The Return of a Legend

The new Prophet-5 marks Dave Smith’s timely return to the analog poly synth that changed the world. It’s “the best of all Prophet-5s,” as Dave describes it, because it combines all three revisions of the legendary synth — Rev1, Rev2, and Rev3 — using genuine Curtis analog VCOs and filters (as in the Rev3) along with new 2140 low-pass filters designed by Dave Rossum, similar to the 2040 filters he created for the original Rev1 and Rev2. A Rev switch lets you select between the two filter designs. It also adjusts the Filter Envelope’s shape and response to match either the original Prophet Rev 1/2 or Rev 3 accordingly.

The result is as pure a revival of an analog classic as you could hope for, with the authentic, robust sound of the original and the reliability of a state-of-the-art modern instrument.

Vintage Sound, Vintage Knob

Besides sourcing genuine Prophet-5 hardware components, we conducted extensive research into what exactly gave the original its warm, organic, and lively sound. We discovered that much of this desirable character came from slight fluctuations and differences in the response times and frequencies of the individual VCOs, filters, envelopes, and amplifiers from voice to voice.

To bring the same mojo to the new Prophet-5, we created the Vintage knob. Use it to dial in as much old-school randomness as you want. Adjust from a very stable “4” — as in Prophet-5 Rev4, our internal name for the new version — all the way down to “1,” as in Prophet-5 Rev1, the rarest and most temperamental of all Prophet-5s.

Poly Mod and Enhanced Unison

Along with the unmistakable tone of its oscillators and filters, much of the classic Prophet-5 sound came from Poly Mod, which is faithfully included here as well. True to the original, modulation sources are the Filter Envelope and Oscillator B. Destinations include Oscillator A frequency, Oscillator A pulse width, and the low-pass filter. The range of sounds possible defies its simplicity. Another welcome return is Unison mode, now featuring configurable voice count (1-5 voices) with variable detuning, and chord memory. Glide now works both in and out of Unison mode.

Velocity and Aftertouch

While our goal was to make the new Prophet-5 as accurate, authoritative, and true to the original as possible, we couldn’t resist adding a couple of modern enhancements to boost expressiveness: velocity sensitivity and aftertouch. These allow the new Prophet-5 to perform in ways the original never could, putting filter sweeps, LFO modulation, and volume changes at your fingertips.

Effortless to Program

The purity of the new Prophet’s sound is matched only by its ease of programming. The knob-per-function front panel gives you instant gratification and immediate access to all sound-shaping controls. Turning off the Preset button enables live panel mode, where the Prophet-5 switches to the current settings of its knobs and switches. What you see is exactly what you hear. Included are 200 permanent factory programs and 200 rewritable user programs, including the original 40-program sound set from 1978 that appeared on countless recordings and film soundtracks then and since.

Expandable to 10 Voices

With the optional Voice Expansion Card, you can double the Prophet-5’s polyphony to ten voices. This also enables bi-timbral operation, available on 10-voice-capable Prophets. This means you can play two different programs simultaneously. In this mode, each program is allocated five voices. Use this feature to layer two programs for thicker, more powerful pads or chord stabs. Alternatively, split the keyboard into two independent performance zones and play synth bass in the lower range and leads or chords in the upper range.

The Whole Package

All this punchy, powerful analog goodness is housed in a full, five-octave, semi-weighted Fatar keyboard with USB, MIDI, Gate, and CV inputs/outputs, and a premium-quality steel and hand-oiled sustainable black walnut heartwood body that makes it as satisfying to look at as it is to hear and play.

Because each Prophet-5 features hand-selected woods, grain and color can vary widely, making each instrument one of a kind.

The new Prophet-5 — history never looked or sounded better.