Your comparisions make most sense for me. It's no use to listening to simple sweeps; it's about character in real life practice. Prophet sounds just beautiful, and I can see the easiness you have in making it sing in just right way. Gosh my GAS hurts so bad rn.
Just a little message : You are one of the most genuinely passionate people I have ever seen. I bought an artlist subscription just for your music. ("Fallen" + "again" and "whole" comes from a another world) Thank you for your amazing work 🙏
Nice comparison, only one issue. Not sure if the P6 has it by default, but the Poly 6 had no release while the P6 had a bit of a release. It made it really hard for me to hear any difference aside from that.
Good comparison, Jameson. Tone is king. At the end of the day we are trying to use instruments that inspire us to make and complete pieces of music, so Character over Features is my philosophy. That's why I swear by the OB-6/P6 and now OB-X8 over any other modern synths. :)
I agree for the most part, but I do think there’s a lot to be said for synths whose features lead you in a musical direction you might not have otherwise gone. I think the Polybrute has a strong case there, and in that way it’s very inspiring to me even though it’s not as strong as a Prophet when the gloves are off.
@@JamesonNathanJones that's a great point. Definitely agree with you. Anytime you can be pushed out of your comfort zone by an instrument great things happen. Keep up the great work man, happy I found your channel!
@@MilesAwayOfficial both the youtube channels ive been binging over everything synth related. cool to see you guys sharing ideas even in comments.. maybe a collab video should be made! Maybe an idea you could try is send each other some musical pieces and run them through your favorite pedals or euro fx and make a video of what you come up with or something along those lines. Or you can both do something for your love for the prophet 6? haha anyways thanks for your content & inspiration. Been thinking about making my own videos because of you both.
Character over features. I like that. The caveat being, if a feature set engages the user in such a way that features effectivley embue character as well, then you're also gold.
Both are great synths. The P6 is just amazing sounding your not going to out Prophet a Prophet. I have the Polybrute and I love it. It’s not some 70’s or 80’s sounding synth it’s modern and has its own sound and sits in a mix beautifully. Having multiple synths you can really use each synth for their own strengths and just rely on one synth to do it all.
I have the PB12, for it's full touch and MPE. I do think I will eventually expand with either a prophet or an oberheim, for their awesome filters. And possibly also a moog at some point. But these things aren't exactly cheap. I am a piano player and a huge nerd, so the PB12 really spoke to me for all of it's expressive features and it's deep modulation matrix. But no doubt, those oberheim and prophet filters, they do sound amazing. I also own a bass station and a korg minilogue. I love the bass station, but the minilogue is way too limited for my taste.
@mortenrobinson5421 do you find yourself defaulting to the bass station when you want some bass? Im looking at getting the Polybrute and ive also had the bass station on my radar for a while haha
I’m in a similar place with an OB6 and PolyBrute. The OB6 just about brings enough of its own thing to the table to keep its spot. The more I get into the PB, the more precarious that spot looks though. One difference with the sequential instruments is that they are a lot looser with their calibrations than the PB, so loosening up the accuracy on the PB gets them somewhat closer in vibe. Also playing about with the internal eq on the PB makes a surprising amount of difference to the character, easy to forget it’s there and what a big difference it can make.
Thanks for making these videos! Really preferred the sound of the Prophet here. But I don't think anyone would notice the difference in a mix... However, I can see why you want to have both :D
the plucky arps made the prophet sound like it was absolutely slaying the polybrute, but they weren't level matched very well and the env release was more enjoyable on the prophet. It might have been a closer fight if they were more matched. But I do see what you mean. the pads: prophet sound was attention-grabbier but that's not necessarily better all the time. That mellower thing happening on the polybrute might be just the thing sometimes. The prophet sounds "better" when comparing them in isolation, but the polybrute has totally useful sounds that I might prefer sometimes. But yeah, I have to admit this makes me want a prophet 6. If I owned one, I doubt I'd sell it.
The Prophet 6 is the King of modern analog polys for me personally, traditional synth, super fast to program, “the sound”, and tons of modern features. It’s not winning any mod competitions but I’m happy to do that stuff with software. Anyone who owns a P6 shouldn’t sell it. With inflation, component shortages and Dave Smiths passing, in 10-20 years these Dave Smith Sequential Era instruments are probably going to be worth a lot more, and they’re just so damn good. So I’ll be holding onto mine! The range of affordable gear that’s on the market is great, all of it is incredible so you definitely don’t need a Prophet 6 if you don’t already have one, I’d use the Take 5 in a heartbeat, but if you have one, hang onto it!
Wait a minute - why is it not fair to compare the FX? If you mean that the PolyBrute FX are much better then I agree. Generally the PB does not sound ’worse‘ than the P6; it just sounds different. And its filter slopes/routing possibilities are more versatile. I love my P6, but let me put it this way: if I had to reproduce a CS-80 sound, chances are much better with the PolyBrute.
I meant using the onboard fx on the Prophet wouldn’t be fair to the P6 because they can’t compete with the Polybrute’s fx. The reverb on the Prophet 6 just isn’t very good. I’ll be talking more about the Polybrute’s strengths in the next video.
Great comparison. I look forward to next week. My heart still yearns for the P6. There is something special about that synth. The prices here in the UK are insane at the moment. Guess I am going to have to wait a bit.
It's Prophet 6 for me. I don't know what they did, but it sounds better than Prophet 10 too. Just crisp and warm. It's gonna be my next synth for sure.
opening comments... I have th3e Prophet 6 AND an OB6 - I bough tthe PB thinking I could loose one if not both. Nope lol. All 3 have things they do better than the others. The sequentials are the goto for basic patches where you need a great core sound (which one depends on the sound) while the FX, Modulation and expression on the PB makes it loads better for more complex stuff. All3 complement my 2 digital synths (iridium keyboard and a fantom 7 for live mostly). I do have a Virus Ti2 as well - but thats soley for live use where the core tone isnt as important- its a chameleon for live use. The only REALY negative I have of the Polybrute is the keybed.... Its the designe of the keys themselves - thinner, shorter (affects the travel) than standard/ Shallow font lip meaning a gap under the adjacent key when pressed down (which feels sharp against eh finger instead of a smooth plastic wall on other synths - and I can nip my finger too). all that plastic stripped away also leaves a lighter key. Shame - Id have paid more for a better bed - but hey. It is what it is.
I think as a package...The PB is great! The Prophet is legendary it's Apples and oranges. I like them both. I feel the strength in the Poly Bryte is it sounds good (enough) and you can really sculpt it and the built in options in "some" senses make it better!? It's more about what do you want.
The brute has all the stuff. Good reverb, a nice basic sound, almost modular flexibility.. just a great synth. The P6 is a much simpler synth in that regard.. but it just has THAT sound I was looking for. I did consider getting the PolyBrute as well, but in every video I checked before buying it, it just kindof sounded a bit lackluster.. a bit glassy, if you will. And I can get plenty of those kinds of sounds out of the Rev 2 as well, with 2 layers of 8 note poly each if I have to! So I went with the P6 and never looked back, really :) I still think the Polybrute isprobably a great synth as well, if you sit down with it you can probably have acces to a bigger sonic landscape. I guess it's more of a tinkerers synth instead of a rock'n roll kind of synth if you know what I mean :)
I’ve been there, Brother! Solution: keep em both and start scraping and saving for the next one that you’ll have to add. Of these two, yeah…1 is Yummy, the other Harsh-ish. Lovely chords BTW
When I owned a Prophet 5 rev3 (yeah, I was that stupid arse who sold his first synthesizer because he thought he was only going to play straight-ahead jazz from now on - nope), at live gigs I couldn't imagine a fatter, richer, better sounding synth paired my Roland JC-120X, a special issued model that came equipped with JBL speakers in the early 1980s). I don't have the need - nor pocket book - to buy multiple Prophets now, but I do fantastize about owning them. For the time being, I must be satisfied with Arturia's Prophet renderings, which are actually quite good for plugins. Thanks for your awesome vids, JNJ.
They sound very similar to me. The psichological factor is very important. A blind test with a very similar patch could be interesting. The last patchs are very diferent. The P6 sounds more brassy maybe Becouse the attac. I thing the Arturia could sound more close to the P6 heaven patch, With more time and undestanding.
The prophet range specializes in sounding brassy, if you enjoy bottomless brass at a premium price, P6 all day but if you want to get in other worldly synth realms and make something not brassarific and more complex with 5 octaves and more than one LFO, polybrute all day.
Thank you for this. Its night and day the difference between the synths. The mod possibilities on the Poly are amazing, but the raw OSC are a little uninspiring compared to the Prophet. Cheers!
How does the Polybrute compare to the Rev2? Sonically and functionally (particularly modulation). A video on that would be great. As far as a highly modulatable, premium analog poly, the Rev2 and Polybrute seem to be my best bets.
thank you for the comparison - you played lower on the keyboard (1 octave) with the P6 in the int comparison which could explain the difference in sound...
NL 6:53 / 12:31 The Prophet 6 is amazing, it's just that I liked the OB-6 a little more for my music. Sequential rules them all, but that's just my personal preference.
The prophet 6 and 5 are both live and studio beasts , I think that when you record many layers on top of each other - then you get to know a synth quality, in how the layers blend - then you can also hear all kinds of artefact or bad quality of oscillators when they stack up. I'm still on the lookout for a poly to complement my prophet 10 , the obvious answer is just go with a OB-6 but I was looking for more Juno esq sound .. lots of contenders these days for "that sound" and non really convincing.
@@SacSynths_Jack_Z oh I wasn't considering the PB , didn't like any of the demo's I've heard. I'm more on fence between novation Peak\Summit or even Behringer Deepmind 12 which also boasts some deep modulation options. the peak\summit has wavetables and analog filters thou its not very powerful wavetables. a modern prophet VS would have been cool ... but that's waldorf Quantum money which is alot ..
@@SacSynths_Jack_Z Yea that was on the tip of my tongue ... I was considering something less expensive but I might be saving for it after all we'll see ..
@@solarion33 You get what you pay for... I own a CS-80, CS-70m, OB-X, OB-Xa, OB-8, Matrix 12, Voyetra 8, Jupiter 4, Jupiter 6, Polymoog, Prophet 5 rev 2, Prophet VS, etc. The 3rd Wave is the only modern synth that can hang sonically, even being a hybrid. Buy the best, or regret it later....
The prophet 6 sounds way fuller to me. Maybe there’s some extra sub in it? Solo it sounds better but I’m guessing the Polybrute would fit into a mix better. I like to arrange instruments in a way that they fill a certain frequency range so I have to eq less in the end.
For me the differences are a core part of picking a poly synth. Do you go with a more broadly capable design with a less straightforward workflow (though PB interface is fantastic IMHO given the depth of the architecture) or a more focused & straightforward design that cannot cover all that territory, but it just "pops" at what it does do. Or maybe even a step further in one direction or the other? Hydrasynth if on a budget or Iridium are even more broadly capable with an even further bump in complexity. P10 is a simple as it gets going the other direction. All personal preference.
Polybrute is a fantastic synth. It has great oscillators (for more vintage mojo just adapt analog accuracy), very interesting snappy envelopes (polybrute can produce stunning basses - somehow nobody talks about on youtube), good filters (very solid ladder and quite characteristic SP) and for sure deep design possibilities. I think many people just making an error not to learn Polybrute properly... Space Pad sounds more organic for me on Polybrute. Pluck sounds are quite different, so it is hard to compare.
Can you use the envelopes to modulate the Attack/Decay as a destination on the Polybrute? You may be able to get the same snappy ENV action by playing with the curves in exponential mode and modulating the envelope by itself.
Yes, you can. There’s also a “snappy” setting for the attack and decay of each envelope in the Polybrute. I think the main character difference lies with the Prophet’s vcas rather than the envelopes though.
@@JamesonNathanJones Yeah its always the acceleration of the VCA. Same issue with my A6 Andromeda. It had all the curves and snappy modes etc but it doesn't cut like the P6 did. I sold it and bought 2 OB6s. I have an Elysia Nvelope lying around here, I might try running the audio from your track through to see if that unit could improve the Polybrute. I want to get one one day to do modulating A6 type music, but the envelopes are so flat it keeps putting me off. I love the core sound tho and I don't need snap for my ambient but damn the P6 rules on techno. Still it has me wishing for a beefed up 16 voice multitimbral V2 with powerful VCA's. That is unlikely tho......unfortunately
Polybrute (here) was missing a certain “broken” sound the Prophet had…. I wonder if Behringer’s upcoming pro800 will have some of that. I do love the no-keys option in a synth these days.
Hello friend....I own a MOOG sub 37 and want to add a polyphonic synth to go with Moog. I like heavier sounding music whether it's EDM, metal, blues etc. Any thoughts as to what synth you would choose for that would sound good with the Moog? I think Polybrute has an edgier sound compared to Prophet 6 and with the morph feature and ribbon controllers seems to make the Polybrute a better synth for unconventional creativity where the Prophet 6 is just an all around a better sounding synth that lets say a studio musician would choose if he was called in to lay down tracks for a session . Does that make sense?
I got my eyes on the Prophet 6 ever since I got the Pioneer DJ Toraiz which uses one of the Prophet's oscillators as the result of a collaboration with Dave Smith. But right now, for the "harder stuff", my vintage Roland JP8080 does the job quite nicely for less than half the Prophet's price.
Yeah that makes total sense and I agree. Between these two, if you’re looking for more flexibility and sound design is an emphasis, I’d say Polybrute. For classic analog that just sounds great without much work, Prophet. You might also look into something like the Novation Peak. Although it’s digital, it has an analog filter that sounds really amazing, and you have wavetables which expands the sound design possibilities immensely.
@@JamesonNathanJones I am open to digital synths and was even thinking about the Access Virus T12. It's an oldie but people to this day still swear by that synth. So many choices, so little money😢
@@g3cd nice synth. I have a used Roland JP-08 coming in. Small little one of their boutique synths to play around with that is modeled after it’s bigger brother. This way I at least get to have a few synths to play around with. Picked up a TB-03 and SH-01a as well. So slowly getting a few things going. I am really tempted to get their 3 boutique drum machines but already have the Tr-8s which is dope cool. Dave Smith RIP made amazing gear. I remember when the Toraiz came out. Do you still use that gear in your workflow? I am brand new to electronic music production and really a tad confused best way to setup gear. I don’t know if I need a mixer or another 8 port A/D interface because the 8 ports on my converter is maxed out now and I already need another 8 ports. So confused what gear is needed to be able to use new Roland synths with Ableton. Any ideas ideas? Thanks !!!
Absolutely. It’s a great synth, I was just ready to try something new. But that’s a bit of a testament to just how much I had used it in my music over the years. Ha
Jameson, your dedication to the synth craft, is awesome. and you could do voice overs. I may hire you. Your comparison is great . I have a Matrix Brute and a DSI Pro 2, and both are very close to the 2 synths above. the Pro 2 has a much thiner tone that is often harsh, but can be tamed to be quite smooth and warm. the Matrix brute is very warm and not easy to get to have a bite. In high pass it can be write, but nothing like the Pro 2 or the Prophet 6.I like having both because they cover different sounds but mesh well together. I'm considering getting the Polybrute, but I have no extra space . Thanks for the comparison. Keep up the good work.
A little update to my previous comment if you care. You know that Prophet 5 module I said in the other comment I wasn't going to buy... I bought it anyway and it arrived today. I understand what you're talking about now. I too had initial buyers remorse about the p5. It was a B-stock module that costed me as much as what I bought my Polybrute for. When I took it out of the box it was just this small light box. Nothing that looked like it was worth that much. I kinda wished a paid more for a full size P5 because at least that would look as impressive as how much it costs with all that wood and big heavy knobs. Firmware updates really suck compared to the Polybrute. I haven't been able to update the p5 yet. Sequential actually lets you pay €70,- for the editor on top of what you've already paid. The editor works nowhere near as good as those by Arturia and those are free. Plus Arturia gives you a ton of free presets and loyalty offers for their other software. Sequential seemed really greedy to me. They know they can overcharge us snobs because they've got the reputation, and we're falling for it. Even Moog's firm and software are better than Sequential's. I couldn't even get it to sound right. It took be an hour to realise the previous user set the master tune to -5 instead of 0, and I thought that was the starting position. Okay that was stupid, but it was all the way to the left, so it sorta makes sense to think it's the statering position right... Anyway, I was contemplating sending it back until after a few hours it became more and more obvious how incredible the bare bones sound was. Even though it has no effects, mono output and barely any functionality you can understand why this is the ancestor to all poly synths. In all of it's simplicity, it's has a very robust and powerful sound, always behaves the way you expect and never sounds ugly (unless you leave the master tune at -5). I also compared it to Arturia's vst version of the Prophet 5. The hardware purists always say you can't recreate the sound of analogue with software, but I never truly believed it until I heard it with my own ears. I never imagined the differences would be this big. So even though I haven't been able to install the firmware, the editor doesn't work yet and when I registered they thought it was a Take 5, I have no regrets buying the Prophet 5. I hope you will get a lot of joy out of your Polybrute as well and continue to do great things with it. Cheers.
Loved your comment. Hows the P5 doing? I assume you still have it? Im looking at the P5 and the Trigon 6 modules. Im not sure right now. I have a Polybrute, matriarch, a Grandmother, and an Impulse Command which is one of my favorites. But that Polybrute, its amazing
@@buschovski1 Thanks. The P5 is doing fine. I still have it. The more I get the hang of it, the better it sounds. Still very limited compared to the Polybrute and rather difficult to tune correctly, but once you get it right it's very rewarding. Great sounds. I think about selling it though. Not because I don't like it, but because I prefer the full size. It gives you more that feel of having a vintage style synth, since the module version didn't exist back in the 70's and 90's. The wood and knobs on the full size version look fantastic imo. I like your collection of synths. Haven't heard a lot about the Impulse Command lately. It has a very unique sound. The Trigon seems like a good synth. I won't get it myself, since I think with the ladder filters the sound is too close to the Polybrute and also it's quite expensive. Just like I won't get a P6 since I've got the P5. Instead of the OB6 I've got an OB-X8 (full size). Also a great synth/ Less limited than the P5, but more difficult to make sounds on because the UI is not as intuitive and the whole way the instrument functions seems a bit unusual and hard to grasp at times. Then I have a Subsequent 37 as a nice more modern Moog monosynth. Sure there are plenty alternatives, and you can never have enough synths. Still I think I've got my bases covered to get a wide variety of analogue sounds. I don't need more synths at this time. For digital synths I just use a MODX6, but mostly virtual instruments and effects. Thinking about getting analogue outboard effects for mixing and mastering, but that seems complicated to set up, expensive and takes up a lot of space. Not sure if it's worth it.
Its probably better in most cases to have the keyboard version. Like you, id still go for the module with P5. I still dont know what ill go for. The P5 or Trigon. I like the idea of the trigon because its
I totally understand your decision. Polybrute looks like a lot of fun. I'm just 2 weeks into owning an UDO Super 6, and my other synth is a Prophet-6. I've not yet played them side by side, but I think the UDO may sound even better than the P6!! Maybe they're not the best pairing, as they both cover a lot of similar ground, but the UDO has some digital waveforms that the P6 does not. They're both stellar sounding and fun to play, so I'm happy for now.
Polar opposites, I think you were in the honeymoon phase. I had to sell the udo S6 as it was a horrible love/hate relationship. I had to get out of that one pretty fast lol
Nearby my Waldorfs and a Rev2 I have a Prophet 5 desktop. I just have it for it’s raw tone. The sound is unbeatable in my opinion. The Prophet 6 can sound really close compared to the Prophet 5. But after watching your videos I got the Polybrute. I‘m sorry but this is so well thought out in every detail. Soundwise it is so well designed to sit in a mix. The raw init sound compared to the Prophet5 is different. But it is very fine designed for a Polyphonic Synth. After a few weeks now I came to the conclusion that the Polybrute is the best polyphonic Syntheziser of the last years. Not just another replica of any vintage Synth
Great comparison. What would you tell someone who is stuck between getting a prophet 6 vs a prophet 10? What's your input & would you rather have a P6 or P10?
I honestly have never played a Prophet 10 in person, so I can’t say for certain. Based on the demos I’ve heard, I can’t tell enough difference to justify the price difference. Although I think the P6 has gone up quite a bit since I got mine, so that might not be so valid anymore either.
I'm texture obsessed, and reasonable people can disagree... but every time I hear an Arturia synth, my mind just thinks "softsynth". I hear none of the harmonic juice that makes analog sound analog, they seem genetically incapable of reaching out of the speakers and tickling my ears (or punching me in the gut). The P6 is an odd duck in that its harmonics really draw the ear to the lower treble / presence frequencies (2k-4k), giving it a 'hard electric' sound that makes the filter cutoff a bit more challenging to dial in, but when you do the sound just parks itself in the back of the mix but, if you want, can cut through even the densest wall of sound. That makes it incredibly versatile and is the workhorse poly over here.
hey man! how are you! i just bought second hand a prophet 6 and... well, when i play many presets on 70% or more of volumen, it distorts, my interface volumen is normal... did you experiment this? is that the volumen of the prophet 6 is super powerfull so i need to be carefull with it? or is that something is wrong..? (i updated the firmware and calibrated it) Thanks for reding it mate, im kinda scared!
Hahaha your sense of humor gets me every time. The Minifreak and ~Trigun~ Trigon-6 are indeed very tempting... But I sold the OP-1 and OB-6 because they felt like pigeon holes. OP-1 synth models were strange (not to mention work flow) and OB-6 was quirky and "stuck in that sound". Polybrute feels like the other side of the coin. On the flip side (this coin has 3 sides), I like pretending I know what I'm doing with complex synths that have a lot of silly features and still can't find the record button...
Bit more release / verb on the brute would make for a more even comparison, a lot of the polybrute versions you played sounded very dry. Regardless, love both synths, they both have their positives.
Very relatable. You can't expect to replace a synth you got to love and know intimately by another new synth you just got. They're going to sound different anyway, and you won't hear everything you like about your current synth in a new one. The Prophet 6 is a renowned synthesizer, a flagship model from a high end company. Still relatively modern. Many say it's the best on the market. Why'd you want to replace it to begin with? Let alone by a cheaper synth by a company with not as long of a lineage. One that many analogue purists despise because they started out as a company that only made emulations of analogue synths. How can a company like Arturia ever make something as good as Sequential for only 60% of the price? Am I right? But that only makes me respect the Polybrute more. With the lower price and all of the extra sonic capabilities, it really puts the Prophet 6 in its place in my opinion. You can't realistically expect the Polybrute to be as good as the Prophet 6 in every way, when it's already excels in others. I approach it from the other side. I already own a Polybrute, and I'm tempted to buy OB-6, Prophet 6 or Prophet 5 modules because they're better at their core besides lacking many of the functionalities. However, each of these modules cost as much as a Polybrute despite the fact they don't have any keys. I think the Polybrute comes so close to the sounds these modules can do, it's not worth spending thousands of euros/dollars/(whatever your currency is) on. It also depends on what music you make. Personally, I don't care much for the 13 in a dozen type of sounds. In my band the vocals and guitars are often central. When my synths come in, they have to really stand out to spice things up. I think the Polybrute is really excellent at that. I think that's why some people call the Prophets funk synthesizers, where the synths are front and center and the keyboardist can show of his/her skills. Yet Oberheims are often considered rock synths, probably because they have more "character" needed to stand out in a rock song and spice things up. Other people degrade Oberheims to "pad machines" which always confuses me. Why is a synth that can only do pads, most famous for a brass sound in a Van Halen song? Those Oberheims (the OBs I mean) can do pads very well also, but I think they really greatest at weird effect type of sounds. Just my opinion. Oberheims are also used for funk, and Prophets for rock, so... I don't like putting synths in categories anyway. They're all different. The question is: are those differences enough to spend a fortune on 10 synths that can also almost sound the same? Good luck with your decisions. Hope you'll be happy with whatever you do. Having owned both a Prophet 6 and Polybrute is already pretty cool I think.
They both sound great to me but it sounds lile the brute wants a bass sound to accompany it while the Prophet low end / low mids are incredibly ballsy.
Why worrying ? If you want an "perfect" synth get a Colossus, a couple of Knifoniums, a Schmidt, steal a 2500 or expand your modular to cyclopean dimensions, etc. But the price is not the same...
The Prophet has a more powerful sound, while the Polybrute has a more distinctive and animated sound, but that feeling can change a few days from now in a completely different direction depending on my mood or my situation. Synths.
Once again you throw yourself at the mercy of polarising extremist synth heads. The balls. My own personal preference is the Prophet. I just love the sound. Everything Dave was a part of to be honest of my bias. I always really wanted to like the Polybrute being the flagship model but could never get into it. I was very new to synths so the matrix was a little confusing and off putting but even since acquiring some limited synth knowledge and understanding, appreciating the matrix and knowing and seeing what it can do, I’m just not that keen on the sound. This isn’t a sweeping statement towards all sounds that come from the Polybrute, that would be ridiculous. But as a whole, I don’t particularly vibe with it. The yearn for it isn’t there if you know what I mean? These opinions are based upon having never used, heard in person or been even remotely near either synth. Thank you.
I've had four analog Arturias and their analog stuff, although it has a superb interface, to my ears just does not compare soundwise to DSI, Moog, Korg, or even Behringer analogs among other brands of modern analog synth makers. I also had the humble and loathed Akai Timber wolf and the Arturias could never nail the fatness of its leads, not even close. But yes, Arturia interface is always very clever, powerful and interactive, like Minibrute 2S for instance, but software, controllers and "Freaks" digital synths make more sense than the analog line to me.
I'm by no means a synth expert but the Prophet definitely has more low end - or should I say a fuller sound. In contrast, the PolyBrute sounds tinnier or less full - but by no means sounds bad. I'd gladly have both. How does the PolyBrute compare to the Rev2 for sound?
Honestly im torn on the brute. The haptic stuff makes it very expressive which is great, but that would be great just as a midi controller. Compared to the prophet the brute kind of sounds like it doesnt have a soul and the filter really isnt great, the pots dont have a good usable resolution
I was kind of there too before I bought the Polybrute. I would say it takes more work to find its soul, and it really lies elsewhere that the pure sound of the oscillators and filters. I’ll be focusing on the Polybrute’s strengths much more in the next video.
Cant expect PB to sound like the P6, U really do need both. I have PB and love it, and I want a P6 too🙂. One thing I dislike about PB is it seems to compress when the sub is turned up, as if the mixer cannot handle it. Maybe I'm doing something wrong
My conclusion having owned the Polybrute for a while now is that it’s a great sound effects tool but very uninspiring if you are a player. You can get great comparative tones to a prophet but it’s too much work and a graveyard for musical inspiration. I hate to say it but I hardly ever switch it on
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Your comparisions make most sense for me. It's no use to listening to simple sweeps; it's about character in real life practice. Prophet sounds just beautiful, and I can see the easiness you have in making it sing in just right way. Gosh my GAS hurts so bad rn.
Just a little message : You are one of the most genuinely passionate people I have ever seen. I bought an artlist subscription just for your music. ("Fallen" + "again" and "whole" comes from a another world) Thank you for your amazing work 🙏
🙏🙏
The combination of the Polybrute with the P6 and the Pro 3 makes my brain hurt. You have a very powerful set up my friend!
In my opinion you should have used the same reverb also with the Polybrute but, hey, they both sound gorgeous! Good work.
Nice comparison, only one issue. Not sure if the P6 has it by default, but the Poly 6 had no release while the P6 had a bit of a release. It made it really hard for me to hear any difference aside from that.
Good comparison, Jameson. Tone is king. At the end of the day we are trying to use instruments that inspire us to make and complete pieces of music, so Character over Features is my philosophy. That's why I swear by the OB-6/P6 and now OB-X8 over any other modern synths. :)
I agree for the most part, but I do think there’s a lot to be said for synths whose features lead you in a musical direction you might not have otherwise gone. I think the Polybrute has a strong case there, and in that way it’s very inspiring to me even though it’s not as strong as a Prophet when the gloves are off.
@@JamesonNathanJones that's a great point. Definitely agree with you. Anytime you can be pushed out of your comfort zone by an instrument great things happen. Keep up the great work man, happy I found your channel!
@@MilesAwayOfficial both the youtube channels ive been binging over everything synth related. cool to see you guys sharing ideas even in comments.. maybe a collab video should be made! Maybe an idea you could try is send each other some musical pieces and run them through your favorite pedals or euro fx and make a video of what you come up with or something along those lines. Or you can both do something for your love for the prophet 6? haha anyways thanks for your content & inspiration. Been thinking about making my own videos because of you both.
Character over features. I like that. The caveat being, if a feature set engages the user in such a way that features effectivley embue character as well, then you're also gold.
Both are great synths. The P6 is just amazing sounding your not going to out Prophet a Prophet. I have the Polybrute and I love it. It’s not some 70’s or 80’s sounding synth it’s modern and has its own sound and sits in a mix beautifully. Having multiple synths you can really use each synth for their own strengths and just rely on one synth to do it all.
I have the PB12, for it's full touch and MPE. I do think I will eventually expand with either a prophet or an oberheim, for their awesome filters. And possibly also a moog at some point. But these things aren't exactly cheap. I am a piano player and a huge nerd, so the PB12 really spoke to me for all of it's expressive features and it's deep modulation matrix. But no doubt, those oberheim and prophet filters, they do sound amazing. I also own a bass station and a korg minilogue. I love the bass station, but the minilogue is way too limited for my taste.
@mortenrobinson5421 do you find yourself defaulting to the bass station when you want some bass? Im looking at getting the Polybrute and ive also had the bass station on my radar for a while haha
I’m in a similar place with an OB6 and PolyBrute. The OB6 just about brings enough of its own thing to the table to keep its spot. The more I get into the PB, the more precarious that spot looks though. One difference with the sequential instruments is that they are a lot looser with their calibrations than the PB, so loosening up the accuracy on the PB gets them somewhat closer in vibe. Also playing about with the internal eq on the PB makes a surprising amount of difference to the character, easy to forget it’s there and what a big difference it can make.
Thanks for making these videos! Really preferred the sound of the Prophet here. But I don't think anyone would notice the difference in a mix... However, I can see why you want to have both :D
the plucky arps made the prophet sound like it was absolutely slaying the polybrute, but they weren't level matched very well and the env release was more enjoyable on the prophet. It might have been a closer fight if they were more matched. But I do see what you mean.
the pads: prophet sound was attention-grabbier but that's not necessarily better all the time. That mellower thing happening on the polybrute might be just the thing sometimes.
The prophet sounds "better" when comparing them in isolation, but the polybrute has totally useful sounds that I might prefer sometimes.
But yeah, I have to admit this makes me want a prophet 6. If I owned one, I doubt I'd sell it.
Goodness. That Prophet 6 sounds incredible. If the Polybrute is a 10/10, the Prophet 6 is 17/10.
Славь Иегову, народ😃
Very nice comparison ! Thanks, prophet 6 is amazing.
The Prophet 6 is the King of modern analog polys for me personally, traditional synth, super fast to program, “the sound”, and tons of modern features. It’s not winning any mod competitions but I’m happy to do that stuff with software. Anyone who owns a P6 shouldn’t sell it. With inflation, component shortages and Dave Smiths passing, in 10-20 years these Dave Smith Sequential Era instruments are probably going to be worth a lot more, and they’re just so damn good. So I’ll be holding onto mine!
The range of affordable gear that’s on the market is great, all of it is incredible so you definitely don’t need a Prophet 6 if you don’t already have one, I’d use the Take 5 in a heartbeat, but if you have one, hang onto it!
Wait a minute - why is it not fair to compare the FX? If you mean that the PolyBrute FX are much better then I agree.
Generally the PB does not sound ’worse‘ than the P6; it just sounds different. And its filter slopes/routing possibilities are more versatile. I love my P6, but let me put it this way: if I had to reproduce a CS-80 sound, chances are much better with the PolyBrute.
I meant using the onboard fx on the Prophet wouldn’t be fair to the P6 because they can’t compete with the Polybrute’s fx. The reverb on the Prophet 6 just isn’t very good. I’ll be talking more about the Polybrute’s strengths in the next video.
Great comparison. I look forward to next week. My heart still yearns for the P6. There is something special about that synth. The prices here in the UK are insane at the moment. Guess I am going to have to wait a bit.
My palette of synths consists of a PolyBrute, a Prophet 6 and a Sub37. Each of the them does some things the others absolutely can't.
Quickly becoming my favorite synth channel. Are you planning on re-opening signups for your class?
Thanks! Absolutely on the course. Going to be filming some additional videos for it in the coming weeks 👍
Great technical review 💯
It's Prophet 6 for me. I don't know what they did, but it sounds better than Prophet 10 too. Just crisp and warm. It's gonna be my next synth for sure.
opening comments... I have th3e Prophet 6 AND an OB6 - I bough tthe PB thinking I could loose one if not both. Nope lol. All 3 have things they do better than the others. The sequentials are the goto for basic patches where you need a great core sound (which one depends on the sound) while the FX, Modulation and expression on the PB makes it loads better for more complex stuff. All3 complement my 2 digital synths (iridium keyboard and a fantom 7 for live mostly). I do have a Virus Ti2 as well - but thats soley for live use where the core tone isnt as important- its a chameleon for live use. The only REALY negative I have of the Polybrute is the keybed.... Its the designe of the keys themselves - thinner, shorter (affects the travel) than standard/ Shallow font lip meaning a gap under the adjacent key when pressed down (which feels sharp against eh finger instead of a smooth plastic wall on other synths - and I can nip my finger too). all that plastic stripped away also leaves a lighter key. Shame - Id have paid more for a better bed - but hey. It is what it is.
This is the first time I've really appreciated the sound of the prophet
It's beautiful sounding Jameson❤
Both
I think as a package...The PB is great! The Prophet is legendary it's Apples and oranges. I like them both. I feel the strength in the Poly Bryte is it sounds good (enough) and you can really sculpt it and the built in options in "some" senses make it better!? It's more about what do you want.
If bought this and wanted speakers which do i need ? Also are you only using tge synth here or is there something attached on top?
I don't know... I recon the Polybrute sounds gorgeous at 8:32
The brute has all the stuff. Good reverb, a nice basic sound, almost modular flexibility.. just a great synth. The P6 is a much simpler synth in that regard.. but it just has THAT sound I was looking for. I did consider getting the PolyBrute as well, but in every video I checked before buying it, it just kindof sounded a bit lackluster.. a bit glassy, if you will. And I can get plenty of those kinds of sounds out of the Rev 2 as well, with 2 layers of 8 note poly each if I have to! So I went with the P6 and never looked back, really :) I still think the Polybrute isprobably a great synth as well, if you sit down with it you can probably have acces to a bigger sonic landscape. I guess it's more of a tinkerers synth instead of a rock'n roll kind of synth if you know what I mean :)
Have you tried the Prophet 6 with a Low Frequency Expander from Yorick Tech? Prophet sound plus a ton more modulation possibility...
The difference may also have something to do with the shape of the envelope curves. Not sure that can be adjusted; log/exp knob perhaps?
05:20 - amazing preset
I’ve been there, Brother! Solution: keep em both and start scraping and saving for the next one that you’ll have to add.
Of these two, yeah…1 is Yummy, the other Harsh-ish.
Lovely chords BTW
When I owned a Prophet 5 rev3 (yeah, I was that stupid arse who sold his first synthesizer because he thought he was only going to play straight-ahead jazz from now on - nope), at live gigs I couldn't imagine a fatter, richer, better sounding synth paired my Roland JC-120X, a special issued model that came equipped with JBL speakers in the early 1980s). I don't have the need - nor pocket book - to buy multiple Prophets now, but I do fantastize about owning them. For the time being, I must be satisfied with Arturia's Prophet renderings, which are actually quite good for plugins. Thanks for your awesome vids, JNJ.
The Polybrute is phenomenal
@JamesonNathanjones1You guys never give up, do you? 🤣🤣🤣
Price difference? I love polybrute
They sound very similar to me. The psichological factor is very important. A blind test with a very similar patch could be interesting. The last patchs are very diferent. The P6 sounds more brassy maybe Becouse the attac. I thing the Arturia could sound more close to the P6 heaven patch, With more time and undestanding.
The prophet range specializes in sounding brassy, if you enjoy bottomless brass at a premium price, P6 all day but if you want to get in other worldly synth realms and make something not brassarific and more complex with 5 octaves and more than one LFO, polybrute all day.
@@soundvapor in other words: play in a band setup: Prophet 6. For sound design fun at home: PolyBrute.
Thank you for this. Its night and day the difference between the synths. The mod possibilities on the Poly are amazing, but the raw OSC are a little uninspiring compared to the Prophet. Cheers!
You didn’t program the polybrute patch with the aftertouch vibrato, so it felt a lot more static. That’s not really fair.
How does the Polybrute compare to the Rev2? Sonically and functionally (particularly modulation). A video on that would be great. As far as a highly modulatable, premium analog poly, the Rev2 and Polybrute seem to be my best bets.
And the result: Wathever the synth sounds, nothing beats a good reverb!
Well, it definitely helps haha
thank you for the comparison - you played lower on the keyboard (1 octave) with the P6 in the int comparison which could explain the difference in sound...
hey up. really enjoying your videos man. Can I ask what software you use for Video editing?
Thanks! I use Davinci Resolve
NL
6:53 / 12:31
The Prophet 6 is amazing, it's just that I liked the OB-6 a little more for my music. Sequential rules them all, but that's just my personal preference.
Could you possibly do a polybrute video on your approach to creating patches and interesting modulation?
sequential synths all sound amazing,
Even the AS-1 Dave Smith that I got brand new for $300.
G´Dammit ! 😆 Promise you keep em BOTH ...CLOSE... Together !
The prophet 6 and 5 are both live and studio beasts , I think that when you record many layers on top of each other - then you get to know a synth quality, in how the layers blend - then you can also hear all kinds of artefact or bad quality of oscillators when they stack up.
I'm still on the lookout for a poly to complement my prophet 10 , the obvious answer is just go with a OB-6 but I was looking for more Juno esq sound .. lots of contenders these days for "that sound" and non really convincing.
You'll be disappointed to go PB over OB6
@@SacSynths_Jack_Z oh I wasn't considering the PB , didn't like any of the demo's I've heard.
I'm more on fence between novation Peak\Summit or even Behringer Deepmind 12 which also boasts some deep modulation options.
the peak\summit has wavetables and analog filters thou its not very powerful wavetables.
a modern prophet VS would have been cool ... but that's waldorf Quantum money which is alot ..
@@solarion33 Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave. Do not buy Peak/Summit or DM12.
@@SacSynths_Jack_Z Yea that was on the tip of my tongue ... I was considering something less expensive but I might be saving for it after all we'll see ..
@@solarion33 You get what you pay for... I own a CS-80, CS-70m, OB-X, OB-Xa, OB-8, Matrix 12, Voyetra 8, Jupiter 4, Jupiter 6, Polymoog, Prophet 5 rev 2, Prophet VS, etc. The 3rd Wave is the only modern synth that can hang sonically, even being a hybrid. Buy the best, or regret it later....
The prophet 6 sounds way fuller to me. Maybe there’s some extra sub in it? Solo it sounds better but I’m guessing the Polybrute would fit into a mix better. I like to arrange instruments in a way that they fill a certain frequency range so I have to eq less in the end.
For me the differences are a core part of picking a poly synth. Do you go with a more broadly capable design with a less straightforward workflow (though PB interface is fantastic IMHO given the depth of the architecture) or a more focused & straightforward design that cannot cover all that territory, but it just "pops" at what it does do. Or maybe even a step further in one direction or the other? Hydrasynth if on a budget or Iridium are even more broadly capable with an even further bump in complexity. P10 is a simple as it gets going the other direction. All personal preference.
Polybrute is a fantastic synth. It has great oscillators (for more vintage mojo just adapt analog accuracy), very interesting snappy envelopes (polybrute can produce stunning basses - somehow nobody talks about on youtube), good filters (very solid ladder and quite characteristic SP) and for sure deep design possibilities. I think many people just making an error not to learn Polybrute properly...
Space Pad sounds more organic for me on Polybrute. Pluck sounds are quite different, so it is hard to compare.
The next video will be a deep dive on the Polybrute’s strengths. There are many :)
Ive sat for hours working on Basses with the PolyB. Some very powerful bass.
Can you use the envelopes to modulate the Attack/Decay as a destination on the Polybrute? You may be able to get the same snappy ENV action by playing with the curves in exponential mode and modulating the envelope by itself.
Yes, you can. There’s also a “snappy” setting for the attack and decay of each envelope in the Polybrute. I think the main character difference lies with the Prophet’s vcas rather than the envelopes though.
@@JamesonNathanJones Yeah its always the acceleration of the VCA. Same issue with my A6 Andromeda. It had all the curves and snappy modes etc but it doesn't cut like the P6 did. I sold it and bought 2 OB6s. I have an Elysia Nvelope lying around here, I might try running the audio from your track through to see if that unit could improve the Polybrute. I want to get one one day to do modulating A6 type music, but the envelopes are so flat it keeps putting me off. I love the core sound tho and I don't need snap for my ambient but damn the P6 rules on techno. Still it has me wishing for a beefed up 16 voice multitimbral V2 with powerful VCA's. That is unlikely tho......unfortunately
Polybrute (here) was missing a certain “broken” sound the Prophet had…. I wonder if Behringer’s upcoming pro800 will have some of that. I do love the no-keys option in a synth these days.
You are right. Polybrute sounds good. But the PROPHET?!?! The Prophet sounds amazingly beautiful.
Hello friend....I own a MOOG sub 37 and want to add a polyphonic synth to go with Moog. I like heavier sounding music whether it's EDM, metal, blues etc. Any thoughts as to what synth you would choose for that would sound good with the Moog? I think Polybrute has an edgier sound compared to Prophet 6 and with the morph feature and ribbon controllers seems to make the Polybrute a better synth for unconventional creativity where the Prophet 6 is just an all around a better sounding synth that lets say a studio musician would choose if he was called in to lay down tracks for a session . Does that make sense?
I got my eyes on the Prophet 6 ever since I got the Pioneer DJ Toraiz which uses one of the Prophet's oscillators as the result of a collaboration with Dave Smith. But right now, for the "harder stuff", my vintage Roland JP8080 does the job quite nicely for less than half the Prophet's price.
Yeah that makes total sense and I agree. Between these two, if you’re looking for more flexibility and sound design is an emphasis, I’d say Polybrute. For classic analog that just sounds great without much work, Prophet. You might also look into something like the Novation Peak. Although it’s digital, it has an analog filter that sounds really amazing, and you have wavetables which expands the sound design possibilities immensely.
@@JamesonNathanJones I am open to digital synths and was even thinking about the Access Virus T12. It's an oldie but people to this day still swear by that synth. So many choices, so little money😢
@@g3cd nice synth. I have a used Roland JP-08 coming in. Small little one of their boutique synths to play around with that is modeled after it’s bigger brother. This way I at least get to have a few synths to play around with. Picked up a TB-03 and SH-01a as well. So slowly getting a few things going. I am really tempted to get their 3 boutique drum machines but already have the Tr-8s which is dope cool. Dave Smith RIP made amazing gear. I remember when the Toraiz came out. Do you still use that gear in your workflow? I am brand new to electronic music production and really a tad confused best way to setup gear. I don’t know if I need a mixer or another 8 port A/D interface because the 8 ports on my converter is maxed out now and I already need another 8 ports. So confused what gear is needed to be able to use new Roland synths with Ableton. Any ideas ideas? Thanks !!!
Honestly, for polyphony get a digital synth.
As you’ve had the Rev2 for a while, do you think it’s still worth buying today ?
Absolutely. It’s a great synth, I was just ready to try something new. But that’s a bit of a testament to just how much I had used it in my music over the years. Ha
Jameson, your dedication to the synth craft, is awesome. and you could do voice overs. I may hire you. Your comparison is great . I have a Matrix Brute and a DSI Pro 2, and both are very close to the 2 synths above. the Pro 2 has a much thiner tone that is often harsh, but can be tamed to be quite smooth and warm. the Matrix brute is very warm and not easy to get to have a bite. In high pass it can be write, but nothing like the Pro 2 or the Prophet 6.I like having both because they cover different sounds but mesh well together. I'm considering getting the Polybrute, but I have no extra space . Thanks for the comparison. Keep up the good work.
Just clarifying, this is the 2015 Prophet 6?
Am I the only one that thinks the spacy pad on the Polybrute sounded waaaay better?
A little update to my previous comment if you care. You know that Prophet 5 module I said in the other comment I wasn't going to buy... I bought it anyway and it arrived today. I understand what you're talking about now. I too had initial buyers remorse about the p5. It was a B-stock module that costed me as much as what I bought my Polybrute for. When I took it out of the box it was just this small light box. Nothing that looked like it was worth that much. I kinda wished a paid more for a full size P5 because at least that would look as impressive as how much it costs with all that wood and big heavy knobs. Firmware updates really suck compared to the Polybrute. I haven't been able to update the p5 yet. Sequential actually lets you pay €70,- for the editor on top of what you've already paid. The editor works nowhere near as good as those by Arturia and those are free. Plus Arturia gives you a ton of free presets and loyalty offers for their other software. Sequential seemed really greedy to me. They know they can overcharge us snobs because they've got the reputation, and we're falling for it. Even Moog's firm and software are better than Sequential's. I couldn't even get it to sound right. It took be an hour to realise the previous user set the master tune to -5 instead of 0, and I thought that was the starting position. Okay that was stupid, but it was all the way to the left, so it sorta makes sense to think it's the statering position right... Anyway, I was contemplating sending it back until after a few hours it became more and more obvious how incredible the bare bones sound was. Even though it has no effects, mono output and barely any functionality you can understand why this is the ancestor to all poly synths. In all of it's simplicity, it's has a very robust and powerful sound, always behaves the way you expect and never sounds ugly (unless you leave the master tune at -5). I also compared it to Arturia's vst version of the Prophet 5. The hardware purists always say you can't recreate the sound of analogue with software, but I never truly believed it until I heard it with my own ears. I never imagined the differences would be this big. So even though I haven't been able to install the firmware, the editor doesn't work yet and when I registered they thought it was a Take 5, I have no regrets buying the Prophet 5. I hope you will get a lot of joy out of your Polybrute as well and continue to do great things with it. Cheers.
Loved your comment. Hows the P5 doing? I assume you still have it? Im looking at the P5 and the Trigon 6 modules. Im not sure right now. I have a Polybrute, matriarch, a Grandmother, and an Impulse Command which is one of my favorites. But that Polybrute, its amazing
@@buschovski1 Thanks. The P5 is doing fine. I still have it. The more I get the hang of it, the better it sounds. Still very limited compared to the Polybrute and rather difficult to tune correctly, but once you get it right it's very rewarding. Great sounds. I think about selling it though. Not because I don't like it, but because I prefer the full size. It gives you more that feel of having a vintage style synth, since the module version didn't exist back in the 70's and 90's. The wood and knobs on the full size version look fantastic imo. I like your collection of synths. Haven't heard a lot about the Impulse Command lately. It has a very unique sound. The Trigon seems like a good synth. I won't get it myself, since I think with the ladder filters the sound is too close to the Polybrute and also it's quite expensive. Just like I won't get a P6 since I've got the P5. Instead of the OB6 I've got an OB-X8 (full size). Also a great synth/ Less limited than the P5, but more difficult to make sounds on because the UI is not as intuitive and the whole way the instrument functions seems a bit unusual and hard to grasp at times. Then I have a Subsequent 37 as a nice more modern Moog monosynth. Sure there are plenty alternatives, and you can never have enough synths. Still I think I've got my bases covered to get a wide variety of analogue sounds. I don't need more synths at this time. For digital synths I just use a MODX6, but mostly virtual instruments and effects. Thinking about getting analogue outboard effects for mixing and mastering, but that seems complicated to set up, expensive and takes up a lot of space. Not sure if it's worth it.
Its probably better in most cases to have the keyboard version. Like you, id still go for the module with P5. I still dont know what ill go for. The P5 or Trigon. I like the idea of the trigon because its
I totally understand your decision. Polybrute looks like a lot of fun. I'm just 2 weeks into owning an UDO Super 6, and my other synth is a Prophet-6. I've not yet played them side by side, but I think the UDO may sound even better than the P6!! Maybe they're not the best pairing, as they both cover a lot of similar ground, but the UDO has some digital waveforms that the P6 does not. They're both stellar sounding and fun to play, so I'm happy for now.
The Super-6 & P6 are nothing alike neither in design nor textures.
Polar opposites, I think you were in the honeymoon phase. I had to sell the udo S6 as it was a horrible love/hate relationship. I had to get out of that one pretty fast lol
Yeah the amplitude envelope on the vca in the P6 is one of the best ever made. Up their with the white Dot VCA's in the 909.
Nearby my Waldorfs and a Rev2 I have a Prophet 5 desktop. I just have it for it’s raw tone. The sound is unbeatable in my opinion. The Prophet 6 can sound really close compared to the Prophet 5. But after watching your videos I got the Polybrute. I‘m sorry but this is so well thought out in every detail. Soundwise it is so well designed to sit in a mix. The raw init sound compared to the Prophet5 is different. But it is very fine designed for a Polyphonic Synth. After a few weeks now I came to the conclusion that the Polybrute is the best polyphonic Syntheziser of the last years. Not just another replica of any vintage Synth
Amen to that. I love my PolyB like a child.
Great comparison. What would you tell someone who is stuck between getting a prophet 6 vs a prophet 10? What's your input & would you rather have a P6 or P10?
I honestly have never played a Prophet 10 in person, so I can’t say for certain. Based on the demos I’ve heard, I can’t tell enough difference to justify the price difference. Although I think the P6 has gone up quite a bit since I got mine, so that might not be so valid anymore either.
@@JamesonNathanJones no worries! It is expensive so that’s why I was curious, but either way I know I’ll be happy 😃
I'm texture obsessed, and reasonable people can disagree... but every time I hear an Arturia synth, my mind just thinks "softsynth". I hear none of the harmonic juice that makes analog sound analog, they seem genetically incapable of reaching out of the speakers and tickling my ears (or punching me in the gut). The P6 is an odd duck in that its harmonics really draw the ear to the lower treble / presence frequencies (2k-4k), giving it a 'hard electric' sound that makes the filter cutoff a bit more challenging to dial in, but when you do the sound just parks itself in the back of the mix but, if you want, can cut through even the densest wall of sound. That makes it incredibly versatile and is the workhorse poly over here.
Here's an example of Polybrutes texture
ruclips.net/video/5S56Iw_x6g8/видео.htmlsi=be8rZZX_T5a8-lFh
The prophet 6 sounds so amazing. When U started playing it I absolutely fell in love. This is not good, this is not good for my bank account 😢
Every time you making my GAS go out of hand 😅 Thank you for sharing this beauty!
hey man! how are you! i just bought second hand a prophet 6 and... well, when i play many presets on 70% or more of volumen, it distorts, my interface volumen is normal... did you experiment this? is that the volumen of the prophet 6 is super powerfull so i need to be carefull with it? or is that something is wrong..? (i updated the firmware and calibrated it)
Thanks for reding it mate, im kinda scared!
They're to each other as Waldorf Iridium to UDO Super 6.
That’s actually a really good analogy! One is focused on immediacy and just sounds good, the other is incredibly flexible and excels at sound design.
Have you tried the Peak or Summit ?
I had a Peak. Great synth.
So, what's the synth out there that has the sound as good as the Prophet 6 and has the mod versatility of the PolyBrute?
The closest would probably be the Alesis Andromeda, but it’s a ticking time bomb with unobtainium parts that fail.
Moog one
My andromeda going strong here all these years later! Such a crazy good Synthesizer..
Take 5
Hahaha your sense of humor gets me every time. The Minifreak and ~Trigun~ Trigon-6 are indeed very tempting... But I sold the OP-1 and OB-6 because they felt like pigeon holes. OP-1 synth models were strange (not to mention work flow) and OB-6 was quirky and "stuck in that sound". Polybrute feels like the other side of the coin.
On the flip side (this coin has 3 sides), I like pretending I know what I'm doing with complex synths that have a lot of silly features and still can't find the record button...
What a difference 😮
I'm so thankful for this video as I'm thinking about buying a prophet 6 or OB-6 desktop to add to my Matrixbrute.
MXB + OB6 is a sweet combo. MXB is quite dark sounding, low-mid focused. The OB6 is pretty much the opposite of that.
@@robertszordykowski4919 Your right, I can imagine how the OB-6 would open up even more options with the Matrixbrute.
Pro3 + OB6 = OMG 🥰
Bit more release / verb on the brute would make for a more even comparison, a lot of the polybrute versions you played sounded very dry. Regardless, love both synths, they both have their positives.
Very relatable. You can't expect to replace a synth you got to love and know intimately by another new synth you just got. They're going to sound different anyway, and you won't hear everything you like about your current synth in a new one. The Prophet 6 is a renowned synthesizer, a flagship model from a high end company. Still relatively modern. Many say it's the best on the market. Why'd you want to replace it to begin with? Let alone by a cheaper synth by a company with not as long of a lineage. One that many analogue purists despise because they started out as a company that only made emulations of analogue synths. How can a company like Arturia ever make something as good as Sequential for only 60% of the price? Am I right? But that only makes me respect the Polybrute more. With the lower price and all of the extra sonic capabilities, it really puts the Prophet 6 in its place in my opinion. You can't realistically expect the Polybrute to be as good as the Prophet 6 in every way, when it's already excels in others.
I approach it from the other side. I already own a Polybrute, and I'm tempted to buy OB-6, Prophet 6 or Prophet 5 modules because they're better at their core besides lacking many of the functionalities. However, each of these modules cost as much as a Polybrute despite the fact they don't have any keys. I think the Polybrute comes so close to the sounds these modules can do, it's not worth spending thousands of euros/dollars/(whatever your currency is) on. It also depends on what music you make. Personally, I don't care much for the 13 in a dozen type of sounds. In my band the vocals and guitars are often central. When my synths come in, they have to really stand out to spice things up. I think the Polybrute is really excellent at that. I think that's why some people call the Prophets funk synthesizers, where the synths are front and center and the keyboardist can show of his/her skills. Yet Oberheims are often considered rock synths, probably because they have more "character" needed to stand out in a rock song and spice things up. Other people degrade Oberheims to "pad machines" which always confuses me. Why is a synth that can only do pads, most famous for a brass sound in a Van Halen song? Those Oberheims (the OBs I mean) can do pads very well also, but I think they really greatest at weird effect type of sounds. Just my opinion. Oberheims are also used for funk, and Prophets for rock, so... I don't like putting synths in categories anyway. They're all different. The question is: are those differences enough to spend a fortune on 10 synths that can also almost sound the same?
Good luck with your decisions. Hope you'll be happy with whatever you do. Having owned both a Prophet 6 and Polybrute is already pretty cool I think.
Prophet 12 please!!!
They both sound great to me but it sounds lile the brute wants a bass sound to accompany it while the Prophet low end / low mids are incredibly ballsy.
Why worrying ? If you want an "perfect" synth get a Colossus, a couple of Knifoniums, a Schmidt, steal a 2500 or expand your modular to cyclopean dimensions, etc. But the price is not the same...
Not worrying at all. Only making observations.
The Prophet has a more powerful sound, while the Polybrute has a more distinctive and animated sound, but that feeling can change a few days from now in a completely different direction depending on my mood or my situation. Synths.
Try out that underrated GS-E7 !
That thing sounds beautiful in the videos I have checked out.
Once again you throw yourself at the mercy of polarising extremist synth heads. The balls. My own personal preference is the Prophet. I just love the sound. Everything Dave was a part of to be honest of my bias. I always really wanted to like the Polybrute being the flagship model but could never get into it. I was very new to synths so the matrix was a little confusing and off putting but even since acquiring some limited synth knowledge and understanding, appreciating the matrix and knowing and seeing what it can do, I’m just not that keen on the sound. This isn’t a sweeping statement towards all sounds that come from the Polybrute, that would be ridiculous. But as a whole, I don’t particularly vibe with it. The yearn for it isn’t there if you know what I mean? These opinions are based upon having never used, heard in person or been even remotely near either synth. Thank you.
creamy
I've had four analog Arturias and their analog stuff, although it has a superb interface, to my ears just does not compare soundwise to DSI, Moog, Korg, or even Behringer analogs among other brands of modern analog synth makers. I also had the humble and loathed Akai Timber wolf and the Arturias could never nail the fatness of its leads, not even close. But yes, Arturia interface is always very clever, powerful and interactive, like Minibrute 2S for instance, but software, controllers and "Freaks" digital synths make more sense than the analog line to me.
I'm by no means a synth expert but the Prophet definitely has more low end - or should I say a fuller sound. In contrast, the PolyBrute sounds tinnier or less full - but by no means sounds bad. I'd gladly have both. How does the PolyBrute compare to the Rev2 for sound?
Yeah I thought the Trigon was “Meh” too 🤷🏻♂️
when you play the polybrute the level is lower so i can't really tell the actual difference
You want creamy filter, try Prophet 10.
I had Prophet 6 didn't like the filter.
P6 is a "living" creature - the PB is a more flat aounding thing which does ok what you want.
the first filter sweep comparison is crazy. p6 sooo creamy, pb rly lacking
The best is the prophet x
Can you give me a Polybrute?
I’m just raging you have both and I have neither
Haha If it makes you feel better, I had neither for the first 33 years of my life. 😅
Crazy how the P6 is simply incapable of producing any low-mids. It has sub basses, but no basses. Nothing in the 60-200hz region
I'm not that smart it just sounds the best out there.
Billybob Synthton
Honestly im torn on the brute. The haptic stuff makes it very expressive which is great, but that would be great just as a midi controller. Compared to the prophet the brute kind of sounds like it doesnt have a soul and the filter really isnt great, the pots dont have a good usable resolution
I was kind of there too before I bought the Polybrute. I would say it takes more work to find its soul, and it really lies elsewhere that the pure sound of the oscillators and filters. I’ll be focusing on the Polybrute’s strengths much more in the next video.
Prophet 6 Heaven is some heavy 3rd Bardo shit.
Cant expect PB to sound like the P6, U really do need both. I have PB and love it, and I want a P6 too🙂. One thing I dislike about PB is it seems to compress when the sub is turned up, as if the mixer cannot handle it. Maybe I'm doing something wrong
I noticed that too with the Sub. I think youre right. I try to tweek it and find a spot it likes I guess
👍🏻😎👍🏻
There's nothing wrong with the brute... But the prophet sounds about as good as a synth can
Polybrute is missing the MOJO
I wouldn’t buy either… might as well compare the korg op six while your at it… they are completely different instruments
Cool think I’ll do that
Polybrute sounds better to me
My conclusion having owned the Polybrute for a while now is that it’s a great sound effects tool but very uninspiring if you are a player. You can get great comparative tones to a prophet but it’s too much work and a graveyard for musical inspiration. I hate to say it but I hardly ever switch it on