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"Hard to Find Pro-8 Analogue Synth Includes Road Case, Manual (Split-8 manual, this is the US version same features) and factory sounds data cassette. The Sequential Circuits Pro-8 is a very rare analogue synth. It was only sold in Japan. A modified version (without wooden sides) was later sold as the Split-8 in the US But only a few Pro-8s were produced and were actually considered to be only a rumor. It is a very rare synth indeed. It is an 8 voice bi-timbral analogue and sonically very similar to the Sixtrak and Multitrak. The voices can be layered, split or used in Unision mode for absolutely incredible 8 oscillator stacked basses and leads!!
This is a very rare and cool machine Voice Architecture and Programming/Voice Architecture:/One VCO per voice, with on/off toggles for any combination of sawtooth, triangle and square waves. Variable pulse width for the square. Coarse (up to 4 octaves) and fine (to just under a semitone) tune. Programmable "poly mod" (0-15) which allows the audio output of one voice to feed another's VCF when they are layered in "double" mode.
This gives 4-voice polyphony with no audio from the second voice's oscillators. One LFO, free-running (i.e. doesn't sync to key on), with programmable rate (0.25 to 20 Hz according to the manual, but see the specs below), depth, and waveform choice (triangle or square). Can be routed to any or all of filter cutoff, pitch, or pulse-width. Programmable chorus with fixed rate and frequency. Filter cutoff, resonance (to self-oscillation), keyboard track (0, half or full) and envelope amount (cannot be inverted). ADSR envelopes for VCA and the 24dB/octave VCF. Programmable polyphonic portamento rate. "Unison" mode (8 oscillators stacked; envelope triggers become "legato"; low-note priority) can be programmed. A program can be "linked" to another so that both are called up and assigned correctly in a split or layer. Note that this does not appear to work on my unit, however, which may be because the battery was dead (I have not tried this since replacing the battery). In unison mode, delay of four oscillators relative to the other four can be programmed (0, 20, 40 or 80 ms). Programmable output level for each patch. Relatively uncommon 8-voice polyphonic, bi-timbral analogue synthesizer with the ability to split or layer two patches ("double" mode). 64 patch memories. Patches may be "linked" in memory so that calling up one automatically calls up the second for a split or layer. Unison (monophonic, all 8 oscillators stacked) is possible, and programmable. Polyphonic portamento. MIDI, including system-exclusive. Front panel:Two volume pots, master tune, data entry knob, modulation and pitch wheels, various buttons for mode (double, split) and program selection, 4 x 8 grid for programming (all parameters labelled on the grid, 4 buttons down the left and 8 along the bottom). Some other functions are also listed on the panel as a reminder of which buttons to press. Metal case with light blue graphics and lettering, lots of red LEDs, black wooden end cheeks. Seems well-constructed, although on mine one of the rubber buttons has a tendency to pop out and the volume pots needed cleaning. Back Panel:Tape jacks (one doubles as footswitch input), MIDI in and out, separate A and B audio outs, mix audio out (A and B combined), power switch, fuse. Keyboard:?61 notes, C to C, unweighted. No velocity or pressure sensitivity."
