Distorted Visions: Prophet Instrument Overview
Introduction
With the release of our infamous Distorted Visions collection now a week old, it's time to delve deep into what makes our Dave Smith prophet samples so great?! Included with the collection, we've multi-sampled 5 of our favourite bespoke patches from the Prophet. Each one was beautifully mixed, mastered then loaded into an Ableton sampler with a selection of macro's befitting to the great synth! Check the video and read on to find out more..
What is the Dave Smith Prophet?
The Dave Smith prophet Rev 2 is a contemporary analogue synth inspired by the world famous Sequential Circuits Prophet 5. Utilising an all analogue selection of oscillators and filters, but with digital envelopes, the Rev 2 took all the charm and character of the original and brought it firmly into the 21st century offering new sound sets, presets and greater durability. We recently explored this synth's history in our Gear Spotlight Series that shines a light on why this beast creates the best analog synth loops.
Ableton Instrument overview
So, what you get with our Distorted Visions collection are 5 bespoke Ableton instrument racks. We multi-sampled each note of the Prophet, mixed and mastered them and dropped them into Ableton Sampler. As seen in the image below, all the tech stuff is hidden so you're left with a clean, crisp instrument that houses all those beautiful sounds.
Note: All of the macro's can be automated. Just click 'A' to show automation then click on the dial you want to change.
Taking the complexity away we've created 8 macros' that compliment the sounds beautifully:
Filter - Analog tones with a touch of resonance, this filter is perfect for the job and mimics the prophets tones perfectly.
Drive - Set to 'soft clip' this dial can take the sound from a touch of saturation to all out distorted madness. Teamed up with filter & 'space' dial this truly opens up a new sonic palette.
Envelope - Linked to the filter, this auto opens the filter as the note progresses.
ADSR - The main envelope of the sound. Modulate between tight, clicky notes and expansive pads and chordal movements.
How do I use Ableton Instrument Racks?
Included with the Distorted Visions sample pack you'll find a folder called 'Ableton Sessions'. Inside this is the folder 'TL_DistortedVisions_Instruments'.
Inside this is where you'll find the Ableton 11 session file that houses the instruments. Due to the way Ableton handles audio we've kept them inside a session so you don't lose any audio files. From here you can save them, use them in the session, navigate to this session from the main browser or do as you will - endless options!
How do I save Ableton Racks?
This one's easy. Just click the small floppy disc looking item at the top right hand side of the rack. 💾
You can then re-name the instrument in your Ableton browser, drag it between folders and place it somewhere memorable. Be sure to keep the Distorted Visions folder in one piece though as you'll need this for the sample destinations to work.