Prophet Rev2 First Look #2 | Filter - What is it like?

Published on Mar 27, 2019 Synth & Sundry

"The Dave Smith Instruments Prophet Rev 2, a refreshed modern analog polysynth, has a primary low pass Curtis filter which can be switched between 2 and 4 pole slopes.

Let's see how the filter feels. We try the filter with different settings both for cutoff and resonance. The filter affects the sounds coming from the oscillators and removes frequencies which changes the timbre of the sound.

The 2 pole mode has a 12db/octave slope while the 4 pole mode has the steeper 24db/octave mode that has a more pronounced effect (generally suitable for monophonic synth patches).

The main controls are the Cutoff that frequency at which frequencies start to be removed. This starts with the high frequencies and lends the name low-pass to the main filter for the Prophet Rev2. Cut off works hand in hand with resonance which highlights a narrow area of frequencies at the cut off point (where frequencies are being removed). This brings its own sonic characteristics.

It's worth noting that high resonance values lead to self oscillation when in four pole mode. This means that the filter will generate its own pitch.

Recorded through an RME Fireface UC audio interface without any effects or dynamics processing added."

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