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Prophet 08 or Virus T1 ?


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Thanks to everyone! I'm glad to see that I wasn't the only one who had trouble deciding between these two killer synths. I've concluded that I will

eventually own both. The mp3's by DR T of the P-08 really impressed me & the videos of the Virus by Keyboard Wizard are amazing. I'll give this some thought over the weekend but i'm leaning toward the virus first and I'll have to confess it's those videos by the Wizard that are pushing me in that direction. Thanks to all for your invaluable input and opinions, this is what makes these type of forums great!!

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Im a bit late here but one thing: if you dont need another keyboard, then TI Desktop is wonderful: same sounds, same knobby usability but less space required and less expensive. Easy to gig, easy to rackmount.

 

Your decision to have both is no doubt the correct one :)

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check out the manual for both. Learn how to get around and have an idea on how it works.

 

prophet should be VERY easy to use, whereas the TI will have some menus to deal with. Im really big on ease of use.

 

DSI products always have uberawesome interfaces imho.

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Mytee's right about the TI requiring a little menu diving. HOWEVER, let me temper that by saying that the most common parameters, like filter cutoff, waveform selection, etc. are directly availble via the knobs. Only when you start getting deeper into a patch do you need the menus, and even then, the menus are easy to get to and easy to get around in. I rather like the TI's UI.

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... I'm one of those weird ducks who just prefers DIGITAL.
:love:

 

 

You....Weird ????? .........not a chance.

 

------------------------------------------------

 

Virus or P08? Very hard choice,. So id have to agree with the Mookster and say get both.

 

:cool:

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After owning many virtual analogs (but admittedly not a Virus), and a handful of real analogs, I don't think I'll ever go digital in a hardware synth again. I've got so many software synths that can get "that sound".

 

I just sold my Alesis ION to fund a Prophet '08. After that, a Moog LP is probably what I'd go for next.

 

But you just have to use your ears to judge. The virus is used quite a lot in popular music, so it's not a "bad" choice.

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The TI is a fantastic piece of kit...it's so versatile:

 

16 parts: that means kick, snare, clap, very very weak hi-hat, bass x 2, lead x 2, effect x 2 with room to spare.

 

Then..for your bass and leads:

Trance? In spades

"Acid"/Psy? No doubt about it

Electro/80s pop? Gyeah. Choirs? check. Guitar? Check.

VA? Yup.

 

Throw in the TI part, and you can control the entire thing from your daw...set up, save the multi, then...

 

connect to your h/w sequencer for the realtime love.

 

And, if you need an 192khz audio in/out and/or effects box, why, you get that too.

 

It is a bit hard to tame sometimes, true, but with a tiny bit of effort it sits nicely enough in the track.

 

Anyway enough of the virus love fest...the P08 looks like a nice piece of kit. And the virus, like any piece of hw, does have its share of quirks (I suppose). But it really does complement analogs quite nicely.

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Hi: Only the Virus TI Desk-top module & Prophet '08( not special edition $2500) cost $2000 US. The Virus TI(61 key) & Virus TI-Polar(37 key) cost about $2751 US......Carbon111's comment about the brash Prophet's sound & the Virus's dark sound, is because the Prophet-5s were used by the late '70s prog. rock groups like Steely Dan & Peter Gabriel. IMO, the keyboards sounded too bright on my stereo........I think the Virus TI-61 keyboard sounded good (dark) when i played it @ Sam Ash & its great for EBM/Trance or any (electronica based music). cheers:

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It depends on whether you want a lot of flexibility and integration with other stuff you're doing, or whether you want something that's simpler and more focused on being a separate instrument.

 

For all of the foibles and history of the TI's "integration" challenges, I think Access have finally gotten it to the point where the TI _will_ integrate well with a PC DAW (Ableton particularly, Logic next, Sonar most recently). That means basically that recording and sequencing and mixing it with other digital synths in complex arrangements will be more a part of what you do with your other digital equipment, hard and soft. The TI also brings a lot of features together beyond pure voice -- fx, arpeggiators, multiple types of waveforms, synthesis, filters (as has already been mentioned) -- in a way that is more "of a piece" than what you'd have to deal with using separate units.

 

BUT: let's say in your long-range future, for example, you'd end up craving analogue modular synthesis as the path you'd eventually want to go. A discrete, separate component for each of the above features, in its own box, with all of the hookups and integration and relationships between features thoroughly understood by you, and up to you to manage. A more physical experience with patching them together, too, think about whether that matters or will matter to you.

 

THEN the P '08 would be a better choice. It'll be more of a part of that future, most likely, than the TI will. It will be a more direct synth, more of a single part of a more tangible, physical whole that you'll integrate with other pieces over time.

 

It's basically the old Swiss Army Knife vs. Bowie Knife question: do you want something that gives you digital integration of a lot of features that, while somewhat abstract, packs a lot into little space and relies less on circuitry than software to provide you all the pieces? Or do you want something that gives you discrete componentry, each piece of which you are responsible for choosing, integrating, managing and maintaining as a physical entity in your musical space?

 

A number of people here have gone through both cycles; there are those who've gone the discrete componentry route that have ended up choosing, at the end of it all, say, a Korg OASYS to put it all into one digital box, to simplify their lives. There are others who've found the whole digital experience too abstract, too trivializing and genericizing for each of the sub-features in an integrated digital environment, who've preferred -- whether simply for the experience, or for what they perceive as the difference in sound -- ditching digital for a purely analogue, discrete component approach.

 

Another part of it is the kind of music you like, and make. Are you after large, complex orchestrations of multiple parts, very busy pieces, with the ability to add layer upon layer and easily edit and slice and dice all the elements quickly? Do you like the musical equivalent of collage, where your creative act is taking elements, phrases, sounds and finding innovative ways to juxtapose them against each other? Or do you think of your musical approach as derived, ultimately, from the model of the singing voice? Do you go after pure tone, and the subtleties of tonal detail, handled in real-time by your performative sensitivities? Are you a keyboardist after the performative nuances and gestural intimacy a guitarist, violinist, or flutist might have with their instrument? Do you prefer simpler pieces, with fewer parts, each part carrying more of the weight of the musical performance, or composition?

 

John Lee Hooker, or Gustav Mahler? :D

 

If you trend towards complexity and collage, the TI may be more for you. If you trend towards simplicity and voice, you may prefer the Prophet 08.

 

Take a thoughtful approach to your choice, and know it's not final, either way.

 

Hope that helps! :)

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