Yes, there are good software emulations available for less money, so you should check the competition, but the Prodyssey offers something new. The instrument is a programmer´s dream, with an intuitive, bold surface that simply begs you to get a-twiddling. Twelve Odyssey voices lie under the slick interface and the addition of the filter section borrowed from Creamware´s MiniMoog emulation effectively ends 30 years of healthy competition as the two heavy-hitters from that period finally come together under one set of knobs and sliders. It does sound like the original Odyssey, but it also manages to be its own boss, with its own agenda and tricks. The Odyssey ASB is a bold, thoroughly great synth to play.
The two gripes with the unit are the lack of a headphone port, for which there is ample space, plus a slightly flakey power supply, which had to be twizzled in its port before working on the review model. To have both available on the same unit is great and toggling between them as a sequence plays will become a favourite live effect for onstage users. The original Odyssey´s filter was distinctive enough but was much less rich than its Moog counterpart. It's when you start tweaking that the choice of filtering becomes so wonderful. Whether you want burbling sequences or R2D2 lo-fimachine gurgles, you´ll find what you need here.Īs for the authenticity issue, once you´ve stripped away the effects, ignored the MiniMax filter and only allowed yourself a single finger press, you´ll be pleased by any direct comparison to the Odyssey. Loads of synths feature something similar, but none sound quite like this. However, it´s the wonderful sample and hold LFO that takes a star turn on many a preset that really sets the Prodyssey aside from so many of its contemporaries.
Aside from the authenticity, to which we´ll return in a moment, the Prodyssey is by turns warm, full and rich. So, how does it all sound? In two words: pretty wonderful. This will raise a few eyebrows amongst the more straightlaced synth purists, but anything that takes up shelf-space in this day and age needs to offer something unique, and this is one hell of a touch. However, by far the most significant addition is that Creamware has taken the filter section from the MiniMax ASB and incorporated it here alongside the Prodyssey´s own Odyssey filter remake. Creamware has also added the same effects as features on the MiniMax and Pro-12 ASBs. Secondly, the modulation capabilities have been overhauled so that many more parameters can move and flow from the envelopes and the LFOs. Firstly, it has upped the voice count from the original´s monophony to 12 voices. After all, this was a sound designer´s dream, with Star Wars´ and Doctor Who´s soundtracks amongst the beneficiaries.Ĭreamware has taken this core design and added a few tricks of its own. Also onboard was an LFO with a sample and hold waveform, which perhaps did more to put the Odyssey on the map than any other single feature. Then came the distinctive filter and amp sections with their envelopes.
Well, the original Odyssey featured two sync´able oscillators, with variable pulse width. This might seem like a particularly bold move, but if you just want the sound of the Odyssey then the second hand pages are for you.