STILL WORTH IT? Sequential Prophet 6 - 5 Years Later 

Warmest, darkest, most beautiful sounding synth in production....

A lovely retrospective, thank you.

This video came crazy perfect. I bought a Prophet 6 21 days ago and there are a few days left to give it back. Didn't want to before this video and it didn't change that. :) Thanks!

great video. i really liked that you went into its history and such. subbed.

Diving headfirst into this channel now. Thanks man for taking the time to make these vids! Own a Prophet Rev2 and love it!

THAT was so well put together! Loved the discussion. "Instead of chasing the gear, I just made music". Touche! :)

Great to see you back man. Still the best video's out there on synths.

Oh man, I'm a guitarist and trying to get into synths and stuff so I've been watching a ton of videos lately and that sound at 0:20 is one of the best tones ever. So lush and relaxing yet so full and juicy. Love the video!!

Great passionate review. appreciated :).

Great composition on the intro! I've had my Prophet 6 for about 4 years now and I still use it every day. It's also the most expensive piece of gear I own, but I really wanted to buy something that had zero compromises on the sound. I think it's still in its own class, along with the OB-6.

beautiful song bro that was so inspiring, and great video!

What a lovely tribute. Very personal and very heartfelt.

Man love this page 👍🏻

badass instrument. Thanks for the video. The controls and indicators on the Prophet are my favorite on any synth period.

Great video, as usual. Thanks for your work. My request: more of your music! I love the intros, backing music, and snippets. I can only imagine your full stuff must be great.

Wow, beautiful video. Sounds, cinematics, script, excellent work! Subbed

Great honest review. I also love the sound of the prophet 6. I'm not a techie and it sometimes seems you have to be one to make electronic music. But it's the making music bit that matters to me.

Great review 👍🏻

only just discovered this channel, love it, excellent stuff! Currently looking at a P6 module, either that or an OB-6 Module. I deserve both really 😉 R.I.P Dave...the mans legacy left to music is immeasurable!

Thank you for this. 🙏

The sequence you play at the beginning is really beautiful, deeply textured. I love it! Thank you for your thoughts, not that I can afford either but with the prophet 5 out my brain can't decide between which it wants more lmao

Love the discussion of what makes an instrument connect with you, not just a list of tech specs.

Great vid bro!

Looks like Dave decided not to stick to his 'never again' mantra.

I bought a P6 in Berlin in 2016. Love that thing endlessly. I've never "played" a synth as much as I do this one... hours plonking away as if it's a Steinway. It's on all my recordings. I've been in California since March, thanks to the pandemic. Couldn't bear being apart from my Prophet 6 so I bought a second one. I have a decent bunch of great and groovy synths, including a Prophet 5. If it came down to using only a single synth, the P6 would be it, no question.

YES! Even with the new Prophet-5 and 10. It's gorgeous and simple. Just has such a sweet spot of functionality vs simplicity.

I’ve had my Prophet 6 for a little over a year now. It’s easily the most expensive gear I’ve owned. It’s an excellent synth, too. The only issue I have with it is the price. It’s a simple synth, with a straightforward interface. A simple price would make it a no brainer, but that price tag makes it impractical. It does sound excellent, but I haven’t made up my mind on whether or not I’m keeping it.

“I did it once, I‘m not doing it again“ (Dave Smith about the P5). Ha ha!

That patch starting at :20sec is incredible. Love the tune too.

Haha I love it! "Maxed out CC and opened a Guitar Center card" much love man! We've all been there 😆

When I go to the USA I go synth shopping. When I can finally get there because of Covid I am going to grab this one and a Moog Matriarch.

beautiful video. !

Your video highlights what I love about Dave Smith and all the Sequential instruments: they're all just a little bit different from each other which really allows one to find the right instrument in the lineup. There's a baseline quality and craftsmanship that is the hallmark of all DS instruments, but - unlike some other manufacturers that come to mind - I never feel like they are shooting in the dark or trying to get the feature combination that will sell the most. They recognise they're a niche player in a niche market and deliver exactly what each product is; neither a one-size-fits-all nor a feature cram. For me, that instrument is the Rev2 and I feel exactly as passionate as you express about the ~6. The ~6 is really close! But the Rev2 nails what I needed in an analogue sound designing machine. There are some things that annoy me about the Rev2 - lack of direct patch access (a nice plus in the ~6!), lackluster effects, no inline high-pass filtre - but in the studio I have rack FX and on the stage I don't care! The sound, ultimately, is SO GOOD! I kept thinking, "I should get one of these FPGA synths" or, "what about a digital with analogue modelling?" but the raw sound out of the jacks was the first and last determining factor for me, and I think that's really what all of us DS fans come back to the most. Thanks for a great retrospective.

Great video and exactly how I feel about the simple, no menu diving interface. I have an OB6, but they have very similar design philosophies. I always thought I was the guy who liked menu diving and tweaking. But the OB6 changed my mind. It just lets you create and not worry about chasing the sound, cause it always sounds great. Cheers!

Great video.

spot on !

I totally agree, its so immediate when you play and tweak it you always know there is gold just about to come out of the sound! I've been tempted to sell the Pro2 a few times but never the Prophet 6 :D

I have an OB-6, p6, p12. The p6 would be my one desert island synth.

Most slept on synth channel.

Great review. I'd never buy one, but great review - it's always interesting to hear what attracts people to various instruments and I'm glad you still love your Prophet 6 :)

I bought my P6 when it first came out. Never regretted it. So much versatility, the interface is simple yet inspiring, and I still feel like I'm just scratching the surface. Definitely would recommend if you have that hankering for hardware. If not, just get the Arturia soft synths and your productions will be just as well off.

I've also had mine for 5 years and it was the impetus for me to setup my studio again after a 10 year hiatus. The things that initially attracted me to the P6 still hold; simplicity, quality. Its quickly and easily useful in my electronic compositions without losing the flow. The quality of the design, sonic character and materials have made it a classic. It just might be my desert-island synth...another octave would have been nice tho.

My first Synth and probably still my favorite! :)

Love my prophet 6. It is a beast and sometimes takes a second to tame...but if you just take a moment, smoke a joint, this synth can take you there. People say the filter is harsh, and it can be...but just don’t open it that much and you’ll be fine. But it can get there if you want it to. It can be whatever u want it to be

nice video... dave has the amazing skill to create synths, that you cant stop using them over and over and they never bore you... already have the p08, pro2 and an evolver... i thought maybe i should not buy the whole range of sequential :-))))) but ob6 or p6 is still hot.... i wonder if an UDO will give us a more "rolandish" competitor

I like your synth man. I generally like analog synth, but I like the one you show. I've never seen prophet 6 but I like sound of it and also its pure analog interface with those red lights and digits etc. Unfortunately I have no way to get such a synth so I'm just watching

Great overview for the 5th birthday of the Prophet-6. Wonder how sales of the P6 will be affected by the P5 rev4. I want both.

I couldn’t justify it on top of my Rev2 and Tempest... but the OB6 👀 👌

Thinking about pulling the trigger on a P6 to complement the fizzy sounds of my OB-6. Sort of wish Sequential would just announce their new synth already so I can just pull the trigger :D

love that first preset you play! is it a factory sound? or if not, could you share the settings with us?

I would revisit this question now that the newest firmware includes the vintage knob

I would like to own a P6, though it probably won’t happen. I already have a Prophet Rev2, a Novation Summit, and Juno 106, plus I just bought the Pro 3. That along with my Moog Subsequent 37 and Grandmother, plus all my modular stuff covers pretty much every synth sound I need, though I’d still gladly love one for all the reasons you mentioned. I love immediate synths. Good job, Bud.

It's the only synth that never leaves my studio.

Cool info about the Sequential name, that was a really classy move by Yamaha

Thanks!

But Dave Smith did it again with the Prophet 5/10 REV 4, a wonderful looking and sounding remake of a classic Just like you (during the time you made this video), I never saw that coming. What great times we live in. This truly is a great time for synthesizers!!!!

I was saving up for a Juno 60 but definitely gonna get a prophet 6 to pair up with my Mopho x4

I’m dying to add a big analog poly to my arsenal but I can’t decide between the new prophet 6/new oberhiem or something vintage...in the mean time I’ve settled for paraphonic mode in the Pro2 and poly mode in the Analog four

With the new Vintage knob option in the 1.6.3 Beta firmware update, this brings the P6 tons of sweetspots!!!

I have always loved Oberheim synths. I had the choice to buy a P6 or an OB6, and went for the P6. This because I was looking for a vintage sound with modern stability, and the P6 sounds more like the P5 than the OB6 sounds like any OB synth. That’s not to say the OB6 is bad; it’s an amazing piece of kit, but I feel it’s a different beast altogether. The other reason is that the P6 is way more versatile. I feel like if you’re looking for a versatility synth, make it a modern one, whereas I’m happy to go vibe specific with vintage.

Beautiful machine. In a studio it's just so simple to layer tracks and tweak sounds super fast and it sounds so right, I'm delighted to often use no EQ to mix it in.

I'm planning to buy my first poly synth (I have a Moog GM), the P6 is one of my options, along with the U.D.O. Super 6 and the Rev2 + something else. Can't decide, maybe I'll wait until NAMM 2021 too see what's going on and save more money.

Thanks so much for posting this. Awesome video. However, I am still undecided between a P6 and Rev 2. Very frustrating decision to make.

Even better now with the newest firmware update. The Slop function can be switched to a Vintage function to bring the Prophet 6 closer to sounding like the Prophet 5 Rev 4.

next year you should do a 10 year review. That be dope. Do you still have it tho?

If you can't afford a Prophet 6 but want THAT sound, check out the DSI Toraiz AS1, which is a one voice Prophet 6, like a Pro-One version of it, the most underrated synth ever!

I have the monosynths I wanted (arturia microbrute, and behringer crave). My final piece of the year may be a prophet rev 2, behringer deepmind, or the hydrasynth

The P6 is such a workhorse synth. It covers so much ground, def a keeper. It's simplicity oddly makes up for its lack of more modern complexity IMO.

While I agree on the no menus approach, it really makes me crazy not to have program names. Having to rely on a number to find a favorite program is just absurd imo, so I write down on a text file the program's names. And no, I don't plan to buy the crappy soundtower software just to be able to see the program's names. Other than that, it's a superb synth indeed.

Prophet 10 would be my pick for a new Sequential synth but I splurged on the new OB-X8 from Oberheim as I liked that sound better.

Love this synth Supa big sounds yes the VCOs made the difference the high pass with resonance is my spice on this monster. No need for more lfos only two short comings on this beast why the shorty keybed? and why no patch naming ? I keep re writing patches over. Oh and do try the mfb synth pro lovely vintage sounding three VCOs two filters eight voices multitimbral about the size of a volca $1,100

I loved it, just wonder if it bothers you that the keys feel so cheap?

+1 for the conclusion. I've had and tested out many polysynths. Prophet 6 always wins hands down. The only other polysynth I have is a Blofeld and that's just because it's so radically different and it has 16 part multitimbrality.

Of course! Five years already? That seems twice as long as it feels. Guys, I remember discussing about there being almost no VCO synths on the market FOR YEARS, and we would argue about whether there would ever even be a VCO poly again. Maybe a couple of really small boutique single oscillator monos? Dave in interviews, several times had said, “Its too expensive today to make a poly VCO.” LIAR!!! When this was announced, people pretty much lost their shit. I ultimately went the AS-1, OB6, and Rev2 route. Prolly upgrading the AS-1 to a Pro3 soon. This thing sounds amazing though, and now we have several VCO poly on the market. Shit, it was a big deal when the VCO Minibrute came out. I’ll probably get one of these at some point. Its not just the sound, but this next gen of DSI/Seq synths really stepped up the UI experience. The OB6 and especially the Rev2 for being so deep/complex, is incredibly easy and enjoyable to program. I know, I’m an LFO whore as well. I do agree that one LFO is adequate on a poly most of the time. If I’m using more than one its usually tiny amounts of modulation. If I’m making FX, I need lots of LFOs so just use another synth, like the Rev2 or Blofeld. Another key for DSI/Seq......is Dave’s commitment not only to making great sounding and easy to use synthesizers, but also to embracing the technology afforded to us these days. I mean, he did invent MIDI, so of course the ease of interaction with a DAW, automating those patches that would require me to have three pairs of hands, saving and organizing patches in a digital library, is all really easy on DSI/Seq products. For a hybrid guy like me, this is really important.....and something that doesn’t always just work with other manufacturers. No it doesn’t sound just like a P5, but its not that far away. Yes, the Rev2 is really damn close. Besides synth nerds like us, nobody can even tell the difference between a VCO/VCF setup and software.

That new behringer OBxa clone is starting to give me gas

yes!

Can't say much about the Prophet 6, but I've been really tempted to use a Pro 3 as my primary instrument. It's either that or a Hydrasynth module... just not sure which one is more right for me. It's hard to choose between a performance instrument and a sound sculptor's palette.

the way you feel about the prophet 6 is the way I feel about the 106. I use it everyday and the sound is priceless along with the stripped back functionality. Im also looking for a juno6/60. Either of those with the 106 I feel like its a match made in heaven.

One LFO is kind of a deal breaker for me, but in my limited experiences with the P6 it does what it does beautifully.

what's the difference of this prohet-6 and the new rev of the prophet-5 with all 4 different REV models in it?

Yes.

I got my Prophet 6 in 2015. 8 years later, everything you are saying here still holds up. It is in my opinion irreplicable synth. Unfortunately today it costs $1,400 more than I paid for it. It is simply too expensive for most people.

Im selling my prophet 6... great synth but dont have the time to invest in it as it deserves, great thing is these have pretty decent resale value compared to some out there

Yo thanks for the video! Was the first patch from their preset bank?

shout out to the polarity flip between the R+L channels at 3:20

That track on 00:20. Perfection.

PROPHET 6 is a masterpiece.

I never understood the difference between prophet x / 6 and rev2 hehe anyone can recommend me ?

And Dave actually did it again😂The 4th generation prophet 5 is here again hahaha

I like this more than the OB 👀 but ya know, both would be nice ☺️

I got the ob6 but yesterday I paid for the 6 I think it’s a must

If it has the preset from Prophet 5 that was used to make Breakwaters Release the Beast it was worth every penny!

“Never so Prophet 5 again” abs here we are with P5 rev 4 announced. That did not age well 😅. I might think about getting a P6 instead so I really appreciate your insights. 😊

Beat in the background is dope, sound like a Bay Area vibe. Great breakdown on the P6!

wow that intro was beautiful. what song is that?

Too late i bought one, and did not broke the bank, a view month’s later the Pro-5 rev 4 was re- released i almost fainted hahaha

The Prophet 6 is a very, very organic sounding synth to my ears, probably because of it's analogue circuitry. I can't see myself ever getting rid of it for this reason.

sequentials are the only synths singing to me

You said "when I actually make music, I use the same 4 pieces and a DAW". I'm assuming 2 of those 4 are the Sub 37 and the P6, what about the rest? :P

Wasn’t that used in the production for Michael Jackson’s thriller song?