Sequential Prophet REV2-8

There really is no doubt of why Dave Smith Instruments is held so highly among synthusiasts. Even though this one only has 8 voices, it feels enough to be able to play most things. The presets are solid, and are always a great starting point if you want to create a patch. A small tweak on the knobs can do wonders.

I have recommended this synth to a lot of friends, and will continue to do so.

I have it since over 3 years, I had previously a Mopho 4X, so DSi ( still at the time) wasn't unknown to me, I don't believe that it was ever to anybody that was ever into music production.

I had a small problem in the begging with it, I wanted the filter of the REV2 to sound like the Prophet 6 one..but it doesn't..it is different...I have found a kind of stepped filter spectrum that at first sounded much harsher and not as warm as its siblings or first degree cousins.
With time, I grew to love the filter, to accept its different nuances and even stepped edges. It is not as round as I reckoned I needed to create the emblematic brassy sound...but with time, I also learned how to find a sweet spot that gets very, very close.

The rest, is ridiculously deep, there's so many modulation alternatives that I started to appreciate more the new alternative routes against the more classic approach I wanted to achieve at the beginning.
The sequencer is super interesting too, I love it!

It is versatile, and that is what then a Prophet 6 is not as much, I would like also to have one, but it`s true that I wouldn't be using it for so many varied things as I do with the REV2.

The keyed is amazingly expressive, not just the aftertouch, but the velocity and the weight of the keys in itself is all very pleasurable to play.

There are now a few new synths on the market that have many different functionalities to offer, but in 2018, and in this price range, I couldn't have found a better option for me.

The DSi company, now Sequential, is amazingly helpful, I contact them more than once and they are maybe the best and more friendly guys I have ever sealed with.
Thomann is also pretty helpful and I bought equipment from them many times, I lost count, always very reasonable and responsible.

I've nothing bad to say about it. Okay, people say the filters aren't as musical as many other synths, and sure... but if you want a Moog or Juno, get yourself a Moog or Juno.

If you like sound design this is for you. If you like a smooth, beautiful sounding poly for a good price, this is for you. I've got the 8 voice and have never felt limited by that, but I'm all studio and make house/broken beat/some technoes and am not a live player. Works perfectly for me.

Anyway, you should buy this. It's the boss in my studio. I use it for pads, leads, and when I'm not using it I just kind of stare at it lovingly.

There's not much that can be said that hasn't already. It's a great synth!
For me, VCO's are just too unstable for what I do and so the Rev2 is a perfect DCO synth for sitting in a clean, modern, in-tune mix. Plays very well with VST's! Heaps of modulation options make this a sound designers dream.
The build quality is superb, and even the pcb-mount knobs have a satifying resistance to them. Makes a great midi controller too, with its superb fatar keybed and masses of assignability.
No problems with voice limits so far as I use it in the studio, though live players that use the dual layer feature or play complex chords with long releases may want to look at the 16 due to potential voice stealing.