Sequential Circuits Inc. Prophet 600

[Sacred Synthesis]

Prophet 600 has been one of my favorite synthesizers for a few years.  I love its analog rawness and panel simplicity.  This video gives a good sense of its sonic character.

I don't suppose Sequential will be sauntering down the re-issue road again, but this would be my first request. 

[Manbird]

The simpleness of this synth, in sound and function, is part of its appeal to me as well. I've got a Prophet 5 (or two) and a Prophet 6, and in that order, I'm moving away from the super-raw twang of the 600. I've run out of internal organs to sell for synths, and I've zero room left in my studio, but the Prophet 600 does call to me frequently!

[LPF83]

Prophet 600 has been one of my favorite synthesizers for a few years.  I love its analog rawness and panel simplicity.  This video gives a good sense of its sonic character.
I don't suppose Sequential will be sauntering down the re-issue road again, but this would be my first request. 

While I understand how some folks oppose Sequential re-issues, I actually think that in the wake of Dave's passing, focusing on reissues makes a tremendous amount of sense for them right now.  I have no doubt in my mind the Sequential team can innovate new products that are amazing, but the brand is going to be associated with Dave's design mind for at least another decade, and reissues are popular enough to provide a stable platform on which to innovate.  Once something new and unfamiliar is created, there is a lot of inexpensive competition out there, so it becomes a bit of a stormy sea for buyers to choose.  While there is inexpensive competition in the "ripoff" (not reissue) category, it is less of a threat because everyone knows it's not the real deal and that only Sequential can make Sequential products right.

The Prophet 5/10 Rev4 proved that Sequential could release a reissue that surpasses the original in feature set, at half the cost of a vintage unit.  This is their strength right now, they should ride it with other vintage remakes.

Sequential's biggest competitor right now is Oberheim, which is no longer a competitor but a collaborator.  Into one of these two brands is where I prefer to spend my synth money, when I can.

[Sacred Synthesis]

While I understand how some folks oppose Sequential re-issues, I actually think that in the wake of Dave's passing, focusing on reissues makes a tremendous amount of sense for them right now.

Talk of Sequential re-issues has primarily revolved around the Prophet VS (or Poly Evolver), Pro-One, and Prophet 600.  The post-Dave Smith Sequential would be in safe territory with these three or four instruments.  But I'd be surprised if the company wanted to choose such a course.  It would be too much like living in the past.  Most of these guys are only middle-aged and have a whole career ahead of them.  I would expect they'd prefer a more adventurous future full of new and innovative designs.

As for me - I'll take a re-issued Prophet 600, please.

[LPF83]

Talk of Sequential re-issues has revolved around the Prophet VS (or Poly Evolver), Pro-One, and Prophet 600.  The post-Dave Smith Sequential would be in safe territory with these three instruments.  But I'd be surprised if the company wanted to choose such a course.  It would be too much like living in the past.  These guys are middle-aged or younger.  I would expect they'd prefer a more adventurous future.

You may be right.. I think Dave Gibbons (supposedly in charge of demand generation) is somewhere around my age (I think some other key folks are too actually), but that doesn't necessarily mean anything in terms of the direction the company goes.  Sometimes where a company ends up going is defined more by existing human resources (i.e. what are they good at and what do they want to do) than it is perceived market demand, so future products could end up being defined by similar factors.  Thing is, DSI and Sequential pre-Focusrite was a situation where every product pretty much started with one factor --- What does Dave want to create?  This was of course whatever emerged from his creative mind at the time.  Obviously that will need to change, so the question may be, if not reissues, then where to start?  With companies like Moog, Roland, Korg etc. seemingly returning their focus to reissues of vintage due to demand and fears that the current crop of 40+ year old synths won't be able to survive on repairs forever, as long as interest in that stays strong, I personally feel this is safer territory for Sequentheim/Oberquential, at least initially.

On the other side of things, as I prepare for an upcoming trip, I've been awakened to the benefits of compact, affordable gear.  So there's a market there too, and I think the Take5 is somewhat of a dip in those waters.

[Sacred Synthesis]

With companies like Moog, Roland, Korg etc. seemingly returning their focus to reissues of vintage due to demand and fears that the current crop of 40+ year old synths won't be able to survive on repairs forever....

That's actually a really good point.  The re-issue phenomenon is not mere nostalgia - as many critics claim - but is motivated by the hard practical reality of vintage instruments becoming a little too vintage at this point.  It's getting pointless to repair them, so that many have jumped at the opportunity to buy brand new re-issues.  This makes sense.

[Manbird]

With companies like Moog, Roland, Korg etc. seemingly returning their focus to reissues of vintage due to demand and fears that the current crop of 40+ year old synths won't be able to survive on repairs forever....

That's actually a really good point.  The re-issue phenomenon is not mere nostalgia - as many critics claim - but is motivated by the hard practical reality of vintage instruments becoming a little too vintage at this point.  It's getting pointless to repair them, so that many have jumped at the opportunity to buy brand new re-issues.  This makes sense.

And with the Prophet 5 as a stellar example, many of the vintage synths being reissued have held up beautifully - from a sonic/aesthetic perspective. I know there are people suffering because the new P5 isn't stereo, but really, it's as wondrous an instrument now as when it was first presented. I'd be delighted to see Sequential bring more of its classic lineup back. That said, I have little reason to replace my old Pro One... cos it still works great and sounds like I want it to! But if Seq. conjured a new one, I don't doubt it'd have a subtle set of modern twists that I'd be hard pressed to resist...

[LPF83]

With companies like Moog, Roland, Korg etc. seemingly returning their focus to reissues of vintage due to demand and fears that the current crop of 40+ year old synths won't be able to survive on repairs forever....

That's actually a really good point.  The re-issue phenomenon is not mere nostalgia - as many critics claim - but is motivated by the hard practical reality of vintage instruments becoming a little too vintage at this point.  It's getting pointless to repair them, so that many have jumped at the opportunity to buy brand new re-issues.  This makes sense.

And with the Prophet 5 as a stellar example, many of the vintage synths being reissued have held up beautifully - from a sonic/aesthetic perspective. I know there are people suffering because the new P5 isn't stereo, but really, it's as wondrous an instrument now as when it was first presented. I'd be delighted to see Sequential bring more of its classic lineup back. That said, I have little reason to replace my old Pro One... cos it still works great and sounds like I want it to! But if Seq. conjured a new one, I don't doubt it'd have a subtle set of modern twists that I'd be hard pressed to resist...

The Pro One is at the top of my wishlist for a reissue (as is the Prophet VS) - a Prophet 600 reissue would also be welcome... it's bizarre because the Toraiz AS-1 does seem to give me the exact sounds I'd want from a Pro One. Sometimes I think it was Dave's modern answer to this synth, but for whatever reason I still want the specific keyboard and form factor of the original, it's a bucket list synth for me, and given that I feel skeptical it will ever be reissued by Sequential, I may end up just getting a vintage unit at some point. 

[Sacred Synthesis]

It's funny, but the astronomical prices of new synthesizers are almost making me consider buying vintage.  Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?  I wouldn't go near Behringer with a ten-foot pole, but a used Prophet 600?  Hmmm....

[LPF83]

It's funny, but the astronomical prices of new synthesizers are almost making me consider buying vintage.  Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?  I wouldn't go near Behringer with a ten-foot pole, but a used Prophet 600?  Hmmm....

The Prophet 600 can still be had for a reasonable price.  Honestly if I didn't already have the vintage Prophet sound so well covered across a range of other synths, it would be a hard purchase to resist.

[maxter]

Wow, don't think I ever heard one with pan-mod, but this makes it a lot more interesting to me.

https://youtu.be/MnoZoLZDjPo?t=153

[Sacred Synthesis]

Even though it's only a ping-pong effect, it is an improvement over mono. 

I would love to hear a Prophet-600 compared side-by-side with a Prophet '08, because the two sound strikingly similar to my ears.  A future project for Starsky Carr.

[hoodoo_ray]

Even though it's only a ping-pong effect, it is an improvement over mono. 

I would love to hear a Prophet-600 compared side-by-side with a Prophet '08, because the two sound strikingly similar to my ears.  A future project for Starsky Carr.

No video, but interestingly Sound on Sound's original review of the Prophet 08 compared it to the Prophet 600 (rather than a Prophet 5 etc).

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/dave-smith-instruments-prophet-08