Prophet 5 vs Jupiter 8

[wagtunes]

What do you think? Do you prefer Prophet 5 or Jupiter 8 and why?

If I were to choose, it would be the Arturia CS-80V

Where's the rim shot when you need one?

[egbert101]

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[Ingonator]

Sound wise both are obvously different so maybe i could mention some differences in features.
Repro-5 has up to 8 voices so the voice count is not really different with plugins of both synths.


Differences in both synths are:

- Prophet 5 has switches for the waveforms so it could use multiple at once while Jupiter 8 has a waveform knob that only allows using one at the same time. Jupiter 6 had the switches too and same is found in Diva so Diva and Prophet 5 plugins are similar there.

- Jupiter 8 has the additional HPF (non-resonant, no modulation) which is not available in Prophet 5 and the plugin versions. Especially for pad sounds the HPF could be really helpful, also to create a BPF. Diva besides the Jupiter 8 filter also includes the Jupiter 6 filter which is a multimode filter (LPF, BPF, HPF).

- The Jupiter 8 LPF could swith between 12dB/oct and 24 db/oct slope while the Prophet 5 is fixed to a 24dB LPF (same with emulations). Using a 12dB/oct LPF could make a big difference.

- The pulsewidth and PWM in Jupiter 8 is global so the same settings apply to both oscillators. In the Prophet 5 the pulsewidth is indepently adjustable for both Oscs. PWM uses the same LFO for both and teh amount is same for both too but you could use PWM only on one Osc or both.

- Jupiter 8 offers a Triangle waveform in both Oscs and a Sine in Osc B (Roland Cloud Jupiter-8 offers all waveforms in both Oscs). Prophet 5 has no dedicated Sine waveform and Triangle only in Osc B.

- Prophet 5 has a noise source in the mixer (besides both Oscs) while in Jupiter 8 noise is included with Osc 2 waveforms (in Roland Cloud Jupiter-8 it is avilable with both Oscs).

- Jupiter 8 hardware has a single mix knob for the Oscs so you could not actually switch the Oscs off to do pure self-oscillation sounds. Prophet 5 has a volume knob for each Osc so you could switch both Oscs off. Same is true for the Roland Cloud Jupiter-8.

- Jupiter 8 has a built-in Arpeggiator, the Prophet 5 not (same with Repro-5).

- Jupiter 8 could do polyphonic Unison, in Prophet 5 it will result in a monophonic sound (same in Repro-5). With the polyphonic Unison in Jupiter 8 the amount of voices per note seems to be depend on how many notes are pressed.

- Jupiter 8 has polyphonic portamento, in Prophet 5 (and Repro-5) it only works with the Unison mode (= monophonic). In jupiter 8 you have the option to have indpendent portamento for each note of a chord.

- The hardware Jupiter 8 allows using a negative envelope amount while Prophet 5 only allows this with plugins (Repro-5 has it in the tweaks page).

- The Prophet 5 hardware could switch the filter keytracking only between 0 (off) and full (on) while in Jupiter 8 and also in Repro-5 it is freely adustable.

- Prophet 5 in the Wheel mod section offers using a mix of teh LFO and a noise source for modulation (like in a Minimoog Model D). Jupiter 8 does not offer a noise source for modulation.

- Prophet 5 besides FM (Osc B as modulator) offers doing filter FM (with Osc B), Jupiter 8 only allows doing crossmodulation (= FM) of the Oscs. Porphet 5 also offers using OSc B for doing audio rate PWM (not possible with Jupiter .

- Prophet 5 offers doing PWM with the filter envelope while in Jupiter 8 it could be only used for pitch modulation (which Prophet 5 offers too).



As a conclusion for me there are multiple reasons owning an emulation of both synths...

[fluffy_little_something]

And the Jupiter 8 had keyboard splitting I think. Not sure if that meant that one could layer two different patches...

[ENV1]

ENV1's question is rather easy for me.

Could well be due to the fact that i didnt ask any.

(raymondwave is the TS)

[ENV1]

There is always this:
http://www.deckardsdream.com/product/de ... ynthesizer

But $3749 is beyond my finances right now.

No RingMod?

Bah...

[ghettosynth]

ENV1's question is rather easy for me.

Could well be due to the fact that i didnt ask any.

(raymondwave is the TS)

Yes, I should have said your dilemma. I was contrasting our somewhat different perspective on the equality of the machines and adding some detail to my opinion. I would not need to flip a coin, I would simply have to ask one question: Is the P5 a rev 1/2?

[noiseboyuk]

Apples and oranges. I use them both for different things. In fact, these are two of the few synths that truly don't sound anything alike, kind of like comparing an Oberheim OB-X to a Yamaha DX 7.

I'm calling that wild hyperbole. P5 and J8 are not all that dissimilar in truth, while the OBXa and DX7 are from different planets. Cox's and Granny Smiths.

[plexuss]

Apples and oranges. I use them both for different things. In fact, these are two of the few synths that truly don't sound anything alike, kind of like comparing an Oberheim OB-X to a Yamaha DX 7.

I'm calling that wild hyperbole. P5 and J8 are not all that dissimilar in truth, while the OBXa and DX7 are from different planets. Cox's and Granny Smiths.

To me, and having owned the hardware, they are apples and oranges. I concur. But to you they many not be. It's totally subjective.

[egbert101]

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[ENV1]

Yes, I should have said your dilemma. I was contrasting our somewhat different perspective on the equality of the machines and adding some detail to my opinion. I would not need to flip a coin, I would simply have to ask one question: Is the P5 a rev 1/2?

Ah...OK.

I thought you mistook me for the threadstarter.


EDIT: BTW, the fact that these 2 machines are so different is exactly the cause for the 'dilemma'. Because both are great synthesizers, both have their strengths, so both are definitely worth having.

If it were say Model-D versus Pro-One it would be easy...in such a case i would grab the Sequential Circuits and run.

[beely]

And the Jupiter 8 had keyboard splitting I think. Not sure if that meant that one could layer two different patches...

Yes, you could split and layer in several combinations, and do things like have the arp running on one side of the split with the other side playing a different patch, etc...

[ENV1]

No RingMod?

Bah...

I guess not... Bummer.

Just kidding.

I saw a demo vid on yt a week or two ago and thought it sounds very nice.

Just too bad that Deckard forgot to dream about the RM too.

(Im sure i would have.)

[himalaya]

What do you think? Do you prefer Prophet 5 or Jupiter 8 and why?

In hardware? Jupiter 8.

The sound is great in both, different but great, and both can be definitely compared, both are amazing VCO poly synths, imo, and are comparable (it's red apples vs green apples, and not apples vs oranges ) but when it comes to the synth design, I love the layout and the faders on the Jupiter 8. It really is a breeze to make patches on this synth. Granted, it's not difficult to make patches on the Prophet either, but, the layout and the faders are just so much more inviting. I have a personal preference for faders, pretty much for all parameters, I just find them better, more 'inviting' for quick editing. Grab all 4 ADSR envelope stages with one hand and change the envelope in a second. It's not possible with knobs. It's also very easy to see the shape of the envelopes and so you know, without even hearing, what the sound will do. I love having the cutoff and resonance together on faders on my SH-2, since I can use both at the same time with one hand, just like on the Jupiter 8.

We had the Jupiter 8 in the studio for months, and a few of us would come up and do long jamming sessions, making sounds on the spot, with the arp running continuously...and the faders really came into their own, making very quick changes much more enjoyable, than on the other analog poly synth next to the Jupiter, one with knobs (Alesis Andromeda).

So that would be my choice with the actual hardware, kind of from a different angle. In software? You know the answer as dictated by the first commandment of GAS...

[Mutant]

Jupiter 8.