The Dave Smith Instruments Prophet '08 Pot Edition Eight-Voice Analog Synthesizer offers an alternative with 38 of the 52 front panel parameters controlled by pots (potentiometers); rotary encoders are still used for the remainder of the controls.
The Dave Smith Instruments Prophet '08 Pot Edition is exactly the same as the non-pot version. The difference is strictly in the controls themselves. Encoders are “endless”—they have no minimum or maximum limit. The advantage to that is that when you edit a preset parameter, the change begins at the preset value and increases or decreases, depending upon the direction turned.
Pots typically have about 270° of travel and have definite limits. The advantage to that is that you know, by feel, where the minimum and maximum limits are and you can sweep through the entire value range in less than one full turn.
The Prophet ’08 PE features three edit modes for the pots: Relative, Passthru, and Jump. In Relative mode, the value change is relative to the preset value. In Passthru mode, turning the pot has no effect until after the edited value equals the preset value (that is, until the edited value “passes through” the stored value). 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.
Parameters and their control type:
Oscillator 1 Frequency |
Pot |
Oscillator 1 Fine Tune |
Pot |
Oscillator 1 Shape/PW |
Pot |
Oscillator 1 Glide |
Pot |
Oscillator 2 Frequency |
Pot |
Oscillator 2 Fine Tune |
Pot |
Oscillator 2 Shape/PW |
Pot |
Oscillator 2 Glide |
Pot |
Oscillator Mix |
Pot |
Noise |
Pot |
Cutoff Frequency |
Pot |
Resonance |
Pot |
Filter Envelope Amount |
Pot |
Filter Velocity |
Pot |
Key Amount |
Pot |
Audio Modulation |
Pot |
Filter Delay |
Pot |
Filter Attack |
Pot |
Filter Decay |
Pot |
Filter Sustain |
Pot |
Filter Release |
Pot |
VCA Level |
Pot |
Amplifier Envelope Amount |
Pot |
Amplifier Velocity |
Pot |
Amplifier Delay |
Pot |
Amplifier Attack |
Pot |
Amplifier Decay |
Pot |
Amplifier Sustain |
Pot |
Amplifier Release |
Pot |
Pan Spread |
Pot |
Envelope 3 Destination |
Encoder |
Envelope 3 Amount |
Pot |
Envelope 3 Velocity |
Pot |
Envelope 3 Delay |
Pot |
Envelope 3 Attack |
Pot |
Envelope 3 Decay |
Pot |
Envelope 3 Sustain |
Pot |
Envelope 3 Release |
Pot |
LFO Frequency |
Encoder |
LFO Amount |
Encoder |
LFO Shape |
Encoder |
LFO Destination |
Encoder |
Modulation Source |
Encoder |
Modulation Destination |
Encoder |
Modulation Amount |
Encoder |
Misc Parameters Select |
Encoder |
Misc Parameters Value |
Encoder |
BPM |
Encoder |
Clock Divide |
Encoder |
Parameter 1 |
Encoder |
Parameter 2 |
Encoder |
Master Volume |
Pot |
The Dave Smith Instruments Prophet '08 Pot Edition Main Features Include:
- 38 of the 52 front panel parameters controlled by pots
- Encoders are “endless”—they have no minimum or maximum limit
- Three edit modes for the pots: Relative, Passthru, and Jump
- Pots typically have about 270° of travel and have definite limits
- Two analog oscillators per voice
- Classic Curtis analog low-pass filters
- Extensive modulation routing capabilities
- Four-on-four splits and layers with separate stereo outputs for each layer
- Arpeggiator, gated 16 x 4 step sequencer, and LFOs all syncable
- 5-octave keyboard with semi-weighted action, velocity, and aftertouch
- Spring-loaded pitch wheel and assignable mod wheel
- 256 fully editable Programs (2 banks of 128) with 2 Layers (2 separate sounds) in each Program
- 16 x 4 gated step sequencer
- Arpeggiator
- 2 digitally controlled analog oscillators (DCOs) per voice with selectable sawtooth, triangle, saw/triangle mix, and pulse waves (with pulse-width modulation), and hard sync
- White noise generator
- 1 Analog Curtis low-pass filter per voice, selectable 2- and 4-pole operation (self-resonating in 4-pole mode)
- 3 Envelope Generators: filter, VCA, and assignable (four-stage ADSR + delay); Envelope 3 can loop
- 4 LFOs
- Glide (portamento): separate rates per oscillator
- Analog VCAs
- MIDI In, Out, Thru, and Poly Chain
- Main stereo audio output: 1/4" unbalanced
- Output B stereo audio output: 1/4" unbalanced
- Sustain pedal input: accepts normally on or normally off momentary footswitch
- Pedal/CV input: responds to expression pedals or control voltages ranging from 0 to 5 VDC (protected against higher or negative voltages)
- Headphone output: 1/4" stereo phone jack
- Includes power supply for 110V – 240V AC operation (13-15 VDC, 400 mA) and operation manual.