Dave Smith Instruments Pro 2

£1,399

DAVE SMITH INSTRUMENTS PRO 2, new analogue mono synths

Dave Smith’s 1981 Sequential Circuits Pro-One is one of the most iconic analogue synths of all time. (Kirk Degiorgio also hailed it as one of the unsung heroes of techno when we spoke to him about the late 80s Detroit scene a couple of years ago.) Thirty-three years later, the Pro 2 is its spiritual successor.

Despite his long (and incredibly successful) association with analogue synths, Dave Smith isn’t afraid to do things differently. When we interviewed him about synth technology in 2013, Dave made it very clear that the technology was secondary to the end result: “Some people get way too wrapped up in technology debates, when it should simply be: ‘Do you like the way the instrument sounds, does it have personality, do you bond with it?’ In my instruments, I make decisions based on what I think will sound the best and produce an instrument that musicians will want to play. To me, the key is in the analog filters; in the Prophet 12 we have digital oscillators simply because analog were not precise enough and did not give us all the features we wanted. But, we still have analog low-pass and high-pass filters, and the signal path is analog from that point on.”

So, the Pro 2 follows suit. It’s a hybrid synth, but it has all the feel and character of an analogue classic like the Pro-One, updated for the 21st century. With four oscillators and two filters, this is a very, very serious synth. Add a sequencer, arpeggiator, a delay section, Prophet 12-style Character section (with effects like bit rate reduction and tape simulation) and even a four-voice paraphonic mode, and you’ve got all the makings of a future classic.

We just hope Dave doesn’t wait another 33 years before blessing us with the Pro 3.

 

6th February, 2015

Comments

  • Wow, so you can plug your guitar on ‘audio in’ and what comes out is the synth sound? Can the Moog Sub 37 do this? For midi sync, I would need midi connections right? Which is better Sub 37 or Pro 2?

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  • What are you talking about?

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  • Shhhh don’t tell anybody about the Pulse 2, it can be our little secret ok?! 😉

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  • MFB Dominion Anyone????????

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  • Pro 2 or Sub 37 ist also the question for me!

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  • Always wondered what the Elektron Monomachine, looks sick.

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  • Damn what about the MFB Dominion 1? That’s easily one of the best monosynths on the market today.

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