RetroSound Studio Tour: Analog Polyphonic Synthesizers

video upload by RetroSound

"RetroSound Studio Tour
Classic Analog Polyphonic Synthesizers from the 1970s and 1980s

In this episode of RetroSound Studio Tour, I explore the sound, design, and history of legendary analog polyphonic synthesizers from the golden era of electronic music. These vintage poly synths defined the lush pads, warm brass sounds, and cinematic textures heard in synth-pop, progressive rock, disco, film scores, and early electronic music.

This studio tour focuses on true analog polyphonic instruments featuring multiple voices, voltage-controlled oscillators , classic analog filters , and rich modulation systems. Unlike monophonic synths, polyphonic synthesizers allow full chords and layered harmonic textures — making them essential in 1970s and 1980s music production.

In this RetroSound Studio tour, you’ll discover:
0:07 Roland Jupiter-4
5:54 Roland Juno-60
9:49 Roland Juno-106
14:10 Roland Alpha Juno 2
15:42 Roland JX-3P
18:21 Roland JX-8P
21:28 Korg Polysix
24:48 Korg Mono/Poly
26:59 Oberheim OB-X
32:32 Oberheim OB-Xa
35:35 ARP Quadra
37:11 Sequential Prophet-600
39:48 Tiracon 6V
41:56 Oberheim Matrix-1000

Full Studio Tour playlist:"

Dreamt in Passing | Sequential Take 5 (Dreamscape)

video upload by hvegel

"A patch I created to showcase how massive the Take 5 can get. Apart from a bit of 'ITB Mastering' this is just the instrument. With 'Vintage knob' or things like LFO slew, not engaged, yes, it is true, this instrument, by design can do some very precise Analogue material, think Elektron Analog 4, but it can get into the weeds, and sound out right wild, and unruly, not unlike the Sequential Godfather it shares its DNA from.

The latest firmware update, has really encouraged me to start using this more as centrepiece in my studio. A/B-ing, sound for sound with the Prophet 5 Rev 4, with a bit of attention to detail with programming, it gets just about every bit there (factoring in a substancial lower mid-range bump in tone with P5, with a touch of those mids being abscent on design, some may consider the Take 5 a bit more 'glossy'), The Prophet 6 might be a better (more immediately satisfying) than both the P5 ot T5, but Sequential has done a wonderful job at taking the core Prophet sound, its Rev 1/2 filter, modernising it with bass compensation, and stable filters, that can be pitched to a wonderfully pleasing instability.

This reads a bit as an apologist letter, but I also think the Take 5, is very misunderstood amongst the Internet, for what it's DNA really is, how these firmware updates keep unleashing it further into the stratosphere, and despite its massive popularity at your local Synth Store, it's still this mystified object that kind of gets relegated to a vastly updated Dave Smith Mopho."

SIGNED Sequential Prophet-6 SN 02734

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this eBay listing

"Gently used and in excellent condition.

SIGNED BY SEQUENTIAL FOUNDER DAVE SMITH! RIP.

The Sequential Prophet-6 is a 6-voice polyphonic analog synthesizer that blends vintage 1970s character with modern reliability. It features two discrete VCOs and a sub-oscillator per voice, along with a 4-pole resonant low-pass filter and 2-pole high-pass filter. Known for its warm, punchy sound, it includes a polyphonic step sequencer, arpeggiator, and digital effects (reverbs, delays, chorus)."

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He Hates This Synth Because…

video upload by Anthony Marinelli Music

"In this video, I pick one thing I think I hate about 12 classic synthesizers—and then follow that feeling wherever it leads.
We’re talking about legendary instruments:
Minimoog, MS-20, Prophet-5, Jupiter-8, ARP 2600, Moog IIIc ('Plantasia'), Oberheim 4-Voice, Oberheim OB-X, Synclavier III, Elka Synthex, and Yamaha CS-30.
What starts as frustration with a workflow choice, a knob, or a design limitation slowly turns into something else entirely.
Along the way, I realize this video isn’t really about hating synths at all. It’s about relationships.
Every one of these instruments has limitations—and so do we. In any good relationship, not everything is perfect. But when you stop fighting what something isn’t and start understanding what it is, those limitations can become the very thing that leads you somewhere creative and unexpected.
Instead of endless options, boundaries create focus.
Instead of frustration, they create identity.
And in learning to understand these instruments more deeply, I ended up learning something about myself.
This is a video about synthesizers—but it’s also a small morality tale about creativity, acceptance, and finding freedom inside constraints.
Let me know in the comments:
Which synth do you love… even though it drives you crazy? 🎛️"

https://anthonymarinellimusic.com/pages/about

Prophet~T8: The Luxury Synth

video upload by Alex Ball

"A look at the rare Prophet~T8 produced by Sequential Circuits between 1983 and 1985.

0:00 Intro
0:55 History
4:46 Demo 1: All Play
6:12 Features
9:42 Demo 2: It's Thursday, it's TOTP!
10:50 The Hits
12:11 Patron Outro

With thanks to the owner of this beautiful instrument.

Thanks to my Patrons for their support:
www.patreon.com/AlexBallMusic"

SEQUENTIAL FOURM ♫ 75 Custom Sounds ► COMPLETE SYNTH COLLECTION

video upload by Synth Cloud

"▬▬▬ Download Link ▬▬▬▬
🚀 COMPLETE SYNTH COLLECTION: https://www.synthonia.com/marketplace...
📩 Mail: info@synthonia.com

Sequential FOURM – Complete Synth Collection is a comprehensive and versatile patch bank designed to unlock the full sonic potential of the Sequential FOURM.
This soundset includes 75 carefully crafted presets, covering a wide palette of Leads, Basses, Pads, Plucks, Synths and FX, making it perfectly suited for Soul, Funk, Pop, Electronic music and many other modern and classic sch preset is optimized for musicality, expressiveness and instant usability, whether you are producing in the studio or performing live. From warm analog-inspired basses and funky leads to atmospheric pads and futuristic FX, this collection gives you a complete toolkit for professional productions.

The bank can be easily loaded via SysEx editors such as Bome SendSX (Windows) or compatible SysEx software for other platforms.

Preset Breakdown
75 Presets Total
39 Synths, Pads & FX
20 Leads
16 Basses

Synths, Pads & FX Highlights
Hard Synth, Simple Pluck, Reso Poly, Cosmic Poly, Vintage Horns, Bright Brass, Big Strings, OB-X Pad, Galaxy Pad, FM Pad, Crystals, Night Sky, Falling Stars, Outer Space, Digital Noise, Rotating Sphere, Repeater and many more.

Lead Highlights
Lost In Space, Fusion Lead, Jamiroquai Lead, Express Lead, Electro Lead, Cosmic Lead, Rock Machine, Nasty Lead, Sync Lead and other expressive solo sounds.

Bass Highlights
Phat Bass, Funky Bass, Precision Bass, Reso Bass, Deeper Underground, Thriller, Black or White, Prodigy and iconic groove-oriented bass patches.

Every preset is designed to sit well in a mix, respond naturally to playing dynamics and enhance your productions with character and depth."

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Torso S-4 + • Textural Ambient Cinematic

video upload by Nate Connelly Music

"Track title : Winter Signal

Equipment Used:
• Torso S-4 Sculpting Sampler
• Sequential Prophet REV2
• Moog Sub 37
• Strymon Big Sky
• Gold Mike SPL Pre-Amp
• Pro VLAII Compressor

Recorded into:
• Cubase PRO 11

Very minimal EQ post processing.

Thanks for listening.

#ambientmusic #electronicmusic #synth"

Today Marks the 10th Anniversary of the Sequential Oberheim OB-6

Andrew McGowan, pictured here with Tom Oberheim, wrote in to let us know today is the 10th Anniversary of the Sequential OB-6. Andrew was a product designer at DSI/Sequential and worked with Tom Oberheim on the OB-6.

You can find a write-up on some the development of the OB-6 as well as the Prophet-6 on his website, https://www.smartbombdesign.com.

A couple of excerpts:

"I was sitting in my office at Seer Systems one day in 1997 or thereabouts when the phone on my desk rang. It was Dave Smith calling from his home. 'I’ve been talking to Tom Oberheim. He’s between jobs and wants to learn about software synths, so I asked him if he wanted to write the Reality operation manual. Can you get him set up and manage that?' I knew who Tom was, of course, but I had never met him, and now Dave was asking me to be his manager. I had no reason to believe that Tom was anything other than the warm, bright, and kind person that I now know he is, but the idea that I would be managing him made me deeply uncomfortable.

Seer Systems was in the process of developing Reality, which is generally considered to be the first 'professional' software synthesizer, though I’m not certain what makes one synthesizer professional and another not."

[Side note: Propellerheads Rebirth was also released in 1997, however the demo version was released in October 1996. A bit like The Damned vs. Sex Pistols for those in the know!]

And [thought this was funny]:

"Those Fucking Lines

Tom and I had talked about synths over the years and, on several occasions, he remarked how often people asked him to remake the OB-X, perhaps because not many were made. Or maybe Rush/Tom Sawyer? I don’t know. What little I did know about the OB-X was that it had a (low-pass only) SEM filter, and we had already made a synth with an SEM filter in it. And our hardware engineer Tony Karavidas had worked at Oberheim and owned multiple Oberheim synths. I also felt very strongly that if we were going to make two poly synths that were essentially the same except for the filter, the 2-pole, SEM state-variable filter would be complementary to the Prophet-6’s 4-pole, OTA low-pass filter.

Tom’s wish list was short. He didn’t want the Prophet-6’s analog distortion. And he wanted the OB-Xa’s blue lines."

Read the rest here

[P.S. I still own an OB-6 desktop and it's one of my most cherished synths. There is something organic about it. The demos I've heard of Sequential's new FOURM have that about them. I have enough synths as it is but the FOURM is very, very tempting for this particular reason.]

Top 11 greatest Jean-Michel Jarre - on synthesizers

video upload by jami.m

00:00 Oxygéne 4
00:55 Arpégiateur
01:45 Rendez-Vous 4
02:30 Rendez-Vous 1
03:19 Magnetic Fields 4
03:50 Oxygéne 1
04:30 Oxygéne 2
05:29 Rendez-Vous 3
06:36 Équinoxe 1
07:29 Magnetic Fields 2
08:23 Souvenir de Chine

Sequential Prophet-6 & Yamaha Montage.

📣 Sequential Fourm şimdi stokta!🔥‪@SequentialLLC‬ #doremusicheryerde

video upload by doremusic

"Efsanevi Prophet geleneğini modern mühendislikle buluşturan Fourm, tamamen analog ses yoluna sahip 4 sesli bir polifonik synthesizerdır.👾

Vintage Sequential’ın karakteristik sıcaklığı, modern ve sert bir ses karakteriyle birleşiyor. Ortaya çıkan sonuç ise zamansız, sıcak ve organik seslere sahip; güçlü ve ilham verici bir synth!🔥"

Googlish:

"Combining the legendary Prophet tradition with modern engineering, the Fourm is a 4-voice polyphonic synthesizer with a completely analog signal path.👾

The characteristic warmth of vintage Sequential is combined with a modern and powerful sound character. The result is a powerful and inspiring synth with timeless, warm, and organic sounds!🔥"

Exquis - ‪@decentsamples‬ Dualo Legacy soundbank preview

video upload by Intuitive Instruments

"Discover 158 acoustic and electronic sounds of all categories, for composing in lots of music genres! Initially designed for the dualo du-touch (https://dualo.com/dualo), the soundbank is now adapted for all MPE controllers! Requires Decent Sampler 1.13.11 or above.

Buy and download: https://www.decentsamples.com/product...

MPE controls:
Play with X, Y and Z axes on MPE keyboards such as Exquis (or only on Z axis on Polyphonic Aftertouch keyboards) to modulate notes individually, and play with the 4 knobs to apply effects. A certain number of sounds (especially acoustic) also react to velocity.

Exquis owner? Use presets within Exquis app (Decent Sampler V.1.15.0 required)
Once you purchased Dualo Legacy soundbank, open Exquis app and scan Decent Sampler plug-in as VST3, then download the Dualo Legacy soundbank from Decent Sampler store. You will then be able to load all Dualo Legacy presets from the Presets tab. Percussion presets are automatically linked to custom key layouts for Exquis keyboard.

List of all 158 sounds:

CLICK FOR MORE »

A path in the dark | Sequential Prophet VS and Rhodes Piano ambient soundscape

video upload by MIDERA

"Two years ago I was playing with my kids with a little yamaha piano, the christmas tree lit, we were looking forward to a relaxing and fun holiday... but that's when my mom called me and asked, "Did you mean what you said? Would you really be willing to come down to be with me?" She was so scared. I dropped everything and drove down (about 1.5 hr drive) to be with her. I'll never forget the look on her face - panic, fear, anguish... I don't know how to describe the look, but it was painful to see. I gave her a big hug as she cried. Looking back, I think she knew it was time, I think she knew her body was failing and was failing fast. I was determined to stay positive, but I watched her move. The exhaustion after only a few steps. I'm glad I didn't realize that it would be only 4 more days before I would lose her forever......."

LIGHT & DARK Sound Bank for PROPHET 08 - PROPHET REV 2 🔥🔥🔥 #synth #davesmith #sequential #prophet

video upload by SMV Producer

"All sounds were directly recorded into Ableton Live. The sounds were programmed on a Prophet 08 and as stated on the Sequential website, are also compatible with the Prophet Rev 2.

Sound banks available for purchase at: https://gumroad.com/smvproducer

Other links:
Bandcamp : https://sergiomassimilianovarvazzo.ba...
Instagram: / smv_producer
Smartlink: https://ffm.bio/smv_producer"

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80s horror inspired synths: Echo Fix Spring Reverb & Chorus Vibrato | Prophet 6

video upload by Hazel Mills

"Juicy analog spring and chorus processing my Prophet 6. Delicious☺️ Here's my initial introduction to these lovely pedals (another video to follow). Huge thanks to ‪@echofix‬ and ‪@makenoiseproaudio‬"

0:00 Upside Down Jig
1:33 Strange Friends
3:20 The Things
4:45 Sewer

PlantsSystem-Mazeppa(Franz Liszt Transcendental Etudes No. 4)

video upload by plantssystem

"This is a cover of Franz Liszt Transcendental Etudes No. 4, 'Mazeppa'.

Mazeppa is a masterpiece combining overwhelming technique and drama, left behind by Liszt, one of the most representative composers of 19th century Romanticism.

The energy and scale of this masterpiece are captured using PlantsSystem unique sound approach, making full use of the Prophet-5."

"Recording equipment"

Is this SYNTH the next INDUSTRIAL CLASSIC?

video upload by Tonepusher

"🔊Sounds, Presets & Templates🔊
Presets & Samples ► https://www.tonepusher.com/
FOURM presets► https://www.tonepusher.com/product-pa...

Is the Sequential FOURM the next Industrial classic?

Today we discover the ‪Sequential FOURM. The sound of Sequential synthtesizers helped shape EBM and industrial music sound, albums by bands such as Skinny Puppy, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM or VNV Nation. I'm putting the Sequential FOURM to the test to see if it can deliver that EBM and Industrial sound, just like the Prophet-5 and Pro-One did back then.

Chapters:
0:00 - intro
0:19 - Sequential in Industrial Music
1:03 - FOURM Overall Look
4:12 - Favorite Features
5:27 - Remaking Classics
7:59 - Full Track Demo + Final Notes"

Luke Million | Knight Rider Theme | Official Video Clip

video upload by Luke Million

"The Official Video Clip for my cover of the Knight Rider Theme

I had so much fun putting this together. I paid homage to the original masterpiece by Stu Phillips but injected it with more raw synth fire power 🎹 🔥 🔋

You can stream / download on your favourite music platforms here - https://xelon.ffm.to/krtheme

Synths Used in order of appearance;

Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 Rev 3.3
Moog Multimoog
Roland Jupiter 4
Moog Grandmother
Oberheim OB8
Roland Juno 6
Arp Odyssey Mk 1
E-MU Emulator II
Moog Matriarch

#knightrider #80smusic #synthesizer"

Anthony Marinelli Music Synth Studio Revealed | Studio Tour 2025

video upload by Anthony Marinelli Music

"I finally agreed to make a video showing my synthesizer studio. I'm NOT a collector, so you'll see the instruments I've used for over four decades to do my work. It's also my space for composing. In this deep dive studio tour, I walk you through every corner of my space, showing how everything’s connected for performing, recording, and creative flow.

You’ll see icons like the 'Plantasia' Moog Modular IIIc, Synclavier II, Rhodes Chroma with Expander & Enabler, Oberheim Four Voice, Elka Synthex, Roland Jupiter 8, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, ARP 2600s, Korg MS modular synths, some classic Minimoog — plus a few modern synths I’ve added as I look to the future. Alongside the synths are vintage drum machines, string machines, and rare electric keyboards including a 1973 Fender Rhodes Suitcase and Hohner Clavinet/Pianet Duo.

We'll also explore racks of outboard gear, vocoder units, tape echoes, and a vast array of my custom guitar pedal options, efx pedal boards and studio effects racks that make this room endlessly inspiring. I'll also reveal how my entire studio is designed for instant creativity, featuring 48 channels of synth drivers and stage boxes, so any synth can be patched and recorded on the fly."

https://anthonymarinellimusic.com/pages/about

CLICK FOR MORE »

Sequential Trigon 6 Sound Demo Part. 2 | No Talking | ‪@SequentialLLC‬

video upload by DKS SYNTH LAB

Sound used created by ‪@scottmcauleysounds‬ and ‪@GEOSynths‬ , you can buy these two Trigon 6 sound packs here:

►https://www.synthsounds.co.uk/product...
►https://www.geosynths.com/sequentialt...

Timeline
0:00 Intro
0:09 SM Perpetual Motion
0:48 SM Fading Pulses
2:04 SM Disco Trig
2:51 SM Mooger D
3:29 Paradox GEO
4:35 Prophet 111 GEO
5:38 Dark Grand GEO
7:00 Terminate GEO
7:47 Darness GEO
8:42 Tripad GEO
9:27 Arp4life GEO
10:37 Trigon Strings GEO

The Florian Schneider Collection to Be Auctioned at JULIEN*S November 19

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via JULIEN*S

"THE FLORIAN SCHNEIDER COLLECTION

Auction to be held at Musician's Hall of Fame & Museum, Nashville, on November 19

An incredible collection of more than 450 artifacts from the life and career of Florian Schneider, co-founder of the pioneer electronic band Kraftwerk."

Pics and videos featuring some of the gear below, and his Lederhosen for good measure (thanks greg!).

Update: the post has been fully updated with all the synth related gear. This may just well be the longest post to be featured on the site. I wanted to capture all the pics for all of the details including notes, scuffs, and of course serial numbers. It's an interesting look into what he used, the condition he keped his gear, in some cases, how he actually used his gear. Note the phonetics on the keys of the Casio CZ-101 and DX-100. Note the Midi Switch Box with a built-in speaker? What's that about? Note the camouflage key strap on the Korg RK-100 Remote Keyboard. Did he pick it out himself or did the keytar just come with it? Note the repeat midi controllers and the MIDI saxaphones. Wind was his primary instrument. You'll find a ton of the acoustic gear he used in the other listings. This is a fascinating insight into both what and how he used his gear.

Side note: there is no affiliate compensation for this post. The note at the top automatically shows for all posts with the Auction label.


Rack Mount Sennheiser VSM-201 Vocoder

Starting Bid $5,000

Estimate $20,000 - $40,000 USD

A late 1970s Sennheiser VSM 201 Vocoder with no serial number from the personal studio and collection of Florian Schneider of Kraftwerk (see images). While it’s said that only a few dozen of these Vocoders were produced, a few examples made it into the hands of forward-thinking musical artists including Herbie Hancock, Daft Punk, and of course, Kraftwerk, who used a VSM-201 like this on their albums Man Machine (1978) and Computerworld (1981). The VSM-201 has an intelligible sound that has not yet been bested by modern gear. Includes power cable. This VSM-201 has been removed from its wooden enclosure (which bears the serial number plate) and modified with a metal rack mount casing, presumably for live use. Requires 240v, IEC power cable not included.

Dimensions: 19 x 9 x 9 inches

Category: Kraftwerk, Equipment

Provenance: PROVENANCE From the Estate of Florian Schneider

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