8/16-Voice Polyphonic Synthesizer
User’s Guide Version 1.0 May 2017 Dave Smith Instruments LLC 1527 Stockton Street, 3rd Floor San Francisco, CA 94133 USA ©2017 Dave Smith Instruments LLC www.davesmithinstruments.
Tested to Comply With FCC Standards FOR HOME OR OFFICE USE This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.
Table of Contents A Few Words of Thanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Sound Banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Selecting Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Editing Programs . . . . . . . . . . .
Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Effects Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Arpeggiator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Arpeggiator Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Clock Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Calibrating the Prophet Rev2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Calibrating the Oscillators and Filters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Calibrating the Pitch and Mod Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Resetting the Global Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Using USB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sound Design Joseph Akins, Rory Dow, Peter Dyer, Josh Eustis, Peter Gorges, Mike Hiegemann, Tim Koon, Kurt Kurasaki, Kevin Lamb, Cord Mueller, Drew Neumann, Bob Oxley, Francis Preve, Lorenz Rhode, Nick Semrad, Huston Singletary, James Terris, and Mitch Thomas. The DSI Crew Art Arellano, Fabien Cesari, Bob Coover, Carson Day, Chris Hector, Tony Karavidas, Mark Kono, Justin Labrecque, Andy Lambert, Michelle Marshall, Andrew McGowan, Joanne McGowan, Julio Ortiz, Tracy Wadley, and Mark Wilcox.
A Few Words of Thanks Thank you for purchasing the Prophet Rev2, the successor to our popular Prophet ’08 synthesizer, which has been a workhorse in the music industry for nearly 10 years. As enduringly popular as the Prophet ’08 has been, we felt it was time to update it with new technology and new features. To that end, we designed the Prophet Rev2 by enhancing and improving everything we could about the original Prophet ’08 and, in many cases, doubling its power.
Getting Started The Prophet Rev2 is a 8/16-voice polyphonic synthesizer with analog oscillators, filters, and amplifiers. The majority of its sound-shaping controls are located on its front panel, putting a tremendous amount of power and versatility within easy reach. This chapter of your user’s guide provides a brief overview of the Rev2, including such essential tasks as how to edit and save sounds. Later sections of this manual explain each of the Prophet Rev2’s parameters.
EFFECT U1 P1 120 Filter Sweep RAMETER Osc 1 Freq PROGRAM Global Split A | B Write Stack A+B Compare Edit Layer B ON/OFF SELECT CLK SYNC PARAM 1 C2 show VALUE LOW-PASS FILTER Program and Bank controls CTAVE MIX BANK MISC PARAMS Selecting Programs NOISE CUTOFF RESONANCE ENV AMOUNT VELOCITY KEY AMOUNT DECAY SUSTAIN Use the bank and program knobs to select and recall programs. To choose a program: 2 OSC SLOP 1. Turn POLE knob to select DELAYthe bank you ATTACK the 4bank want. 2.
Comparing an Edited Program to its Original State When editing a program, it is often useful to compare its edited state to its original state to evaluate your edits. Alternatively, before saving a program to a new location you may want to check the program in the target location before you overwrite it. To compare an edited program to a saved version: 1. Edit a program. 2. Press the compare button. It lights up, indicating compare mode. 3. Play the keyboard to hear the saved version of the sound. 4.
To recall the basic preset using the Global Menu: 1. Press the global button. 2. Use the parameter knob to select basic program. 3. Press the write button. Saving a Program If you’ve created a sound that you like, you’ll probably want to save it. Saving a program overwrites a previously saved program. Sound designers often save many incremental versions of a program as they continue to refine it. These intermediate versions often make good jumping off points for new sounds.
Comparing Before You Save Before saving a program to a new location, it’s a good idea to listen to the program in the target location to make sure you really want to overwrite it. To evaluate a program before you overwrite it: 1. Get ready to save by pressing the write button. It starts flashing. 2. Press the compare button. Its LED lights up. 3. Use the bank and program knobs to navigate to the sound you want to compare and play the keyboard to hear the sound. 4.
Working with Stacked or Split Programs The Prophet Rev2 is bi-timbral, meaning that it can produce two different sounds/programs at the same time, either by stacking them, or by allowing you to split the keyboard and assign one sound to the upper section of the keyboard and a different sound to the lower section of the keyboard. The two layers are referred to as Layer A and Layer B. By default, Layer A is always active when you recall a program.
Stacked Programs Stacking two programs allows you to create extra fat sounds, since you can have two completely different programs layered on top of each other. Polyphony is halved in Stack mode, so if you have a 16-voice Prophet Rev2, in Stack mode, it functions as an 8-voice because it uses two voices for each key played. To turn Stack mode on: • If it’s not currently lit, press the stack a+b button. The button becomes lit. The program on Layer B is stacked with the program on Layer A.
To copy Layer A to Layer B: 1. Press both the split a|b button and the stack a+b button simultaneously. 2. Turn the parameter knob and select copy layer a to b. 3. Press the write button. Layer A is copied to Layer B. To copy Layer B to Layer A: 1. Press both the split a|b button and the stack a+b button simultaneously. 2. Turn the parameter knob and select copy layer b to a. 3. Press the write button. Layer B is copied to Layer A. To swap Layer A and Layer B: 1.
Split Programs In split mode, playing a key on the left side of the keyboard will play the Layer A sound and playing a key on the right side will play the Layer B sound. Polyphony is allocated equally between the two sounds, with half of the available voices on Layer A and half on Layer B. The specific key that starts the Layer B sound is called the split point, and is saved with the program. All factory programs have a “B” layer, even if that layer isn’t currently enabled.
Moving to the Next Level Before you start exploring the sound creation capabilities of the Prophet Rev2 we’d like to point you toward a few things that will help you tailor the instrument to your needs. First, check out the Global Settings section of this manual. Read about Pot Modes and determine which works best for you when you’re editing sounds. You’ll also find information about MIDI setup. Read this to more effectively integrate the Prophet Rev2 into your MIDI rig.
Prophet Rev2 User’s Guide Getting Started 11
Connections 1 2 3 1. AC Power Connector—Accepts a standard, grounded IEC power cord. Operates over a range of 100 to 240 volts and 50 to 60 Hz. 2. USB—For bidirectional MIDI communication with a computer. The Prophet Rev2 is a Class Compliant USB device and does not require additional drivers when used with Mac OS or Windows. See Using USB on page 67 for more information. 3. MIDI In, Out, and Thru—Standard 5-pin MIDI DIN connectors. 4.
B OUTPUT MAIN A OUTPUT 7 8 PEDAL/CV 3 4 5 6 9 6. Pedal/CV—Accepts a standard expression pedal that has a variable resistor on a TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) ¼ inch phone plug. Once connected, you can use the modulation matrix to route the pedal to control a variety of things such as volume or filter cutoff frequency to add expressiveness to live performance. 7. B Audio Outputs—Unbalanced, ¼ inch audio outputs. Connect audio cables to these jacks if you want separate stereo outputs for Layer B.
Global Settings Press the global button and use the parameter and value knobs to scroll through and set parameters such as Master Tune and MIDI Channel that affect all programs globally. 1. Master Coarse Tune: -12…+12—Master Transpose control, 0 is centered. Steps in semitones up to one octave up (+12) or down (-12). 2. Master Fine Tune: -50…+50—Master Fine Tune control; 0 centered. Steps in cents as much as a quarter-tone up (+50) or down (-50). 3.
7. MIDI Param Receive: Off, CC, NRPN—Sets the method by which parameter changes are received via MIDI. As with transmission, NRPNs are the preferred method. 8. MIDI Control Enable: Off, On—When On, the synth will respond to MIDI controllers, including Pitch Wheel, Mod Wheel, Pedal, Breath, Volume, and Expression. 9. MIDI Program Enable: Off, On—When On, the synth will respond to received MIDI Program Change and other SysEx messages, and will transmit them (when prompted) to the MIDI Out.
13. Local Control: Off, On—When on (the default), the keyboard and front panel controls directly affect the Prophet Rev2. When off, the controls are transmitted via MIDI but do not directly affect the “local” synth (that is, the Prophet Rev2). This is primarily useful for avoiding MIDI data loops that can occur with some external sequencers. 14. Velocity Curve: Curve 1... Curve 8—Sets one of the eight velocity curves for the keyboard to adjust the velocity response to your playing style. 15.
Jump mode uses an absolute value based upon the position of the pot when edited: turn a pot and the value jumps immediately from the stored value to the edited value. 18. Alt Tuning: Equal Temperment, 1…17—Selects one of the Prophet Rev2’s built-in tunings. Set to 1. equal temperment, the tuning is standard, chromatic tuning. Choosing 2 through 16 selects an alternative, non-chromatic, non-Western scale that can be used to emulate ethnic instruments or in other creative ways.
is pressed and then it turns off, which is the opposite of the expected behavior.) Connect your pedal and choose the appropriate setting based on its behavior. 22. Sustain Arp: Arp hold, Sustain—Sets the function for the Sustain pedal input the rear of the synthesizer. Selecting arp hold and pressing the sustain pedal causes the arpeggiator to hold the current arpeggio as if you had pressed the hold button on the front panel. Selecting sustain chooses normal sustain pedal operation. 23.
Oscillators Oscillators provide the raw building blocks of the Prophet Rev2’s sound by producing waveforms, each of which has its own inherent sound character based on its harmonic content. The Prophet Rev2 has two oscillators, plus a sub oscillator and a noise generator, per voice. Oscillator 1 and 2 are capable of generating sawtooth, sawtooth + triangle, triangle, and pulse waves. You can vary the width of any of these waveshapes using the shape mod parameter.
Oscillator Parameters Osc Freq: Sets the base frequency of Oscillator 1 or 2 over a 9-octave range from 16 Hz to 8KHz (when used with the Transpose buttons). Adjustment is in semitones. The global master coarse and master fine settings affect the pitch of the oscillators. See “Global Settings” on page page 14 for more information. Fine Tune: Fine tune control with a range of a quartertone up or down. The 12 o’clock position is centered. Steps are in cents (50 cents = 1/2 semitone).
Try using the auxiliary envelope to sweep the pitch of Oscillator 1 when it is synced to generate the classic, hard-edged sync sound. Sub Octave: 0…127—Controls the level of a square wave oscillator pitched one octave below Oscillator 1. Adding a sub octave to sounds such as bass is a great way to increase low-register presence. Osc Mix: 0…127—Enables the outputs of oscillators 1 and 2 to be mixed in varying amounts. A setting of 0 is equivalent to 100% Oscillator 1 and 0% Oscillator 2.
Filter The Filter takes the basic, raw sound of the oscillators and noise generator and subtracts frequencies, changing the harmonic content and character of their sound. This change can be varied over time using the Filter Envelope to produce more dynamic, animated timbres. The Prophet Rev2’s filter is a classic, resonant low-pass Curtis filter that is switchable between 2-pole operation (12 dB per octave) and 4-pole operation (24 dB per octave).
The description of envelope behavior just given is true when the amount parameter is set to a positive value. But since this control is actually bipolar, it is possible to set a negative amount of modulation. In this case, the envelopes are inverted and their behavior changes. The best way to get a feel for the difference is to experiment with both positive and negative settings of the env amount parameter. The cutoff frequency setting may limit the effect of the envelope on the filter.
Filter Envelope The Prophet Rev2 filter has a dedicated, five-stage envelope generator (DADSR). The Filter Envelope is used to shape the harmonic characteristics of a synthesized sound by giving you filtering control over its attack, decay, sustain, and release stages (plus a delay parameter to delay the onset of the envelope). This is one of the most important aspects of designing a sound. Without an envelope, the filters would be completely static.
Delay: 0...127—Sets a delay between the time the envelope is triggered (note on) and when the attack portion actually begins. Attack: 0...127—Sets the attack time of the envelope. The higher the setting, the slower the attack time and the longer it takes for the filter to open from the level set with the filter cutoff knob to the level set by the filter envelope amount. Percussive sounds typically have sharp (short) attacks. Decay: 0...127—Sets the decay time of the envelope.
To give you a real-world example, the main difference between the sound of the wind and the sound of a snare drum is that they have very different volume envelopes. Otherwise, they are essentially both white noise. Wind has a relatively slow attack, a long sustain, and a long decay and release. A snare drum has a sharp attack, no sustain, and very little decay or release. But again, they are both fundamentally white noise.
Decay: 0...127—Sets the decay time of the envelope. After a sound reaches its full volume at its attack stage, decay controls how quickly the sound transitions to the level set with the sustain control. The higher the setting, the longer the decay. Percussive sounds, such as synth bass, typically have shorter decays. Sustain: 0...127—Sets the sustain level of the envelope. The higher the setting, the louder the sustained portion of the sound will be.
Auxiliary Envelope The Prophet Rev2 has an additional five-stage envelope generator. It is useful for creating modulation that varies over time according to the shape of the envelope. Routing an envelope to an oscillator’s frequency, for example, causes the oscillator’s pitch to rise and fall according to the contour of the envelope. As with all of the Prophet Rev2’s envelopes, there are controls for modulating the envelope amount using keyboard velocity.
To create a program in which velocity controls modulation amount, turn aux down and turn velocity amount up. envelope amount Delay: 0...127—Sets a delay between the time the envelope is triggered (note on) and when the attack portion actually begins. Attack: 0...127—Sets the attack time of the envelope. The higher the setting, the slower the attack time and the longer it takes for a sound to reach its full volume. Pads typically have softer (longer) attacks.
Low Frequency Oscillators The four LFOs are special-purpose oscillators that produce a frequency that is typically below the range of human hearing (although these can actually extend into the audio range if set to their maximum frequency). The LFOs are typically used for periodic modulation such as vibrato (periodic pitch modulation) and tremolo (periodic amplitude modulation). They can also be used as modulation sources for any of the many modulatable parameters in the Prophet Rev2.
The LFOs can be free-running or synced to the arpeggiator, sequencer, or MIDI clock for tempo-synced effects such as filter sweeps, tremolo, and so on. Shape: Triangle, Sawtooth, Reverse Sawtooth, Square, Random—This button sets the waveshape of the selected LFO. Frequency: Sets the frequency of the selected LFO from a slow .022Hz to a fast 500Hz. This is affected by the clk sync (clock sync) parameter as explained below.
Modulation Although the overall sonic character of the Prophet Rev2 is determined by its analog oscillators and filters, much of its power to make truly unique and unusual sounds comes from creative use of modulation. Modulation is the process of routing one parameter (i.e. a control voltage) to another in order to change the way the targeted parameter behaves. The concept is simple: 1. Choose a source. 2. Choose a destination. 3. Set an amount. The amount can either be positive or negative.
Modulation Parameters Source: Selects a modulation source. The are twenty-two different modulation sources. See page 69 for a complete list. Destination: Selects a modulation destination. The are fifty-three differ- ent modulation destinations. See page 70 for a complete list. Amount Sets the modulation amount. Modulation can be either positive or negative. Modulation Examples Below are several modulation scenarios that illustrate how to use the modulation matrix.
Use pressure as the modulation source instead of the mod wheel in the previous example to add vibrato with key pressure/aftertouch. To use the mod wheel to control the filter cutoff: 1. In the modulation section, press the source button. Use the parameter knob next to the display to scroll to Mod Slot 1 if it’s not already displayed. 2. Use the parameter knob to select the source field. Use the value knob to scroll through the various mod sources and choose mod wheel. 3.
Effects The Prophet Rev2 allows you to add an effect to any sound. In stacked or split sounds, each layer can have its own effect. Adding a touch of reverb or delay can add a subtle (or not so subtle) sense of ambience and depth. Other effects such as the chorus and phaser are useful for adding more obvious tonal enhancement and are also useful for emulating classic instruments such as string synthesizers. While the effects themselves are digital, the main signal path of the Prophet Rev2 is analog.
• Flanger 1 - vintage through-zero flanger, high feedback • Flanger 2 - vintage through-zero flanger, no feedback • Reverb - classic digital reverb with adjustable size and color • Ring Mod - emulation of Tom Oberheim’s classic ring modulator • Distortion - digital distortion (analog emulation) • HP Filter - high-pass filter. For best performance,run the flangers and high-pass filter 100% wet. (i.e. set the mix parameter to 127). To use Effects: 1. Press the on/off switch to turn on effects. 2.
Clk Sync: On, Off—When a delay effect is chosen, this enables syncing of the timed delay repeats (feedback) to the arpeggiator, sequencer, or MIDI clock. When clk sync is on, delay time (parameter 1) provides the following values: Value Delay Time Whole Half dot Half Quarter dot Quarter Quarter triplet 8th dot 8th 8th triplet 16th dot 16th 4 beats 3 beats 2 beats 1 1/2 beats 1 beat 1 1/3 beats 3/4 of 1 beat 1/2 of 1 beat 1/3 of 1 beat 3/8 of 1 beat 1/4 of 1 beat Maximum delay time is 1 second.
Effect Type mono delay Parameter 1 delay time Parameter 2 feedback amount DDL stereo delay time feedback amount BBD delay delay time feedback amount chorus rate depth phaser high rate depth phaser low rate depth phaser mst rate depth flanger 1 rate depth flanger 2 rate depth reverb time color ring mod ring mod tuning distortion gain low-note pitch tracking on/off tone HP filter cutoff resonance To recreate a classic bucket-brigade time-shifting effect, try adjusting the
Arpeggiator The Prophet Rev2 has a full-featured arpeggiator. Turn it on, hold a chord and the synthesizer will play a pattern based on the individual notes held. Choose a mode (up, down, random, etc.), an octave range (1, 2, or 3), and a tempo, then pair it with an appropriate sound and explore. While you hold down a chord, pressing any additional notes will add those notes to the arpeggio. You can change chords and notes and the arpeggio will continue to play as long as at least one note is always held.
To use the arpeggiator: 1. Press the arpeggiator on/off switch to turn it on. 2. Hold down one or more notes on the keyboard. The arpeggiator plays them according to the settings you’ve chosen. 3. To latch arpeggiation on (so that you don’t have to continuously hold down notes) press the hold button. 4. Adjust settings such as mode, octave, repeats, and bpm. 5.
Arp Repeats: 1, 2, 3 —Set to 1, each note in the arpeggio plays once. Set to 2, each note in the arpeggio plays twice. Set to 3, each note in the arpeggio plays three times. Arp Relatch: Off, On—Works in conjunction with hold. When hold and the arpeggiator are on, and arp relatch is off, played notes are held on and arpeggiated, with additional played notes added to the held notes and the arpeggio.
Sequencer There are 2 types of sequencers in the Prophet Rev2: • 1-track, 64-step polyphonic sequencer for creating a repeating pattern of chords and melodies • 4-track, 16-step, non-polyphonic gated sequencer for creating a repeating pattern for modulation (and can also be used for notes) Press to toggle between gated sequencer and polyphonic sequencer SEQUENCER rest Gated Poly TYPE MODE TRACK tie Poly Seq Only DESTINATION RECORD The Sequencer Polyphonic Sequencer With the polyphonic sequence
An audio signal connected to the rear-panel sequence jack can be used to control sequencer playback. This makes it possible to tempo sync the sequencer (or arpeggiator) to a recorded drum track or other audio source. Audio signals used to drive the arpeggiator/sequencer should not exceed 5 volts peak-to-peak. See “Seq Pedal Mode” on page 17 for more information about choosing the appropriate mode for these behaviors.
To play a polyphonic sequence: 1. Press play. The sequence plays back at the current BPM setting. 2. To stop playback, press play again. Alternatively, you can start and stop sequencer playback using a footswitch connected to the rear-panel sequencer jack or using MIDI start/stop messages sent from a DAW or other MIDI device. See “Seq Pedal Mode” on page 17 for more information. Use the bpm, divide, or tap tempo controls to adjust sequencer playback speed. To transpose a polyphonic sequence: 1.
5. If you make a mistake, or simply want to re-enter a note or change its velocity use the sequencer’s parameter knob to step backward or forward to the step you want to edit. 6. To edit a note’s velocity numerically, hold down the record button and turn the value knob. 7. To save the sequence, save the program by pressing the write button twice. Copying a Polyphonic Sequence Between Layers You can copy a sequence from Layer A to Layer B and vice-versa. You can also swap sequences between layers.
Gated Sequencer The gated sequencer provides four 16-step sequences that play in parallel. Each sequence can be routed to a chosen modulation destination. Each step in a sequence can be set to a different value used to modulate that destination. Unlike the polyphonic sequencer, the gated sequencer doesn’t play notes unless one or more of the sequences are routed to oscillator frequency.
Programming the Gated Sequencer. To program a gated sequence: 1. Press the type button and toggle to the gated sequencer. 2. Press the mode button and use the value knob to select the desired mode. See “Sequencer Parameters” on page 48. 3. Use the track knob to select desired track. 4. Press the destination button and use the value knob to select the desired destination. 5. Use the parameter knob to navigate to step 1 (or any desired step, 1-16). 6. Use the value knob to enter a value from 0-125.
Using Slew In modular analog synthesizers, a lag processor or slew limiter is used to create a smooth transition between successive, discrete control voltage levels. The rate of change is called the slew rate and one common application is to create a glide (aka portamento) effect between notes. Among the possible destinations for gated sequences, tracks 2 and 4 offer a sequencer-only parameter called Slew.
Destination: Various—In the gated sequencer, this button allows you to select a modulation destination for the currently selected track. Destinations appear in the display. Use the value knob to choose the destination. Track: 1, 2, 3, 4—This knob allows you to select a track for recording or editing. Mode: Normal, No Reset, No Gate, No G/R,Key Step—Selects one of the following operation modes for the gated sequencer: Normal: Good for melodic and rhythmic sequences.
Clock Parameters BPM: 30…250—Sets the tempo for the sequencer and arpeggiator in BPM (beats per minute). The tap tempo LED flashes at the BPM rate. When lfo sync is turned on, the BPM rate affects the LFO frequency. When syncing to an external MIDI clock source, the BPM setting has no effect. Tap Tempo: 30…250—Tap this button at least 4 times to quickly set the tempo for the sequencer and arpeggiator. The LED flashes at the BPM rate you set.
Unison When unison is on, the Prophet Rev2 functions like a monophonic synthesizer in that only one note can be played at a time. However, that one note can be powered by as many as 8 or 16 voices, depending on how many you choose to use (and whether you have an 8 or 16-voice Prophet Rev2). With many oscillators powering a single note, you can create some very dense, speaker-rattling sounds.
To use Unison: 1. Press the unison button. 2. Press the misc params button and use the parameter knob to scroll to unison mode. 3. Use the value knob to choose the number of voices to stack. 4. To detune the oscillators while in unison, use the parameter knob to scroll to unison detune in the misc params menu. 5. Use the value knob to choose the amount of detuning. Using Chord Memory Unison has another useful feature: chord memory.
To switch back to single-note unison mode: 1. Press the misc params button and use the parameter knob to scroll to unison mode. 2. Turn the value knob to choose the number of voices to stack. Key Modes and Unison Mode Key Mode (sometimes called note priority) determines what note has priority when more than one note is played on the keyboard or via MIDI.
Master Volume/Program Volume The master output level of the Prophet Rev2 is controlled by the frontpanel master volume knob. In addition, the volume of an individual program can be set with the misc params controls. This is useful for ensuring that your sounds have roughly the same volume from program to program. Unison sounds in particular can be very loud compared to other programs.
Pan Spread Pan Spread, in the Amplifier section, pans audio in the stereo field individually per voice. Set to 0, all voices are panned to the center. As you turn the pan spread knob clockwise, each voice is gradually moved away from the center by greater amounts. Every other voice goes in a different direction, left or right. This creates a broader stereo field while playing.
Hold When hold is on, any notes played will continue to play until hold is turned off. When used in conjunction with the arpeggiator, notes are latched on. If hold is on and at least one key continuously held down, any new notes played are added to the arpeggio. N HOLD The Hold button Glide Up Glide causes TRANSPOSE the pitch of a note to glide up or down from the pitch of the previously played note. Glide is turned on and off using the glide switch, but the rate must also be set.
To set the glide amount separately for each oscillator: 1. Press the glide button. 2. Press the misc params button and use the parameter knob to scroll to osc 1 glide. 3. Turn the value knob to set the mode and play a series of notes up and down the keyboard to hear the effect. 4. Next, use the parameter knob to scroll to osc 2 glide. 5. Turn the value knob to set the mode and play a series of notes up and down the keyboard to hear the effect. There are four modes that determine how glide behaves.
Pitch and Mod Wheels The Prophet Rev2 has a spring-loaded Pitch wheel and a Mod wheel. You can use these controls to enhance live performance by bending notes and adding modulation in real time as you play. In the same way that guitar players use note bends and vibrato to give their playing expressiveness and character, these two controls can help you define your sound as a performer and take you beyond just playing notes on the keyboard.
Modulation Wheel The mod wheel controls the amount of modulation for any program that uses it as a modulation source. This allows you to “perform” modulation in real time by moving the wheel. This is a great way to add expressiveness to a sound or performance by using it to control vibrato, filter effects, and potentially a lot more. To choose a modulation destination for the Mod wheel: 1. In the modulation section, press the source button.
Adding Aftertouch Aftertouch is a performance feature that allows you to add modulation to a sound by applying additional pressure to a key after the key is already down. The greater the pressure applied, the more modulation is applied. The Prophet Rev2 provides monophonic (or “channel”) aftertouch, which means that applying pressure to any key within a chord will apply modulation to all notes currently held.
The Prophet Rev2 provides four different pressure response settings for your convenience. The default setting provides a linear response. To choose a different response curve, use the pressure curve parameter in the global menu. Misc Parameters The misc parameters button allows you to access controls for a number of essential functions, described below. Program Volume: 0…127—The master output level of the Prophet Rev2 is controlled by the front-panel master volume knob.
Pan Mod Mode: Alternate,Fixed—Designates the behavior of panning when Pan is used as a modulation destination. Choosing alternate directs modulation to the Pan Spread parameter, and thereby affects the panning width of individual voices within a program. Choosing fixed directs modulation to panning for the entire program.(In this case you should set Pan Spread to zero.
Key Mode: Low, Hi,Last, LowR, HiR, LastR—Sometimes called “note priority,” this determines what note has priority when more than one note is played on the keyboard or via MIDI when unison mode is enabled: • Low-Note Priority is most common in vintage synths and is often used for playing trills by holding a note and repeatedly tapping a lower note. • Low Retrigger causes the envelopes to be retriggered with each keystroke.
Exporting Programs and Banks You can use the pgm dump command in the global menu to transmit the current program, bank, or all banks in SysEx format via the selected MIDI port. This allows you to save your programs so that you can share them or archive them. You will need a computer and software application such as SysEx Librarian for Macintosh, or MIDIOX for Windows. To export a program or bank as a SysEx file over MIDI: 1. Connect your synthesizer to a computer using a USB cable. 2.
4. On the Rev2 that you want to send the programs from, press the global button (if it’s not already on) and use the parameter knob to select dump prog, dump bank, or dump all banks, depending on which of these you would like to do. 5. Press write. The program or bank is exported to the other Rev2. Dumped programs will load back into the same bank and program location in memory when received by the Prophet Rev2 via MIDI.
Calibrating the Prophet Rev2 Because the Prophet Rev2 is calibrated at the factory, controls such as the Pitch and Mod wheels shouldn’t require re-calibration. However, if for some reason you experience unexpected behavior with these controls, you can use the built-in calibration function to tune them occasionally. Calibrating the Oscillators and Filters To calibrate the oscillators and filters: 1. Press the global button. 2. Use the parameter knob to select calibrate, then press the write button. 3.
Using USB The Prophet Rev2’s USB 2.0 port enables bidirectional MIDI communication with a computer. A MIDI interface and MIDI cables are not necessary, just a USB cable. The Prophet Rev2 is a Class Compliant USB device. That means it does not require any additional drivers to be installed to communicate with a Mac or Windows computer. The Prophet Rev2 transmits and receives MIDI data via USB, but does not transmit audio.
68 Using USB Dave Smith Instruments
Appendix A: Modulation Sources Off Seq 1 Seq 2 Seq 3 Seq 4 LFO 1 LFO 2 LFO 3 LFO 4 Env LPF Env VCA Env 3 Pitchbend Mod Wheel Pressure Breath Foot Pedal Expression Pedal Velocity Note Number Noise DC Audio Out * * Audio Out is the digitized audio signal after the Amplifier VCA.
Appendix B: Modulation Destinations Off Osc 1 Freq Osc 2 Freq Osc All Freq Osc 1 Level Osc Mix Noise Level Sub Osc Level Osc 1 Shape Osc 2 Shape Osc All Shape Filter Cutoff Filter Resonance Filter Audio Mod VCA Pan LFO 1 Freq LFO 2 Freq LFO 3 Freq LFO 4 Freq LFO All Freq LFO 1 Amount LFO 2 Amount LFO 3 Amount LFO 4 Amount LFO All Amount LP Filter Env Amount Amp Env Amount Env 3 Amount Env All Amount LPF Attack 70 Appendix B: Modulation Destinations VCA Attack Env 3 Attack Env All Attack LPF Decay VCA Deca
Appendix C: Alternative Tunings By default, the Prophet Rev2 is set to standard, chromatic western tuning. Additionally, it supports up to 16 additional alternative tunings, which you can access using the alt tunings parameter in the global menu. From the factory, the Prophet Rev2 ships with 16 preset alternative tunings ranging from Equal temperament to Indonesian Gamelan tunings. If you want, you can replace these with other tunings that you can find on the Internet. These must be in SysEx format.
5. 1/4 Tone Equal Temperament 24 notes per octave, equally spaced 24root2 intervals. Mexican composer Julian Carillo used this for custom-built pianos in the early 20th century. 6. 19 Tone Equal Temperament 19 notes per octave (19root2) offering better thirds than 12 ET, a better overall compromise if you can figure out the keyboard patterns. 7.
11. 3-7 Lattice in A A pure 3 and 7-limit tuning which resolves to very symmetrical derived relationships between notes. Some of the intervals are very close together, offering several choices for the same nominal chords. A=1/1 (440 Hz) 1/1 9/8 8/7 7/6 9/7 21/16 4/3 3/2 32/21 12/7 7/4 63/32 12. Other Music 7-Limit Black Keys in C Created by the group Other Music for their homemade gamelan, this offers a wide range of interesting chords and modes. C=1/1 (261.
16. Harry Partch 11-Limit 43 Note Just Intonation One of the pioneers of modern microtonal composition, Partch built a unique orchestra with this tuning during the first half of the 20th century, to perform his own compositions. The large number of intervals in this very dense scale offers a full vocabulary of expressive chords and complex key changes. The narrow spacing also allows fixedpitched instruments like marimbas and organs to perform glissando-like passages.
Appendix D: Troubleshooting and Support Troubleshooting If you’re experiencing problems or unexpected behavior from your Prophet Rev2, here are a few typical scenarios and their solutions: If the Prophet Rev2 isn’t producing sound:. 1. Initialize a basic preset by holding the Transpose down and up buttons and pressing the hold button. 2.
If the Prophet Rev2 is behaving erratically. • This is almost always caused by a MIDI data loop. Make sure that any MIDI Thru functionality is turned off on the MIDI interface/hardware or in the MIDI software application. Disconnect all the Prophet Rev2’s MIDI connections—MIDI and USB cables—and see if the problem persists. You can also monitor the MIDI traffic with MIDI Monitor (Mac OS) or MIDI-OX (Windows) to see if the Prophet Rev2 is being overrun with duplicate messages.
If the OS fails to load correctly when you update: • The Prophet Rev2 is equipped with a MIDI bootloader, which will allow you to reload the OS in the event you accidentally “brick” your synth (permanently freeze it) while updating its OS. To restore your Prophet Rev2 if it is frozen. 1. Power on the Prophet Rev2 while holding the glide switch to enter bootloader mode. You’ll see a message in the display. 2. Use a MIDI cable (not USB) to transmit the new OS to your synth.
Warranty Repair Dave Smith Instruments warrants that the Prophet Rev2 will be free from defects in materials and/or workmanship for 1 year from the date of purchase. Please register your product online at www. davesmithinstruments.com to establish the date of purchase. (This is not a requirement for warranty service, but it will help expedite the process.) Please contact support@davesmithinstruments.com to determine the best course of action for getting your Prophet Rev2 repaired.
Appendix E: MIDI Implementation The Prophet Rev2 receives MIDI data according to the settings you have chosen in globals. In addition, there is interaction between some of the program parameters that determine the overall response of Prophet Rev2 to MIDI data. Following are the globals parameters that affect response to MIDI: MIDI Channel: All, 1…16—Selects which MIDI channel to send and receive data, 1 to 16. All receives on all 16 channels.
MIDI Prog Enable: Off, On—When set to On, the synth will respond to MIDI controllers, including pitch wheel, mod wheel, pedal, and volume. MIDI SysEx Cable: MIDI, USB—When set to MIDI it will receive and transmit them using the MIDI ports/cables When set to USB it will receive and transmit them using the USB port/cable. MIDI SysEx messages are used when sending and receiving a variety of data including, programs, alternative tunings, system updates, and more.
Received Controller Messages Status Second Third Description 1011 nnnn 0000 0001 0vvvvvvv Mod Wheel: directly assignable controller 1011 nnnn 0000 0100 0vvvvvvv Foot Controller: directly assignable controller 1011 nnnn 0000 0111 0vvvvvvv Volume: Combined with Master Volume and Program Volume 1011 nnnn 0100 1010 0vvvvvvv Brightness: Added to filter cutoff frequency 1011 nnnn 0010 0000 0vvvvvvv Bank Select: 1 - 4 select user banks 1 - 4; 5 - 8 select factory banks 1 - 4; others ignored
Transmitted Controller Messages Status Second Third Description 1011 nnnn 0000 0001 0vvvvvvv Mod Wheel 1011 nnnn 0100 1010 0vvvvvvv Brightness: Assigned to Penal/CV 1011 nnnn 0010 0000 0vvvvvvv Bank Select: 0 - 9 1011 nnnn 0100 0000 0vvvvvvv Damper pedal: Sends 0 if off, 0111 1011 nnnn 0000 0111 0vvvvvvv Volume knob See sections that follow for additional Continuous Controller (CC) and Non-Registered Parameter Number (NRPN) messages transmitted.
Additional Continuous Controllers Transmitted/Received The following table details how MIDI Continuous Controllers (CCs) are mapped to Rev2 controls. They are transmitted when Param Xmit is set to CC, and recognized/received when MIDI Rcv Receive is set to CC. CC# Param CC# Param 1 Mod Wheel 39 Split Point 3 FX Type 64 Sustain Pedal 5 Glide Mode 65 Glide On/Off 7 Master Volume 75 Amp Sustain 8 Sub Oscillator 76 Amp Release 9 Osc.
NRPN Messages The Non-Registered Parameter Number (NRPN) MIDI messages are used to transmit and receive both global and program parameters. They are transmitted when MIDI Parameter Send is set to NRPN in globals, and received when MIDI Parameter Receive is set to NRPN in globals. The messages are handled in standard MIDI format using the NRPN CC commands in running status byte format. Below is the format used for transmitting a NRPN parameter.
Received NRPN Messages Status Second Third Description 1011 nnnn 0110 0011 0vvvvvvv NRPN parameter number MSB CC 1011 nnnn 0110 0010 0vvvvvvv NRPN parameter number LSB CC 1011 nnnn 0000 0110 0vvvvvvv NRPN parameter value MSB CC 1011 nnnn 0010 0110 0vvvvvvv NRPN parameter value LSB CC 1011 nnnn 0110 0000 0xxxxxxx NRPN parameter value Increment 1011 nnnn 0110 0001 0xxxxxxx NRPN parameter value Decrement 1011 nnnn 0010 0101 0111111 RPN parameter number MSB CC - Reset NRPN paramet
Global Parameter Data The table shows the global data sent and received on global parameter dumps, and corresponding NRPN number when sent/received individually.
Program Parameter Data The following table lists Rev2’s program parameters. NRPN Value NRPN Description Value Description 0 0-120 Osc 1 Freq 34 0-127 VCA Env Decay 1 0-100 Osc 1 Freq Fine 35 0-127 VCA Env Sustain 2 0-4 Osc 1 Shape 36 0-127 VCA Env Release 0-127 VCA Env Release 3 0-127 Osc 1 Glide 37 4 0-1 Osc.
NRPN 66 Value Description 0-254 Mod 1 Amount NRPN Value Description 114 0-1 Pan Mode 67 0-52 Mod 1 Destination 116 0-254 Mod Wheel Amount 68 0-22 Mod 2 Source 117 0-52 Mod Wheel Dest 69 0-254 Mod 2 Amount 118 0-254 Pressure Amount 70 0-52 Mod 2 Destination 119 0-52 Pressure Dest 71 0-22 Mod 3 Source 72 0-254 Mode 3 Amount 73 0-52 Mode 3 Destination 74 0-22 Mod 4 Source 75 0-254 Mod 4 Amount 76 0-52 Mod 4 Destination 77 0-22 Mod 5 Source 78 0-254 Mod
NRPN Value Description 186 0-52 Seq 3 Destination 187 0-53 (slew) Seq 4 Destination 192-207 0-127 Gated Seq Track 1 Step 1-16 208-223 0-127 Gated Seq Track 2 Step 1-16 224-239 0-127 Gated Seq Track 3 Step 1-16 240-255 0-127 Gated Seq Track 4 Step 1-16 276-339 0-127 Seq Step 1-64 Note 1 340-403 128-255 Seq Step 1-64 Velocity 1 404-467 0-127 Seq Step 1-64 Note 2 468-531 128-255 Seq Step 1-64 Velocity 2 532-595 0-127 Seq Step 1-64 Note 3 596-659 128-255 Seq Step 1-64 Veloc
Control NRPN Data The following table lists the Rev2’s control NRPN data. It is received and transmitted but not saved as part of a program.
Request Program Dump Status Description 1111 0000 System Exclusive (SysEx) 0000 0001 DSI ID 0010 1111 Rev2 ID 0000 0101 Request Program Transmit 0000 00vv Bank Number, 0 - 9 0vvv vvvv Program Number, 0 - 99 1111 0111 End of Exclusive (EOX) The Rev2 will respond by sending out the program data in the format described below in Program Data Dump.
Program Data Dump Status Description 1111 0000 System Exclusive (SysEx) 0000 0001 DSI ID 0010 1111 Rev2 ID 0000 0010 Program Data 0000 00vv Bank Number: 0 - 9 0vvv vvvv Program Number: 0 - 99 0vvv vvvv 1024 bytes expanded to 1171 MIDI bytes in “packed MS bit” format 1111 0111 End of Exclusive (EOX) Program Edit Buffer Data Dump Status Description 1111 0000 System Exclusive (SysEx) 0000 0001 DSI ID 0010 1111 Rev2 ID 0000 0011 Edit Buffer Data 0vvv vvvv 1024 bytes expanded to 1171
Packed Data Format Data is packed in 8 byte “packets”, with the MS bit stripped from 7 parameter bytes, and packed into an eighth byte, which is sent at the start of the 8 byte packet.
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