Found my 1981 Pro-One in loft!

[OneWorld]

Ouch! Hope you've not done anything serious to yourself! Might be worth getting checked out if you're in pain. Shoulders are complicated joints and easily damaged.

I had a similarly slapstick accident at the Sky TV studios a few years back, carrying a large and heavy Yamaha dm1000 console. Didn't spot a shallow step up onto the studio floor, tripped and then did several progressively out-of-control lunges before giving up and face planting while throwing the console in front of me. We both landed heavily, but the console worked perfectly afterwards with no damage whatsoever. I was bruised and sore for a few days.

Did you manage to 'fix it in the mix' ?

[Forum Admin]

Apologies - not been able to bring the synth from my studio yet. Yesterday, I stupidly carried an old Mackie mixer out of my garden studio and forgot the decking had rotted and been removed, so there was a six-inch drop where I thought the surface was...

This caused me to fall forward while carrying the mixer (heavier than I recall) while attempting to comically jump over bricks that had been left under the previous decking, and 10ft later I fell and chucked the mixer in its box to the left, to avoid it stabbing me in the chest. This act threw me to the right and I landed badly on my lawn on my shoulder bone/arm and jolted my neck and arm muscles. Was in agony all night and stiff as a board this morning. Now it's painful to type. Collapsed on the lawn to get my breath back only to have my wife rush out thinking I'd had a heart attack.

So I am cautiously waiting until the weekend to go back to the scene and carry out the Pro-One (unboxed)!

It Lives!!! ...Well sort of...

Ian's SCI Pro-One from his loft, after it's first workout in donkey's years... Needed a little inspiration dug out Tangerine Dream's greatest hits CD.

Initially the power button on the rear-right (when viewed from the front) would not turn on no matter how hard I pressed. At the 8th try it clicked on and the tell-tale sign that it was once again a living beast of a mono synth was the red Gate light illuminating upon every key press. But it sounded horrible on headphones, dry. Not even sure the DT770 Pro's were compatible with P1's Audio Out but gave it a try anyway. Turned up the volume and Bingo! We have sound.

"Drat, the keyboard tracking is shot", I thought... Then I twigged I had left the Mode set to Drone...

After a sip of coffee, I set to adjusting a patch and there it was, that syncing feeling. But half the keys are a swine to press down and one will not spring itself back up... bit of TLC will help.

I haven't yet opened up the guts to inspect, but the exterior casing and knobs are in showroom condition. And the end cheek wood grain is well-oiled -- which is amazing since I only wrapped it in a kitchen tea towel years ago when I put it in the studio loft/attic one Christmas to make space for some review equipment I'd brought home to check out (I used to do that sort of thing so I knew when a written review I was subbing was missing the mark, or not).

So, PROMISING is my evaluation thus far... but I do suspect the keybed could do with a replacement (recommendations as to which synth repairer to approach would be greatly appreciated).

And finally... after Nurofen managed to keep my shoulder/arm pain away, my visit to the doc today resulted in her dismissing it as "nothing" and she recommended I took some paracetamol or ibuprofen. Ddddrrrrrrr!!

[Hugh Robjohns]

Great news all round!

[The Elf]

Indeed, looking good on all fronts!

The keyboard on the Pro-One was always an absolute pig. I would see if you can get it replaced. It's a few years since I got mine done (two of 'em), and I don't recall where they came from, but it was not UK-based. I had the engineer also replace the LEDs (gate and my custom LFO speed indicator mod) with purple ones - slurp!

I'm not sure, but it *may* have been these guys that supplied the keyboards:
https://techsmechsvintagesynth.com/prod ... cement-kit

There were two connection types, so make sure you check that they can supply the correct one - typically mine were one of each!

The replacement keyboards have been a revelation here. My Pro-One feels like a quality instrument, rather than the lighweight clacky beast it was. I'd highly recommend it.

[Forum Admin]

The replacement keyboards have been a revelation here. My Pro-One feels like a quality instrument, rather than the lighweight clacky beast it was. I'd highly recommend it.

Thanks Paul for that advice. Will explore that tip.

BTW, my serial number for the Pro-One is 5619. Not certain whether SCI did back then what lots of gear-makers do and start their serial number sequencing with an arbitrary number ie. '5' making mine model 619 (I hope). If anyone knows, would love to be enlightened on this point.

cheers,
Ian

[BJG145]

After a sip of coffee, I set to adjusting a patch and there it was, that syncing feeling.

Glad you and the Pro-One are recovering well.

[Folderol]

After a sip of coffee, I set to adjusting a patch and there it was, that syncing feeling.

Glad you and the Pro-One are recovering well.

Pah! You spoiled my fun. I was going to say exactly the same thing

[Forum Admin]

[Martin Walker]

BTW, my serial number for the Pro-One is 5619. Not certain whether SCI did back then what lots of gear-makers do and start their serial number sequencing with an arbitrary number ie. '5' making mine model 619 (I hope). If anyone knows, would love to be enlightened on this point.

Ironically, my internet searches soon turned up a lot of information re Pro-One serial numbers!

http://www.archfrenemy.com/projects/mods/sciproone.html

1. All Pro-Ones with Serial Numbers BELOW # 1500 were the ones with the Power Supply (including Heavy Transformer) Mounted on the Printed Circuit Board, which reduces durability.

2. The Pro One's with serial numbers BELOW # 8500 are equipped with the stable and easy to repair J-wire style keyboard

3. All Pro-Ones with Serial Numbers ABOVE # 8500 used the Cheap, Terrible (and Faulty!) MEMBRANE Keyboards.

So I can already tell you that your #5619 has the better quality J-wire keyboard, and doesn't have the heavy transformer hanging off the PCB

I also stumbled across one Pro-One for sale with serial number #55xx, described as being built between 1981 and 1984.
https://retrogearshop.com/products/sequ ... e-j-wire-1

Hope this helps!

Martin

[Forum Admin]

So I can already tell you that your #5619 has the better quality J-wire keyboard, and doesn't have the heavy transformer hanging off the PCB

Hope this helps!

Martin

Thanks - it does indeed help me, Martin. I think this is worth me investing in, as one reason I stopped using my 'live performance' (ie. no memories) Pro-One was mainly its clunky, clacks keyboard. When I bought it in 1981, I only had experience of the Transcendent keyed (crap) and I mainly used it in rehearsal rooms (posh name for local garage 'glass box' showroom on a Sunday and Tuesday nights) or for gigs, where ambient noise drowned out the clacks keypresses.

It deserves a nicer keyboard.

It also deserves a MIDI retrofit, so a Kenton Pro-Soloist might be added to my basket at SynthFest UK, where Kenton are exhibiting this October.

[Martin Walker]

Thanks - it does indeed help me, Martin.

[Arpangel]

What a thing to find, I had one in the nineties, it was a definitive leap from anything around when it came out, producing sounds that others weren’t capable of, it really stands out in my recordings at the time, due to its very flexible modulation routing, and unique sounding oscillators.

[Forum Admin]

This might sound like sacrilege, but I've been engrossed in YouTube videos about the Behringer Pro-1 module. It sounded pretty decent on headphones over YT to my ears and a module version would appeal to me as I need to save space. (Moving house next year and seriously downsizing.)

So, to avoid the cost of the quality keyboard retrofit and a Pro-Soloist to get it MIDIable, the Berry looks to be an utter bargain with some useful extra functions. I know it only has digital filter circuits and not the lovely Curtis chip analogue filter of the original keyboard synth, but...

So have any Forumites got a Pro-1 and do you like its sound?

[The Elf]

I thought it *did* have an analogue filter?!

The only bad reports of the Berry P1 I've heard are about the attack control, which seems to be a bit iffy at or near its minimum settings.

[Forum Admin]

I thought it *did* have an analogue filter?!

Not heard one in the flesh, so your comment is even better if it does.

The only bad reports of the Berry P1 I've heard are about the attack control, which seems to be a bit iffy at or near its minimum settings.

OK, will bear it in mind. Thanks.

[Tomás Mulcahy]

Yes it's an analogue filter. Digital envelopes is the difference with the original I think, maybe the cause of the issue Elf pointed out? They remade the original filter and oscillator chips in SMD form.

I've only used their Moog clone. It sounds superb. But the dials are really small, which is part of the Moog experience IMO. It was a lot harder to get the sweet spots compared to the big dials on a real MiniMoog. Or even Arturia Mini V controlled by my Novation KSR, which are the same size as the average dially controller. It put me off. I can see the same issue with the Behringer Pro One.

I guess though, you could sell the real Pro One and pay for several Behringer clones? Their ARP2600 did not feel small to me, and also sounds really great. I never used a real one, only the Arturia plugin.

[James Perrett]

(Moving house next year and seriously downsizing.)

Judging by the price of this one

https://mjq.co.uk/equipment/sequential- ... -for-sale/

selling it would probably pay your legal fees for moving house.

[Forum Admin]

(Moving house next year and seriously downsizing.)

Judging by the price of this one

https://mjq.co.uk/equipment/sequential- ... -for-sale/

selling it would probably pay your legal fees for moving house.

. And mine is rare, as it has the UC-1 Sequencer add-on integrated into the P1 with extra sockets (that adds another zero, doesn't it?).

[Folderol]

(Moving house next year and seriously downsizing.)

Judging by the price of this one

https://mjq.co.uk/equipment/sequential- ... -for-sale/

selling it would probably pay your legal fees for moving house.

. And mine is rare, as it has the UC-1 Sequencer add-on integrated into the P1 with extra sockets (that adds another zero, doesn't it?).

Yes, but which end of the number

[The Elf]

Yes it's an analogue filter. Digital envelopes is the difference with the original I think, maybe the cause of the issue Elf pointed out? They remade the original filter and oscillator chips in SMD form.

Yep, that's my understanding too.