Sequential Prophet 6

Sequential Prophet-6 | Reviews
87
super-stable (albeit still vibey) VCOs
and be able to dial in any desired level
of drift with ‘slop’, than have completely
unstable VCOs that are a headache (like
my Memorymoog for instance!). There’s
also a digital white noise source too.
Sonically, the P6 is to my ears the
most authentically vintage-sounding
DSI polysynth to date and it sounds
nicely different to the P08, Pro 2 and
P12 – it has a very wide sweet spot and
it’s pretty hard to get it to sound bad!
It’s defi nitely the legitimate heir to the
P5 in many respects and it excels at
present leads, punchy/deep basses,
nicely defi ned yet warm evolving pads/
atmospheres, sync leads, synth brass/
comping patches and huge unison solo
sounds. There’s also chord memory, a
great sounding four-mode portamento/
glide function and a versatile
mono-unison mode where you can stack
up to six voices.
The LPF (taken from the Pro 2) and
HPF sound superb and the envelopes
are super-snappy – great for making
punchy basses that can even give
Moogs a run for their money (it’s
defi nitely easier to make great sounding
basses on the P6 compared to the P08
and P12). Also, with the triangle
sub-oscillator dialled in, you can really
feel the extended lows. The P6’s
frequency range is huge, ranging from
earth-shaking subs through to punchy
high-mids, sizzling tops and piercing
out of control warbles (especially when
the fi lter resonance is pushed). Also,
the high-pass resonant fi lter (though not
self-oscillating) really opens up the
sound sculpting possibilities and acts
as a band-pass when combined with
the LPF. I should also mention that
unlike the P5 (which had no velocity or
aftertouch) you can send velocity to
both the fi lters and amp too which is a
big improvement.
A future classic
When you then add in the 64-step
polyphonic MIDI (and audio) syncable
sequencer, the great-sounding digital
effects, MIDI control over most
parameters, USB-MIDI communication,
alternative tunings and above all that
killer sound, the
P6 is surely
destined to be a
future-classic.
Thankfully, there
are very few
downsides to
report and,
although an audio input and CV ins/outs
would have been nice, the P6 certainly
carries forward the torch of its vintage
predecessor admirably. Obviously, as a
premium self-contained discrete VCO/
VCF polysynth it’s not cheap, sitting just
below the fl agship P12 price-wise (and
feature-wise it’s more streamlined than
the P08, Pro 2 or P12); nonetheless,
it’s surprisingly versatile and sounds a
million dollars – I think for most of us,
that’s the bottom line!
ALTERNATIVES
Nord Lead 4
£1,349
Yes it’s virtual analogue
but it impersonates real
analogue very well indeed.
20-voice poly, two
oscillators per-voice,
49-note keyboard (no
aftertouch), arpeggiator,
two LFOs, FX and
extensive modulation/
morphing options.
www.nordkeyboards.com
Roland JD-XA
£1,569
Roland’s new synth
combines a great sounding
four-note polyphonic
analogue engine with a
64-note polyphonic digital
engine, plus comprehensive
multi-effects, multi-track
sequencing/arpeggiator
and deep modulation
facilities. A beast
of a synth!
www .roland.co.uk
Sequential Circuits
Prophet-5
Around £4,000+
The original is now a
sought-after and expensive
classic instrument! Try to
fi nd a Rev3 model and
budget extra for servicing.
Keep it safe in the studio!
eBay, Gumtree,
classifi eds etc…
VERDICT
BUILD
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VALUE
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EASE OF USE
❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚❚
VERSATILITY
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RESULTS
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Building on the P5’s legacy nicely,
it adds modern features but retains
the all-important killer sound.
A step sequencer and
arpeggiator are included
and they come in very
useful! Obviously as the
P6 is monotimbral there’s
no splitting/layering
available, and thus, the
sequencer only has one
track, although you can
record polyphonically (up
to six notes per-step) and
you can add rests or ties
too using the tens/
increment button. Bear in
mind that, as there’s only
one track, if you use up
all six voices on a step,
you won’t be able to play
over the top on that
particular step, and
further to this, there’s
no knob-movement
recording, though
there is keyboard-led
transposition which
is great.
There are 64 steps
available in total and ten
timing divisions which
apply to both the
sequencer and
arpeggiator (including
8ths, 16ths and 32nd
notes, with triplet and
swing settings). Both
the sequencer and
arpeggiator work great for
making loops and
backings and they really
come into their own when
synchronised to MIDI
clock as part of a wider
live/studio set-up; there’s
also a trigger jack for
triggering the sequencer
(or arpeggiator) from a
pedal/audio source.
Finally, the arpeggiator
has fi ve modes (including
up, down, up+down,
random and assign) and
it can be latched by
simply pressing the
‘hold’ button.
Sequencer And Arpeggiator
It is the most authentically vintage-
sounding DSI polysynth to date – it’s
pretty hard to get it to sound bad!
The P6 is a solid piece
of kit with a metal
chassis, metal back
and control panel – its
design owes much to
the P5. Walnut sides/
trim complete the
vintage look.
Wood/Metal
Chassis
FMU297.rev_sequential.indd 87 9/8/15 5:24 PM