Sequential Take 5

[Iconoclast]

On 1/18/2022 at 6:59 PM, NewImprov said:

When using the Take 5 with the SoundTower editor/librarian, it developed an extreme latency, a keypress took 1-2 seconds before triggering sound. This was after backing up my custom patches and banks, and loading a 3rd party bank into the Take 5. It was connected via USB, and the latency persisted through unplugging the USB connection, power cycling several times, and running all the global tuning/reset/calibration routines. However, after powering the Take 5 down and leaving it to sit overnight, the latency was gone, and the synth has functioned perfectly ever since. I have not had the courage to try the editor/librarian again, though.

If it worked at all with a SoundTower product call yourself lucky.

[RudyS]

Yeah, I wished I kept my money in my pocket for that sound tower software. For one, it is not great. And second, when I start up my T5, first thing i do is initialize a patch and start from scratch and then record in my daw. Often i don’t even save the patch. It’s just made for programming a think. 

[bjosko]

I have a strong GAS attack, it is possible I have to cut down on the beans …… 🤨

I love the sound from my IK MM Synth Pro, but would love some more knobs and polyphony.

Most often, when I have heard demos of various DS/Sequentials, they have a metallic ground sound I do not like. I think this is more to my taste.

[NewImprov]

On 1/20/2022 at 2:21 PM, Iconoclast said:

If it worked at all with a SoundTower product call yourself lucky.

That is interesting to know. I figured since the SoundTower editor was linked from Sequential's website, and that it supports all their other modern instruments, it must be OK. The demo seemed to work, but I should have tested it further before paying for it. Oh well.

[Mark Schmieder]

What bjosko said. ST editors have done untold damage to my gear. I even offered to help, pro bono, to no avail.

 

Luckily, Moog was very helpful in getting my Voyager working again after it got thoroughly corrupted beyond imagination. Earlier damage to DSI synths was less severe but nevertheless a PITA.

[CyberGene]

I just saw a B-Stock Take 5 at Thomann that was €200 off and couldn't resist, ordered it immediately 🤣 It's listed as a customer return. I'm afraid it might be a problematic unit but let's see. What do you think I should check first, are there any common issues with these? I hear the MIDI USB board might be defective but Sequential send replacement boards on request for free to affected owners. I also hear some people have problems with the wheels. Any other issues?

 

BTW, I couldn't find any matching soft bag, so finally ordered a Thomann branded one for Behringer Poly D and it's 4cm larger on each side, so it should be OK.

 

P.S. A user on a Take 5 Facebook group suggested it was the same unit he returned and that had wheel problems that couldn’t be solved even by following some mechanical adjustment instructions sent by Sequential to him. So, I requested a brand new unit instead. Well, I was hesitant to purchase a brand new unit, so it’s kind of forced now but hey, let’s see, hopefully I will love the Take 5 and it will be worth it the regular price of €1400. 

[bjosko]

Good luck with it. I bought mine in January, no issue so far, but it haven’t seen so much use as it deserves.

It will need to be calibrated a couple times, there was a special note about it added with mine. When it have been calibrated a couple times in different temperatures, I have not needed to do it again.

And remember, all the mojo is in the modulation matrix, it’s here it starts shining.

[CyberGene]

9 minutes ago, bjosko said:

And remember, all the mojo is in the modulation matrix, it’s here it starts shining.

As a Hydrasynth owner used to create patches with more than 10 mod slots I’ll certainly make a good use of the extended mod matrix, thanks for the advice 👍🏻 I’ve recently started experimenting even with FX modulation and I’m glad they can be used as targets on the Take 5 too. I’m only bothered by a polyphony of 5 since I have a very heavy chord habits that can sometimes exceed 8 voices (by pressing two keys with one finger) but I’ll take it as a challenge to not use too jazzy voicings here 😀

[CyberGene]

I received my Take 5 today but will test it in the following days. 
 

I can confirm the “Thomann Bag Behringer Poly D” is a good fit for the Take 5, has a very thick padding and looks pretty nice. For €49 it’s a great gigging bag IMO.

 

 

[ElmerJFudd]

V2.0 

 

 

“This free software update includes an additional 128 Preset and 128 User memory locations, doubling the previous sound bank size. Sequential tells us that the Factory bank expansion is filled with imaginative new sounds created by some of the world's leading sound designers and synthesists. They say that these sounds range from classic analog-style patches to modern, cinematic soundscapes that will give artists a competitive edge in modern music production.

 

Take 5 v2.0 also provides new synthesis features that dramatically expand the creative possibilities for sound design. Sequential says that this includes capabilities like Envelope Repeat, which allows users to create evolving and complex sounds by looping sections of the synth's envelopes, and LFO Slew, which smooths over wave shapes to enable more organic and musical modulations - especially useful for creating ambient, drone, and experimental sounds, adding new dimensions to any performance.”

[CyberGene]

What do you think about your Take 5 and how often do you use it?

 

I find myself in a contradictory mood about it. I love the way it sounds and how flexible it is. On the other hand I haven’t played it for a long time. When at home I just prefer using the Hydrasynth more, especially when programming patches because it can do everything the Take 5 can and then much more, has better keyboard, endless encoders with rings and OLED screens which helps tremendously when tweaking patches, but most importantly has more polyphony. Besides, I have so many virtual synths that can sound as analog as the Take 5 or even more, yeah 😀 I guess the Take 5 was meant to be a gigging instrument because it’s very compact and light but then in live situations the real analog sound is not really making a difference compared to even a rompler. And patch management is awful. I’m fed up with having to import/export sysex files and I tried that SoundTower thing and I hated it. And there are quirks to the Take 5 for live playing too. Once in a while it would suddenly lose tuning which I’m sure is a bug and not a temperature thing because I’ve calibrated it many times over various temperatures and it’s very stable. However I plug in an audio cable and that would mysteriously trigger some erroneous action that would make it so out of tune that it sounds like a mess. And I hate that when I load a patch I can’t see the patch settings: you turn knobs but can’t see on the screen what’s the stored vs current value, only when you’re exactly at the stored value you’d see a dot in the 3-digit display but blink and you’ll miss it. 
 

With all that in mind I think I’m over with my “real analog” period and am probably going to sell it. I’ll only keep the Behringer Model D because its simplicity is its power.

 

Here’s the most recent time I got it out of its case, to try to recreate a Lyle Mays pad sound as requested by a user on the Take 5 forum. However I could have done that sound as easily on the Hydrasynth too. 
 

 

[mate stubb]

Sounds like the Hydrasynth is your true muse.

[ProfD]

8 hours ago, CyberGene said:

With all that in mind I think I’m over with my “real analog” period and am probably going to sell it.

 

Real analog synths are fun from a programming and sonic perspective. 

 

But, there is a reason that ROMplers took off starting in the 1990s.

 

Most gigging KB players can use a ROMpler to cover 99% of their synth and other KB sounds. 

 

Nowadays, digital pianos encompass many of those sounds too.😎

[allan_evett]

59 minutes ago, ProfD said:

 

Real analog synths are fun from a programming and sonic perspective. 

 

But, there is a reason that ROMplers took off starting in the 1990s.

 

Most gigging KB players can use a ROMpler to cover 99% of their synth and other KB sounds. 

 

Nowadays, digital pianos encompass many of those sounds too.😎

 

Agreed, and I've covered much of the analog 'vibe' with some ROMpler tones, though mostly models now. There is something 'extra' to having analog filters though. My favorite 'missed opportunity' was passing on a good deal for a Prophet 12, back in 2014. Having an Arturia MiniFreak does help to scratch that itch, though I'm not thrilled by the mini keys. Digging the aftertouch though, which ironically is a vast improvement over that of the Fantom 7. 

 

I had considered the Take 5 and others, but am now dreaming of a full-size keys PolyFreak. Between the coverage I already have, and how badly Korg has bungled the Nautilus AT issue, I'm strongly considering offloading my Nautilus 61 and banking the $$ toward an eventual PolyFreak.

[GovernorSilver]

My own "gotta have real analog" phase/thing/whatever mellowed out a while back.  My appetite for that has been satisfied by the Moog Matriarch and Prophet 5 Desktop.

 

Much more appreciative of my digital synths these days.

[ProfD]

1 hour ago, allan_evett said:

Having an Arturia MiniFreak does help to scratch that itch, though I'm not thrilled by the mini keys...

 

I had considered the Take 5 and others, but am now dreaming of a full-size keys PolyFreak. Between the coverage I already have, and how badly Korg has bungled the Nautilus AT issue, I'm strongly considering offloading my Nautilus 61 and banking the $$ toward an eventual PolyFreak.

The MiniFreak is a cool synth except for the mini-keys. 

 

Arturia has to do a PolyFreak.  They would clear out the sub-$1,500 synth market.

 

Although different price points, I do wonder if the PolyBrute makes the PolyFreak a non-starter.

 

I bought a Nautilus 73 a month or so before the AT was announced.  Thankfully, I'm indifferent when it comes to aftertouch. 

 

IMO, the Nautilus doesn't offer the tactility of a analog synth when it comes to programming but it can definitely produce a reasonable facsimile of the sounds.😎

[NewImprov]

15 hours ago, CyberGene said:

What do you think about your Take 5 and how often do you use it?

 

 

 

Nice Pad sound! I may take a crack at programming something similar

 

I still really, really like mine. It has become a big part of my live rig, my main solo synth, and it also covers most of the polysynth parts I need. In my setup, it is taking over from a Mainstage/AU setup, not a ROMPler. I'll admit that part of the appeal for me is nostalgic, I learned to program synths on a Prophet 5 back in the '80's, so the T5 really takes me back to that space sonically, without having to shell out for one of Sequential's new P5's. I have about 3 lead/solo patches that I have refined into feeling like they are my voice. I used to occasionally bring my MiniMoog to gigs for solos, but the T5 has made that unnecessary, I'll never sell the Mini, but it's age and value make me hesitant to take it out. Oddly, none of the lead patches I have programmed are particularly Moog-like.

 

The Sysex/patch management issues haven't really bothered me, since the new OS came out doubling the internal storage, I generally just write over another of the factory programs, knowing they are all still in the ROM portion of the memory. I keep the first 2 banks for the patches I use the most on gigs. I do use the Sound Tower editor to back up patches, but generally program from the front panel.

 

I don't really have a new flagship digital synth, and the T5 is the only analog poly I currently own, but it has really been great for me.

[ProfD]

13 hours ago, NewImprov said:

I keep the first 2 banks for the patches I use the most on gigs. I do use the Sound Tower editor to back up patches, but generally program from the front panel.

Excellent patch management.

 

The tactility of an analog synth makes it easy to change sounds using the patches as a template especially when gigging.😎

[marino]

I'm in the process of shrinking my synth rig, and when it's completed, probably there will be space for a new analog poly. I have tried the T5 (I talked about it here a while ago) and I absolutely loved it. I realize that its sonic range is limited, but what the hell, it sounds good to my ears and that's what counts. Otoh I have the Poly Evolver Rack - and the Mono Evolver Keyboard to program it. They sound *kind of* similar: The T5 sounds richer and more detailed, while the PER has a wilder character and more programming features. And 500 of my own sounds inside...

Btw I'm in no hurry, I can wait and also see if other interesting instruments come out in the meantime - and no, I can't afford a Trigon, or an OBX8.

 

On the matter of praticality: To my ears, nothing can replace the sound of two or three real VCOs into a real, good VCF. In several cases a digital replica or a sample can be useful, but it's like playing a real piano vs. a good digital or software piano. It sounds ok, but it's just not the same experience.

 

[ProfD]

39 minutes ago, marino said:

On the matter of praticality: To my ears, nothing can replace the sound of two or three real VCOs into a real, good VCF. In several cases a digital replica or a sample can be useful, but it's like playing a real piano vs. a good digital or software piano. It sounds ok, but it's just not the same experience.

Absolute truth.

 

Being able to afford to indulge in that experience is wonderful too.

 

Otherwise, while it's a compromise, the reasonable facsimiles work for the average musician's circumstances especially when gigging.😎

[Dave Number Four]

I found one of these in a store to try, and it seemed great for what I'm after.

 

One question: the filter cutoff knob seemed a little laggy. Like if it was mostly closed, and I quickly opened it, the sound would catch up maybe 200 or 300 ms later.

 

I'm not much of a synth guy, so not sure if that's normal. I have a Behringer model D, and the cutoff on it feels more real-time.

 

Just wondering if there's any settings in the board that could be causing this (like if the envelopes somehow interact with the cutoff knob, etc), or if it's normal, or maybe a bad display unit.

 

The synth sounded pretty great overall.

[bjosko]

There is no delay on the cutoff.

But don’t expect a Moog like ladder filter, this one ar more gently, and typical Sequential / Prophet.

I just stumbled across this video that show some examples from the mod matrix.

Nice sounds, but from his own programming, and he know what he is doing.

Now, back to that strangulated cat sound here …. 😬

 

 

[CyberGene]

I watched it and even posted that the video makes me postpone selling mine for a while. But realistically I just like my Hydrasynth so much more.