GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN - Creamware ASB Pro 12!

I know I recently mentioned the Creamware ASB Pro 12 in my Roland Boutique post, but honestly, it is too good of a synth to not deserve a post just for it, so here it goes!
Sadly, this synth gets a "GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN" post, as I got rid of it few years ago...

I know it was the right thing to do back then, but considering how good it sounds, and how easy it was to create your own sounds, it is definitely a synth I wouldn't mind getting back!

If you don't believe in me, just have a look at the 4 videos I recorded before selling it!

Watching these videos again makes me a bit sad, cause it really sounded good and it was really easy to create amazing new sounds!

I can't tell you how well it compares with the original Sequential Prophet 5 / 10, as I never tried one, but remember reading that it was better at emulating that classic than Dave Smith Instruments own Prophet 08, which is actually analog!

Anyway, it's definitely a great synth on its own!

So, why did I sell it?

I can't remember exactly what I ended up using the money for back then, but I know there was another synth I really wanted and this one ended up being the one I chose to sacrifice...

Fortunately I had (and still have) an amazing Creamware Noah EX Final Edition, along with another "regular" Creamware Noah EX that is unfortunately broken (another thing I have to get fixed...), which have the amazing classic synth emulations they ported to the ASB series later on!

Actually... I am not entirely sure the Prophet emulation is exactly the same, but it sounds great anyway!

Sure, the interface is not as immediate to create new sounds, but that doesn't mean it's too hard to come up with new sounds... 

Yes, you need to go thru different pages to fully edit your sounds, but since you have 4 knobs under the screen, it's completely fine, despite dedicated knobs would always be a better option (but one that wouldn't really make sense considering you have different synths available in the Creamware Noah).

Another thing I didn't really enjoy with the Creamware ASB Pro 12 is that the interface doesn't really feel like a whole... 

You have an interface to create your synth sounds, with dedicated knobs, and then you have another interface for the rest that is quite cryptic... 

In practice, it didn't really matter, because I always chose to bypass the effects and use external effects units instead. 

But if I wanted to edit my effects, it just didn't feel as simple as editing the synth sounds.

And last but not least, you couldn't really store your sounds in a computer using Sysex... 

You needed to use Creamware's own software, which would only run on old computers, or you couldn't transfer your sounds at all (at least I couldn't find a way to do that), which was seriously annoying...

For all that, and also because I know I would love to eventually get a real Sequential Prophet 5 / 10, I felt it was the right choice back then to sell it!

However, it is definitely a synth I can totally recommend!

If you want a portable synth that is easy to program and with a great sound, it definitely fits the bill!

And if you want that Sequential Prophet 5 / 10 sound and don't want to pay as much (you should be able to find one for less than 1/3 of the price of a brand new Sequential Prophet 10 module), it should also be a great choice, but again, I haven't compared both...

Anyway, I know I definitely wouldn't mind getting another one, if I found a great opportunity!

But since I am not gigging around (my concerts are all performed in the studio), to really benefit from having a light desktop unit, unless I really find a great opportunity, I think it would be better to just get the real deal... Finally! :D