Prophet-5
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 polyphonic synthesizer with fully programmable memory. This allowed users to store sounds and recall them instantly rather than having to reprogram them manually.
| Prophet-5 | |
|---|---|
A Prophet-10 Rev 4, a 10-voice version of the Prophet-5 | |
| Manufacturer | Sequential |
| Dates | 1978–84, 2020– (Prophet-5) 1977, 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) US$4,299 (Rev 4, 10-voice, 2020) |
| 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 change sounds, with no guarantee of exactly recreating a sound. The Prophet-5 facilitated a move from synthesizers creating unpredictable sounds to producing "a standard package of familiar sounds".: 385 It 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.