The Prophet '08 is a
polyphonic
Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice ( monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ...
analog synthesizer
An analog synthesizer () is a synthesizer that uses Analogue electronics, analog circuits and analog signals to generate sound electronically.
The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s, such as the Trautonium, were built with a var ...
released by
Dave Smith Instruments (DSI) in 2007. As with DSI's other instruments, the Prophet '08 uses analog
subtractive synthesis
Subtractive synthesis is a method of sound synthesis in which Harmonic_series_(music)#Partial.2C_harmonic.2C_fundamental.2C_inharmonicity.2C_and_overtone, overtones of an audio signal are attenuated by a audio filter, filter to alter the timbre of ...
. Similar in functionality to the renowned
Sequential Circuits
Sequential is an American synthesizer company founded in 1974 as Sequential Circuits by Dave Smith. In 1978, Sequential released the Prophet-5, the first programmable polyphonic synthesizer, which was widely used in the music industry. In the ...
Prophet-5
The Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the American company Sequential (company), Sequential. It was designed by Dave Smith (engineer), Dave Smith and John S. Bowen (sound designer), John Bowen in 1977. It was the first Polyphony ...
popularized in the 1970s (also designed by Dave Smith), the Prophet '08 has an all analog signal path; however its envelopes are generated digitally.
In 2017, the Prophet '08 was superseded by the Prophet Rev2, which is available in 8-voice and 16-voice versions as well as keyboard and module variants. The Prophet Rev2 added waveshape modulation, improved onboard effects, a sub oscillator and a polyphonic sequencer.
Sound architecture
The Prophet '08 is an eight-voice analog synthesizer featuring all-analog audio paths with digital parameter control. It offers three playing modes: uniform eight-voice, a split mode dividing the keyboard between two different sounds, and a stacked mode for layered four-voice textures.
Each voice includes two
digitally controlled oscillators (DCOs), a
voltage-controlled filter
A voltage-controlled filter (VCF) is an electronic filter whose operating characteristics (primarily cutoff frequency) can be set by an input control voltage. Voltage-controlled filters are widely used in synthesizers.
A music synthesizer VCF ...
(VCF), a
voltage-controlled amplifier
A variable-gain (VGA) or voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) is an electronic amplifier that varies its gain depending on a control voltage (often abbreviated CV).
VCAs have many applications, including audio level compression, synthesizers and ...
(VCA), three ADSR
envelope
An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin, flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter (message), letter or Greeting card, card.
Traditional envelopes are made from sheets of paper cut to one o ...
generators, and a noise source. DCOs can generate multiple waveforms with variable pulse widths. The VCF can switch between 4-pole and 2-pole low-pass filters, with modulatable cutoff frequency and resonance. The VCA, controlled by velocity, shapes the amplitude.
The synthesizer's modulation capabilities are extensive, with four general-purpose modulation buses allowing for flexible routing. Some parameters, like LFOs and velocity, have dedicated modulation controls, bypassing the need for a bus. Common modulation targets include DCO pitch, VCF cutoff, and VCA level, with several parameters having dedicated knobs for direct control.
The Prophet '08 features two sets of stereo outputs, with sound routing to the second set when connected. Voices can be panned across the stereo field, with a dedicated knob adjusting the initial stereo spread. It features a 16-step sequencer with four rows, offering analog-style control. Each row can target any modulation parameter, with steps for DCO pitch in quarter-tone increments and continuous adjustment for other parameters.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Prophet '08 PE (Potentiometer Edition) Keyboard Synthesizer product webpage
(archive.org)
{{Sequential Circuits
Analog synthesizers
Polyphonic synthesizers