Korg Prophecy

Prophecy

Prophecy
Manufactured by	Korg
Dates	1995
Price	£1000
Technical specifications
Polyphony	Monophonic
Timbrality	Monotimbral
Synthesis type	Physical modeling
Attenuator	4
Memory	2x64 locations, 512k RAM card
Effects	1x5
Input/output
Keyboard	37-key Aftertouch + Velocity
Left-hand control	Pitch, Modulation, Log Wheel, Ribbon
External control	MIDI

The Korg Prophecy is considered one of the earliest (mid-nineties) "virtual analog" (a.k.a. VA) synthesizers, although its synthesis capabilities went beyond many of its VA contemporaries.

Along with the Korg Trinity, this little synth is a direct ancestor of the ill-fated OASYS project^{[citation needed]}. It was a small 3-octave monosynth, a pioneer of the late 1990s "return-to-analog" trend. Offering assignable knobs, a "log controller" (a mix-up of a modulation wheel and ribbon controller assembled like a "sausage") and many other control sources, it invited players to tweak and shape the sound both easily and quickly. Deep editing, however, wasn't as straightforward, because the sound engine contained no less than 13 DSP-modeled oscillator types, each one offering too many parameters to adjust. Probably, the most valuated and used DSP models were the analog model (based on the classic osc+filter+amp scheme, although with many powerful enhancements), the VPM model (some sort of FM synthesis which cleverly avoided Yamaha's FM patent) and the "physical modeling" algorithms. The latter deserves special mention. In the mid to late 1990s, it was believed that digital "physical modeling", which recreated the sound of acoustic instruments (brass, strings, woodwinds, etc.) using DSP algorithms instead of samples, would eventually replace sample-based synthesis of those instruments, because of its unprecedented realism and expressiveness. As time passed, physical modeling seemed to lose its appeal to both manufacturers (because of the cost of investigation and implementation) and final users, who complained about the realism of the models and limited polyphony. Also, more complex playing techniques were required to play the models in a convincing way. Nevertheless, the Prophecy's low cost and broad implementation of sound generation techniques earned it a significant place in synthesizer history.

Technically, the Prophecy offered one-note monophony, a decent set of effects (including distortion, wave shaping, delay/reverb and chorus/flanger), and 128 memory locations for user sound programs. No disk drive or sequencer was included, but its integrated arpeggiator was a source of "instant gratification", as some magazines put it. Standard MIDI features and a pair of audio outputs were also offered.

Korg made a major breakthrough at the time, offering a low cost expansion card for Trinity users, which incorporated the whole sound engine of the Prophecy into the already powerful workstation. Gone was the arpeggiator and some minor features, but the editing was much improved through the Trinity's big touchscreen, and the workstation's effects processing was a huge improvement over the Prophecy's basic set.

A direct descendant of the Prophecy was the much vaunted Korg Z1 (1998). It was the equivalent of a 12-note polyphonic Prophecy, with enhanced models, more physical control, 61-note keyboard, bigger screen, 6-part multitimbrality, more presets and two powerful programmable twin arpeggiators. However, its higher cost and lack of "sonic identity" to some people (because of the multiple DSP models offered, most players didn't get what the synth was all about) led to a market failure, being discontinued soon. Most musicians deferred for simpler but more immediate "virtual analog" synths, such as the Roland JP-8000 or the Clavia Nord Lead. However, the Z1 today is, as many past synths, a rare gem and is highly sought by musicians and synthesists. Eventually Korg found a way of integrating the Z1 inside the Trinity in the same way as with the Prophecy (marketing the units as V3 versions) but clipped the polyphony to 6 voices and removed the arpeggiator, as on the previous Prophecy card. Trinity units expanded with this card are highly sought in the used market, often at premium prices.

Options

• DS-1 Damper Pedal
• EC-5 Multi Footpedal External Controller
• EXP-2 Foot Controller
• PHC-11 Analogue & Vintage ROM Card
• PHC-12 Modern Models ROM Card
• PS-1 Pedal Switch
• PS-2 Pedal Switch
• SRC-512 512k RAM Card
• XVP-10 Expression/Volume Pedal

Notable users

• 808 State
• Radiohead
• Daft Punk
• David Bowie
• Depeche Mode
• Orbital
• Ozric Tentacles
• CoLD SToRAGE
• The Prodigy
• Joe Zawinul
• Pet Shop Boys
• Eat Static
• Russkiy Razmer
• Mansun
• Akira Yamaoka
• The Crystal Method
• Apollo 440

External links & References

• Progenie Korg Prophecy patch editor for Windows
• Korg Prophecy Korg Product Archive
• Brochure for the Korg Prophecy at Korg Brochure Archive
• Korg PHC-11 & PHC-12 ROM Cards Sound on Sound review
• Polynominal Korg Prophecy audio clips and manual