Sequential Prophet 10 REV4 | The surface

Warning: This video contains FX and may not be suitable for synthesizer purists.

Finally got this home. I have a lot to say about it... I was really underwhelmed when I first started playing with it. I'm used to spending a few hundred dollars on gear that sounds great. this time, i paid far more. the build quality is amazing, but the sound isn't something THAT much better than what else i have. I’d say more but I’m way too tired...

Ok - I have had more time to think about it. Here are some of my thoughts from the next day: For me to be blown away by the sound of a synthesizer, I want to hear it 'push air'. Only a few synths have really done that for me, the OB-Xa and the Polaris. I do not hear that from the Prophet 10. That doesn't mean it doesn't do it, or that it's a bad synth if it doesn't, but that's usually the first thing that makes me go 'wow' and I didn't hear that here.

I didn't play ANY presets. I threw it into the front panel mode because I'm more interested in what I can do with a synth than what others have done with a synth. Maybe that was a mistake? I tried desperately to come up with cool sounds, but I feel personally like I failed (whereas, I felt like I immediately connected with the Moog Matriarch). The Matriarch, however, had a sequencer and arpeggiator which made interacting with the unit far more immediate for me - I made 9 videos within 9 days with that, and I could listen to those videos over and over. I liked what I did. I tried to not use FX... but I didn't like anything I came up with (on the Prophet).

The reality is, I think I hit my limitations here. I am not a great sound designer, I rely on FX. I am also not a good pianist. While I am very good at playing some Vince Guaraldi jazz music - I can't do much of anything else. This synth is among the pinnacle of synthesizers, and I am not capable of bringing out the most. This speaks to the reality - I need to improve my skills, both sound designing and music theory. I could have come up with these lame sounds on any synthesizer I have. In fact - when I first played this, I complained to my friends that it sounds no different than my Virus TI, which I think says a lot about the Virus, but also says a lot about me. My capabilities are the limiting factor.


Eventide blackhole VST and Strymon DIG used for FX.