GForce Software program Sequential Prophet-5 assessment: an actual winner

£70 / £100, gforcesoftware.com

In 1978, an upstart American firm known as Sequential Circuits stunned the business with the Prophet-5, a five-voice analogue polyphonic synthesizer that managed one thing nobody had as much as that time: programmable reminiscence. Due to this, the instrument was quickly on everybody’s radar. And because of an unbelievable sound that would magically match into any combine, it discovered its method onto hit data by artists equivalent to The Automobiles, Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, and lots of extra.

The stature of Dave Smith’s Prophet-5 has solely grown with time, graduating from coveted instrument of the day to bona fide basic. Just like the Moog Minimoog, it’s turn out to be a synthesizer commonplace, a yardstick by which different devices are measured. Due to this, it’s unsurprisingly been emulated in software program many occasions, with big-name corporations like Arturia and u-he all producing spectacular takes on it. Now, you possibly can add GForce Software program to that checklist — with a twist. They’ve partnered with Sequential to create the first-ever official plugin model of the legendary instrument.

Does it stay as much as the Prophet title? Sure, after which some.

A Sequential Prophet-5 by and thru

GForce Software program’s Sequential Prophet-5 (to make use of the total title) doesn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel. It goals for authenticity, however with a number of nods in direction of trendy workflows.

All the options of the 1978 authentic are current, equivalent to the twin oscillators with simultaneous waveform choice, the flexibility to make use of Oscillator 2 as an extra LFO, and the Poly-Mod part, which helps you to apply filter and frequency modulation to quite a lot of locations. This can lead to some fairly clangorous sounds, one thing put to wonderful use by the band Japan on their Tin Drum album.

The Prophet-5 famously went by three revisions in its authentic run from 1978 to 1984, with Rev1 and Rev2 having SSM chips dealing with the 4-pole low-pass filter and envelopes, and Rev3 passing these duties over to extra steady Curtis chips. Somewhat than select one or the opposite, GForce has achieved what Sequential did when it re-released the Prophet-5 in 2020 and gone with each, with a Rev choose button within the filter part. Each are highly effective in their very own method, with the SSM on the extra analogue facet and the Curtis a tad sharper.

What’s new in Sequential Prophet-5?

Though it appears the aim was to not go wild with new options — like with an Arturia emulation — GForce does present sufficient new options to make the brand new Prophet emulation helpful in a contemporary context.

Whereas the unique {hardware} solely had 5 voices, this new take generously doles out 10 voices per layer. Sure, per layer. That’s the opposite huge addition: this Prophet can do layers and splits, providing you with basically two Prophets in a single go. Every layer is a singular instrument with its personal presets, which means you should use totally different revision settings on every layer.

Different new options embody an arpeggiator, a chord generator with a beautiful strum possibility, an results part, full MPE compatibility, and GForce’s wonderful X-Modifier part, which supplies extra modulation management with an added visible part.

How does Sequential Prophet-5 sound?

Given GForce’s monitor document in making emulations of basic synths (together with official Oberheim ones, that are additionally a part of the Focusrite household), it’s no shock that Prophet-5 sounds unbelievably good.

There’s a depth and richness to the sonics that may have you ever gasping with delight, and questioning how this could actually be software program. And, if it’s nonetheless not analogue sufficient for you, crank up the Classic knob for additional smush and smear.

Though this new Prophet sounds wonderful throughout most kinds, it’s notably daring within the bass division. There’s a purpose that the monophonic Professional-One spin-off grew to become one of many greatest bass synths of the early 80s, and all that low-end energy is on full show right here too. Set the voice mode to Mono, dial within the new Q-Comp on the filter resonance to protect low frequencies, and get funkin’.

Do you actually need one other Prophet-5 emulation?

Likelihood is, your plugin folder already has a Prophet-5 emulation or two in it. Do you actually need one other one then? The brief reply is sure, simply because this new take sounds so bloody good.

The lengthy reply can be sure, however with a number of caveats. There’s little or no that’s improper with the software program, though we want to see a number of small points addressed. The arpeggiator and chord mode controls, for one, are minuscule, and with the gray textual content on black background, they’re nearly unattainable to see. The graphics displaying the totally different refrain and reverb modes could possibly be simpler to see as effectively. These are small factors, although, and positively issues that could possibly be addressed in future updates.

GForce Software program’s Sequential Prophet-5 is a worthy emulation of the {hardware} authentic and a triumph of a software program instrument. It’s additionally extraordinarily reasonably priced. An actual winner.

Key options

• Formally developed in partnership with Sequential
• Each Rev1 & Rev2 SSM and Rev3 Curtis filter and envelope attribute fashions can be found
• Twin-layer structure with Layer, Break up and Alternate modes
• As much as 10 voices per layer
• Redesigned GForce Software program X-Modifiers
• Two selectable results slots with Refrain, Phaser, Filter, Distortion,
• Tremolo and Compressor, plus devoted Delay, Reverb and Pan
• Unfold results
• Over 460 presets, together with the unique 1978 manufacturing unit patches
• Unbiased arpeggiator and chord modes for every layer
• Full MPE compatibility