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Prophet-5

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Prophet-5
ManufacturerSequential
Dates1978–84, 2020–
PriceUS$3,995 (Rev 1, 2)
US$4,595 (Rev 3)
US$3,499 (Rev 4, 5-voice, 2020)[1]
Technical specifications
Polyphony5 voices
TimbralityMonotimbral
Oscillator2 VCOs per voice
LFO1
Synthesis typeAnalog subtractive
Analog FM (Poly-Mod)
Filter4-pole resonant low-pass
AttenuatorADSR envelope (2)
Aftertouch expressionNo on Rev1 to Rev3, Yes on Rev4
Velocity expressionNo on Rev1 to Rev3, Yes on Rev4
Storage memory40 patches (120 patches on later units, 200 patches on the Rev4 iteration)
EffectsNone
Input/output
Keyboard61 keys
Left-hand controlPitch and modulation wheels
External controlCV/Gate
Proprietary serial interface
MIDI (Rev 4 only)

The Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the American company Sequential. It was designed by Dave Smith and John Bowen in 1977, who used microprocessors, then a new technology, to create the first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer. Unlike other synthesizers at the time, the Prophet-5 had patch memory, allowing users to store sounds rather than having to reprogram them manually. This facilitated a move from synthesizers creating unpredictable sounds to producing "a standard package of familiar sounds".[2]: 385 

Between 1978 and 1984, about 6,000 units were produced across three revisions. In 1981, Sequential released a 10-voice, double-keyboard version, the Prophet-10. Sequential introduced new versions in 2020, and it has been emulated in software synthesizers and hardware. The Prophet-5 has been widely used in popular music and film soundtracks.

Development

"Twice Around the Sun"
From the 1987 jazz album Ecotopia by the band Oregon, this song starts with the Prophet-10 played solo by Ralph Towner. He is joined at ten seconds by Paul McCandless on soprano saxophone, with synth and horn each repeating the theme. Bass and percussion come in at 20 seconds.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The Prophet-5 was created in 1977 by Dave Smith and John Bowen at Sequential Circuits.[3] At the time, Smith had a full-time job working with microprocessors, then a new technology. Smith conceived the idea of combining them with synthesizer chips to create a programmable synthesizer; this would allow users to save sounds to memory, rather than having to recreate them manually.[4] He did not pursue the idea, assuming Moog or ARP would design the instrument first.[4] When no instrument emerged, in early 1977, Smith quit his job to work full-time on the idea.[4]

Initially, Smith and Bowen developed the Prophet-10, a synthesizer with ten voices of polyphony; however, it was unstable and quickly overheated, creating tuning problems. Smith and Bowen removed half the electronics, reducing the voices to five and creating the Prophet-5.[3] Smith demonstrated the Prophet-5 at NAMM in January 1978 and shipped the first models later that year.[5]

Production

Three versions were built between 1978 and 1984. The first, Revision 1, was hand-assembled and produced quickly to generate initial revenue; only 182 were made. Revision 2 was mass-produced in quantities over 1,000; this model was more robust, added cassette patch storage, and replaced the koa wood casing with walnut.[3] Revision 3 replaced the Solid State Music (SSM) chipset with Curtis Electromusic Specialties (CEM) chips, necessitating a major redesign. According to Sound on Sound, Revision 3 "remained impressive and pleasant to play, but was slightly cold and featureless by comparison to earlier models".[3] In all, approximately 6,000 Prophet-5 synthesizers were produced.[3]

In the Prophet-10, a pair of Prophet-5 sound boards provide ten voices

In 1981, Sequential Circuits released the Prophet-10, featuring 10 voices, 20 oscillators, and a double manual keyboard. Like the Prophet-5 Revision 3, it uses CEM chips.[3] The first Prophet-10s used an Exatron Stringy Floppy drive for saving patches and storing sequencer data. Sequential later moved to a Braemar tape drive, which was more reliable and could store about four times as many sequencer events.[3] In 2020, Sequential reissued the Prophet-5 along with a new version of the Prophet-10, the Rev 4.[6][7][1][8]

Features

Early Prophet-5s use voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), filter and amplifier chips designed by E-mu Systems and manufactured by Solid State Music (SSM). Revision 3 Prophet-5s used Curtis CEM chips manufactured by Curtis Electromusic Specialties. Some owners maintain that SSM oscillators produce a richer timbre.[9][better source needed] However, the SSM oscillators rendered the instruments unstable and prone to detuning over time. CEM chips have remained more stable.[10]

Unlike its nearest competitor in the 1970s, the Yamaha CS-80, the Prophet-5 has patch memory, allowing users to store sounds rather than having to reprogram them manually.[11] It has a proprietary serial interface that allows the user to play using the Prophet Remote, a sling-style keytar controller; the interface cannot connect the Prophet-5 to other devices. Sequential produced a MIDI interface that could be retrofitted to later Prophet-5 models. Third-party MIDI interfaces have also been offered.[3]

Impact

Before the Prophet-5, synthesizers required users to adjust cables and knobs to change sounds, with no guarantee of exactly recreating a sound.[2] The Prophet-5, with its ability to save sounds to patch memory, facilitated a move from synthesizers creating unpredictable sounds to producing "a standard package of familiar sounds".[2]: 385 

The Prophet-5 became a market leader and industry standard.[12] Michael Jackson used it extensively on Thriller (1982), and Madonna used it on Like a Virgin (1984).[12] Radiohead used the Prophet-5 on their 2000 album Kid A, such as on the song "Everything In Its Right Place".[13] Brad Fiedel used a Prophet-10 to record the soundtrack for The Terminator (1984),[14] and the filmmaker John Carpenter used both the Prophet-5 and Prophet-10 extensively for his soundtracks.[15] Peter Gabriel considered the Prophet-5 his "old warhorse" synthesizer, using it for many sounds on his 1986 album So.[16] Other users include Tony Banks,[17] Phil Collins,[18] Tangerine Dream, Dr. Dre[12] and John Harrison.[12]

Successors and emulations

Sequential Prophet-6 (2015)

Smith released several further synthesizers with the Prophet name, including the Pro-One,[19] the Prophet VS,[20] the Prophet '08[21] and the Prophet-6.[22] In 2020, Sequential announced a new version of the Prophet-5, the Rev 4. It adds features including USB and MIDI connectivity, velocity and aftertouch sensitivity, polyphonic glide, and two sets of filters.[6] Sequential also announced a new Prophet-10, initially released as a ten-voice single manual monotimbral version of the Rev 4.[8]

Bowen provided consultation for Native Instruments during the development of the Pro 5 software synthesizer emulation, released in 1999. It was followed by the Pro 52 in 2000 and the Pro 53 in 2003.[23][24][25] Bowen also provided consultation for Creamware for their 2003 software emulations, the Prophet and Prophet Plus.[25] Arturia released another emulation, the Prophet V, in 2006.[20] In 2018, U-he released the Repro-5.[26] Third parties have created clones of the Prophet-5, such as PikoPiko Factory's Prophet-Mini in 2020[27] and Behringer's Pro-16 in 2021.[28]

References

  1. ^ a b "Prophet-5 Returns!" (Press release). San Francisco, California: Sequential. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Pinch, Trevor; Trocco, Frank (2004). Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01617-0.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Reid, Gordon (March 1999). "Sequential Circuits – Prophet Synthesizers 5 & 10 (Retro)". Sound on Sound. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "Dave Smith in his own words". Keyboard. 2013-06-11. Archived from the original on 2013-06-11. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  5. ^ Preve, Francis (23 July 2012). "Dave Smith in His Own Words". Keyboardmag. Archived from the original on 2013-06-11. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  6. ^ a b Rogerson, Ben (2020-10-01). "Sequential announces a new Prophet-5, a faithful reboot of one of the greatest synths of all time". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2021-12-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Sequential Prophet 5 Product Page". Sequential.com. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  8. ^ a b Esen, Aykan (2020-10-03). "Sequential Renews The Prophet-5 And Introduces The Prophet-10". Attack Magazine. Retrieved 2021-12-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Sequential Circuits Prophet 5". Vintage Synth Explorer. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
  10. ^ Forrest, Peter (1996). The A-Z of Analogue Synthesisers Part Two. Short Run Press Ltd. p. 114.
  11. ^ "The 14 most important synths in electronic music history – and the musicians who use them". FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music. 2016-09-15. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  12. ^ a b c d "The 14 most important synths in electronic music history – and the musicians who use them". Fact. 2016-09-15. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  13. ^ "The 14 synthesizers that shaped modern music". The Vinyl Factory. 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
  14. ^ Seth Stevenson, What Is the Time Signature of the Ominous Electronic Score of The Terminator?, Slate, Published 26 February 2014, Accessed 27 February 2014.
  15. ^ Paul Tingen. "John Carpenter - Film Director & Composer". Sound on Sound. No. July 2016.
  16. ^ Hammond, Ray (January 1987). "Peter Gabriel - Behind The Mask". muzines.co.uk. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  17. ^ "Tony Banks talks new album A Chord Too Far and his favourite synthesizer of all time". Musicradar. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  18. ^ "Classic Tracks: Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight"". Mixonline. 2005-05-01. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  19. ^ "SCI Pro1". Sound on Sound. March 1994. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015.
  20. ^ a b Reid, Gordon (September 2006). "Arturia Prophet V". Sound on Sound. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  21. ^ "Dave Smith in his own words". Keyboard. 2013-06-11. Archived from the original on 2013-06-11. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  22. ^ "Dave Smith Instruments Sequential Prophet 6". Sound on Sound. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ Price, Simon (October 2006). "10 Years Of Native Instruments". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ Inglis, Sam (August 2005). "NI Xpress Keyboards". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ a b Wherry, Mark (June 2003). "Zarg Music Prophet & Prophet Plus 3.1". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ^ Scarth, Greg (2018-03-07). "Attention to Detail: U-he Repro-5". Attack Magazine. Retrieved 2021-12-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. ^ Esen, Aykan (2020-10-01). "New Japanese Company Tweets Images Of A Prophet-mini In The Works". Attack Magazine. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ Sheah, Daniel (2021-08-02). "Behringer completes prototype of Prophet-5 recreation, going "full force" into firmware development". MusicTech. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sequential Circuits Prophet-5.
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