San Francisco, CA—June 5, 2015—Dave Smith Instruments is pleased to announce that its new Prophet-6 six-voice analog synthesizer features faithful recreations of the original factory sounds from its legendary 1970’s predecessor, the Prophet-5. To program the sounds, the company enlisted the talents of the original sound designer, John Bowen. Presets 411-458 on the new instrument correspond to presets 1-1 to 5-8 on the Prophet-5.
The Prophet-6 takes the best qualities of the Prophet-5 — true voltage-controlled oscillators, filters, and amplifiers — and adds enhancements the older instrument never had, such as stereo outputs, velocity and aftertouch sensitivity, dual digital effects, a high-pass filter, a polyphonic step sequencer, an arpeggiator, and of course, MIDI. It is targeted at musicians looking for authentic, vintage analog tone with the reliability and convenience of modern technology.
John Bowen was Sequential Circuits’ original Product Specialist. He created the majority of factory sounds and sequences shipped with the Prophet 5, Prophet 10, Prophet T-8, Prophet VS, and other Sequential products. An acclaimed synth designer in his own right, Bowen’s pedigree includes instruments for Moog, Sequential Circuits, Yamaha, Korg, Creamware, and his own company, Zarg Music.
Describing the genesis of the project, Bowen said, “When Dave first revealed the Prophet-6, I was curious to see if I could recreate the original factory presets I did for the Prophet-5, and asked if he’d like me to try. When I received the synth, I was impressed with the additional functions available. Dave’s enhancement to my original Poly Mod design adds bi-polar control signals and allows for even more flexibility. And having a high-pass filter allows you to create sounds unattainable on the original Prophet-5. I was happy to find that I was able to accurately recreate the bulk of my presets.” Added Bowen: “In fact, it was great to be able to spice up some of them a bit with the new FX section — which I think is an essential feature in today’s market. I congratulate Dave on creating a very impressive synth!”
As Dave Smith put it, “Bringing the classic Prophet-5 presets back to life on the Prophet-6 was a great way to connect our past with our present. The fact that John was able to duplicate his old sounds so well is a testament to the sonic integrity of the new instrument.” Added Smith: “It’s not often that you get an opportunity to improve on a past achievement — especially one as influential as the Prophet-5, which totally changed the musical landscape of the time. Creating the Prophet-6 has been every bit as satisfying. ”
The Prophet-6 is available now with a MAP of $2799."
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