The legendary knob-per-function analogue synthesiser, which we dubbed as the the third greatest synth of the ’80s, has been out of production for over 35 years, and is considered by many fanatics as the be-all end-all of polyphonic analogue – and as such, a pipe dream to ever own, until now.
Combining the best aspects of the three prior revision runs, Dave Smith says that the new reissue will make use of the original 2040 filter as well as the Curtis analogue filters and VCOs of the Rev3, as well as a new Dave Rossum-designed 2140 low-pass filter. The reissue also features the addition of a glorious Vintage control, which lets you enhance the analogue character of the Prophet-5 to replicate the wonkiness of those old school units.
Elsewhere, the Prophet-5 offers the classic sound of Poly Mod, as well as that powerful Unison mode you know and love and an improved portamento that works with both modes. Dave Smith has also up-skilled the Prophet-5 to suit the modern player by adding in velocity sensitivity and aftertouch, making the synth sound more expressive than anyone could have ever dreamed.
If that doesn’t seal the deal, Sequential have equipped the Prophet-5 with USB, MIDI, Gate and CV I/O, and they’ve even included the original factory presets from 1978 on top of an extra 160 factory patches and 200 slots to store your own.
As if the news of a new Prophet-5 wasn’t already enough, Sequential have also revealed an even more powerful ten-voice variant, fittingly titled the Prophet-10. We can’t imagine either model will be cheap, but damn, after the year that 2020 has been, this is one hell of a pleasant surprise.
Head to Sequential for all the specs, and get in touch with Audio Chocolate for local inquiries.
