Sequential Circuits Prophet VS

(V.3 I think)
Practically all the presets are usuable several times over (in fact it's hard not to overuse some of them). Dynamically they range from "sorry you'll need a new pair of speakers" to "those angels are quiet today". Some of the "vector shifting" effects move not only the sound but the earth and several brain cells as well. Editing is quite straightforward, despite only one slider but at least there is a dedicated button for each parameter so you can quickly move from one to another. A patch editor would be very nice though, especially for the envelopes for those of us dum-dums who like looking at pictures rather than numbers. The manual is excellent and I don't think could be more comprehensive if it tried.

Keyboard action is basically smooth but can be a shade on the clunky side at times. Recent problems for me have included one of the weights inside a black key coming loose and actually jamming it, making it unplayable (had to happen in the middle of a gig didn't it?). MIDI Specs are very good, I like being able to send different channels for upper and lower splits when they're used. The programmable arpegiator is brilliant - have fooled some people into thinking it was a sequencer a couple of times!

As mentioned before, patches are excellent and never hard to find many very usable ones. This axe would sit very nicely in most rigs regardless of style (when you consider that it's appearances range from NIN to twonks like Yanni!). Lack of onborad effects haven't bothered me. Keyboard is playable but lately, it's been impossible to have the key pressure work without damn near pushing the keybord thru the floor. Used to work like a dream though. (Should get it serviced one day!)

It is probably the most reliable keyboard in my rig. I have not stopped gigging with it since I got it and it has in fact, on two occasions, been a backup to two other keyboards that went down during a show!

Two words - Wine Country.

It's worth far more than what I paid - I know how lucky I was there. If it were stolen, I'd probably have an embolism. I've been playing for over 15 yrs, other gear includes Roland Juno 60, SH-3A, Korg Poly 800ii, Ensoniq ASR10, ESQ1, SQR Plus, Alesis HR16, Simmons SDS9, Rhodes 73 Mk 2, EMS VCS3, Alesis Quadraverb, etc, etc. The Prophet is a very sturdy keyboard (which probably explains it's weight - that thing and the ASR in my triple keys case ... keeps me fit!). I chose it initially because it had the name "Prophet" on it (!) but after about two minutes listening, I knew I had to have it. Many of it's sounds have been the direct inspiration for quite a few pieces. And of course, it looks very sexy atop a double or triple rig!

Very easy to program. Excellent presets, but that's not half the story. Just listen to any Nine Inch Nails record. Trent has this keyboard screaming on nearly every song. Manual is well-written.

8 voice polphony here with pressure sense and aftertouch. Plays great. Action reminds me of a D-50. The chorus section is effective, but kinda noisy. Modulation routings are fairly extensive, although I wish there were independent volume controls for each occilator. VS also includes sine, saw, and square, so you can easily make this thing sound analog.

Okay people. If you need to buy ONE keyboard, this is IT!! The sound is unreal for any type of music. Factory patches can be heard on Kenny Login's "Danger Zone" (intro bass sound), Prince's "You got the look" (opening pad). Trent Reznor took this instrument to new heights on "Closer", "Mr. Self Destruct", "Into the Void" (phat lead bass sound!), "That's what I get" (pure VS intro) and "Ringfinger" at 4:06 the VS takes over on bass and should now have a familiar sound to you all. I LOVE this keyboard.

Mine heats up quite a bit, but other than that it's been solid.

Winecountry is great.

I've seen these go for over $2,000 now. I bought mine back in '92 when demand was not so high. I'll never part with it. Also, the damn thing looks very cool. Go out and rent that Phil Collins live video from the early 90's. You get some terrific footage of the VS from his camera crew.

The VS is extremely simple to use. The only thing I would have to complain about is that it has basically one data slider for inputting parameter changes. This is pretty common for the period this synth was built. It seems that synth manufacturers were "streamlining" there products in the late 80's. Look at the Korg Poly 800's, SCI 6 tracks, etc, etc. Little did they know, they were on the brink of "retro-feaver", and knobs were about to come back into "vogue". In any event, this machine's amazing sound more than makes up for this little problem. I feel something like a Peavey 1600x midi controler would really "open this machine right up". That would give it 16 knobs (sliders) to help carve out your tones in realtime. It is extremely easy to understand and master.

Compared to today's mega-synths, with hundred-note-polyphony, massive FX units built in, and 1000 presets, this beast dosen't look that impressive, however, neither does any of the classic machines being snatched up so greedily today (Prophet 5's, MiniMoogs, MS-20's, PPG's, etc). The VS most definitely falls into the "classic category" of the above mentioned synths... IE, It offers a sound NOT obtainable with anything available new, and therefore keeps it's value, and demand. One special feature, is the VS's extremely excellent arpeggiator. Its syncable to midi clock, and offers many options. Very cool. You can store 100 patches on ram carts if you can find them (and if you can, expect to pay big $$$ for them). It is far more wise to use some sort of computer based patch librarian. Unysin works excellent with the VS. This machines main feature is it's amazing and unique sound character.

Amazing! This synth produces sounds not obtainable anywhere else. I have heard that the Waldorf Microwave get close, but I don't find this to be the case. I've compared it side-by-side with the Wave. The VS seems far warmer. Its got a rich, somewhat grainy, "hi-fi-low-fi" sound to it. Lots of digital aliasing, so some weirdness (good) in the high-end at times. Sounds like a PPG, D-50, Matrix 12, Synergy, Prophet 5 all wrapped up into one machine. Very digital, but with never before heard warmth for a digital machine. Like a digital-Prophet 5. Can't do basses very well, but the pads are second to none. The VS is ofter compared to the Wavestation's and TG-33's, however, it is far superior to either of these. I owned a wavestation for a while, and it wasn't even in the same league. The wavestation sounds similar in many ways to other synths around, like Trinity's, O1-W's, and others, where-as, nothing sounds like the VS. It is my favorite synthesizer. The sampled waves are 12-bit, so it sounds kinda "plasticy". Definitely a synth, that sounds like a synth (as opposed to PCM based "real-instruments"). Can make ethereal, synthetic sound beds far better than a guitar, or piano. If you want that, get a sampler. A couple of prime examples where the VS can be heard, would be David Sylvian's "Gone To Earth", Nik Kershaw (almost anything), and too many techno acts to mention here, most notably, it is very recognizable through-out Basic Channel / Chain Reaction records (extremely heavily at that). It has a very distinctive tonality, and is easily picked out by someone familiar with it, but many are not since it is fairly rare (good thing for us VS users). An amazing instrument! Also... most of the Miami Vice television show (mid 80's) had tons of VS running through it, as did most of the TV and Films from that time period. Lush filmic strings. A little reverb, and your all set.

Extremely reliable. Built like a tank. No plastic here, full-metal-jacket. Heavy too.

Wine Country Sequential is excellent.

If your interested in the sounds that this thing can make, there is no substitute! Wonderfull unique in this day and age of sound alike, physical-modeling garbage. In the realm of the Waldorf Wave (but better), PPG, Fairlight, and Synergy. A genuine, bone fide classic!