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 Forum index » Instruments and Equipment » Alesis Andromeda
andromeda vs. prophet 08
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crayonbeast



Joined: Jul 09, 2008
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 12:24 pm    Post subject: andromeda vs. prophet 08
Subject description: looking for advice and opinions
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a bit of research on the prophet 08 often yield articles referencing the alesis andromeda. i haven't touched an andromeda in years, played around with one at a music store wound up getting lost on it and then i moseyed over to a voyager and finished my lunchbreak joyfully.

however now i have a better understanding of synths and the andromeda seems to have alot of the things i want out of a synth. but there is a competitor: the prophet 08, which while seemingly weaker on the surface this synth has something that the andromeda will never have. support.
indeed the prophet demos i've heard sound overly moog-ish to me real 70's, but i wonder if that is due to the way demostrators have chosen to program it or is it really difficult to get more of a modern sound out of it?

i'm a big believer in analog, being the owner of a synthesizers.com modular i am well aware that archaic technology can yield results that still break cliches, and sound original and new... i'm digressing aren't i?

i'm looking for soundscapes and pads i do a sort of power electronics/ambient/noise thing and the andromeda seems to perform in this department very well. the question is, can the prophet 08 come close to the lush pads i've heard from the andromeda? i'm even willing to buy 2 prophets to get the polyphonic expansion going.. but the andromeda keeps calling me. such a complex and beautiful translucent sound. another thing i'm interested in andromeda horror stories, 'cause if i'm gonna drop the cash on one i really want it to last for like 10 years or more. is this a realistic expectation.

thanks to anyone who read this long winded post.
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blue hell
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:08 pm    Post subject: Re: andromeda vs. prophet 08
Subject description: looking for advice and opinions
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crayonbeast wrote:
thanks to anyone who read this long winded post.


Nothing long winded, clear question, it's just that I don't no anything about the subject Wink

welcome aboard, hope someone will step in.

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soundwave106



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PostPosted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 4:10 pm    Post subject: Re: andromeda vs. prophet 08
Subject description: looking for advice and opinions
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crayonbeast wrote:
i'm looking for soundscapes and pads i do a sort of power electronics/ambient/noise thing and the andromeda seems to perform in this department very well. the question is, can the prophet 08 come close to the lush pads i've heard from the andromeda?


The Andromeda has more modulation possibilities, double the voices, and a nice two-filter-per-voice thing going for it vs. the P'08. The P'08 is nice but I don't think it can make as complex of pads. The only analog competitor to the Andromeda IMHO (as far as more *complex* analog type pads go) is the old Matrix 12 / Xpander.

Quote:
another thing i'm interested in andromeda horror stories, 'cause if i'm gonna drop the cash on one i really want it to last for like 10 years or more. is this a realistic expectation.


I know reliability's been an issue for some, but I've had my Andromeda since early 2001.
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Jyoti



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PostPosted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 7:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Of course, in an Andromeda sub-forum, you're going to get Andy owners saying it's the bee's knees. Very Happy

But..

Trying my best to be objective, no synth is one-size-fits-all. Yep, the A6 can deliver the sounds you're after beautifully but I've no doubt a P08 owner would say their synth could too. And the extra complexity / power of the A6 may in fact get in the way of your creative flow (I've heard this from previous Andromeda owners). But, since you already own a modular, it sounds like deep patching isn't an issue.

I've had my A6 too short a time to comment on long-term reliability but so far it's been fine. I had a voice autotune shock one day (posted on here) but it turns out it was me being a bit previous.

Is it only real analogues you're after? Are you not tempted by the patching and construction capabilities of a G2?

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wwjd



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PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 6:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I debated both myself before purchase. In the end, I felt the A6 provided more bang for buck, more sonic variety, more voices, more available presets, just more potential, so it won me over. I played with the P08 a while at the store and really liked it, but Andy delivered more of everything. My personal choice.

The P08 was great and I would not kick her out of the studio for eating crackers.

the A6 has built in effects those effects REALLY assist in the creation of pads. the P08 has none if I recall
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analogstndrpusy



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PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 8:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I was fortunate enough to have Sweetwater let me demo a Prophet 08 while I waited for Alesis to produce the last batch of Andromedas.

I had the Prophet for about 2 weeks and I have to say it is a fun synth- its very automatic you can't really make mistakes because its so dialed into its sweet spot. On the other hand that sweet spot also seemed to me a hinderance becasue it really made its sonic palete very narrow, you really cant get away from its distinct sizzle. It does sound warm and it is instant gratification but it lacked character due to it being so tame.

The Andy on other hand seems to have so many faces. It can piss you off one minute and then in the next 5 minutes have you in complete " ahhhh". The learning curve is a bit steep,this is my first hardware synth, but well worth the effort. Its sonic palete seems to me sooo broad. I've made all kinds of sounds with it , from 80's basslines to really futuristic type bell sounds etc and amazing pads etc. The list of possibilites just doesnt stop it wil have you brainstorming for odd patches all day. Just make sure your're prepared to put effort into getting familiar with programing at first , it might hinder your music making for the first 2 to 3 months but after that it will really pay off.

Last night I got back from walking my dogs around 8 ... I went straigth to the andromeda and the next thing you know its 2:30 a.m. LOL this happens often you'll lose track of time just programing sounds. I also recently made a new track and all synth parts have been programed on the andromeda. Ill post if you'd like.
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Mark-io



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PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

i agree with previous posters... the P8 is a very fine synth but sonically limited when compared to the A6. I've always felt the same to be true for the original P5 too BTW... no matter how you tweak it always sounds like a Prophet.

the downside for A6 owners is that it has a less distinct character or signature sound... its more a jack-of-all-trades

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ebull



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PostPosted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 11:27 pm    Post subject: andromeda vs. prophet 08 Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Hi All
I have both Andromeda and P08, though P08 only for a month.
Hope these comments will be of use.
My impression is Andromeda is better for silky, evolving, or squelchy sounds. I agree with whoever said its a bit like the Xpander or Matrix 12, its a more low-key sound.
P08 is more obviously gutsy and punchier and yes there seems to be the "sizzle" or metallic tone which is very obvious.
A lot of this has to do with the way the knobs are calibrated so that settings of say filter envelope and filter env amount are in a certain range for most of the knob numerical value so you get a harsher biting sizzling filter sound for most of the range from 0-128.
After spending some time with the P08 I ve found its a bit unfair to label it with this metallic buzzy sound, you can get a more smooth silky sound out of it, its just that to program it otherwise you have to take it away from the most immediate knob settings.
That said theres a limit to it and Ive got to admit theres quite a bit of truth in the impression that the A6 is more diverse, smoother and more translucent.
Now as for reliability my A6 has been fine for 2 years, though I did go to buy one second hand which had undisclosed software/power supply issue. It froze up after 5 minutes of testing. The shameless seller held it together quite well claiming it was a new fault. So try to demo one for a decent amount of time before you buy it.
Mind you in my experience just about every synth Ive owned has has some issue sooner or later whether its a button or power supply.
As for the p08 and Ive said this in a recent harmony central review Im not sure about the reliability of the knobs long term - they are already a bit wobbly after a month and Im pretty anal-retentive about taking care of my gear.
I personally prefer the Waldorf Q to the P08. I know its not true analogue but its similar to the A6 in terms of depth and complexity. It does silkiness and great for massive pads and subtle evolving sounds too. With the comb filters and FM it does better noise and metallic sounds. Built like a tank too!
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The Analog Organist



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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 8:17 am    Post subject: Prophet 08 vs. Alesis Andromeda Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I'm presently asking the exact same question.

Several months ago I bought a Prophet 08 synthesizer. I cannot say how pleased I am with the instrument. In spite of the constant use of the LCD display (when I would rather use knobs without a display), I find it extremely easy to program. The sound is very rich and warm, the 8-voice polyphony is superb, the 4 LFO's allow for very ambient, moving, swirling effects, while the stack mode permits huge chordal backgrounds. If one carefully programs the unison mode - tuning it just right and adding modulation - than the Prophet 08 also doubles as an excellent monophonic synthesizer. I also like the conservative appearance of the instrument; it doesn't look like a geekish toy.

However, now I'm considering a second analog synthesizer, and after much researching, the choices are very clear: either another Prophet 08, or the monstrous Alesis Andromeda. I have no musical objections to using another Prophet 08, but the synth syndrome has me pondering the Andromeda's mystique. My first priority is QUALITY of sound; my second is QUANTITY. From the many reviews and videos I've studied, it seems clear that the Prophet 08 has the quality, whereas the Andromeda easily has the quantity. But the Andromeda seems very fascinating, very versatile. The elaborate filter section, the 16-voice polyphony, and even the sub oscillators are very tempting. But is the tone comparable to the Prophet 08? Again, from my research, it seems not to be. Reviews, though, are only so useful. I've read reviews written on the Prophet that seemed to be talking about an entirely different instrument from the one I own.

Two issues, then, seem to be the crux of the matter. First, can any one say the Andromeda has a richer warmer tone than the Prophet? The second issue is help. I haven't needed Dave Smith's help for anything, but I've consistently read that DSI offers the best assistance and responses to any problems or questions. The DSI web site seems to indicate this, since I've found all of my present questions answered there. On the other hand, Alesis help is consistently reported as being dreadful, non-existent. To make things even worse, there are a substantial number of problems reported with the Andromeda, from computer bugs to small pieces falling off the instrument. For the whopping $3,000 price tag, this is outrageous, and it alone is enough to make one resort back to the Prophet 08, which costs $2,000. And I haven't read about any serious problems with Dave's instruments (although it's still a fairly recent model).

So, my questions are: 1) Can the Andromeda's tone really be called classic analogish - warm and rich? 2) Are the build-quality problems with it common? And 3) Has any one actually received the technical assistance they needed from Alesis? Aside from these questions, there's no doubt the Andromeda offers greater flexibility than the Prophet 08. Yet, the Prophet 08 needs no apologies. It is a very fine musical instrument!

Last edited by The Analog Organist on Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:27 am; edited 3 times in total
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soundwave106



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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Tone is incredibly subjective. I would say that the Andromeda has a nice warm tone, and yes it is analog. It does have a bit of a signature, so if you don't like that signature, you may not warm up to it. The Prophet 08 is very much the same way -- some just don't like the tone and dis it.

From my experiences, the problems are "typical", roughly on par with Alesis's other late 1990s keyboards in quality. There are a fair share of minor quibbles, but other than a bad batch of voice chips on a certain batch, I have heard of no serious issues. On the other hand, Alesis (now owned by Numark) has awful customer support from what I hear. If you are looking for something with the immediacy of DSI support, you are not going to find it.
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dorkhearse



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PostPosted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I own both and love both but if I had to choose between the two the A6 would win HANDS DOWN. It has been stated before that the P08 always sort of sounds like a P08 (which is no bad thing obviously) and I tend to agree with this. The A6 is WAYYYYY more versatile, I like the sounds it makes better and adjusting the sounds seems more intuitive (this is odd I admit but I actually like the layout of the A6 which overwhelms some). Totally subjective. I do wish the P08 had sub oscillators (ala it's little brother Mopho)...my two cents. A person would be happy with either really, let alone both...mwahahahah Smile
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ThreeFingersOfLove



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PostPosted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 6:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I own an A6 and I have programmed the shit out of it. I think it's the best analog polysynth ever made.

I do agree with the previous poster who commented that in one moment the A6 can have you pulling your hair out and the other moment having you picking up your jaw from the floor. It's very temperamental, it's a very deep synthesizer and there are millions of ways to get lost in its labyrinth. This is why people often get disappointed - because they don't know how to program it and get good results. It takes time and patience and this is the way it should be. Not even a Minimoog will always give you instant gratification.

It goes without saying that the A6 is definitely more complex and deep than the Prophet 08. Given the fact that it is more complex, it follows that the range of sounds that you can coax from it is again much wider than the Prophet 08. I personally think that the P08 is a good synthesizer but it could have been SO much more. Dave Smith missed this one by having to cut corners here and there. As a matter of fact I would prefer if the P08 costed twice as much, and was a deep instrument, carefully designed, quality construction and all. If he improves his design, then I would definitely consider buying a Prophet.

These are my own facts about the Andromeda:

1. The majority of presets are completely useless for the kind of music I make. I have dumped all of them to my computer and only now and then recall some of them to see how they are programmed and... that's all.

2. The FX unit is very mediocre. Good to test some ideas or for a live event but not something that I would use for a recording. I would advise people to get a good quality FX (I use an Eventide H-8000 FW)

3. Support from Alesis is non-existant. The company has abandoned the A6 and it's a pity because they could have definitely improved it and lure more potential buyers and satisfy current ones. For that reason I will never buy an Alesis product in my life again (unless they do something about the A6). However with support being non-existent, I don't think that should prevent someone from buying an A6 - after all there are myriads of people trying to find an analog fossil, spent mucho dinnero to buy it, then fix it, then keep it working for years and so on. Has anyone tried to contact ARP recently?

Other than that, I NEVER understood users who complained about the layout (and frankly I have to discard their opinions altogether). There are only a few things to be aware of (regarding the UI interaction and workflow) and still there are people who make a fuss about. You can give them a simple synthesizer and they will complain for lack of options and then you give them a modular and they complain about complexity. Even if God himself designed a synth they would still find faults... Shocked
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The Analog Organist



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PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 6:38 am    Post subject: Prophet '08 Vs. Andromeda Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

It's obvious that the Andromeda far surpasses the Prophet '08 in sonic capability, but what about musicality? I'm not interested in sound effects, in immensely complex electronic noises that have little or no musical value. My primary interest is in tonal quality, although quantity is still important. I want patches that may be either subtle or powerful, but always playable. For this I find the Prophet '08 to be completely satisfactory. Comments?
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dorkhearse



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PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 8:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

The Andromeda is VERY musical and I do think it is capable of what you are describing. I will say it again I really like the Prophet 08 but the Andromeda still gets my vote as the better of the two -very subtle evocative and USABLE tones are easy to achieve (after bypassing effects, turning off background tuning, blah blah...). When I first bought it (the A6) I was disappointed with about 2/3 of the presets (which is a common criticism for both boards) but after downloading all of the sysex files I could find and going through a bunch of them the synths true nature was made apparent and I realized it was probably the nicest poly analog I had ever played with. I like really plain slightly detuned (slow lfo) sounds and the A6 is really capable in this department. Definitely try to find someone who owns it and play with it first hand. Two Prophets would definitely be insane poly chained...but I would still stretch out for the A6 if I were you to variagate your options a bit more. A Prophet sounds AMAZinf but it always sounds The knobs are also WAY better...the knobs on the Prophet are a disappointment and feel like the won't stand up to the test of time. Try it out and check out a few you tube demos (although again some misrepresent the board). Good luck and hope this helps!
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The Analog Organist



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PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 8:50 am    Post subject: Andromeda Vs Prophet '08 Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

For those of you who own, or have played, both synthesizers - how do the actual keyboards compare? I find the manual of the Prophet '08 to have a good firm feel to it, but the key depression is a bit shallow. The last thing I want is a lose keyboard touch, which makes fast precise playing very difficult. Is the keyboard of the Andromeda comparable to, or better than, the Prophet '08?
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dorkhearse



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PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 11:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

The Prophet 08 keyboard is better in my opinion-the A6 is even more shallow but it still feels good to me.
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Tim Kleinert



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PostPosted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

The A6 is so much more flexible compared to any other analogue polysynth that it's almost a joke.

But... the A6 has one blind spot. The filters are incapable of producing those wet, liquid, warm, rubbery, gooey responses. They always have an wiry, agressive tinge to them (which is great for some kinds of sounds/styles, less for others). I've used the A6 to death and know all the tricks with the pre- and post-filter levels, filter feedback etc. -and still, I've never been able to coax this kind of sound from it, nor have I ever heard a patch/demo/track that does. I presume that it is due to the minituarisation of the circuits into those proprietary ASIC chips (which however is a considerable technical achievement, btw).

Also, the digital modulation engine clocks at a refresh rate of mere 100Hz and isn't smoothed, which causes ugly intermodulations with the signal patch, especially noticable with PWM and modulation of post-filter levels. Forget smooth PWM on the A6 -it always sounds harsh (even with the engine optimizer adjusted). Midi CCs are also not smoothed, causing audible staircasing artefacts when used for automation. Forget stuff like big range osc frequency sweeping with the modwheel -it sounds (and is) digitally quantised. This is very annoying and you have to spend a lot of time trying to mask these artefacts as good as possible.

The P08, although being more limited in sonic possibilities, has exactly those kind of warm and liquid sounds down pat. Thus it sounds closer to the vintage polysynths (IMO, somewhat between a Roland Juno60 and an Oberheim OB8). Also, the digital mod engine clocks at approx. 1.5kHz (I asked Dave Smith himself at Messe) and is smoth and artefact-free. You can call it more limited, or you can say that it has a far bigger sweet spot. It's two ways of looking at the same thing. Wink

The question which one is better, is therefore one of a matter of personal taste and requirements. If you are looking for a no nonsense, "classic" authentic musical analogue sound, the P08 wins hands down IMO. The A6 however can go where no other analogue poly ever has gone, and offers far more potential to the ambitiouns sound designer. Actually, they complement each other perfectly. Smile
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The Analog Organist



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PostPosted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 1:26 pm    Post subject: Prophet '08 Vs. Andromeda A6 Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

And that, Tim, would be more than enough reason for me to prefer the Prophet '08 over the Andromeda A6. More is not always better; only better is better. I'm sure the Andromeda is a fascinating machine. The Prophet 08, however, is superb with the essentials of musical sound, with string, brass, woodwind, and reed type tones, and that is what suits my needs. That's not to say that the Andromeda cannot also excel in these areas of musical sound, but the suggestion that the Prophet '08 is warmer and richer pushes me well over the edge in favor of the latter. I personally would have no use for an additional $1,000 worth of complex sonic potential, if $2,000 worth of rich analog quality tone is available from the Prophet '08.

I've programmed on my Prophet '08 a fabulous patch that makes use of vibrato, deep but smooth pulse width modulation, a moderate amount of resonance, and a slow subtle sweep of the filter. It's a smooth and sonorous patch that beatifully fills out a background, and a real analog synthesizer-ish type effect. From your post, Tim, it would seem that the Andromeda would be fairly weak at reproducing this sound. Well, I can't afford a $3,000 disappointement. A magnificent box of tricks that is even slightly weak in the essentials is a blunder in the music department of life that I can't risk.

By the way, I've looked at countless videos of guys demo-ing the Andromeda. Has anybody found one in which the instrument is actually played? It's always tweak, tweak, tweak; a few dull riffs or a pile of dreamy chords with the right hand, while the left hand masterfully adjusts the parameters. I'm from the school of thought that considers the most important part of a keyboard to be the keyboard. Has anybody ever placed two hands on an Andromeda manual and actually played a decent piece of instrumental music - with melody, harmony, rhythm, and all that technical stuff? So far, what I've seen and heard on videos is disappointing and fairly a-musical. I've not come across any of the sounds I've very happily and satisfactorily created on the Prophet. That's why, in part, I'm not sold on the Andromeda and belong to the Prophet camp. I was convinced of the quality of the Prophet '08 by my original research, and owning one has only confirmed this conclusion.

The fact is, I have no opportunity to try the Andromeda, and my research has left me cold towards it. I haven't heard an impressive piece of music made with it. The closest I've found is a couple of "Carlos" type videos of multi-tracked Andromeda perfoming Bach and Scarlatti. Very very nice, but nothing the Prophet '08 couldn't do just as well, if not better.
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Andy's Eyebrow



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PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

tim wrote:


But... the A6 has one blind spot. The filters are incapable of producing those wet, liquid, warm, rubbery, gooey responses.


I don't want to derail the discussion too much, but I have found the exact same problem with the A6, which is a terrible shame since this is a huge part of what makes analog so compelling... and why I dove into buying an A6 in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I love the machine, but there was always something missing that I couldn't put my finger on and Tim summed it up perfectly.

So what analogs are great at this type of sound? Obviously the Prophet8, but would the Mopho do the same for cheaper? (monosynths are totally fine)

Any others?

Or perhaps bypassing the A6's filters and using a Moogfooger?
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jonkull



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PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Prophet '08 Vs. Andromeda A6 Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

The Analog Organist wrote:
The fact is, I have no opportunity to try the Andromeda, and my research has left me cold towards it. I haven't heard an impressive piece of music made with it. The closest I've found is a couple of "Carlos" type videos of multi-tracked Andromeda perfoming Bach and Scarlatti. Very very nice, but nothing the Prophet '08 couldn't do just as well, if not better.


What you have to consider is that in a lot of demos it's not so much the synth as the player/programmer that you're listening to. Just because there aren't any 'impressive' pieces of music made with it doesn't mean it's not possible. Also what you get out of it really depends on what you put into it. If you only program classic sounding synth patches then yes, a P08 can do that just as well. If you want to do that plus more I'd take an A6...but I'm already biased.

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soundwave106



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PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 4:17 pm    Post subject: Re: Prophet '08 Vs. Andromeda A6 Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

The Analog Organist wrote:
The fact is, I have no opportunity to try the Andromeda, and my research has left me cold towards it. I haven't heard an impressive piece of music made with it. The closest I've found is a couple of "Carlos" type videos of multi-tracked Andromeda perfoming Bach and Scarlatti. Very very nice, but nothing the Prophet '08 couldn't do just as well, if not better.


Heh... I've made a couple of entire songs only using the A6. Smile Youtube demos aren't always the best way to judge a product. People write tunes using the A6. Heck, it seems like pros use the Andromeda more than the P'08 at this point in time.

Andy's Eyebrow wrote:
So what analogs are great at this type of sound? Obviously the Prophet8, but would the Mopho do the same for cheaper? (monosynths are totally fine)


I don't own a P'08, but I do own an Evolver V. Filter wise, sure, it's nice, but due to the oscs, the analog section tone takes on more of a Juno tone than a Jupiter tone to me. (I would not have an Evolver without the digital section, that makes it interesting to me. Smile ) If you *really* need that exact old-school analog liquidness you're probably going to have to hunt down a vintage piece, or maybe demo an Omega 8 or Sunsyn.
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The Analog Organist



Joined: Apr 07, 2009
Posts: 12
Location: New England

PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 7:46 pm    Post subject: Prophet '08 Vs. Andromeda A6 Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

If relatively few people have composed music on the Prophet, as opposed to the Andromeda, it's no wonder. The Prophet has only been around for a year and a half or so! Whereas, the Andromeda has been available for nine or ten years.
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soundwave106



Joined: Nov 24, 2004
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 4:58 am    Post subject: Re: Prophet '08 Vs. Andromeda A6 Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

The Analog Organist wrote:
If relatively few people have composed music on the Prophet, as opposed to the Andromeda, it's no wonder. The Prophet has only been around for a year and a half or so! Whereas, the Andromeda has been available for nine or ten years.


No duh. The point was more that its rather unfair to dismiss the Andromeda on account of a bunch of Youtube video demos showing nothing but tweaking.

People who make a song with an instrument, aren't going to put up their demo on Youtube saying "check out what this instrument can do!"... they are going to say "check out my song!". After all, the audience of music lovers is vastly greater than the audience of trainspotters. Most people don't give a shit what you use as long as it sounds good.

I don't know what you consider an impressive song, but the fact that there's several artists using the Andromeda in songs, means at least *someone* has found the Andromeda impressive. (Same with the Evolver / P'08, for that matter.)
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dorkhearse



Joined: Mar 26, 2009
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Location: Ann Arbor

PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 6:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

It's seems like you (The Analog Organist) have made up your mind and that's cool. Both synths obviously can sound great or wretched in youtube music videos or more importantly any bad music made using the instruments. I have heard AWFUL demos of both and I certainly haven't heard any "better" examples of music made by either (I have tirelessly scoured the internet for info and sound examples of both-although Aphex Twin's use of the A6 in the Analord series and Tuss eps are MIND BENDING-probably not your cup of tea though:)). Many successful artists aren't ready to immediately let everyone know what machines they use. My advice would be to actually try the A6 someday and make your final and very personal decision then and there. Some goober running through the "dutch trance"(I'm Dutch so I can make fun of the Dutch) presets of either through computer speakers could lead me to wanting to drill my ears out with a drummel tool. The A6 is not just a massive modular bell and whistle machine, it's capable of sounding like many different analog synths from the past rather than the great but limited P08). Japanese AND American. I actually sold my Prophet recently because to me the rich tones of the A6 just do it for me in a much bigger way and the Prophet just sits there (my DSI mopho got more use to be honest because of the sub osc capabilities, speaking of which the mopho might be a great cheap way to round out your rig). And I'm talking subtle, plain ANALOG leads and pads here with A6, no huge death star on steroids mess. The Prophet isn't really a "wet" gooey synth either,I feel it has a gritty character as well that you have-nothing wrong with this but it by no means I never liked tweaking on the Prophet, the knobs not only feel horribly cheap and wobbly, it felt like the adjustment arc (knob timing) was really slow and that you had to work them that much more to get simple adjustments (granted I learned on an Sh 101 which is the epitome of an instant gratification synth with godlike rubber capabilities-I still love my blue baby for bass and lead duties). The power connection on the Prophet is cheap and the whole synth feels super delicate meaning it never left the studio. Like your statement about key action being the most important factor for you,build quality is very important to me. The A6 is a tank and I really like the knobs and the fact that they aren't endless encoders. Even if you have decided against the A6 I would still think that another (clean vintage) synth would give you more options and more of what you are looking for in terms of great tone ( at the cost of all the old problems of course). Running either of these boards through vintage hardware does wonders-I don't like how clean either of them sound. Glad you have made up your mind and good luck!
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The Analog Organist



Joined: Apr 07, 2009
Posts: 12
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 8:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Woe! Everybody calm down. I'm not an anti-Andromeda bigot. You guys are getting kind of touchy. In fact, I ended up on this forum looking for convincing reasons to buy an Andromeda, rather than another Prophet '08. So, no, my mind isn't made up. I would love to own an Andromeda. It looks like a masterpiece to me. But I can't afford to buy the wrong instrument. I happen to need a second polyphonic analog synthesizer. I presently have a Prophet '08 and am very pleased with it. No, it's not absolutely perfect, but I don't need perfect. I simply need a smooth, stable, and rich analog sound, and I don't care from where it comes. I'm not trying to reproduce the past or have a nostalgic day dream; I have no interest whatsoever in reproducing the 70's or 80's. God forbid! I simply want a decent instrument, and the Prophet is a very decent instrument, with no gamble involved. Yes, it may be a bit delicate, but my needs only concern home recording for now. Yes, it may be limited in its sonic range, but expert programming also goes a long way. As for the nobs - I suppose they're a bit fragile, but none of mine wobble. The display window digits do jump around once in a while, but only for a second. But the fact is, Tim's remarks carry some weight for me, and I'd be an idiot to ignore them. It just so happens that pulse width modulation and filter sweeps are very important in my sound repertoire, and in the opinion of at least two Andromeda owners on this little forum, the instrument is weak in these departments. That's an objective fact I need to consider.

On the other hand, I've read many owner reviews that mention a number of problems with the Andromeda, so that I'm hesitant to take the $3,000 leap. In addition, there's a consistent failure on the part of Alesis (and whoever bought them out) to offer any assistance to its customers. Again, there's no such leap with another Prophet. You can mock me for consulting Youtube, but isn't that the obvious thing to do when researching an unfamiliar instrument? I'm well aware of the shortcomings of this approach, believe me. But it convinced me in the first place to try the Prophet '08, and I have no regrets about that.

This forum is a discussion about the merits and demerits of two synthesizers, so please don't take my comments personally. I'm not insulting your girl friends - just talking about a couple of metal and plastic musical instruments.

Last edited by The Analog Organist on Tue Apr 21, 2009 1:14 pm; edited 5 times in total
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