Anyone here make their own music?...synthensizers, oh dear

CaveDweller

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Before I start I'm not making this thread for seeking sympathy, I'm just a noob in need of some advice to carry on my uncles love for music.

My uncle passed away not long ago and I got a call from my aunt last night to go and visit, so me being me I dropped everything (including work today) to go and see her. Not long after I arrived she took me to his "man cave" and it was then she said he wanted me to have everything in sight. I was overwhelmed to say the least, but oh my, it's going to be some task to get it all back to mine, so much I have booked to hire a van tomorrow to remove it all.

I'm having to take home everything from classic Gibson guitars, custom handmade ones designed and built by himself, electrical equipment and boxes and boxes of signed vinyls. Amongst all that I noticed a synthensizer, a Dave Smith Instruments Prophet 12 to be precise, That's all I could get from looking at it. From what I can find out about it it retailed for stupid money and pretty much what they class as "high end", but that is all I know.

I can quite happily sit and blast out anything on the guitar or piano/keyboard, but this synth has just left me speachless. Somehow I don't think it's as simple as bashing a few keys so I've come here hoping someone can point me in the right direction.


1) Are there any good online classes for using synthensizers and creating electronic music? Other forums etc?
2) Do they need to be connected up to a computer to get the most out of them? or does that defeat the purpose of a synth? like for example, record a section of music then add parts over the top, or is it pretty much a do it all there and then machine?
3) All I can see that relates to the synth that my uncle had is the synth itself. Is there anything for this particular model that I'd need for it to work or is it pretty much plug and play?


Any advice would be appreciated. I've always had a keen ear for "retro" music so being able to make my own (eventually) would be amazing. I really don't want to get rid of anything he has left for me and would love to get to grips with it all.
 
Weren't the Prophets made my Sequential Circuits? I remember Gary Numan used to use them. Classic old analog synths.
 
Looks like it has MIDI imputs, so you'd be able to connect it to a computer & use it with a simple sequencer. That would allow you to record 'track by track'.
 
The idea is that you create your won sounds with it, or load up pre-designed sounds (it probably also has a vast number of on-board pre-created sounds) that you control through the keyboard. The wheels on the left will probably be pitch and volume, but may also be assignable. Record through the USB output on the back - you'll also need some kind of external amp & speaker to hear it (maybe play through your computer sound system if the latency is low enough). Use the MIDI to control external synth modules or to control the sounds onboard with a different controller from the keyboard.

At minimum you need a keyboard amp to play through (could also use a bass amp, but not really a guitar amp). The review you linked should give you enough info to get started, especially if there'sa manual available.
 
Thanks. I'll have a better idea tomorrow when I get everything home. I only found that review after I posted this thread and it has explained a fair bit.
 
Prophet 12 is a new synth, not part of the old Sequential Circuits line (there was a Prophet 10 but that was a dual keyboard thing).

You don't need a computer, plug it into an amp and have a good play with the knobs, you'll have hours of fun.
 
I can't play a note, but the Prophet 5 sounded very good, and they still do for those brave enough to use them in live performance (possibly not as big a risk as using a Mellotron M400 on stage though). Hopefully the Prophet 12 sounds as good and you have a lot of fun with it!

I love music made with analogue synths, saw a band called Node in London a year or so (perhaps more) back and they bought 17 tons of kit with them, mostly made up of two enormous custom modular synths. The Moog IIIC that one of the other band members was using, which is itself bigger than one of them "American" fridge freezers was utterly dwarfed. Most of the audience seemed to be from other bands and they were as interested in the kit on stage as the music :p
 
onomatopoeia said:
I can't play a note, but the Prophet 5 sounded very good, and they still do for those brave enough to use them in live performance (possibly not as big a risk as using a Mellotron M400 on stage though). Hopefully the Prophet 12 sounds as good and you have a lot of fun with it!

I love music made with analogue synths, saw a band called Node in London a year or so (perhaps more) back and they bought 17 tons of kit with them, mostly made up of two enormous custom modular synths. The Moog IIIC that one of the other band members was using, which is itself bigger than one of them "American" fridge freezers was utterly dwarfed. Most of the audience seemed to be from other bands and they were as interested in the kit on stage as the music :p
Click to expand...

I saw Kraftwerk when they were analog, and Numan too. Awesome stuff, awesome sounds.
 
Keith Emerson, reportedly "climbed inside his "organ, once, he got a bit of a shock, and never did it again"

Now there is a trick if ever there was one :D
 
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