Sequential

FM VERDICT
9.2
Take 5 is very much its own
synth trying to make its own
way in the world. And it’ll
do just that. A compact poly
with fantastic sounds
KEYBOARD : Low Split is a fantastic
addition, allowing users to extend the
keyboard range.
FILTER: The large, central cutoff knob
demands hands-on tweaking – and
many presets make the most of it.
BUILD: Take 5 is sturdy and modern
looking, although perhaps not as
portable as Sequential claim.
EFFECTS: Excellent effect processors
can alter sounds beyond recognition,
for some real sound design fun.
demonstrates extreme aftertouch, a
clean lead that becomes fi ltered and
fi lthy the harder you press.
Indeed it’s these other-worldy
sounds that make the odd real sound
(Koto, 216, and UpFrontBrass, 302)
initially sound out of place.
JustAnotha808 is huge, anything but
‘just another’ 808 kick, it displays the
dynamic range of Take 5, and it’s not
entirely sure if it’s a kick or a bass
sound but is massive either way. Just
as vast, Abyss (513) takes you on a
cavernous fi lm score journey – and it
must be said that Take 5 is as such a
composer’s dream.
As with Prophet-5, there are
plenty of big and deep electric piano
sounds (515) made all the more
characterful with the Overdrive knob
which I found a little more dramatic
than the Drive option in the fi lter
section that is best used with the
Resonance control to deliver more
subtle bass oomph. There are basses
and leads more suitable to bigger
dance genres scattered throughout
(particularly in bank 6 and do check
out the likes of AnthemArp, 807)
although perhaps not as many as you
might like. That said, the hands-on
controls – one action per knob – and
the easy arpeggiator make it super
simple to create your own to save in
one of the 128 slots.
Dual effect options
I should also touch on the effects
here which can really change a sound
beyond recognition. I’ve mentioned
the dedicated Overdrive control, but
over on the right are two Effects
blocks. The lower one is a dedicated
reverb while the upper one allows you
to step through delays, tape, chorus,
fl anger, distortion, speaker and phaser
effects. Both have a few major
parameter dials to tweak and neither
effect is particularly subtle – big,
fi lthy distortions and huge, messy
reverbs are very easy to achieve – but
you can have a lot of fun here. They
are, like everything else on Take 5,
direct, up there with my favourite
features on the synth.
Overall there is a huge range of
sounds: deep, rounded basses and
gloriously big pads. There are less of
the ‘real’ sounds but these often excel
with FM richness and there are plenty
of moving (literally and emotionally)
sounds that make use of Take 5’s
extensive modulation features. And
these are so very easy to explore: you
assign sources (from 19) and
destinations (from 54) with the
dedicated buttons and the Select
dial, and you’re away.
You get a lot of synth with Take 5.
Big, ballsy analogue sounds, crunchy
and lush digital effects, modulation
options aplenty, arpeggiation and
sequencing, the latter as easy as
hitting Record and playing up to 64
notes. There’s also a Chord Memory
option where single notes can trigger
chords using the Unison option to
memorise notes. Better still is the
genius Low Split keyboard switch that
shifts the lower end of the keyboard
down by up to two octaves for more
extreme keyboard playing and
recording. This affords Take 5 a
smaller footprint, ideal for tight studio
spaces, although I’m still not
convinced it’s quite as portable as
Sequential sell it to be.
The synth is also simple to use,
and sounds more contemporary and
certainly more soundtrack-friendly
than the classic Prophet 5, yet still
retains that characterful Sequential
sound – lush, dreamy, and gritty when
you want them to be.
And by now, you should perhaps
have realised that we shouldn’t really
be comparing it too much with the P5
as Take 5 has come out of this review
as being very much its own synth,
launched under the ominous shadow
of the Prophet but actually with none
of that classic machine’s constraints.
Almost like Sequential said to its
developers, ‘take its core ingredients
and make them fl y’. And it really
does. It’s taking those best bits and
the Sequential message to a new
audience, and in that respect it really
does deserve to be listened to.
Sequential Take 5 | Reviews
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