Sequential Prophet-5 Rev 4 £3,000

With Dave Smith back at Sequential’s helm, a new version of this ’80s icon was nigh-on obligatory, says Andy Jones

- Andy Jones

THE PROS & CONS

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All the features of the originals plus filter options for the various revisions

Amazing sounds and easy modulation – the Poly-Mod’s a classic

Velocity and aftertouch bring the sounds alive

Fantastic build quality and updated connectivity

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Expensive compared to some similarly specced machines

You won’t really want to gig with it

The original Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 changed the world – simple as that. So the company’s new iteration – essentially the fourth revision has so much synth history and music associated with it that it’s impossible not to mention those previous versions, and some of the quite glorious music they helped create. So this isn’t just another synth release; it’s like if Back To The Future returned for a fourth instalment. Only bigger.

Only around 6,000 Prophet-5s were originally sold (between 1978 and 1984), but because it was the first polysynth you could use to store and recall sounds, most of those 6,000 buyers were either music icons, or became icons with the synth’s help. There was Kraftwerk, Jarre, Floyd, Abba, Clarke, YMO, Jackson, Dre, Genesis and Numan… the usual legends. But it was perhaps some lesser-known acts that dropped the best Prophet-5 moments. Japan’s