Sequential Prophet X - Using 16-Voice Mode; A Final Word

112 113Using 16-Voice Mode
Sequential Prophet X User’s Guide
Using 16-Voice Mode
To change the sound more:
1. In the Filter section turn resonance down to 0.
2. In the Sample Playback section use the type knob to select perc tonal
and use the instrument knob to select cowbell.
3. Play a few notes and chords and listen: a great percussive hybrid
sound.
To add a second sampled instrument:
1. In the Mixer section, turn Instrument 2 level to 70.
2. In the Sample Playback press the instr 2 button.
3. Use the type knob to select ethnic and use the instrument knob to
select jaw harp.
4. Again, we want the raw, unltered sound, so disable the low-pass lter
for the sampled instrument by pressing Soft Button 2 to select the
instr1 misc menu tab, then turning Soft Knob 4 to enable lpf bypass.
5. Play a few notes and chords and listen to the instrument’s sound: some-
thing completely new and unusual.
Using 16-Voice Mode
The Prophet X can operate in either 8-voice or 16-voice mode. In many
ways the synth is at its best in 8-voice mode because in 8-voice mode,
the Prophet X has a stereo signal path with stereo lters. This results in a
noticeable increase in richness and depth. It also gives you the ability to
pan instruments 1 and 2 and/or oscillators 1 and 2 to different positions
in the stereo eld. (See “TAB 2 - Panning” on page 29.)
In contrast, 16-voice mode doesn’t provide stereo lters (though the
Prophet X’s digital effects still function in stereo). With clever use of the
mod matrix, however, it’s possible to simulate a stereo spread by modu-
lating panning with note number. With this technique, over the range of
the instrument, notes from low to high are panned progressively left to
right.
To simulate a stereo spread in 16-voice mode:
1. Recall a program that would benet from 16-voice polyphony, such as
a piano.
2. In the modulation section, press the assign source button. Use soft
knob 1 to scroll to the rst available mod slot.
3. Use soft knob 2 to scroll through the various mod sources and choose
dc. Use soft knob 3 to set the amount to -64. Use soft knob 4 to
scroll through the various mod destinations and choose pan.
4. Use soft knob 1 to scroll to the next available mod slot.
5. Use soft knob 2 to scroll through the various mod sources and choose
note num. Use soft knob 3 to set the amount to 127. Use soft knob 4
to scroll through the various mod destinations and choose pan.
6. Play several notes from low to high on the keyboard. You’ll notice that
the lower you play, the more the notes appear in the left side of the
stereo eld. Conversely, the higher you play the more the notes appear
in the right side of the stereo eld. The result is subtle but effective.
7. Add some reverb to enhance the stereo ambience.
A FINAL WORD
All of the examples given in this chapter are fairly basic, but they give
you some idea of the power of combining samples with synthesis. Imag-
ine what you can create by using these as starting points, then modulat-
ing the lters, oscillators, or samples with LFOs, Auxiliary Envelopes,
and other modulation sources.
It’s often useful to start with a simple sound and make it progressively
more complex — saving edited versions as you go so that you can
retrace your steps and branch off at different points in the sound design
process if you want.
The Prophet X is a very powerful and versatile instrument for sound
design. We wish you many enjoyable hours of experimentation!