister Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 http://www.bmh.nu/pro_one.html Yeah, if you can get them to respond to your emails then let us know. That 2004 posting hasn't changed in, uhm, 4 years and no one has heard boo from them on that project. Otherwise, IIRC you were saying such a project wasn't worth anyone's time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ClavAnother Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 I thought that some enterprising young fellow successfully managed to replace his membrane P1 keyboard with something else that is currently and widely available. Anybody know what I'm speaking of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kpatz Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 The Mopho is as much a Pro-One II as the Prophet '08 is a Prophet-5 II. As in, probably not very close. Didn't Dave Smith say he wasn't trying to recreate his old stuff when he created his new stuff? But soundwise, you should be able to get pretty close, not enough for a synth purist, but probably enough to work in a mix. That said, my first mono (if I ever get one) will likely be a Pro-One or a Mopho... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sizzlemeister Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 The Mopho is as much a Pro-One II as the Prophet '08 is a Prophet-5 II. As in, probably not very close. Didn't Dave Smith say he wasn't trying to recreate his old stuff when he created his new stuff? But soundwise, you should be able to get pretty close, not enough for your typical internet forum synth snob, but real musicians concerned about music and creativity will probably be very happy with it in a mix. Here, I fixed that for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 Ahahaha. I consider my question answered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tspit74 Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 The membrane keyboard must really suck, because the J-wire keyboard is nothing to write home about. Great synth though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members urbanscallywag Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 Otherwise, IIRC you were saying such a project wasn't worth anyone's time. Its certainly would be a lot of work for a small market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 Its certainly would be a lot of work for a small market. Probably an infinitesimally small market. How many of those CPUs actually fail? Probably cheaper in time and money to just find another Pro One. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members urbanscallywag Posted October 31, 2008 Members Share Posted October 31, 2008 Well if you pack it with enough features the idea is to persuade those with working CPU to "upgrade". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.