So this is pretty specific, I know, but was wondering if anyone went from a more expensive Prophet (5, 6 or 10) to the more compact and affordable Take 5?
I sold my Prophet 6 desktop late last year and while my tracks have never been polysynth-heavy, I definitely miss the Prophet sound (or, in general, having a poly of some sort). In the perfect world I’d probably have the keyboard version of the P5/6/10 but for budget and space reasons I’m inclined to having something cheaper and smaller.
Right after I sold the P6 I was actually thinking of a more significant downgrade to something like a Microkorg or Mininova cos I like the way those sound. But as I really like having one knob per function and am keen on designing my own patches, I realise I probably wouldn’t enjoy the workflow on those.
So what, if any, sort of downgrades have worked out for you?
I have the Take 5 and the new MicroKorg, but have never owned a P5. I think if you want a P5, nothing will satisfy you, but the Take 5 and surprisingly the new MicroKorg are both great, IMO. I’d go with my gut though if I were you. It’s better to get what you really want.
I have never downgraded, but I understand the « want » of a one knob per function or at least for the most of the functions.
On my side, I wanted for years the prophet sound but found the price way above my wallet. I give it a go on the pro800, and I’m quite happy with it.
My deepmind, AK, Prologue, does not provide this palette of sound, and for the price, I can say that’s a good synth.
Unfortunately no mod matrix but few hidden stuff for the envelope which make it interesting.
As far as my ears tell, prophet 6 kills take 5 and ob-6 kills Teo-5. Nevertheless both cheapos are still goodsounding great synths, that even have some more tricks under their belt.
I don’t think I could ever sell my p6…
Have you thought about saving and get ab-stock or used keyboard p6? I think having the keyboard really makes the thing so much more awesome as something to just noodle and find sounds and record…
Having said that the take five sounds incredible… I would not hesitate to get one if I didn’t have a p6. The p6 is definitely more thick and syrupy and more"real" sounding I feel but the take five has it’s own personality and is easier to fit in a mix, better reverb, and can get all kinds of crazy modulation…
The Take 5 is REALLY good, but definitely isn’t a P5. That said, one other idea to consider is picking up the new MicroKorg 2 now and saving up for a P5 as a purchase down the road. The P5, P6, or even T5 aren’t portable, so even if you eventually get one of those, the MK2 will still be useful for making stuff in your living room or bringing places. I’m finding the MK2 incredibly fun to use and it sounds good as well. I know from your music that you could make anything sound great, so it’s not about the gear for you. Basically after playing around with the MK2, I’m confident you could make amazing stuff with it. Haha.
For months I was set on grabbing the OG Microkorg second hand and see if that’s all the poly synth I need. However, in that case I’d probably be relying on presets a lot of the time, which I’m not sure would work for me long-term.
It’s good that you ”set the record straight” on the portability of the Take 5. That was my hunch ever since the first Youtube teaser video.
When I had the P6 desktop, I felt there was this slightest ”disconnect” with having to play it on the Moog Matriarch keyboard via midi. I’d love to have the control in one instrument. So the dilemma is I’d want the synth to be on the small side but also have a keyboard.
Sound and function-wise I feel the only thing missing from the P6 was a second LFO. Loved everything else about it but like I said, whatever I came up on the P6 rarely found its way to an actual track, which is what I’m ultimately trying to do.
So it’s even more about being able to justify a high-end poly than actually being able to afford one.
Take 5 is good for that. It’s compact, just not very portable. I was also really wanting a P5, but “settled” for the T5, and never regretted it at all. If you aren’t dead set on P5 or P6, I think it’s still a good option to consider.
While I hate to come across as pushing a synth, with the new MicroKorg I made two patches that I dug enough to record in the first two days. That never happens to me, which is a testament to how fun and easy it is to make patches. I had the OG MicroKorg and I could never do anything with it. I prefer the look of the old MicroKorg, but the retro futuristic OP-1 style graphics on the new one are super nice. I’d say skip the old one.
On the subject of the Take 5 and Microkorg 2 (I’ve also got both, though like anyone else outside Japan I’ve only had the MK2 for a few days) - they’re so different they’re hard to compare directly. So instead of focusing on specs, I’ll focus on the experience. Take 5’s core tone is, in my opinion, far better. It’s basically all sweet spot, and even the bare waveforms sound great in all registers. MK2 is more of a chameleon. I personally find MK2’s bare waves a bit shrill and flat in the upper registers, but the effects and shaping options are so good that might not be a big deal - I’m never just playing a bare saw wave anyway when I actually make music. The experience of editing them both has pros and cons - not being able to see actual values on the T5 after loading up a patch unless you move the knob to get the little dot drives me insane. On the other hand, while Microkorg2 shows you everything with its beautiful screen, the knobs either jump or use a catch mode, both of which feel kind of bad right now. So the overall experience of both is great, but with minor hiccups here and there. The keys on both instruments feel pretty good too - I was not expecting the MK2 to feel good to play.
The elephant in the room, to me, is voice count. 5 voices sucks sometimes. It’s not often a problem, but when it is a problem it necessitates either multiple takes or modifying my playing the part. 8 voices is very rarely ever an issue for me.
They both feel good to play and edit, sound good, and you likely can’t go wrong. Similar to @DimensionsTomorrow, I’ve made at least one patch I want to record with every time I turn on the MK2. I also had the same experience with the T5.
I agree with @m0ld on all these points. Nice balanced review. Really hoping they add an alternative encoder mode to solve the jumping or need to use catch. Raw sound of my Grandmother and Take 5 are definitely much better, but, for me at least, MK2 will still end up in a lot of tracks because of its ease of use/fun factor, portability (I like being able to use it anywhere in the house), and the sum of the parts (the onboard effects are a big part of sound shaping with it). I mainly brought up the MK2 because @korpinen mentioned considering a MicroKorg, and because I’m quite smitten with it.
