Sequential renews the legend of the Prophet-5 and adds the Prophet-10
5,0 / 5,0 | 
What?!? Sequential is bringing back the Prophet-5? And wait, there’s a Prophet-10? What in holy analog synthesizer heaven is going on? (genuine reaction).
Prophet-5
How can this be? After 36 years they just decide to reintroduced the synthesizer that changed the world, the synthesizer I drooled over as a kid and still remains the synth I secretly desire out of all the other polysynths that came after it. Dave Smith has just changed the game by reaching back and pulling a legend back into being. He says that it will embody all three versions of the Prophet-5. It will use genuine Curtis analog VCOs and filters (Rev3), the original 2040 filter as well as a new 2140 low-pass filter designed by Dave Rossum.
The result is as pure a renewal of an analog classic as you could wish for, with the authentic, muscular sound of the original and the roadworthiness of a state-of-the-art modern instrument.
Sequential Prophet-5 · Source: Sequential
They’ve created a “Vintage Knob” that lets you dial in the crankiness of the earlier versions. They’ve researched every aspect of what made the Prophet-5 awesome and built it into the way the analogue components react to one another.
Poly Mod is there along with an enhanced Unison that can go up to 5 voices with variable detuning and chord memory. Even the Glide now works both in and out of Unison. There are 200 permanent factory presets including the original 40 from 1978 and room for 200 of your own. Out the back you have MIDI, USB and Gate and CV in/outs.
Sequential Prophet-5 rear · Source: Sequential
The Prophet-5 looks exactly like it should – like a Prophet-5, with steel and hand-oiled sustainable black walnut heartwood and a deceptively sedate look of simplicity and power. Wow, just wow.
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Prophet-10
Dave Smith is not done yet. As far as I can work out the Prophet-10 is exactly the same as the Prophet-5 but with 10 voices. Back in the day Dave designed the Prophet-5 so that it could also be a 10-voice with an additional voice card but they had problems with stability and overheating. They ended up boosting the synth into the dual keyboard Prophet-10 to improve the situation. But this time around we’re assuming the issues have been sorted and we find the new Prophet-10 in its original single keyboard form. Makes you wonder why they just didn’t bump the 5 up to 10 voices – would that be ridiculous?
Source: Sequential
Sequential Prophet-10
Dave had said back on his birthday back in April that he was working on a new synthesizer and I guess this was it. It’s his 70th birthday gift to the world.
I am blown away by the audacity of Dave Smith and what he’s doing with Sequential. This isn’t a clone or a reimagining this is the original company bringing back a much-cherished product in an uncompromising way and the synth community is going to go nuts.
Both models will be available in October. The Prophet-5 has a price of $3,499 or €3469 and the Prophet-10 comes in at $4,299 or €4265.
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8 responses to “Sequential renews the legend of the Prophet-5 and adds the Prophet-10”
Such great news, well happy to see these again. I want one!
OMG , agreed, 2020 is a year you dont want to go back to the future to. But all the synth news from last year and this year is just awesome ! I mean yesterday the arp2600 behringer in production and now the prophet 5/10 ? Get the hell out of here …
Finally great news for 2020.
“Back in the day you could get a voice card for the Prophet-5 to add another 5 voices ”
No you couldn’t. This is absolutely not true and in fact the opposite of what Dave Smith has stated in his recent video.
Dave says in his video at around the 7minute mark he says he “designed is so it could also be a 10-voice by adding a second voice card”.
Do your research Robin Vincent:
1) “It will use…the original 2040 filter as well as a new 2140 low-pass filter designed by Dave Rossum.”
WRONG. Did you just write down every chip number and decide to include them in your article? The 2040 is the original SSM filter. The 2140 is a clone of it. Only the 2140 is in the new Prophet.
2) “Back in the day you could get a voice card for the Prophet-5 to add another 5 voices but this time around you can make that choice straight up.”
WRONG. LOL. Did you just make that up? Back in the day the Prophet-10 came out first, but overheated, so they reduced it to 5 voices. You could add a single-voice card to the OBXa or OBX, but not the Prophet-5. The later dual-manual Prophet-10 was a separate beast.
3) They’ve researched “ever” aspect… WRONG. I think you meant “every” aspect.
If you’re going to write an article for “gearnews”, please check your grammar and make sure what you know about the gear you are reviewing.
Cor geez, that’s a bit harsh my friend. According to the Sequential website ” through the use of genuine Curtis analog VCOs and filters (as in the Rev3) as well as new 2140 low-pass filters designed by Dave Rossum, like the 2040 filters he designed in the original Rev1 and Rev2. A Rev switch lets you choose between the two filter designs.” Which is what I said right? The bit about the voice cards on the Prophet-5 I read in my research of this article but I’m damned if I can find that little nugget of information now – but that’s what the Rev 1 was right? I associate the Prophet-10 with the dual-keyboard behemoth which was why I was drawn to the idea of simply adding voice cards to the Prophet-5. Anyway, I have clarified that part of the article because it was definitely a bit lacking. And thanks for pointing out the typo – which is a spelling mistake rather than a grammatical one but who’s splitting hairs 😀
Update – aha, I found the reference for the voice card – Dave says in his video at around the 7minute mark he says he “designed is so it could also be a 10-voice by adding a second voice card”. So i guess my research came from the guy who designed the thing. I do try my best to get things right – doesn’t always work but i try!
When i watched the intro video i thought that Dave said the guy who designed the 2040 had done the 2140 and that is what is in the Rev 4.
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