Prophet-5
Synthesizer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the American company Sequential. It was designed by Dave Smith and John Bowen in 1977. It was the first polyphonic synthesizer with fully programmable memory.
Prophet-5 | |
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Manufacturer | Sequential |
Dates | 1978–84, 2020– (Prophet-5) 1977,[1] 1981–84, 2020– (Prophet-10) |
Price | US$3,995 (Rev 1, 2) US$4,595 (Rev 3) US$3,499 (Rev 4, 5-voice, 2020)[2] US$4,299 (Rev 4, 10-voice, 2020)[2] |
Technical specifications | |
Polyphony | 5 voices (Prophet-5) 10 voices (Prophet-10) |
Timbrality | Monotimbral (Prophet-5) Multitimbral (Prophet-10) |
Oscillator | 2 VCOs per voice |
LFO | 1 |
Synthesis type | Analog subtractive Analog FM (Poly-Mod) |
Filter | 4-pole resonant low-pass |
Attenuator | ADSR envelope (2) |
Aftertouch expression | No on Rev1 to Rev3, Yes on Rev4 |
Velocity expression | No on Rev1 to Rev3, Yes on Rev4 |
Storage memory | 40 patches (120 patches on later units, 200 patches on the Rev4 iteration) |
Effects | None |
Input/output | |
Keyboard | 61 keys (Prophet-5 (all versions), Prophet-10 (1977, Rev 4)) Double 61 key manuals (Prophet-10 (1981-84)) |
Left-hand control | Pitch and modulation wheels |
External control | CV/Gate Proprietary serial interface MIDI (Rev 4 only) |
Before the Prophet-5, synthesizers required users to adjust controls to change sounds, with no guarantee of exactly recreating a sound. Sequential used microprocessors to allow users to recall sounds instantly rather than having to recreate them manually. The Prophet-5 facilitated a move from synthesizers creating unpredictable sounds to producing "a standard package of familiar sounds".[3]: 385
The Prophet-5 became a market leader and was widely used in popular music and film soundtracks. 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. Sequential also released several further Prophet synthesizers, such as the Prophet '08.