Sequential Circuits Pro-One

so easy...tweak a knob and there you go. it took me few minutes to figure out the modulation section, not immediately intuitive but really easy and quite powerful once you get it. manual and schematics are readily available online.

monophonic prophet 5 with some deeper modulation tricks up it's sleeve. 2 oscillator monosynth, fat-as-hell SCI 24db filter. some of the fastest envelopes on the planet. great for bass and analog percussive sounds. excellent sampler fodder. 2 full ADSR envelopes that affect filter and amp (you can also tie the filter amp to pitch using the mod section). CV/GATE in/out. audio input WITH envelope generator. basic but useful arp and step sequencer. PWM to die for.

best sounding monosynth, period. you cannot do half the things this synth can do on a minimoog. the bass may not be quite as fat as a mini (but it's close, if only the pro-one had 3 oscillators!) but the modulation options, absolutely HUGE PWM, full ASDR envelopes make it so much more useful and fun. full and direct sounding, mine is not noisy at all. if it's good enough for vince clarke it's good enough for the rest of us.

mine had some, um, problems....membrane keyboard was shot, arp/seq didn't work, GATE in didn't work, etc...sent it off to greg montalbano in CA: http://home.earthlink.net/~klosmon/analogsynthservice/id3.html
he replaced the keyboard, fixed the other problems, cleaned and serviced, even replaced the power supply caps for a very reasonable amount. have never tried wine country, people seem to rip on them but i think it's great they are around and keeping old SCI gear alive. i highly recommend replacing the keyboard if you have the membrane type. works excellent now.

SCI is defunct, of course. try greg montalbano at the above link or wine country if you need help. pro-ones are easy to work on but they have a few hard to find/service parts. chipforbrains on ebay also carries parts for the pro-one.

i absolutely love the pro-one. it's so flexible and sounds so good that i rarely play anything else anymore. i just multi-track the hell out it. i also have an sh-2, 2 sh-101s, and a SCI prophet-600. the sh-2 is also very good but it's really more of a bass machine where the pro-one just does so much more. i think $400 ($250 with $150 in repairs) is a small price to pay for this sort of creative bliss. get one if you can!

Easy, clear controls and access to top-notch classic analog

Lots of little extras-modulation and sync, stock CV/Gate jacks so no mods needed for midi, arpegiator..lots of goodies and value plus good sounds!! Only falls short in relation to the almost-modular Yahama CS series synths..

Pros: Exactly one voice of the 5-voice Prophet 5-typical cutting, edgy, aggressive Prophet sounds-Skinny Puppy & lots of other Industrial cuts where it's the synth of choice, Yaz, Axel F.. Like other vintage synths it IS sonically superior to today's emulations-warmer, punchier, clearer than any other brand past/present, just sounds "right". Having owned both, i'd have to agree that i'd be hard pressed to justify a Mini over the Pro One given the huge price difference, though having both's ideal given the different character of each-Pro One glossier, sharper, Moog's warmer, bigger. As with just about all mono synths and their simple architecture, quick response when connected to a midi box, easily renders those seminal and aggressive industrial trax.
Cons: knobs aren't easily fine tuned, thus a little difficult to regain an exact replication of a previous patch.
FYI Escape from NY and the original Terminator soundtracks were done on a Prophet 5, 5 voices of the same Pro One sound.

Like any vintage synth best not to gig, then problem free..

Not difficult to fix through third parties. Wine Country so-so - expensive and not necessarily more thorough or more professional than a knowledgeable local tech.

One of the best when sound, price and features are factored.

Well organized board, much better than an Odyssey. Ideal for newcomers to the analog world.

Love it. Simple concept, powerful execution. It may have seemed a bit dated when it was released in 1980 (with lots of Oberheim polysynths around, and even high priced digital behemoths like the Fairlight) but to me the Pro One is more like the top in monophonic evolution.

It doesn't get much better than that. Who needs a Minimoog?

It's 20 yrs old now, but it ain't that bad. Have seen my local techie a few times, but still sure beats my Odyssey.

Wrote to Wine Country once, never got an answer. Luckily there's nothing too special about minor maintenance issues -seems like any techie would work on it. But if something serious happen, you're on your own.

A bargain for the price. How come people pay fortunes for a Minimoog and ignore this board, I'll never know. Yep, I know too many great reviews may drive the price up -but it's not for my own good since I have no plans to part with this baby.

DO NOT BUY THIS SYNTH! (There, I hope I scared some people off) This thing is so fun and cool and flexible. It's easy to understand too. In fact I like to put my non musician friends in front of it and let them tweak away. No presets, no memory, no big deal.

Mono, no effects, no midi. Deal with it. Go on the web, find a blank front pannel schematic and photocopy it a bunch of times. Use a marker to mark your settings and there's your patch memory. BUY A KENTON PRO SOLO CV/MIDI Converter. It rocks and does a great job with this and any old mono synth. The actual keyboard on these things suck get the Kenton and use sequencer to trigger it. You'll wet your pantalones.

Listen to upstairs at Eric's by YAZ or the soundtrack to escape from New York. FAT basses, sqeulchy, blippy, video game weirdness. The modulation section plus some experimental substances equals hours of fun.

Mine is mint and works perfectly. Again, the keyboard sucks, get the pro solo.

For better or for worse Wine Country offers support and survival kits for the Pro-one. Hey, at least some one still cares about it and you can get parts. Try that with an Italian synth.

I have a Novation KS4 which sounded good, but nothing compares to true analog. Plus my KS fried itself and I find it ironic that a 20 year old synth performs better than a VA. I researched the shit out of mono synths and this is the one...especially if you can find one under $500. I would applaud the guy who stole it for knowing greatness when he sees it and then I'd beat the living crap out of him with an over priced ARP odessey. Don't tell anyone about the Pro-One. Let's keep it our secret!

if you don't know anything about analogue synths, it might be a little difficult to navigate at first, but just keep turning knobs! Almost anything you do will have an interesting effect on the sound. Takes a bit of an effort to learn, but easy to mess around with.

Monophonic...it's an old synth (1982), so deal with it. You can sort of get around it by mixing the two occilators at harmonizing frequencies.
The filters are great...sweeping washes to stabbing leads.
One of my favorite features is the arpeggiator...oh, and the built in sequencer...once you get into it, you can use either in a variety of interesting ways

Bugger "realistic"! Nothing is "real", my friends, and if it were, this synth would be the prince of thieves and liars! i get nice sexy washes, fat punchy bass, warm plasticky leads, nasty earthquake throbs, esctatic warbling sirens, and what sounds unmistakably like the innocent cry of a hungry baby dragon. Before i bought this synth, my other keyboards were just interpreting my parts for me, but this baby really lets you Feel! It is an extention of my psyche when i play it and i owe it endless devotion for helping me to better understand this aspect of music! Expressive? Hell Yes! Just let go and tweak away and you can do whatever you want.
it's monophonic, sure, but instead of letting that limit you, use that as a set of conditions that you have to create in. let the board open up and you will find that monophony is all that you really need.

Very reliable. i took mine apart to clean it for the first time recently and there was no corrosion or broken parts/unconnected wires. It looks very elegant and simple inside. The casing is heavy and sturdy and it looks pretty good too. mine has been dropped, kicked, and trodden on several times (you read correctly, and believe me, i gasped too, every time something happened) and has survived swimmingly.

i haven't needed to contact the company, but i know that all parts as well as a manual and schematics are available online.

This board changed my life and opened me up to the beautiful world of analogue synths years ago. I have lost no love for it and continue to discover new things about it. It is my gorgeous little metalic love child and i will not give it up. I got this thing for a steal and was very very fortunate. It is worth way way more.
If anyone tried to come between me and my pro-one, i would bite off their face and use it like a floppy frisbee.

Pretty straight forward since you have all the knobs there infront of you. The modulation section is the only thing that is directly evident. But it soon becomes very clear and it adds a lot of nice possibilities to the synth.

The Pro-One was a pretty advanced mono synth for its time (1981) having sync, crossmod, sequencer, arpeggio etc. But compared to the Waldorf Pulse it is very simplistic.

No MIDI, I use my Paia 9700S MIDI-CV converter. Works great!

The sound of the Pro-One can be described as very raw and gritty but still warm. The lead sounds often have a certain brassy quality to it. It?s not as bass heavy as the Waldorf Pulse but capable of producing really deep and solid bass. With some added EQ I think it is in the same league as the Pulse. The oscillators sound very alive and with PWM they are really massive! Comparing it to the Pulse again, it sounds so much more interesting when fully opening up the filter. The oscillators sound more physical and life full than the Pulse?s DCO:s. The filter can self-oscillate and produce interesting seagull like sounds when on the edge. The envelopes are well known for being extremely fast and snappy, which makes the Pro-One ideal for percussive sounds.

I have a more thorough review with high-quality samples up at
http://www.unease.se/proone.htm

The keyboard is notoriously bad, both the feel and the reliability. Especially the membrane type keyboard that was used on the later versions. The J-wire type keyboard is much better but still not good

These things are getting old now. The keyboard is bad on most Pro-Ones and the pots get a bit scratchy when they aren't used for a while. Otherwise mine has worked just fine.

This is the synth with the most inspiring sound. I have a Virus Indigo, Waldorf Pulse and a Paia 9700S modular but the Pro-One is my favorite for its raw sound. It can't do everything, but it does do monophonic analog sounds better than most synths.

Easy to use if you have experience with analog. Lots of dials and switches make it very impressive-looking to the digital crowd.

It's mono, but has two ocillators. You can play with these to get some interesting sounds. Keyboard action was suspect until I replaced the original bushings, now it's fine. It has a limited sequencer and an arpeggiator, both are easy to figure out.

I like this synth. It works well as either a lead or a bass keyboard. Very expressive for 80's rock synthesizer leads. With enough manipulation, you can get it to make virtually any sound you want.

Mine is a little sensitive. A couple of the J-wire guides and the keyboard interface cable are not exactly tight. Jostle it too much, and I've had to take it apart, fix this, and put it back together. I'd bring it to a gig, but I wouldn't rely on it.

All things considered, Wine Country Sequential has provided me with excellent support for this synth.

It's part of a collection. Would I specifically replace it? Probably not, unless I happened to find one cheap.

Make this your first analog synth.

VERY powerful synth. Modulation routings makes this synth sound stunning.

Words cant describe. Fantastic oscilators and legendary filters. Vince Clarkes favorite mono. Capable of every sound you care to imagine.

Filter chip has just failed (Which is a bastard, but thankgod its fixable! Yipee) Keyboard maintenace sometimes makes me wanna sell it.....but then I just think of its sound!

The only real support you'll get is either from www.winecountrysequential.com or your local analog repair guys.

I genuinely find it hard to understand how an analoge monosynth can get any better than this. If you have any questions, or want to listen to tracks Ive done just using a pro-one then plz email me.

At first I found this synth a bit difficult (As it was quite litrally my first synth). After about 4 weeks I started to understand it! After 4 years im a power user!! This synth has no presets or patch memory storage......in other words everytime you turn this baby on youre making fresh new sounds! Knob for every function makes this an incredible creative instrument.

Monophonic, 2 VERY powerful oscilators, Arpegiator, sequencer (Basic), world class filters etc etc. No midi - but retrofits are posible! I just use an old Roland (MC-4) seqencer to control mine.

Phenominal sound. Goes between dark/moody John Carpenter to happy 80's synth pop! It does it all with such ease and presence. Perfect sound effects, perfect gritty basses, shredding leads...its all here. This is my favourite monosynth. It has all the parameters and sound of the Prophet 5....and what a classic that is!

If you want to know what the Pro-One can do then listen to:

Depeche Mode (Speak & Spell Album)
Soft Cell (Non Stop Erotic Caberet)
Yazoo (The Song 'Only You' was done almost entirely using the Pro-One)

John Carpenter created some of the most atmospheric/haunting/cool soundscapes using the Prophet 5 on his classic films The Fog and Escape From New York. Listen out for those dark/heavy bass lines and sound effects.

Crap build quality....but remarkably reliable.

www.winecountrysequential.com

Overall probably one of the Analog monosynths ever made. The fact that 10,000 of them were made means you can pick them up quite cheap relatively speaking.

I would DEFINITELY buy another.

Exceptionally easy to use...and a great machine to learn programming on

Features are early 80's and I love it!

To the best part......the sounds just ooze character and atmosphere! The range of sounds this machine can generate is massive....it is an incredibly inspirational sounding synth. The most bad ass basslines...the most ear piercing leads and the most atmospheric synth effects come out of this. I've had very good Depeche mode kick drum sounds out of it to. Oh god I love that 80's sound! It has a mvery clear sound with excellant clarity.

Yes this synth...despite its build quality is as reliable as any other. Be prepared to clean the key contacts at least once a year. Its a good idea to leave it on for 20 mins or so and let it warm up a little to make sure it stays in tune. Once in tune its very stable.... I like having to retune it...to me its all part of the fun. This synth is like a living human...modern digital synths are pale in comparison.

Wine Country Sequential (If you live in the USA) is possibly your best bet. However ...your in luck...the Pro-One is very easy to maintain and any reputable anolog repair company can do the job. As for parts...they are more widespread than you think.

This was my first synth I ever bought. There would be no way in hell I would ever sell this. All my synths are anologue...I dont think id ever use a new digital ( nord 2 or virus). To me if you are in the business of making music then you want an instrument which conveys emotion...new synths just dont cut the mustard.

I love it for its mean bad ass looks + sounds
I dont hate it!

*The bottom line is IF YOU SEE ONE - PREPARE TO HAVE YOUR HEAD KNOCKED OFF BY A THUNDERING SOUND