Sequential Circuits Pro-One

very easy! granted, if you are new to analog synthesizers, you can only keep turning knobs and pushing switches and if you are an imaginative person, it should be intuitive. it was my first 2 oscillator synth. i was playing an arp axxe before the pro-one. it took me 15 minutes to get my bearings and about 5 hours (the first day) to get up and walk away from it!! only your your mind is the pre-set. once you have found a sound you like, you should write it all down. thats the only way to remember the great sounds you stumble apon. i never had a manual, just my basic understanding of old mono synths and listening to hawk wind and throbbing gristle!!

its mono, but what ever, this is a lead synth!! it has everything you'd expect from old synths.....except it has an arpegiator and a 40 note sequencer. most folks think the sequencer is a bit simple, but thats half the reason why its so nice to use!! its a quick and simple way to get sequenced sounds on the fly. the arpegiator is alright, just use the repeat function and you've almost got the same thing. the ability to use the modulation either direct or from the wheel is great! both mediums of use have different effects and intensities and allow you to use the modulation in different ways and if you like things to sound fucked up!! well, you got it! no midi, just good old no memory all analog!

ahhhh!!! the pro-one!! you know, i luv the old synthesizers. i own an arp axxe,a korg poly six and an eml 101 and a pro-one and i luv each of them for their own characters. the pro-one is just another beautiful creature.....you want the sound of playing pac-man back in 1980 while ripped on acid,lazer zaps,floating ghost like sounds?? maybe you would like the sound of groaning demons from outer space.......get some reverb, or some echo and let yourself freely soar thru all the potentials of this magical beast......oh yeah, and if you like that good old 80's style synth pop or rock or even hard electro inspired punk, the pro-one can do that as well. this synth is awesome!! enough said.

mine is very dependable!! i play in a band called lesser known neutrinos. you can hear our music on myspace.com if your interested. i occasionally use an eml 101 along with the pro-one, but mostly (for simplicities sake) i just rely on the pro-one. its light and changing settings is not as brainy as the eml can be when your playing live. its never let me down...

the company is long gone and well, i read about this place called wine country and aparently they work on sequential circuits synths?? i've read also some mixed reviews of wine country as well, but so far i have never needed any help with this synth.

well, if it were lost or stolen, i would cry a river of tears. i would want to replace it asap!! in terms of old mono sy nths and their ease of use and light weightedness, i'd like to have an arp odessy some day as well since it has the duo phonic mode.....but this pro-one is a rare mint jem. i bought it from a very expensive company called tone tweakers from yonkers new york. their products are alwase 100%% cleaned,re tuned,repaired,tested and re tested and probably one of the best,most trusted dealers in vintage synths. when i got mine in the mail it was as if it were brand spanking new!! most likely one of the finest condition pro-ones in the north east!! (for real). but you know, the market is overkill!! the prices for these things are out rageous!! if you find a perfect (and i mean really perfect) condition old synth, its worth the money considering if it does'nt need costly repairs. alot of times, someone buys an old synth for high dollar and you wind up spending another chunk of cash just geting it fixed. there are fine examples out there for reasonable working class prices, just be careful and know what to look for in terms of posseble damage......

With 2 oscllators for it's voice, a seperate ADSR for the 24db per octave filter & ampfiler which is all laied out, ( no pages of menus! )This synth is easy enough to get a feel for. The knobs and switches react in real time , the modulation routings take a bit of getting used to , but worth the time to figure out.

Having an on board sequencer & appreatior is a cool feature , but on this analog mono beast it's a welcome addition,( though limited in it's capaticty it works well ) , All front panel knobs , switches react in real time ! Adding multiple waveforms together - flick of a switch ! Modulation routings abound , PWM is fat enough to raise your LDL!

Though an mono beast from the late analog period, this synth does have the "prophet" sound .Not quite a synth for emulations exactly, but more geared toward individual expression . Tweaking all pramaters results in some very interesting timbres! With 2 ocs, 5 waveforms to choose from OR combine, 24 db per octave lowpass filter with seperate ADSR for the ampfiler , true pluse with modulation that will rasie your LDL it's so fat!

Iv'e had mine since 84 ! ( yes the orginal owner ) It has on occasion reacted to voltage fluctuations ( though easily adjusted )Have only used it outside a few times ( it's a temperal beast when left out in the sun ! )

Never had the need , im sure theres plenty of online help out there Winecountry seems to come to mind. But those Curtis chips inside are getting rare.

As this being my 1st synth , i would HAVE TO replace it ! Works well on it's own , it's discint sound only Sequiental had , a slice of fat old shcool synthsis. Though the keyboard isn't responsive to the players touch you quickly learn ways around it. Looks being as imporatnt as the sound this synth has both - ( nestled in between a Dx7II FD, JV1080, Wavestation SR,mc 505 ) it stands out .

very logical layout, knobs are quite well calibrated. fun to use. sequencer and arpeggiator are a BIG PLUS.

keyboard action is pretty horrid but not that much worse than on comparable mono synths of the 70?s (eg. korg ms-20). maybe i?ll have it modded.

as far as non-aftertouch, non-velocity monosynths with two moog-type wheels go, this is just fine.

due to slightly flimsy construction i would not gig it, but it appears to be serviceable and quite reliable.

haven?t dealt with them.

excellent mono synth, next to my (one osc) micromoog it sounds a little cleaner, more flexible. i prefer it over most other monos i?ve played.
the sound is more "analytic" but can be dirtied up with outboard. with moogs, you have to go with that moog sound, with this machine, you are more flexible to process it.
but, admittedly, if you want moogish rawness, get a rogue.
however, you will tire of most little moogs sooner than of a pro one due to its clever modulation options (with toggle switches between "direct" and "wheel" routings)

It's very easy to use as every parameter is right there on the front. You may find yourself trying to sort out which modulation source is routed to which modulation input and so on for a few seconds, but it gets easier with time.

The features are very good for an analog monosynth! A second LFO would be great though.

Soundwise it's pretty all-round. Aggressive basses, screaming leads and percussive sounds are its strength in my opinion, but it's good at many other things too

The keyboard (which is the J-Wire type) is pretty okay, not great but not unusable. The keys make a loud click sound when you press them but I never get double triggers or anything like that.

The sound quality is top notch. I haven't got much more to say than that it's just wonderful.

I don't know whether it's reliable or not yet since I got it the other day, but my unit seems pretty reliable. I calibrated it yesterday and now it keeps in tune very well, but I notice some tuning errors sometimes. It's analog, it's supposed to be out of tune a little! When it goes out of tune you barely notice it. I actually enjoy it.

If I were to bring it to a gig I would probably set up some sort of backup just in case. It seems reliable, but since I just got it I don't know whether it is reliable or not. I probably wouldn't need the backup...

well, wine country sequential might help you if you want spare parts or something.

I would probaby get a new one if mine were stolen. This is a really powerful monosynth and it looks really cool. Mine is in excellent cosmetic condition and I really enjoy looking at it. It's real eye candy. After it's calibrated it plays like a dream. I no time I can copy sounds of Yazoo and early Depeche Mode. I'm giving it a 9, because I don't know whether it's realiable yet.

Very easy to use since there is a knob or switch for every function. Tuning the beast was not easy but a tech with a chromatic tuner can have it tune in minutes.

Basically it was a single voice prophet 5. Monophonic with a 40 note step sequencer. Tons of modulation possibilities. I had a sample and hold added to mine by Gary Hull when he was my music store tech....before he moved on to E-MU and now his own company.

The CV inputs were also quite fun .... at least analog fun!

One of the hottest vintage monophonics around.

Mine is pretty much like new. It has been in storage for years now and the only thing it really needs is the power cord replaced and a tuning.

Not longer there. It worked perfectly while the company was in business.

May have to pull it out of storage an replace the cord and tune it. I have thought about selling it over the years but I never have. If the price was right I would part with it but I would probably be sorry I did.

Very easy to use interface good to learn on! and if you get stuck just keep tuning those knobs.

monophonic

simply amazing if you are after gritty sublow bass for drum and bass music this synth is the one!! Think "ed rush and optical's sound."

seems quite flimsy but it is very simple inside only one pcb and if it ever goes wrong most synth techies can sort it out.

none as said above find a knowlageable synth techie or learn to deal with it yourself.

if i were to loose this i would be out hunting down another one straight away this synth suits my needs perfectly

Easy to use, basic mono synth yet has a lot of options

Excellent features-sync, arpeggiator, CV/gate jacks for easy midi..

A single voice Prophet-5 pretty much says it all. Different from a Moog, Arp or Oberheim, more akin to the brighter, more aggressive digital-analog PPG character (Yaz for example). Not as fat as a Moog, but it's plenty thick and creates a different character that makes it just as good for a certain feel (lots of Industrial, like Skinny Puppy).

No problems, if you take care of it. Forget about the keyboard, just plug a midi box into the back..

One of the top mono synths along with Moogs, Arps and Oberheims; has an edge though because of it's top-notch sounds married with lots of features and easy usability in a contemporary setup.

Very easy to get a great sound from, fantastic modulation and routing for a hardwired board.

Keyboard action is clunky even with the J wire version I have, great to have a voltage selector switch 110/230v on rear saves changing transformer inside, useful if you are buying in from the US or selling to the US, arpeg and seq useful for rattling off little ditties, similar to the SH101 sequencer nice.

Best for synth sounds rather than emulating real instruments leave that to the digital boys, turn this throbbing beast up through a big PA and destroy continents with it! very unusual weird and frightening sounds can be cajoled from this fearsome animal!

If you regulary service your J wires and keep it dust free its pretty reliable, but the case is V flimsy so dont drop it or get a brain dead to chuck it in the back of your truck, treat it with respect and care and it will not let you down.

SCI long gone so no exp or of wine country, most analogue synth repair guys can sort the beasty out.

I would definately get another one if it were taken from me compared to my prodigies rolands and oberheimsI think it really has the flexibility and sounds to add a sparkle to your compositions like no other Ive played. Lookjing for a nice odyssey Mk11 or 111 to compliment my setup if anyone has a nice one to sell get in touch.

Very easy to use. A very good synt for you who are new in the analoge world. Easy to do good and usefull sounds direct. This is also a synt to grow with.

I is a normal monosynt with som cool modulation features. A small step sequencer and an arpeggiator. Just what we need and love. ;)

Very good sound, fat and big. And this is NOT a mono Prophet 5. Just as much as a Memory Moog is a Poly Mini Moog. I have tryed the Prophet 5 a few times and i think the Pro One is fatter in the bottom. But thats just my opinion.

The only thing that is bad with the PRO ONE is the key borad. Very cheap, poor and a plastic feeling. I dont use it in my home studio but i dont think is so good as a live synt.

What is support? ;)

Overall i LOVE and warship this synt. Probably one of the best monosynt i ever tryed. I run it with a Kenton Pro 2. I moastly use it for bases (and i got a Moog source) :). The Pro One fits very good in to my sound and my other synts. The synts i got in my homestudo are Roland Jupiter 8, Moog Source, Roland Sh-101, Tr-909 and a Clavia Nordlead 2. So if you are looking for a FAT and flexible monosynth the PRO ONE is your gear.

It's anal og. Verry easy to use. Twist the knobs. Irritate the neighbors with massive drones. Hey - it actually has a switch for "drone", literally. Watch out, La Monte Young. One caveat - the little pots you access with a little screwdriver through the front panel aren't the best - it can be fussy to calibrate (see the manual for calibration procedure).

Monophonic, wish the noise source could be filtered independently and that you could also use noise as a modulation source and that there was an LED light that blinked with the rate of the LFO and also the rate of the Oscillator B (which can be used as an LFO as well) but that's getting a bit ahead.. maybe I can get that stuff done custom sometime. What it does do, it can do very well. Intense sound modulation. If you get a membrane keyboard though, it sucks.

Grrrrrreaat sounds. Lots of fun. Really good for experimenting with sounds.

The membrane keyboard is terrible, some are J-wire versions. All-in-all you are better off with either triggering it externally or replacing the keyboard. I took out the original membrane version and replaced it with a MIDI keyboard, mounted inside the case where the original keys were. Now I love to play it because it's 100% reliable. Too bad I have a bunch of wires sticking out from the gate and CV inputs coming from a Kenton Pro SOlo MIDI to CV converter. Oh yeah, I also had to repair a factory installed ground loop.. I forget the website, but there are instructions for this online.. once this is fixed the output will be quiet as a whistle.

Sequential Circuits, of course, is no more. WHat's left is some guys who used to work for them that repair Sequential Circuits stuff in California. It will cost you, but I'm sure they do a good job, after all, they aren't cheap. Otherwise, learn to do it yourself.

I'd definitely track another down if it was gone. This is one of the few pieces of gear that I won't be selling. Ever. I think. Especially since I spent alot of time fixing it up to where it works great now. Better than any other Pro One, if I can say. I tell you what, offer me $2000 and I'll sell it to you, buy 2 more and fix those up just as nice.

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

Overall this synth is very easy to use. Some knowledge of subtractive synthesis is necessary to harness the machines full potential.

Although its monophonic, you can create some nice layered effects with the appregiator and a high clock rate, with lots of modulation. The keyboard action is, in most people's eyes, quite poor. However, as someone who has never played an actual piano I like the punch that the keyboard gives. Mine has some mods for accepting MIDI and some other minor mods, so I guess it is technically expandable.

Its a synth that does not use PCM, or any sampling whatsoever so if you want a good piano sound check out one of the new Yamahas. however, if you are into actually using the synthesizer correctly the sounds are great. Programming is a breeze and the tones are nice and thick.

I've had it for about a year now and it has never failed. I do take good care of it though and only gig it occassionally.

I have only heard stories about Wine Country...I just hope my synth never breaks.

If the synth was stolen I would cry one minute and tear after the thief with a baseball bat the next. He would not get away. It's a very good synth. Next to my Moog Prodigy I would definitely say the Pro-One is FAR superior in every way.

Very easy to use - you have total overview of the different blocks and those are in turn logically placed

This is a true mono(if You prefer a poly - go for a P-5 or P-10)and it's a good one too. The modulation capabilities is far beyond most other old monosynths and together with an arpeggiator and a simple (but very useful) sequencer you can make extraordinary drones, loops and rythmic sequences. A very good thing with the sequenser is that you're able to prolong (spare) every single step which makes it possible to make sequences in odd beats e.g. 3/4 - but this will quite fast use up the memory of the 40 notes (or 20/20 since you can make 2 independent sequences). Some pro1:s has been customized with an increased memory (240 notes i think) by a Swedish engineer (I think). It's unfair that this wonderful instrument has got such a bad keyboard

The Pro1 has got a very individual sound, identical to the bigger brothers; P-5 and P-10. The sawtooth's are thick and warm, the triangle is sweet and mellow and and the square's are rich but also very wide in modulation. The filter is nice and warm and together with the very responsive envelope, it bites back! - the pro1 is a unique instrument with it's own sound and expressiveness.

I've had some problems with the keyboard - tried to clean the contact parts but didn't notice any difference. I've also noticed some "fuzzy" sound sometimes (especially when using only the triangle wave), but can't realize what it is. I've used it on several performances and it has always been reliable. The overall feeling of the chassis is in some way a bit "plastic" - I would prefer to put it in a hardcase or build a woody chassis for it.

I just love it! - will never get rid of this little darling.......

"Easy to use" would be in the classified ad to sell this monophonic synth. If I showed you how to make it have output, you would have 20 great patches written down in an hour. It's great to have a little knowledge of subtractive synthesis before using, but not required.
I found a manual on the web 2 weeks ago, after having the synth for 10 years. It was instructive to know how to align the unit, but when I did the procedure, it was still right on.

Moniphony: Keyboard droning, high note priority, or last note priority. Good for fumble-finger step-time tune builder.
Easy to use filter: turn knob for depth and frequency. This is also an effect. Keyboard is plastic, light and cheap; synthetic, even. I count myself fortunate to have the wire switches. MIDI is a possibility, but I have no experience with any controllers.
The sound is really good.

GOOD, synthetic, very easy to use. NOT a sample player or realistic emulator of anything mechanical/wind/percussion. No velocity or aftertouch.

In a studio and at home: for sure. as much as any 20 year old piece of semi-pro electronic gear can be depended on. If I was touring with it, it would have a new power supply FIRST. Maybe consider making it MIDI interfaced and racking the unit for durabilty.

Be prepared to perform unaccompanied.

ZERO, they are gone. You are on your own with the local XXXX-tronix repair guy.

Horowitz and Hill wrote "The Art of Electronics" for you.

I repaired my own, just like when the Mackie board started humming at 61 months of a 5 year warrantee period. Practice soldering on obsolete PC mother boards until you get it right.

I'd try to find the next cool thing. The repackages of the Commodore 64 SID chip as synthsizers (HardSID Quatro?) might be it. I will never pay $90 for a Pro-One again, nor will I pay the $750 that they are selling for in Portland Oregon. I have a Micro-Moog, that suffers from much of the same monotonicity as the pro-one. Quicktime instruments suffer no crackly pots or unintended noises.....

Stupifyingly easy. Inability to make a decent sound with one of these
should be used as a disqualifier for people who shouldn't be involved
with electronic music. All parameters make perfect sense, do exactly
what you'd suspect, and so on. Modulation matrix makes easy work of
creating quick and weird mod routings. This is definitely one of those
synths you can set the manual aside on.

Definitely monophonic. Keyboard is in two different 'flavors', both
feel pretty bad. The desirable J-wire one tends to feel 'sticky', and
the membrane switch one just feels cheap...which it is. Has a
great hardware sequencer and arpeggiator, wonderful for live use.
Can be easily adapted to MIDI with an external CV converter, as
all important CV/gate/triggers are jacked on the back panel.

As monosynths go, I think this is the best. If you sat me down with
one of these and a Minimoog, I'd pay far less attention to the latter.
ANY analog-type sound you want can be scrounged up out of one of
these as long as you keep tweaking, I think.

Mine has even taken a few falls, and all that's ever happened to it
has been some damage to the power switch (the OEM is a cheap plastic
rocker type), which I replaced. I can depend on mine, yes...but one
warning should be made here to MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE that you DO NOT
buy one of these if it has the bubble-membrane switch keyboard. This
only applies to the later runs of these; the first few thousand use
a J-wire keyboard switch arrangement that is dead-on reliable. The
bubble switches eventually short and fail, causing always-on behavior
by the synth. If you run across a Pro-One that acts like this, this
is almost certainly the cause...provided you haven't misprogrammed it
or left the DRONE switch on.

HAHAHAHAHA! If you buy anything made by Sequential, you will come to
know Wine Country...and loathe them. They are your only source for
Sequential-specific parts and tech items. Luckily, most average
techs who know analog gear can easily work on these w/o Wine Country's
support/intervention.

I think I can distill the opinion here down to one phrase: "Touch my
Pro-One, and you will die painfully". No? OK...well, if it hasn't
become clear from the other comments, I think this is perhaps THE
pinnacle of monosynth development. And that even includes present-day
units, some of which even try and _look_ like the Pro-One (see the
Korg MS2000 and its Pro-One-nicked wood endpieces, for example).
Despite the crappy keyboard found on the two versions of the Pro-One,
this is a truly great synthesizer in terms of what you can do with
it, even with minimal effort.

Everything is laid out for you. If you cant get a grip on this synth within a few minutes than you might try getting into something else.

Its pre-midi, you cannot expand it(traditionally), no built in effects, its monophonic. It does have a onboard sequencer which is cool considering this synth is 20 years old. Very simple sequencer, 40 note step sequencer.

Top of the line sound quality. This is what all the virtual stuff tries(uh um, i said tries) to capture. If you want analog sound this synth is right up there with the moogs, arps, x0x's, etc.

This synth is 20 years old and is made out of cheap parts. I wouldnt count on it out of the studio. I have never had problems with mine but have heard of people having major problems with theirs.

sequential went out of business years ago but wine country online gives great support for their products.

Its too bad sequential used cheap parts and keyboard on this. The only thing holding this synth back is that it is flimsy and feels like it will break anytime. I own a tr-606(only other old piece i have) and it is qualit