THE ANSWERS: 1A Rev 4 / 1B Rev 3 2A Rev 4 / 2B Rev 3 3A Rev 4 / 3B Rev 3 4A Rev 3 / 4B Rev 4 5A Rev 3 / 5B Rev 4 6A Rev 4 / 6B Rev 3 7A Rev 3 / 7B Rev 4 8A Rev 3 / 8B Rev 4 9A Rev 4 / 9B Rev 3 MISTAKE - I originally mixed up 7A and 7B and that's entirely my fault (sorry!). So the corrected answers are: 148 people gave a full set of 9 answers and out of 1,332 individual answers 762 (57%) were correct and 570 (43%) were incorrect. I wound up making a video explaining the outcome as that was easier: ua-cam.com/video/5YjeWJwD6QQ/v-deo.html Basically they both sound great and the differences are a bit like how the rev3 is different to the rev2. The rev4 now joins the fold of Prophets.
thanks for the results, when you say 7A is rev 4 and 7B is rev 3, are you referring to the the youtube video or the wav files? because they're swapped in one or the other. also, there is a typo in your answers, even if we can guess it easily, 2B and 3B should be 5B and 6B. (I'm telling you this in case it is simply a copy/paste mistake). anyway, it was very interesting and informative, thank you for this test.
Well, if you insist. There is definitely a difference, doesn't mean I know which one is which. It was nice listening either way. 1a - rev3 2a - rev4 3a - rev4 4a - rev4 5a - rev4 6a - rev3 7a - rev4 8a - rev4 9a - rev4
Better still the Arturia Prophet I played it (the plug in as an AU in Logic Pro X) from an actual Prophet-5 rev 3 earlier in the week and it sounds quite different.Not in a good way at all!
@@alanmaxwell6649 The Arturia stuff is just not good. It's OK in a mix, or something like Analog Lab playists are amazing for cover bands, because again, it's OK in mix. Play that same rev3 into Repro5 on HQ setting and you will be close to fooled. :)
@@AlexBallMusic Of course, I will publish my list soon, but here in my country if someone gives us time, we take the time hahaha and you gave us at least a week hahaha
Great video. But one question: Do you both have the same audio interface? I only ask because in the samples with low notes, one of the two has WAY more sub-bass than the other and I'm wondering if that's due to the difference in interfaces or is actually a difference in the revisions. If it's a difference in the revisions, I'm going to say that the samples with more bass are the Rev4 only because modern op-amps are much more linear than in the late 70s / early 80s and the older components might be limiting the frequency response of the older Prophet. But I could be full of it. So... 1A - Rev4 2A - Rev4 3A - Rev4 4B - Rev4 5B - Rev4 6A - Rev4 7B - Rev4 8B - Rev4 9A - Rev4 Thanks for the cool video!
We don't have the same interfaces, which was always going to be a drawback, but we thought it worth doing nonetheless. Neither have any EQ or processing. Well see in a week if you were right. :)
had the same question! Also is one of each played via midi and one played by the respective owner? Just curious really.. Big differences in sound and going with the same answers here as Jim
@@brushandcolorpainting When the person who made the patch filmed and recorded it, they also recorded the midi so that the playing and timing matched. We then used each others midi when recording the matched patch. It also meant the audio could be dropped over the video clip and the viewer can't see any timing differences which would obviously give it away.
This video just makes me appreciate how versatile the prophet 5 (both new & old) is. It's just amazing all the different sounds this synth can make and they all sound unique! Thank you for this great video!
Given how few parameters it has, it has a big palette, yes! I guess it's choosing _which_ parameters was the key and Dave nailed it. The magic is the poly mod of course, so many sounds from just that!
Alex, How would you classify each of these 9 patches? Such as: lead, bass, pad, etc. I'd be curious in a breakdown of people's accuracy (or preferences) by patch type in case there was anything interesting to see there. Maybe the Rev4 excels at leads while Rev 3 is preferred for pads.
Tough… Definitely some of the examples there’s one version that sounds sweeter. More than anything I think it’s a great example of how the original P5 was so good, considering lack of other good real polysynths at the time. Dave Smith solved a lot of engineering really quickly to get something so versatile and musical 👍
But... what about the 2000/2002, the 3000 and the VS. ;) I have the 3000 and the VS (and a 2000'ish transformed into a 440) and they all sound different... ; ) But I know what you mean. :)
Ha, I was listening to a bit of Rick Wakeman earlier so I'm in the mood for a bit of this experiment! My guesses are: 1A: Rev4 1B: Rev3 2A: Rev4 2B: Rev3 3A: Rev3 3B: Rev4 4A: Rev3 4B: Rev4 5A: Rev4 5B: Rev3 6A: Rev4 6B: Rev3 7A: Rev3 7B: Rev4 8A: Rev4 9A: Rev3 9B: Rev4 Looking forward to seeing the real results ;-)
My first thought was…”No way, it’s the keyboard player from all those Martin Miller videos!” While I can tell that the patches are subtly different, I couldn’t tell which came from which instrument. That said, this video is yet another reminder of how darned great an instrument the Prophet 5 is.
I would have no idea. Love the comparison, but to me it demonstrates that there are no differences here that I care about. In fact, looking at the answers people give, I often prefer the one they say sounds like the REV4. Well... maybe I should give this a go and I'll pretend that the 'better' sounding one is the REV3 and see if I'm right.
At this point, they sound so close, the only drawback will be the musician playing them. I don't think the difference would even be heard in the mix It is very slim, not actually big enough to be noticable and also factor in component age.. in that regard, no difference.
I tried to mostly listen for how the filter sounds when driven by the envelope and I feel like if you would describe how open the filter sounds by a curve, they wouldn't be exactly covariant. To my ear one has a more slow starting filter that gives it a bit more refined sound whilst the other feels a little more open and saturated? I'm guessing the rev4 is the more refined and the rev3 is more saturated. 1A - Rev3 1B - Rev4 2A - Rev4 2B - Rev3 3A - Rev3 3B - Rev4 4A - Rev3 4B - Rev4 5A - Rev4 5B - Rev3 6A - Rev3 6B - Rev4 7A - Rev3 7B - Rev4 8A - Rev4 8B - Rev3 9A - Rev4 9B - Rev3 Great video and I'm really excited to see the result.
I don't know the units enough to guess which is which, so I'll just say what I prefer: 1 - Clearly Prefer *B* 2 - Clearly Prefer *A* (mainly because the extra wobble in B didn't suit the part) 3 - Clearly Prefer *B* 4 - Slightly Prefer *A* 5 - Clearly Prefer *B* 6 - Clearly Prefer *A* (patches were quite different, so it's difficult to judge on the character of the units) 7 - Clearly Prefer *B* 8 - No Clear Preference 9 - Definitively *A* (patches were again different, but you can better hear the underlying character in this one) Looking forward to seeing the results. Hope it's the newer / cheaper / higher-voice / more-reliable one that's dominating my picks, or at least there with an even split.
@@AlexBallMusic Thank you for putting it together. Especially in this format. I love the honesty of blind tests, where people are forced to go on record before the reveal. And not to get too far off topic, but *man* your demo songs kick ass. I'll often watch a review for a piece of gear I'm not interested in just for the treat at the end. Ah hell, that's a lie - I always enjoy your walk-throughs as well.
ELECTRO WAYNE Alex we need the patches after this is all settled! Please? Lol . Great video! There are a few rev 3 owners that I know who post on every prophet video on the net stating some “enormous” sonic gap between these 2 😂. Some even cancelled there rev 4 pre orders lol! I’m waiting to see if they will have the pair to post their thoughts now. That huge sonic gap and 10k top end” Sizzle” they swore was missing even after the extra caps issues was resolved. . I’m needing to see 97% or better answers from that lot. that 7k worth difference. I love my rev 4 and will still get a rev 2 or 3 one day. Looking forward to the results and the patches 🙏 Thanks for the video
Would be very interested in anyone and everyone's answers. A blind test is quite humbling and that's why I said we should leave all that crap at the door because I know the scenario you're describing. Another reason a blind test is great is that even if there are differences, that doesn't necessarily identify which is which. There isn't just one precise way for something to sound great. Will see what the results are , we've got quite a few entrants now. :)
I never do these either - but I did. Seemed to me 1 of the pair always sounded slightly more mellow with more body than the other. I took the more full bodied one to be the 3. But I've never played either so probably hideously wrong on all counts! I am also quite envious of Marius's ability to sit with his legs crossed (assuming he could still stand up unaided to turn the camera off) :-) 1A - Rev 3, 1B Rev 4 2A - Rev 4, 2B Rev 3 3A - Rev 4, 3B - Rev 3 4A - Rev 4, 4B - Rev 3 5A - Rev 4, 5B - Rev 3 6A - Rev 4, 6B - Rev 3 7A - Rev 4, 7B - Rev 3 8A - Rev 3, 8B - Rev 4 9A - Rev 3, 9B - Rev 4
Both are so close, im happy that i have pulled the trigger for the Rev 4 10 voice. I always loved the tone of this beauty and i absolutely prefer the Rev 3 Filtermode. Also the actual prices for „serviced“ Rev 3s are nuts for a 40 years old masterpiece. BTW thank you and Marius for the marvelous content, i would love to see a Video with the Baloran - the River from you, also a lovely and huge vintage sound and i think you would love it too.😉✌🏻
1a: Rev4 1b: Rev3 2a: Rev3 2b: Rev4 3a: Rev4 3b: Rev3 4a: Rev3 4b: Rev4 5a: Rev3 5b: Rev4 6a: Rev4 6b: Rev3 7a: Rev4 7b: Rev3 8a: Rev3 8b: Rev4 9a: Rev3 9b: Rev4 My reasoning is that the Rev3 should sound fatter and smoother or just less dynamic, while the Rev4 should clearer and punchier. I'm thinking because of the amp section and the filters on the Rev4 should be a hair faster. Maybe every A and B tracks are the same synth, but this was a fun listen all the same. Nice work on those gorgeous patches!
Very strange!! The ones I was sure of, like positive, I was right. Maybe half of the excerpts. My 1st synth was a six-trak in 86'. The sequential sound is burned into my consciousness! There is still a similarity. Enough, I think, to influence my answers.. This video was excellent!!
Really nice comparsion and lovely sounds. No 3 I can listen to forever. One is more "middy" to me than the other. 1A Rev4 1B Rev3 2A Rev3 2B Rev4 3A Rev4 3B Rev3 4A Rev4 4B Rev3 5A Rev3 5B Rev4 6A Rev3 6B Rev4 7A Rev3 7B Rev4 8A Rev4 8B Rev3 9A Rev4 9B Rev3
Looking at other peoples results, it's clear the choices vary quite a bit, so at least it's save to say it's not obvious which is which. Looking forward to seeing the real results. Thanks Alex!
1A : 4 1B : 3 2A : 3 2B : 4 3A : 3 3B : 4 4A : 3 4B : 4 5A : 4 5B : 3 6A : 3 6B : 4 7A : 4 7A : 3 8A : 3 8B : 4 9A : 3 9B : 4 So, in order of "appearance" : 43-34-34-34-43-34-43-34-34 (hope it will be easier to read that way !) So many thanks : great experience ! And such a brilliant idea : the results of the blind test will be meaningful !!! Take care Alex and thanks for your great job !
@@AlexBallMusic Interactive videos : such a great idea ! But you won't sleep at night if you answer to everybody !!! ^_^ . Anyway, your answer is so much appreciated !!! Many many thanks.
a little trickery going on with patch 9 there but i appreciate it, its just hard to tell with these comparisons if they are made to point out something or made to hide it
Don't have the $ for hardware, so I use the Prophet 5 and VS VSTs in Arturia's V Collection. They sound great and I challenge anyone who can pick out the hardware vs software in a mix.
I will play: 1A: Rev4 1B: Rev3 (sounds a little more fuzzy) 2A: Rev4 2B: Rev3 (sounds a little more bright) 3A: Rev4 3B: Rev3 4A: Rev3 4B: Rev4 (envelopes decay is different) 5A: Rev3 (sounds almost identical with 5B) 5B: Rev4 6A: Rev3 6B: Rev4 (sound a bit more "static"?) 7A: Rev4 7B: Rev3 8A: Rev4 8B: Rev3 9A: Rev4 (sounds a bit fuller) 9B: Rev3 Most likely I got all of them wrong, lol.
Great video thanks.V helpful, and lovely parts too. Unusual for demo videos. The difference is quite dramatic in patches 8 & 9, especially 8, where the Rev 4 seems to really struggle with filter stepping in the envelope. I read somewhere that that the envelopes are software in the Rev4 - could this explain it ? Is that nonsense ? In patch 9 seems like a scaling issue when it comes to PWM - does this mean the architecture is actually different in the Rev 4 ?
my favourites: 1A Rev 4 - More bassy and warm 2B Rev 3 - More warmth with nicer envelopes 3A Rev 4 - More depth and warmth 4B Rev 4 - Sizzling bass sounds really good 5B Rev 4 - Warmer and more pronounced bass 6B Rev 3 - Less aggressive and warmer 7A Rev 3 - Really nice smooth envelopes, my favourite sound 8A Rev 3 - Really the 8B patch sounded terrible because of the filter stepping 9B Rev 3 - Tighter and has a nicer resonant filter sweep If I had to pick one it would be none as I can't afford one ;)
@@robbystafford8273 I dialled it in when I felt I needed it to match the rev4 to the rev3 better and I didn't use it on my own patches if I didn't like the sound. It affects the tuning and envelope behaviour between voices but it doesn't change the tone.
@@robbystafford8273 I'd be interested if you wouldn't mind having a go at the answers to see which you think is which in that case. No worries if you haven't the time.
There is an audible ground hum on one of the machines. Shame really as a great concept for testing. Would have to suspect the Rev 3 is the culprit but who knows.
Listening with halfway decent headphones and a clean DAC makes it a bit easier because the old Rev 3 has a bit of a noisy output (I assume, for all I know your Rev4 might have a ground loop issue that has crept up). Plus, the Rev4 has a slightly more elastic quality (pretentious language I know) with the tiniest cut in the high frequencies that I picked up on; but if I didn't own a Rev4 myself I never would've made that connection. The differences with both of them are miniscule anyway. This is the same level of difference you'd get between two Rev 3s that had been serviced by two different people. My guesses are: 1A: r4 1B: r3 2A: r4 2B: r3 3A: r3 3B: r4 4A: r4 4B: r3 5A: r3 5B: r4 6A: r4 6B: r3 7A: r3 7B: r4 8A: r4 8B: r3 9A: r4 9B: r3
hey alex, just wanted to let you know that at the very end of tableau you can hear a mouse click. i cant unhear it and to be quite honest i'm losing sleep over it
This gave me a good chuckle because apparently I'm not the only one who played the album enough to notice things like that. Anyway, embrace the flaws, they're beautiful.
I only got 4 out of 9.. Kinda makes me happy though, I was guessing only based on grittiness and how much I liked the sound. Meaning I preferred the Rev4, 5 of 9 times. What a time to be into synths! My P6 arrives this week so im overloading on Prophet content while I wait 🤷🏻♂️
I choose the rev 3 as the one that had phase issues with the osc, and more "resonance induced basse", or more dynamic overall but to be honest I absolutely have no idea in the end ! 1A rev 4 1B rev 3 2A rev 4 2B rev 3 3A rev 3 3B rev 4 4A rev 3 4B rev 4 5A rev 4 5B rev 3 6A rev 3 6B rev 4 7A rev 4 7B rev 3 8A rev 4 8B rev 3 9A rev 3 9B rev 4 Good luck for collecting all the answers :p cheers Alex !!
Thank you for this vidéo. Is there a noticeable difference in build quality, buttons, knobs, plastic keys etc? And The rev 3 component where made in japan that can make a difference....Thank you.
The only thing I'm sure about is that I don't think I can really hear much difference however here are my answers... 1a r4 1b r3 2a r3 2b r4 3a r4 3b r3 4a r3 4b r4 5a r3 5b r4 6a r4 6b r3 7a r3 7b r4 8a r3 8b r4 9a r4 9b r3 Will be interesting to find out the answers 😃
I have never played a prophet so I'm probably totally wrong. It would be nice to know how consistent people were with their choices in addition to if they were right or wrong. 1A - Rev3 1B - Rev4 2A - Rev3 2B - Rev4 3A - Rev4 3B - Rev3 4A - Rev3 4B - Rev4 5A - Rev4 5B - Rev3 6A - Rev4 6B - Rev3 7A - Rev3 7B - Rev4 8A - Rev3 8B - Rev4 9A - Rev3 9B - Rev4
Excellent video, THIS is how a proper A/B test is done! 1A:Rev4 1B:Rev3 2A:Rev3 2B:Rev4 3A:Rev4 3B:Rev3 4A:Rev4 4B:Rev3 5A:Rev3 5B:Rev4 6A:Rev4 6B:Rev3 7A:Rev3 7B:Rev4 8A:Rev4 8B:Rev3 9A:Rev4 9B:Rev3 Some of these are outright guesses!
There’s a fairly clear difference in most patches. But as for which is which is totally unclear. All analog synths will sound slightly different from each other and that’s never a bad thing.
There is a difference, but I wouldn't say it's entirely clear to most years. I want many vintage profits, and the variances aren't that great actually; I think the difference between these models is slightly more
Sure, I'll play. They both sound great. 1A - rev4, 1B - rev3 2A - rev4, 2B - rev3 3A - rev3, 3B - rev4 4A - rev4, 4B - rev3 5A - rev3, 5B - rev4 6A - rev4, 6B - rev3 7A - rev4, 7B - rev3 8A - rev4, 8B - rev3 9A - rev3, 9B - rev4 BTW, you could do this test with two rev3s and probably get at least the same amount of variation in sound. 😀
Thank you for taking the time. ...and yes, you're absolutely right. I've had two of the same units in the same place at the same time more than once and they sounded different. I picked the one I preferred.
For me, 2b/3b/5b/7b/8a/9a are Rev3. The other ones really sound similar on both machines, and I really cannot differentiate (and mostly because of my ignorance)
Some of the clips gave hints about which was which, due to turning a knob or a mod wheel or the sound generally just being a little "off" in one clip or the other. Using that as a guide, it seemed like the rev4 had more bass and treble, while the rev3 seemed darker with more middle frequencies. So with that as a guide, here are my guesses: 1A rev4 1B rev3 2A rev4 2B rev3 3A rev4 3B rev3 4A rev3 4B rev4 5A rev3 5B rev4 6A rev3 6B rev4 7A rev3 7B rev4 8A rev4 8B rev3 9A rev4 9B rev3 Patch 7 didn't match what I expected though, which makes me think perhaps my entire approach was wrong.
This exercise definitely brings to mind the definition of an audiophile though... someone who listens to the equipment instead of the music. :D So I'm'a stop trying to find hidden audio fingerprints, and instead just enjoy some music.
The stepping sound of the filter at 10 mins is a bit of a deal breaker for me! Everything else was close enough not to really care much. I wonder if there is a fix for that? Are there ways the rev 4 is better?
I was able to identify 9 out of 10 correctly. The only one I got wrong is the high resonance example 8, which is hard to tell the tone because you mostly hear resonance. Having owned both, the bigger low end on the new one is a big giveaway to which is which.
Great video - I honestly have no idea, of course. One question: I may have missed it but I don't think you mentioned the "vintage" knob on the Prophet 10, which at least in theory allows you to make it sound like any of its predecessor revisions. Did you use this and match it to the rev 3?
Does the winner get a free Prophet synth Alex? Ha ha. I don't know which is which so I could be listening out for the wrong stuff but one of the synths sounds brighter and fuller to my ears. I'm guessing that's the rev4? Based on the above this is my guess. Looking forward to the survey results. 1a: rev3 2a: rev3 3a: rev4 4a: rev4 5a: rev3 6a: rev4 7a: rev3 8a: rev3
I reckon... 1A. R4 1B. R3 2A. R4 2B. R3 3A. R4 3B. R3 4A. R3 4B. R4 5A. R3 5B. R4 6A. R4 6B. R3 7A. R4 7B. R3 8A. R3 8B. R4 9A. R3 9B. R4 **HOWEVER** I noticed some of these have a noise floor. I wanted to try and judge without taking the noise into account, so my thoughts are based on what I thought I was hearing out of the actual oscillators and such. Looking forward to seeing the results! Thanks for the video!
Out of curiosity, did you do the part swap with the capacitors DSI were sending out for the rev 4 to fix the high end of the filter? the one that relates to this www.synthtopia.com/content/2020/10/27/sequential-says-first-prophet-5-10-rev-4-synths-have-hardware-flaw-they-will-fix-for-free/
Hi Alex - In the examples that you play, one of the two synths has quite an audible mains hum. I can't claim to be able to tell the two synths apart from the sounds but, based on the background hum, I would say that 2B, 4A, 6B, and 8A are the same synth, probably the older Prophet 5 rev3?
THE ANSWERS:
1A Rev 4 / 1B Rev 3
2A Rev 4 / 2B Rev 3
3A Rev 4 / 3B Rev 3
4A Rev 3 / 4B Rev 4
5A Rev 3 / 5B Rev 4
6A Rev 4 / 6B Rev 3
7A Rev 3 / 7B Rev 4
8A Rev 3 / 8B Rev 4
9A Rev 4 / 9B Rev 3
MISTAKE - I originally mixed up 7A and 7B and that's entirely my fault (sorry!). So the corrected answers are:
148 people gave a full set of 9 answers and out of 1,332 individual answers 762 (57%) were correct and 570 (43%) were incorrect.
I wound up making a video explaining the outcome as that was easier: ua-cam.com/video/5YjeWJwD6QQ/v-deo.html
Basically they both sound great and the differences are a bit like how the rev3 is different to the rev2. The rev4 now joins the fold of Prophets.
thanks for the results, when you say 7A is rev 4 and 7B is rev 3, are you referring to the the youtube video or the wav files? because they're swapped in one or the other.
also, there is a typo in your answers, even if we can guess it easily, 2B and 3B should be 5B and 6B. (I'm telling you this in case it is simply a copy/paste mistake).
anyway, it was very interesting and informative, thank you for this test.
@@macsat708 Thanks, corrected. These refer to the video.
I hereby conclude that my ears are made of jam.
@@ZaffinMusic Q, the trousers that turned into jam, I didn't fine a use for those.
Hot Dog, jumping' frog I got a perfect score!
Plot twist: actual sounds were coming from Arturia Prophet V and Repro-5.
Busted..
Funny I was trying the older version of Arturia's Prophet as in version 2 for some reason it sounds nicer than Arturia's Prophet v3.
Brilliant - there’s me thinking “I’ll watch, but I don’t do these”…then you convinced me.
1A - Rev4
1B - Rev3
2A - Rev3
2B - Rev4
3A - Rev4
3B - Rev3
4A - Rev4
4B - Rev3
5A - Rev3
5B - Rev4 (actually sounded identical to me, but hey)
6A - Rev4
6B - Rev3
7A - Rev3
7B - Rev4
8A - Rev3
8B - Rev4 - (funny kind of stepping on this one, but I actually liked it)
9A - Rev3
9B - Rev4
Love that you’re collabing with pretty much everyone I follow!
Thank you good sir. :)
Funny. I couldn't tell on #5 either. Left it blank.
i think i agree on all but maybe 4 and 6
Intriguing!
@David Grant - I guess the complete opposite way around to you! I guess you chose the softer tonality with less stab as the newer Prophet!?
I probably should not have watched this. I can’t really afford a new $4000 keyboard, but now I have to have one.
From what I can tell, they both sound good so I’d likely buy the newer version.
They do. :)
common sense wins :-)
Well, if you insist. There is definitely a difference, doesn't mean I know which one is which. It was nice listening either way.
1a - rev3
2a - rev4
3a - rev4
4a - rev4
5a - rev4
6a - rev3
7a - rev4
8a - rev4
9a - rev4
Thank you for taking the time to answer.
I'm not able to tell the difference but I enjoy the sounds (and I'm copying the patches on my vst :))
Thanks Julian
1A: Rev4
1B: Rev3
2A: Rev3
2B: Rev4
3A: Rev4
3B: Rev3
4A: Rev4
4B: Rev3
5A: Rev3
5B: Rev4
6A: Rev4
6B: Rev3
7A: Rev3
7B: Rev4
8A: Rev4
8B: Rev3
9A: Rev4
9B: Rev3
PS: I would recommend making a seperate Video out of the results, so that everyone gets notified.
Thanks. OK, I'll consider another video!
I'm going to laugh if a few of these come back as Repro5. Awesome way you did the tests btw.
Haha. Imagine!
Better still the Arturia Prophet I played it (the plug in as an AU in Logic Pro X) from an actual Prophet-5 rev 3 earlier in the week and it sounds quite different.Not in a good way at all!
@@alanmaxwell6649 The Arturia stuff is just not good. It's OK in a mix, or something like Analog Lab playists are amazing for cover bands, because again, it's OK in mix.
Play that same rev3 into Repro5 on HQ setting and you will be close to fooled. :)
You could absolutely slip in Repro-5 and no one would be the wiser.
@@lorenmorgan1931 The older Arturia stuff is definitely not great, but some of their newer emulations are quite good.
Both sound really good! There're some differences, but two P5 rev3 would also have differences! Nice video, and nice patches bro! ::)
This is very true. Fancy a crack at which is which in each example?
No pressure obviously.
@@AlexBallMusic Of course, I will publish my list soon, but here in my country if someone gives us time, we take the time hahaha and you gave us at least a week hahaha
Here's my pics:
1A - Rev 4
1B - Rev 3
2A - Rev 3
2B - Rev 4
3A - Rev 3
3B - Rev 4
4A - Rev 4
4B - Rev 3
5A - Rev 4
5B - Rev 3
6A - Rev 3
6B - Rev 4
7A - Rev 3
7B - Rev 4
8A - Rev 4
8B - Rev 3
9A - Rev 4
9B - Rev 3
Keep up the great work Alex!
Ace - thank you Johnny!
Great video. But one question: Do you both have the same audio interface? I only ask because in the samples with low notes, one of the two has WAY more sub-bass than the other and I'm wondering if that's due to the difference in interfaces or is actually a difference in the revisions. If it's a difference in the revisions, I'm going to say that the samples with more bass are the Rev4 only because modern op-amps are much more linear than in the late 70s / early 80s and the older components might be limiting the frequency response of the older Prophet. But I could be full of it.
So...
1A - Rev4
2A - Rev4
3A - Rev4
4B - Rev4
5B - Rev4
6A - Rev4
7B - Rev4
8B - Rev4
9A - Rev4
Thanks for the cool video!
We don't have the same interfaces, which was always going to be a drawback, but we thought it worth doing nonetheless.
Neither have any EQ or processing.
Well see in a week if you were right. :)
@@AlexBallMusic totally worth doing and thank you and Marius for spending time to do it right.
had the same question! Also is one of each played via midi and one played by the respective owner? Just curious really..
Big differences in sound and going with the same answers here as Jim
@@brushandcolorpainting When the person who made the patch filmed and recorded it, they also recorded the midi so that the playing and timing matched. We then used each others midi when recording the matched patch.
It also meant the audio could be dropped over the video clip and the viewer can't see any timing differences which would obviously give it away.
@@AlexBallMusic thanks Alex :) nice work
Very interesting video! They both sound amazing.
1A: Rev4
1B: Rev3
2A: Rev4
2B: Rev3
3A: Rev3
3B: Rev4
4A: Rev3
4B: Rev4
5A: Rev4
5B: Rev3
6A: Rev4
6B: Rev3
7A: Rev3
7B: Rev4
8A: Rev3
8B: Rev4
9A: Rev3
9B: Rev4
Thank you Luka!
This video just makes me appreciate how versatile the prophet 5 (both new & old) is. It's just amazing all the different sounds this synth can make and they all sound unique! Thank you for this great video!
Given how few parameters it has, it has a big palette, yes! I guess it's choosing _which_ parameters was the key and Dave nailed it. The magic is the poly mod of course, so many sounds from just that!
Alex, How would you classify each of these 9 patches? Such as: lead, bass, pad, etc. I'd be curious in a breakdown of people's accuracy (or preferences) by patch type in case there was anything interesting to see there. Maybe the Rev4 excels at leads while Rev 3 is preferred for pads.
Yep, that's a very good point. Noted.
Rev 3: 1A, 2A, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6A, 7B, 8B, 9A
Rev 4: 1B, 2B, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6B, 7A, 8A, 9B
Preferences: 1A, 2A, 3A, 4B, 5A, 6A, 7A, 8A, 9A
Edit: Switching my initial 5A/B guess and adding preferences...looks like I'm heavily influenced by the primacy effect! Can't wait for the reveal!
Thank you! Very interested to know how this unfolds!
Tough… Definitely some of the examples there’s one version that sounds sweeter. More than anything I think it’s a great example of how the original P5 was so good, considering lack of other good real polysynths at the time. Dave Smith solved a lot of engineering really quickly to get something so versatile and musical 👍
And, as usual, really funky riffs!
Cheers! Let me know if you fancy having a go at answering each one.
To paraphrase a quotation from Mr. Incredible,
*PROPHET IS PROPHET*
But... what about the 2000/2002, the 3000 and the VS. ;) I have the 3000 and the VS (and a 2000'ish transformed into a 440) and they all sound different... ; ) But I know what you mean. :)
Patch 6 is savage!
I love these tests, there’s always a lack of answers 😂
I preferred the Rev 4 on most
Wonderful, Alex! I followed Marius ever since his lovely Repro-5 video, very excited to hear about his album being finished.
Here are my votes:
1A - Rev 3
1B - Rev 4
2A - Rev 4
2B - Rev 3
3A - Rev 4
3B - Rev 3
4A - Rev 4
4B - Rev 3
5A - Rev 3
5B - Rev 4
6A - Rev 4
6B - Rev 3
7A - Rev 3
7B - Rev 4
8A - Rev 3
8B - Rev 4
9A - Rev 4
9B - Rev 3
Ace - thanks.
Yes, Marius is fantastic and that Repro video was the first of his I saw too!
I honestly can't participate in the blind test, but this is an interesting insight into what the Prophet can do to me. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for stopping by!
Ha, I was listening to a bit of Rick Wakeman earlier so I'm in the mood for a bit of this experiment!
My guesses are:
1A: Rev4
1B: Rev3
2A: Rev4
2B: Rev3
3A: Rev3
3B: Rev4
4A: Rev3
4B: Rev4
5A: Rev4
5B: Rev3
6A: Rev4
6B: Rev3
7A: Rev3
7B: Rev4
8A: Rev4
9A: Rev3
9B: Rev4
Looking forward to seeing the real results ;-)
Thanks Eddy, much appreciated.
I might have to go listen to some Wakeman too. :)
Hi Alex, great video! Here's my answer:
1A = rev4
1B = rev3
2A = rev4
2B = rev3
3A = rev4
3B = rev3
4A = rev3
4B = rev4
5A = rev3
5B = rev4
6A = rev4
6B = rev3
7A = rev3
7B = rev4
8A = rev3
8B = rev4
9A = rev4
9B = rev3
Thanks for the recommendation to Marius' channel. Some really cool synth playing over there! Thanks!
Yeah, what a talent!
Rev 4: 1A, 2A, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6A, 7B, 8A, 9A
Rev 3: 1B, 2B, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6B, 7A, 8B, 9B
Much appreciated!
My first thought was…”No way, it’s the keyboard player from all those Martin Miller videos!”
While I can tell that the patches are subtly different, I couldn’t tell which came from which instrument. That said, this video is yet another reminder of how darned great an instrument the Prophet 5 is.
Ok here's what I think it is. Really curious!
Patch 1A - Rev 3
Patch 1B - Rev 4
Patch 2A - Rev 4
Patch 2B - Rev 3
Patch 3A - Rev 4
Patch 3B - Rev 3
Patch 4A - Rev 3
Patch 4B - Rev 4
Patch 5A - Rev 4
Patch 5B - Rev 3
Patch 6A - Rev 3
Patch 6B - Rev 4
Patch 7A - Rev 3
Patch 7B - Rev 4
Patch 8A - Rev 4
Patch 8B - Rev 3
Patch 9A - Rev 3
Patch 9B - Rev 4
PS. It would be cool to compare the SSI filter mode to a vintage Rev 2 as well! Thanks for doing this though.
Thanks Dave. Yeah, that would be interesting! Maybe at some point I'll get hold of a rev2, I know a couple of owners.
I think I'm more fascinated and mesmerized by Marius Leicht's right toe on Patch 5A & 5B.
He's amazing to watch, yep!
I really wasnt going to bother participating but I Have Been Influenced
1A Rev4, 1B Rev3
2A Rev4, 2B Rev3
3A Rev4, 3B Rev3
4A Rev3, 4B Rev4
5A Rev4, 5B Rev3
6A Rev3, 6B Rev4
7A Rev4, 7B Rev3
8A Rev4, 8B Rev3
9A Rev4, 9B Rev3
Cheers for the answer, very symmetrical. :)
@@AlexBallMusic no problem - thanks for not actually putting the answers at the end just for that little extra incentive to do this, too
Only one I can confidently say is 4A was Rev 3 because 4B didn't have voice stealing ;)
Or was it....(does spooky waving fingers and pulls face)
Yep, that's also what I noticed right away. I'm a bit surprised many people didn't seem to catch that looking at their choices. 🙂
one of the two is fuller on bass , i guess is the new rev but not sure :)
1A - Rev4
1B -Rev 3
2A - Rev4
2B -Rev 3
3A - Rev3
3B- Rev 4
4A- Rev 3
4B - Rev4
5A- Rev 3
5B - Rev4
6A - Rev4
6A- Rev 3
7A- Rev 3
7B - Rev4
8A - Rev 4
8B - Rev3
9A - Rev4
9B- Rev 3
Thank you!
I would have no idea. Love the comparison, but to me it demonstrates that there are no differences here that I care about. In fact, looking at the answers people give, I often prefer the one they say sounds like the REV4. Well... maybe I should give this a go and I'll pretend that the 'better' sounding one is the REV3 and see if I'm right.
Give it a crack! Would love your input.
@@AlexBallMusic Alright, I will!
At this point, they sound so close, the only drawback will be the musician playing them. I don't think the difference would even be heard in the mix
It is very slim, not actually big enough to be noticable and also factor in component age.. in that regard, no difference.
It does always come down to the musician, yep.
1a: Rev3 1b: Rev4
2a: Rev3 2b: Rev4
3a: Rev3 3b: Rev4
4a: Rev3 4b: Rev4
5a: Rev3 5b: Rev4
6a: Rev3 6b: Rev4
7a: Rev3 7b: Rev4
8a: Rev3 8b: Rev4
9a: Rev3 9b: Rev4
Incredible how close these two sound!
Thanks!
Love your videos! Which mixer is that under the Prophet?
I tried to mostly listen for how the filter sounds when driven by the envelope and I feel like if you would describe how open the filter sounds by a curve, they wouldn't be exactly covariant. To my ear one has a more slow starting filter that gives it a bit more refined sound whilst the other feels a little more open and saturated? I'm guessing the rev4 is the more refined and the rev3 is more saturated.
1A - Rev3
1B - Rev4
2A - Rev4
2B - Rev3
3A - Rev3
3B - Rev4
4A - Rev3
4B - Rev4
5A - Rev4
5B - Rev3
6A - Rev3
6B - Rev4
7A - Rev3
7B - Rev4
8A - Rev4
8B - Rev3
9A - Rev4
9B - Rev3
Great video and I'm really excited to see the result.
Thanks for the answer and explanation, I'll be able to tell you very soon.
I don't know the units enough to guess which is which, so I'll just say what I prefer:
1 - Clearly Prefer *B*
2 - Clearly Prefer *A* (mainly because the extra wobble in B didn't suit the part)
3 - Clearly Prefer *B*
4 - Slightly Prefer *A*
5 - Clearly Prefer *B*
6 - Clearly Prefer *A* (patches were quite different, so it's difficult to judge on the character of the units)
7 - Clearly Prefer *B*
8 - No Clear Preference
9 - Definitively *A* (patches were again different, but you can better hear the underlying character in this one)
Looking forward to seeing the results. Hope it's the newer / cheaper / higher-voice / more-reliable one that's dominating my picks, or at least there with an even split.
Cheers for answering with preferences, that's itneresting.
@@AlexBallMusic Thank you for putting it together. Especially in this format. I love the honesty of blind tests, where people are forced to go on record before the reveal.
And not to get too far off topic, but *man* your demo songs kick ass. I'll often watch a review for a piece of gear I'm not interested in just for the treat at the end. Ah hell, that's a lie - I always enjoy your walk-throughs as well.
ELECTRO WAYNE
Alex we need the patches after this is all settled! Please? Lol . Great video! There are a few rev 3 owners that I know who post on every prophet video on the net stating some “enormous” sonic gap between these 2 😂. Some even cancelled there rev 4 pre orders lol! I’m waiting to see if they will have the pair to post their thoughts now. That huge sonic gap and 10k top end” Sizzle” they swore was missing even after the extra caps issues was resolved. . I’m needing to see 97% or better answers from that lot. that 7k worth difference. I love my rev 4 and will still get a rev 2 or 3 one day. Looking forward to the results and the patches 🙏
Thanks for the video
Would be very interested in anyone and everyone's answers. A blind test is quite humbling and that's why I said we should leave all that crap at the door because I know the scenario you're describing.
Another reason a blind test is great is that even if there are differences, that doesn't necessarily identify which is which. There isn't just one precise way for something to sound great.
Will see what the results are , we've got quite a few entrants now. :)
Not really interested in comparing synths but still had a great time watching the video. Both awesome synths, both amazing players!
That's fair enough, thanks for watching for the synthing anyway!
I never do these either - but I did. Seemed to me 1 of the pair always sounded slightly more mellow with more body than the other. I took the more full bodied one to be the 3. But I've never played either so probably hideously wrong on all counts! I am also quite envious of Marius's ability to sit with his legs crossed (assuming he could still stand up unaided to turn the camera off) :-)
1A - Rev 3, 1B Rev 4
2A - Rev 4, 2B Rev 3
3A - Rev 4, 3B - Rev 3
4A - Rev 4, 4B - Rev 3
5A - Rev 4, 5B - Rev 3
6A - Rev 4, 6B - Rev 3
7A - Rev 4, 7B - Rev 3
8A - Rev 3, 8B - Rev 4
9A - Rev 3, 9B - Rev 4
Ace - thank you.
Marius - yes, so serene. He sometimes swings a leg out to seamlessly control a pedal too.
Both are so close, im happy that i have pulled the trigger for the Rev 4 10 voice. I always loved the tone of this beauty and i absolutely prefer the Rev 3 Filtermode. Also the actual prices for „serviced“ Rev 3s are nuts for a 40 years old masterpiece.
BTW thank you and Marius for the marvelous content, i would love to see a Video with the Baloran - the River from you, also a lovely and huge vintage sound and i think you would love it too.😉✌🏻
Thanks. I'll have to check out Baloran - never heard of that.
1a: Rev4
1b: Rev3
2a: Rev3
2b: Rev4
3a: Rev4
3b: Rev3
4a: Rev3
4b: Rev4
5a: Rev3
5b: Rev4
6a: Rev4
6b: Rev3
7a: Rev4
7b: Rev3
8a: Rev3
8b: Rev4
9a: Rev3
9b: Rev4
My reasoning is that the Rev3 should sound fatter and smoother or just less dynamic, while the Rev4 should clearer and punchier. I'm thinking because of the amp section and the filters on the Rev4 should be a hair faster.
Maybe every A and B tracks are the same synth, but this was a fun listen all the same. Nice work on those gorgeous patches!
Thank you. We'll find out soon enough whether your hunch was right. A few others have used the same line of reasoning. :)
Very strange!! The ones I was sure of, like positive, I was right. Maybe half of the excerpts. My 1st synth was a six-trak in 86'. The sequential sound is burned into my consciousness! There is still a similarity. Enough, I think, to influence my answers.. This video was excellent!!
Really nice comparsion and lovely sounds. No 3 I can listen to forever.
One is more "middy" to me than the other.
1A Rev4
1B Rev3
2A Rev3
2B Rev4
3A Rev4
3B Rev3
4A Rev4
4B Rev3
5A Rev3
5B Rev4
6A Rev3
6B Rev4
7A Rev3
7B Rev4
8A Rev4
8B Rev3
9A Rev4
9B Rev3
Thanks Philip, much appreciated.
Looking at other peoples results, it's clear the choices vary quite a bit, so at least it's save to say it's not obvious which is which. Looking forward to seeing the real results. Thanks Alex!
1A : 4
1B : 3
2A : 3
2B : 4
3A : 3
3B : 4
4A : 3
4B : 4
5A : 4
5B : 3
6A : 3
6B : 4
7A : 4
7A : 3
8A : 3
8B : 4
9A : 3
9B : 4
So, in order of "appearance" : 43-34-34-34-43-34-43-34-34 (hope it will be easier to read that way !)
So many thanks : great experience !
And such a brilliant idea : the results of the blind test will be meaningful !!!
Take care Alex and thanks for your great job !
Thank you Antoine, much appreciated. We've got a lot of entrants, so I think this should be interesting!
@@AlexBallMusic Interactive videos : such a great idea ! But you won't sleep at night if you answer to everybody !!! ^_^ . Anyway, your answer is so much appreciated !!! Many many thanks.
Yes, I have heard of the Prophet. That's as far as my knowledge of these synths goes. ^_^
a little trickery going on with patch 9 there
but i appreciate it, its just hard to tell with these comparisons if they are made to point out something or made to hide it
Don't have the $ for hardware, so I use the Prophet 5 and VS VSTs in Arturia's V Collection. They sound great and I challenge anyone who can pick out the hardware vs software in a mix.
I will play:
1A: Rev4
1B: Rev3 (sounds a little more fuzzy)
2A: Rev4
2B: Rev3 (sounds a little more bright)
3A: Rev4
3B: Rev3
4A: Rev3
4B: Rev4 (envelopes decay is different)
5A: Rev3 (sounds almost identical with 5B)
5B: Rev4
6A: Rev3
6B: Rev4 (sound a bit more "static"?)
7A: Rev4
7B: Rev3
8A: Rev4
8B: Rev3
9A: Rev4 (sounds a bit fuller)
9B: Rev3
Most likely I got all of them wrong, lol.
Thank you for playing!
1A - Rev3
1B - Rev4
2A - Rev3
2B - Rev4
3A - Rev3
3B - Rev4
4A - Rev4
4B - Rev3
5A - Rev4
5B - Rev3
6A - Rev3
6B - Rev4
7A - Rev3
7B - Rev4
8A - Rev4
8B - Rev3
9A - Rev4
9B - Rev3
Legend - thank you!
By my best assessment...
Patch 1a: Rev3 / Patch 1b: Rev4
Patch 2a: Rev4 / Patch 2b: Rev3
Patch 3a: Rev4 / Patch 3b: Rev3 (Really dig that one, btw)
Patch 4a: Rev3 / Patch 4b: Rev4 (Dig that one too)
Patch 5a: Rev4 / Patch 5b: Rev3 (Nice! Reminds me of something by Empire of the Sun)
Patch 6a: Rev4 / Patch 6b: Rev3
Patch 7a: Rev4 / Patch 7b: Rev3
Patch 8a: Rev3 / Patch 8b: Rev4 (I think I hear stepping?)
Patch 9a: Rev4 / Patch 9b: Rev3 (Love that filter sweep in both cases)
Great video thanks.V helpful, and lovely parts too. Unusual for demo videos. The difference is quite dramatic in patches 8 & 9, especially 8, where the Rev 4 seems to really struggle with filter stepping in the envelope. I read somewhere that that the envelopes are software in the Rev4 - could this explain it ? Is that nonsense ? In patch 9 seems like a scaling issue when it comes to PWM - does this mean the architecture is actually different in the Rev 4 ?
The resonance on 9B says it all. Those rolling harmonics. These little differences do add up :)
I could listen to an hour of this.
my favourites:
1A Rev 4 - More bassy and warm
2B Rev 3 - More warmth with nicer envelopes
3A Rev 4 - More depth and warmth
4B Rev 4 - Sizzling bass sounds really good
5B Rev 4 - Warmer and more pronounced bass
6B Rev 3 - Less aggressive and warmer
7A Rev 3 - Really nice smooth envelopes, my favourite sound
8A Rev 3 - Really the 8B patch sounded terrible because of the filter stepping
9B Rev 3 - Tighter and has a nicer resonant filter sweep
If I had to pick one it would be none as I can't afford one ;)
What did you set the Rev4's Vintage Knob to for each patch? Fun vid btw!
Cheers. Dialled it back to around 3 for most, but at times it wasn't used.
@@AlexBallMusic not sure why this is just a reply to a comment, when it is so fundamental
@@robbystafford8273 I dialled it in when I felt I needed it to match the rev4 to the rev3 better and I didn't use it on my own patches if I didn't like the sound.
It affects the tuning and envelope behaviour between voices but it doesn't change the tone.
@@AlexBallMusic it can change the tone
@@robbystafford8273 I'd be interested if you wouldn't mind having a go at the answers to see which you think is which in that case.
No worries if you haven't the time.
There is an audible ground hum on one of the machines. Shame really as a great concept for testing.
Would have to suspect the Rev 3 is the culprit but who knows.
Listening with halfway decent headphones and a clean DAC makes it a bit easier because the old Rev 3 has a bit of a noisy output (I assume, for all I know your Rev4 might have a ground loop issue that has crept up). Plus, the Rev4 has a slightly more elastic quality (pretentious language I know) with the tiniest cut in the high frequencies that I picked up on; but if I didn't own a Rev4 myself I never would've made that connection.
The differences with both of them are miniscule anyway. This is the same level of difference you'd get between two Rev 3s that had been serviced by two different people.
My guesses are:
1A: r4
1B: r3
2A: r4
2B: r3
3A: r3
3B: r4
4A: r4
4B: r3
5A: r3
5B: r4
6A: r4
6B: r3
7A: r3
7B: r4
8A: r4
8B: r3
9A: r4
9B: r3
Thank you, I'll reveal very soon.
This was fun! Thanks for putting this together:)
Rev3 1B, 2B, 3A, 4B, 5A, 6B, 7A, 8B, 9A
Thanks for taking part. :)
I hear it, but in all likelihood I've got them the wrong way round. Good fun regardless.
1A - rev3
1B - rev4
2A - rev4
2B - rev3
3A - rev4
3B - rev3
4A - rev3
4B - rev4
5A - rev4
5B - rev3
6A - rev4
6B - rev3
7A - rev4
7B - rev3
8A - rev4
8B - rev3
9A - rev3
9B - rev4
Thank you!
the carpet, the dresser, the shirt!, THE HAIR!! and of course the wooden cheeks...
translation -- "rev3" sounds "vintage" to my naive ears. and/or i like it more.
1a - rev3
1b - rev4
2a - rev4
2b - rev3
3a - rev4
3b - rev3
4a - rev4
4b - rev3
5a - rev4
5b - rev3
6a - rev3
6b - rev4
7a - rev3
7b - rev4
8a - rev4
8b - rev3
9a - rev3
9b - rev4
Ace - thank you!
hey alex, just wanted to let you know that at the very end of tableau you can hear a mouse click. i cant unhear it and to be quite honest i'm losing sleep over it
This gave me a good chuckle because apparently I'm not the only one who played the album enough to notice things like that.
Anyway, embrace the flaws, they're beautiful.
The song "Tableau" rather than the album?
Not sure how the hell a mouse click is in there?! I'll have a listen.
@@AlexBallMusic Yeah it's the song mate, right at the end. Sorry if I added confusion. ♥
I might be wrong, but here goes:
1a - Rev4
1b - Rev3
2a - Rev4
2b - Rev3
3a - Rev4
3b - Rev3
4a - Rev3
4b - Rev4
5a - Rev3
5b - Rev4
6a - Rev3
6b - Rev4
7a - Rev3
7b - Rev4
8a - Rev4
8b - Rev3
9a - Rev4
9b - Rev3
Thanks for this very interesting video "blind test".
Cheers Alain!
If I recall, you were one who asked for this?
@@AlexBallMusic
Absolutely! Thank you, and Marius, for this ! I hope that I'm at least half right half of the time? 😆 Cheers Alex!
Listened to on Audio Technica M50x headphones direct from laptop soundcard - did not check any other comments before writing my own answers. Looking forward to hearing the results.
1A - Rev 4
1B - Rev 3
2A - Rev 4
2B - Rev 3
3A - Rev 4
3B - Rev 3
4A - Rev 3
4B - Rev 4
5A - Rev 3
5A - Rev 4
6A - Rev 3
6B - Rev 4
7A - Rev 3
7B - Rev 4
8A - Rev 4
8B - Rev 3
9A - Rev 4
9B - Rev 3
Thanks Christopher.
I only got 4 out of 9.. Kinda makes me happy though, I was guessing only based on grittiness and how much I liked the sound. Meaning I preferred the Rev4, 5 of 9 times. What a time to be into synths! My P6 arrives this week so im overloading on Prophet content while I wait 🤷🏻♂️
I choose the rev 3 as the one that had phase issues with the osc, and more "resonance induced basse", or more dynamic overall but to be honest I absolutely have no idea in the end !
1A rev 4
1B rev 3
2A rev 4
2B rev 3
3A rev 3
3B rev 4
4A rev 3
4B rev 4
5A rev 4
5B rev 3
6A rev 3
6B rev 4
7A rev 4
7B rev 3
8A rev 4
8B rev 3
9A rev 3
9B rev 4
Good luck for collecting all the answers :p cheers Alex !!
Thanks! Will reveal all soon.
I might as well give it a go! By the way, the music sounded awesome, as always.
1A - Rev 4
1B - Rev 3
2A - Rev 3
2B - Rev 4
3A - Rev 4
3B - Rev 3
4A - Rev 4
4B - Rev 3
5A - Rev 3
5B - Rev 4
6A - Rev 3
6B - Rev 4
7A - Rev 4
7B - Rev 3
8A - Rev 4
8B - Rev 3
9A - Rev 4
9B - Rev 3
Thanks for giving it a go!
Thank you for this vidéo. Is there a noticeable difference in build quality, buttons, knobs, plastic keys etc? And The rev 3 component where made in japan that can make a difference....Thank you.
“Sir, will there be an exam on this?”
“I’m afraid so, Spotty major, I’m a afraid so.”
The only thing I'm sure about is that I don't think I can really hear much difference however here are my answers...
1a r4 1b r3
2a r3 2b r4
3a r4 3b r3
4a r3 4b r4
5a r3 5b r4
6a r4 6b r3
7a r3 7b r4
8a r3 8b r4
9a r4 9b r3
Will be interesting to find out the answers 😃
Thank you!
I have never played a prophet so I'm probably totally wrong. It would be nice to know how consistent people were with their choices in addition to if they were right or wrong.
1A - Rev3
1B - Rev4
2A - Rev3
2B - Rev4
3A - Rev4
3B - Rev3
4A - Rev3
4B - Rev4
5A - Rev4
5B - Rev3
6A - Rev4
6B - Rev3
7A - Rev3
7B - Rev4
8A - Rev3
8B - Rev4
9A - Rev3
9B - Rev4
Thanks for playing
Excellent video, THIS is how a proper A/B test is done!
1A:Rev4 1B:Rev3
2A:Rev3 2B:Rev4
3A:Rev4 3B:Rev3
4A:Rev4 4B:Rev3
5A:Rev3 5B:Rev4
6A:Rev4 6B:Rev3
7A:Rev3 7B:Rev4
8A:Rev4 8B:Rev3
9A:Rev4 9B:Rev3
Some of these are outright guesses!
Thanks Tony!
Okay so I think:
1A rev 4 - 1B rev 3
2A rev 3 - 2B rev 4
3A rev 4 - 3B rev 3
4A rev 3 - 4B rev 4
5A rev 3 - 5B rev 4
6A rev 3 - 6B rev 4
7A rev 4 - 7B rev 3
8A rev 4 - 8B rev 3
9A rev 4 - 9B rev 3
... so if I get them all right I win myself a Prophet 10 right? 😉🎹
Thanks! You win an imaginary Prophet 10, yes.
There’s a fairly clear difference in most patches. But as for which is which is totally unclear. All analog synths will sound slightly different from each other and that’s never a bad thing.
There is a difference, but I wouldn't say it's entirely clear to most years. I want many vintage profits, and the variances aren't that great actually; I think the difference between these models is slightly more
All part of the fun. :)
@@AlexBallMusic exaaaaactly!
Sure, I'll play. They both sound great.
1A - rev4, 1B - rev3
2A - rev4, 2B - rev3
3A - rev3, 3B - rev4
4A - rev4, 4B - rev3
5A - rev3, 5B - rev4
6A - rev4, 6B - rev3
7A - rev4, 7B - rev3
8A - rev4, 8B - rev3
9A - rev3, 9B - rev4
BTW, you could do this test with two rev3s and probably get at least the same amount of variation in sound. 😀
Thank you for taking the time.
...and yes, you're absolutely right. I've had two of the same units in the same place at the same time more than once and they sounded different. I picked the one I preferred.
For me, 2b/3b/5b/7b/8a/9a are Rev3. The other ones really sound similar on both machines, and I really cannot differentiate (and mostly because of my ignorance)
Thanks for answering what you were able. Much appreciated.
@@AlexBallMusic my pleasure 😊
Great set up for a comparison like this!
1A - 4
1B - 3
2A - 3
2B - 4
3A - 4
3B - 3
4A - 3
4B - 4
5A - 3
5B - 4
6A - 3
6B - 4
7A - 4
7B - 3
8A - 3
8A - 4
9A - 3
9B - 4
Thanks for playing the game!
This is an interesting concept, I'll try it out, despite not knowing much of what each revision would sound like, just their specifications
1A - Rev4
1B - Rev3
2A - Rev4
2B - Rev3
3A - Rev3
3B - Rev4
4A - Rev4
4B - Rev3
5A - Rev4
5B - Rev3
6A - Rev4
6B - Rev3
7A - Rev3
7B - Rev4
8A - Rev4
8B - Rev3
9A - Rev4
9B - Rev3
Thanks for taking part!
Guesses for version A for patches 1-9: 4, 3, 3, 4, 3, 3, 3, 4, 3; version B vice versa. Great video!
Thanks for taking part!
I could not hear a difference, but I love 3A most! Any chance to get the settings? I shall try to recreate the sound with my Prophet 600 👍
i reoplied under someone's post where i agreed on all but 4/6.....i cannot find the post!
Great video, both prophets are brilliant.
They are!
@@AlexBallMusic Thanks Alex 😊
Some of the clips gave hints about which was which, due to turning a knob or a mod wheel or the sound generally just being a little "off" in one clip or the other. Using that as a guide, it seemed like the rev4 had more bass and treble, while the rev3 seemed darker with more middle frequencies. So with that as a guide, here are my guesses:
1A rev4
1B rev3
2A rev4
2B rev3
3A rev4
3B rev3
4A rev3
4B rev4
5A rev3
5B rev4
6A rev3
6B rev4
7A rev3
7B rev4
8A rev4
8B rev3
9A rev4
9B rev3
Patch 7 didn't match what I expected though, which makes me think perhaps my entire approach was wrong.
This exercise definitely brings to mind the definition of an audiophile though... someone who listens to the equipment instead of the music. :D
So I'm'a stop trying to find hidden audio fingerprints, and instead just enjoy some music.
Thanks for the answers. All will be revealed soon and you've touched upon something I was going to talk about. :)
The stepping sound of the filter at 10 mins is a bit of a deal breaker for me! Everything else was close enough not to really care much. I wonder if there is a fix for that? Are there ways the rev 4 is better?
I was able to identify 9 out of 10 correctly. The only one I got wrong is the high resonance example 8, which is hard to tell the tone because you mostly hear resonance. Having owned both, the bigger low end on the new one is a big giveaway to which is which.
Hello Alex !
i have a question for you.
if you had to keep only one synth, which one would you choose ? The old or the new Prophet 5 ?
New one - twice as many voices, way more features, no concern about maintenance, sounds amazing.
1A - Rev 3
1B - Rev 4
2A - Rev 3
2B - Rev 4
3A - Rev 4
3B - Rev 3
4A - Rev 3
4B - Rev 4
5A - Rev 4
5B - Rev 3
6A - Rev 4
6B - Rev 3
7A - Rev 4
7B - Rev 3
8A - Rev 4
8B - Rev 3
9A - Rev 3
9B - Rev 4
Looking forward to the results!
Cheers!
Nice, Kenny Baron voicing for patch 3. Always works well.
Gotta love those open 5ths.
Great video - I honestly have no idea, of course. One question: I may have missed it but I don't think you mentioned the "vintage" knob on the Prophet 10, which at least in theory allows you to make it sound like any of its predecessor revisions. Did you use this and match it to the rev 3?
Does the winner get a free Prophet synth Alex? Ha ha.
I don't know which is which so I could be listening out for the wrong stuff but one of the synths sounds brighter and fuller to my ears. I'm guessing that's the rev4? Based on the above this is my guess. Looking forward to the survey results.
1a: rev3
2a: rev3
3a: rev4
4a: rev4
5a: rev3
6a: rev4
7a: rev3
8a: rev3
The winner gets a sandwich. :)
Thanks for the answers, I've added it to the database!
This is great!
I’m not sure which is which version per say, but I preferred:
1A
2B
3B
4A
5B
6B
7B
8A
9B
Very curious to see which was which
Thanks for the answers.
I reckon...
1A. R4
1B. R3
2A. R4
2B. R3
3A. R4
3B. R3
4A. R3
4B. R4
5A. R3
5B. R4
6A. R4
6B. R3
7A. R4
7B. R3
8A. R3
8B. R4
9A. R3
9B. R4
**HOWEVER**
I noticed some of these have a noise floor. I wanted to try and judge without taking the noise into account, so my thoughts are based on what I thought I was hearing out of the actual oscillators and such. Looking forward to seeing the results! Thanks for the video!
Thanks! All will be revealed soon.
Either way we all win. Been saving up and selling off for a 6. Looking forward to adding to my meager collection. Cheers
Out of curiosity, did you do the part swap with the capacitors DSI were sending out for the rev 4 to fix the high end of the filter? the one that relates to this www.synthtopia.com/content/2020/10/27/sequential-says-first-prophet-5-10-rev-4-synths-have-hardware-flaw-they-will-fix-for-free/
Mine was bought post capacitor-gate. It affected the earlier serials.
Hey question. When this video filmed with a rev 4 with the faulty filter (with the 2 extra capacitors)?
It was post filter gate.
Hi Alex - In the examples that you play, one of the two synths has quite an audible mains hum. I can't claim to be able to tell the two synths apart from the sounds but, based on the background hum, I would say that 2B, 4A, 6B, and 8A are the same synth, probably the older Prophet 5 rev3?
Thanks very much for the answers Bill, all will be discussed next week. :)
@@AlexBallMusic Nice to see that, although I had no idea as to the others, I did at least get these right! :-)
My uneducated guess 😅: 1a rev4, 1b rev3, 2a rev3, 2b rev4, 3a rev4, 3b rev3, 4a rev3, 4b rev4, 5a rev3, 5b rev4, 6a rev4, 6b rev3, 7a rev4, 7b rev3, 8a rev3, 8b rev4, 9a rev3, 9b rev4. Thanks for the work you both put in this!
Thanks Tom!