# Prophet 5 is back!



## shponglefan (Oct 1, 2020)

The Prophet 5 is one of the most iconic synths and is apparently returning in a new version that includes switchable filters from the original Rev 1&2 and Rev 3 versions. Exciting!


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## apollinaire (Oct 1, 2020)

have they announced the price?


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## vitocorleone123 (Oct 1, 2020)

AND a Prophet 10

$3500 P5
$4300 P10

(pricing is what I've seen from others online)


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## heisenberg (Oct 1, 2020)

Hopefully, it doesn't have MIDI for that olde time feeling.


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## shponglefan (Oct 1, 2020)

heisenberg said:


> Hopefully, it doesn't have MIDI for that olde time feeling.



With an optional DIY MIDI retrofit kit.


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## heisenberg (Oct 1, 2020)

shponglefan said:


> With an optional DIY MIDI retrofit kit.



You beat me to it! I was going to edit my post to include that. Better use DIN jacks. None of this new fangled USB crap.


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## Mike Greene (Oct 1, 2020)

The Prophet 5 was my favorite synth back in the day. I bought my first one used from the keyboard player in the Motels. It had the "Only the Lonely" patch in it. I can't remember the price, but it was a good deal, so when I got there, I handed him the asking price. He and his wife/girlfriend kinda looked at each other and then he handed a hundred back to me, seeing I was a young pup in town who needed whatever help I could get. What a nice guy.

Years later, I had a demo studio, and a guy from Hawaii was in for a few days and saw my Prophet 5 and wanted it. I told him it wasn't for sale, but he gave me his sad story about how difficult they are to come by in Hawaii, so if there was ever a time for karma to complete the circle, this was it, so I sold it to him, since for me living in Los Angeles, it would be pretty easy to replace.

I replaced it with another one when a good deal came up in the Recycler a few weeks later. (I was a Recycler maniac every Thursday morning when it came out, and that's how I bought pretty much all my gear back then.) A similar _"Hey, can I buy your Prophet?"_ situation happened a couple years later, so I sold my second Prophet 5. Less sympathetic situation, though, so I made a tidy profit on that one.

Back to the Recycler, I found a killer deal - $400. Some guy in Woodland Hills named "Booker." I didn't ask if that name meant what I thought it meant, but when I got there, it was indeed him. I wasn't 100% positive, but the flight case (included for free - this is the days when analog synths were very much out of favor) said Booker T Jones on it, so I'm reasonably sure. Plus he told me a couple stories. (I miss the days when I'd buy gear that way.)

I still have that synth. But ... it was a sad day a few years ago when I decided I wanted to play it again, after 10 or 20 years sitting idle. A couple lights sorta flickered and it barely made a sound. And by "sound," I mean a pathetic little whimper of what it once was. It was a horrible feeling, made worse as I then checked my MiniMoog, MemoryMoog, Oberheim OBXa and Korg Poly 6. None worked. I felt sick. Only the MiniMoog is back to 100% ($1,500 later.) Then almost $2k in on the MemoryMoog with no results before I pulled the plug on it. I'm feeling sick all over again.

Sadly, vintage synths aren't the same as vintage guitars. Unlike an old guitar (or even a Rhodes or an organ), you can't just toss it into a case and come back to it 20 years later. Not just the electronics, but even things like bushings and the key bed need replacing.

So as I struggle to find a point in this rambling post, I guess it's that if I were in the market for a Prophet 5 (or a Minimoog or Arp2600), these reissues can be a lot more appealing than "the real thing." Just sayin'.


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## shponglefan (Oct 1, 2020)

Mike Greene said:


> It was horrible feeling, made worse as I then checked my MiniMoog, MemoryMoog, Oberheim OBXa and Korg Poly 6. None worked.



Although I don't have quite the collection you have, I can relate. I have a Polysix that died (dried out capacitors) and its guts are now all over my workbench as I prep it for re-capping. Vintage synths may sound great, but they do require TLC to keep in working condition.

Hopefully you can get them all back to working shape.


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## muziksculp (Oct 1, 2020)

Sequential's release of the classic Prophet 5, and Prophet 10 Synths was a big surprise to me this morning. I wasn't expecting this at all.

I have their OB-6 in desktop format, and Prophet 6, Prophet 8, and REV 2 Synths in Keyboard format. I would love it if they release the Prophet 5, and 10 as desktop models in the future.

I used to have a Prophet 5 Rev 2, in the 80's, I don't accurately remember how it sounded, or behaved, it's been too long. My favorite right now is the REV2 (16 voices). I wonder how different the new Prophet 5 Rev 4, sounds compared to the Prophet 6 , and how close to the original Prophet 5 it sounds ?

Honestly, I don't need more HW-Synths, I already have enough synths to keep me super busy, and creative, but there is always the possibility of having an episode of unexpected GAS


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## MGdepp (Oct 1, 2020)

Crazy ... next thing will be Yamaha reissuing the CS-80!  Well, at least polyphonic aftertouch is pretty much back these days.

The P5 was amazing back in the day and this one looks good. But I cannot see myself buying one of these ... if anything, I would go for a desktop version. I bet that is gonna follow at next NAMM! At least, that is what Dave did with most of his synths so far.


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## vitocorleone123 (Oct 1, 2020)

Desktop versions, not timing or pricing, have been confirmed by a Sequential employee in another forum.


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## muziksculp (Oct 1, 2020)

vitocorleone123 said:


> Desktop versions, not timing or pricing, have been confirmed by a Sequential employee in another forum.



That's great news. Thanks the feedback.

Is the Prophet 10 exact duplicate of the Prophet 5, but with double the polyphony ? or is there some other differences between them ?


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## shponglefan (Oct 1, 2020)

muziksculp said:


> Is the Prophet 10 exact duplicate of the Prophet 5, but with double the polyphony ? or is there some other differences between them ?



Sounds like it's just an extra 5 voices. No double-keyboard this time.


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## MaxOctane (Oct 1, 2020)

I just bought a P6. No regrets, just curious if Prophet5 is ”better”, or maybe a good companion?


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## vitocorleone123 (Oct 1, 2020)

MaxOctane said:


> I just bought a P6. No regrets, just curious if Prophet5 is ”better”, or maybe a good companion?



Unless you specifically want/need a P5, given that you have a P6, I see (hear) zero reason to get a P5. Get an OB-6. Or a PolyBrute, instead. Or a kick arse monosynth like the Motas 6 or one from Studio Electronics.


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## MaxOctane (Oct 1, 2020)

@vitocorleone123 I listened to *all *the OB-6 and P6 youtubes before deciding on P6, and I still don't understand how so many people say that one could have both... don't they mostly overlap (except for the famous OB-6 filter everyone talks about)? 

I _am_ looking for a monosynth. Not much space left on desk, so eyeballing a Moog Siri...


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## Gerbil (Oct 2, 2020)

It should get us 95% of the way towards the sound of a vintage one and who cares when it's buried in the mix?



Spoiler



this is a joke - just anticipating someone writing it on gearslutz/youtube


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## Mike Greene (Oct 2, 2020)

MaxOctane said:


> I just bought a P6. No regrets, just curious if Prophet5 is ”better”, or maybe a good companion?


The P6 is super cool. To me, it's a no brainer which I'd get between a reissue of the 5 and the 6. The 6 does a reasonable job of sounding like the 5, but also goes way beyond it.

Also ... I hesitate to say this because it's just my opinion, but between the Prophet 5, the MemoryMoog and the OBXa (and even my Super Jupiter, which is basically a Jupiter 8, the 4th major synth of that era), the Prophet 5 is the least "special" sounding. It definitely sounds great and is steps above my Korgs and other cheaper synths, but amongst the >$5k heavyweights, I think much of the Prophet 5's popularity was because it was a bit cheaper and more reliable than the MemoryMoog and OBXa/OB8. Eddie Van Halen originally played an OB8, for instance, but switched to a Prophet because his Oberheims kept breaking. (This is all from my memory, which is sometimes faulty, so anyone please correct me where I'm wrong.)


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## shponglefan (Oct 2, 2020)

MaxOctane said:


> I just bought a P6. No regrets, just curious if Prophet5 is ”better”, or maybe a good companion?



Probably not better, just different. The reissue P5 seems strictly about capturing the nostalgia for the original machines. Whereas the P6 is a effectively a modern poly-analog with a feature set that matches the current era of such synths.


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## SupremeFist (Oct 2, 2020)

muziksculp said:


> My favorite right now is the REV2 (16 voices).


That's surprising! As someone who is gassing after an analogue poly I thought (from listening to YouTube demos) that the rev2 just didn't have the vintage phat vibe of the P6/OB6. Am I wrong?


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## muziksculp (Oct 2, 2020)

SupremeFist said:


> That's surprising! As someone who is gassing after an analogue poly I thought (from listening to YouTube demos) that the rev2 just didn't have the vintage phat vibe of the P6/OB6. Am I wrong?



Yes, the REV2 has an amazingly great vintage phat vibe, it is also a very versatile synth.

Actually, they all sound wonderful, each having it's own personality.

The OB6 is very special, its filter resonance is so sweet, and musical. Also very phat, and vintage sounding. The P6 is more on the raw side, it can be quite aggressive sounding, but can be tamed to sound soft, and delicate using the Poly Mod controls.


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## Greg (Oct 2, 2020)

So freaking excited for this. I was just considering selling a bunch of stuff for a vintage one.


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## Wes Antczak (Oct 2, 2020)

Absolutely no reason to get a vintage one when you can now get the rev4. Very tempting indeed.


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## vitocorleone123 (Oct 2, 2020)

MaxOctane said:


> @vitocorleone123 I listened to *all *the OB-6 and P6 youtubes before deciding on P6, and I still don't understand how so many people say that one could have both... don't they mostly overlap (except for the famous OB-6 filter everyone talks about)?
> 
> I _am_ looking for a monosynth. Not much space left on desk, so eyeballing a Moog Siri...


I did, too. The Automatic Gainsay ones are the best, I think. Yes, there’s overlap, but I think they diverge pretty quickly because of the filters but also the oscillators and envelopes are a bit different on the OB-6. I admit that I’d only get both if wealthy. Like the P5. I’d get the PolyBrute or maybe Summit instead if I was to get a second analog poly. Something with a different approach and sound.

The Moog Siren looks great and sounds great. Others to check would be the Roland SE-02, Vermona Lancet, and Deeadbox anything. Up from there are the Motas 6 and Boomstars. The Siren is a bit over priced I think, but sounds great.


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## shponglefan (Oct 3, 2020)

Demo video with various sounds from the new Prophet 5:


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## vitocorleone123 (Oct 3, 2020)

I prefer the “naked” demos more, but that’s interesting to hear with effects.


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## shponglefan (Oct 4, 2020)

Another Prophet 5 demo video, this one without external effects:


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