Prophet-5 V

How it works

It is a polyphonic subtractive synth: each voice has two analog oscillators, a mixer with noise, a low-pass filter and an amplifier, each with its own envelope.

How the sound is born

• Oscillators: produce rich waveforms (sawtooth with all the harmonics, square/pulse with odd harmonics or more nasal spectra as the pulse narrows, a nearly pure triangle on Osc 2).
• Mixer: balances Osc 1, Osc 2 and white noise before the filter.
• Filter: a 4-pole low-pass (-24 dB/octave) cuts the harmonics above the cutoff frequency; resonance accentuates the area around the cutoff.
• Amplifier: an ADSR envelope gives the note its dynamic shape.

Cross modulation (Poly-Mod)

The distinctive feature: the filter envelope and oscillator 2 can modulate, note by note, the pitch and pulse width of oscillator 1 and the filter cutoff frequency. When the source is an audio-frequency oscillator you get analog frequency modulation (FM): new harmonics appear, often inharmonic, useful for bells, metals and "vocal" timbres.

Finally, the Prophet-5 was the first polysynth to store all its settings: each preset recalls the sound exactly.

Character and tone

Timbre

Big, direct and slightly "angular": the Rev 2's SSM filter is a 4-pole with pronounced resonance, very close to the Moog character but in polyphony. The saws are wide, the squares hollow, the noise grainy.

Where it sits in the frequency spectrum

Very present between 100 Hz and 3 kHz: it is a "frontal" instrument that fills the low-mids well; the 24 dB low-pass keeps the highs soft, but with Cutoff open and resonance up, the brass turn sharp around 1.5–4 kHz.

Strengths

• Poly-Mod: the filter envelope and Osc 2 modulate the frequency and PW of Osc 1 and the filter, per voice: analog FM, dynamic sync, bells, metallic sounds.
• "Classic" brass and pads with very few controls; an architecture that is very simple to learn.
• Sync of Osc 1 to Osc 2 for the "roaring" lead.

Limitations

• Only one global LFO on the panel (V adds LFO 2 and the Function), no velocity/aftertouch on the original.
• Low-pass filter only, no HPF: for lighter pads you need EQ downstream.
• Filter envelope is positive only (no inversion).

Comparisons

• vs Jupiter-8: rawer and more "rock", less polished; the Jupiter has more options (HPF, 12/24 dB slope, cross-mod).
• vs OB-Xa: the Oberheim is wider and more "roaring" in the mids, the Prophet more compact and defined.
• vs Minimoog: similar filter character, but the Prophet has two oscillators instead of three and is polyphonic.

Architecture

Original (Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Rev 2, 1978–1980)

• Polyphony: 5 voices, each with 2 VCOs (Osc A and Osc B), mixer with white noise, VCF, VCA.
• Osc A: sawtooth and square/pulse (can be enabled together), Pulse Width, Sync to Osc B.
• Osc B: sawtooth, triangle, square/pulse, Fine, Lo Freq (becomes an LFO), switchable keyboard tracking.
• Filter: resonant 4-pole low-pass with SSM chip (Rev 1/2; Rev 3 switched to Curtis chips), Env Amount, Keyboard tracking; can self-oscillate.
• Envelopes: 2 ADSRs (filter and amplifier).
• Poly-Mod: sources Filter Env and Osc B, destinations Freq A, PW A, Filter.
• Global LFO (sawtooth, triangle, square) and Wheel-Mod with LFO/pink noise mix to Freq A/B, PW A/B, Filter, controlled by the mod wheel.
• Glide, Unison, patch memory (a first of its kind).

Signal path (per voice)

Osc 1 + Osc 2 + Noise → Mixer → LP 24 dB filter (Filter Env, Poly-Mod, Wheel-Mod, Kbd) → VCA (Amp Env) → output.

What Arturia adds (Prophet-5 V, V Collection 9)

• TAE emulation of a Rev 2, alias-free oscillators; up to 16 voices; Unison 2–8 voices with Detune.
• Glide Legato, Hold (Normal/Append), Chord mode with 11 chords + Custom over two octaves.
• Arpeggiator (in place of the memory keys): Sync, Rate, Repeat, Gate, Octave, Pattern Up/Down/Up-Down/Order/Random.
• Voice Dispersion: Factory, Aged, Out of Calibration, Custom (Pitch, PW, Cutoff, Reso, Env, Mod).
• Advanced – Modulations: LFO 2 (7 shapes, Env/LFO/Env Retrig modes, Unipolar, Polyphonic, Phase, Amplitude, 2 destinations) and Function (multi-segment generator up to 16 points, 24 presets, drawing tools, 2 destinations).
• Advanced – Keyboard: Velocity, Aftertouch (polyphonic with MPE), Mod Wheel (with Hardware Link) and Keyboard tracking, with curves and 3 destinations each.
• Effects: 3 slots (series/parallel) with 16 effects: Reverb, Delay, Tape Echo, Pitch-Shift Delay, Chorus, Chorus JUN-6, Flanger, Phaser, Compressor, Multiband, Bitcrusher, Multi-Filter, Param EQ, Stereo Pan, Distortion, BL-20 Flanger.
• MPE support, tempo sync for LFO and arpeggiator, bank of original factory presets.

The controls, one by one

Poly-Mod

Filter Env

Amount by which the filter envelope modulates the active destinations: for pitch envelope on Osc 1, sync sweeps, envelope PWM.

Osc 2

Amount by which Osc 2 modulates the active destinations. At audio frequency = analog FM (bells, metallic sounds, growls); with Osc 2 in Lo Freq = a second LFO per voice.

Freq 1

Enables the pitch of Osc 1 as a destination (with Sync on it changes the timbre, not the pitch).

PW 1

Enables the pulse width of Osc 1 as a destination (the square wave must be on).

Filter

Enables the filter cutoff as a destination: with audio-rate Osc 2 it gives filter FM, rough and 'vocal'.

LFO

Sync

Pop-up Hertz / Sync / Sync Triplets / Sync Dotted to lock the Rate to the tempo.

Rate

Speed (in Hz or as a rhythmic subdivision).

Shape

Sawtooth, triangle, square (on the original Prophet the LFO has selectable shapes; square gives trills, triangle gives vibrato and PWM).

Wheel Mod

Src Mix

Proportion of LFO and noise in the modulation source: all LFO for vibrato, toward noise for buzzes and 'swarms'.

Freq 1 / Freq 2

Pitch destination of Osc 1 and/or Osc 2 (vibrato on the mod wheel).

PW 1 / PW 2

Pulse width destination of Osc 1 and/or Osc 2.

Filter

Filter cutoff destination (wah from the mod wheel).

Note

The depth of all Wheel Mod depends on the mod wheel: with the wheel down, nothing happens.

Oscillator 1

Frequency

Pitch in semitones (wide range in octaves): it is the fundamental of the sound.

Saw (on/off)

Enables the sawtooth: bright, all harmonics.

Square (on/off)

Enables the square/pulse wave; can be added to the saw.

Pulse Width

Pulse width: at center a hollow square, toward the extremes a thin, nasal pulse. For the square only.

Sync

Locks the phase and period of Osc 1 to Osc 2 (hard sync): raise Osc 1 or modulate it for the Cars-style 'squawk'.

Oscillator 2

Frequency

Pitch in semitones.

Fine

Fine tuning in cents: 3–8 cents relative to Osc 1 for thickness.

Saw / Triangle / Square (on/off)

Waveforms can be enabled together; the triangle is useful for subs and soft sounds.

Pulse Width

Pulse width of Osc 2.

Lo Freq

Turns Osc 2 into an LFO (per voice) to use in Poly-Mod.

KBD

Keyboard tracking of Osc 2: off = fixed-pitch drone; in Lo Freq it's best to turn it off, otherwise the LFO speeds up as you go up the keyboard.

Mixer

Osc1

Level of Osc 1 into the filter.

Osc2

Level of Osc 2 into the filter (lower it when you use Osc 2 only as a modulator).

Noise

White noise level: breaths, wind, percussive attacks, 'dirt' in pads.

Filter

Cutoff

Cutoff frequency of the 24 dB/octave low-pass.

Resonance

Peak at the cutoff frequency, up to self-oscillation; as you raise it the bass thins out.

Env Amt

How much the filter envelope opens the cutoff above the Cutoff value.

KBD

Keyboard tracking on/off: high notes open the filter; when off, high notes become dark.

Filter Envelope

Attack

Time for the cutoff to rise to maximum after the key (0–10 ms percussive, 50–200 ms brass).

Decay

Time to fall from the peak to the Sustain.

Sustain

Cutoff level while the key is pressed.

Release

Time for the filter to close after release.

Amplifier Envelope

Attack

Volume rise time (1–10 ms to avoid clicks, hundreds of ms for pads).

Decay

Fall from maximum to the Sustain.

Sustain

Held volume level.

Release

Tail after the key is released.

Keyboard Controls

Glide

Portamento time; at the same value, wider intervals take more time.

Legato

Glide only when playing legato: detached notes start clean.

Unison

Stacks the voices on one note (number 2–8 in the Polyphony menu of the bottom bar).

Detune

Detuning between voices in Unison: a little = fat, a lot = swarm.

Hold

Sustains notes like a pedal; with the arpeggiator active, Normal mode (the pattern continues) or Append (add notes to the pattern).

Chord

Plays the selected chord starting from the pressed key (root).

Select

Choice of 11 chords or Custom (drawn on the two-octave mini-keyboard).

Arpeggiator

On

Turns on the arpeggiator.

Sync

Hertz / Sync / Triplets / Dotted.

Rate

Speed or rhythmic subdivision.

Repeat

Repetitions of each note per step (the Gate can also be opened from the display).

Gate

Note length per step: short gates for staccato; at 100% with Repeat > 1 the repetitions can't be heard.

Octave

Octaves covered by the pattern.

Pattern

Up, Down, Up/Down, Order-as-Played, Random.

Output

Master Tune

Global fine tuning in Hz.

Master Volume

Final volume of the Prophet-5 V (useful for avoiding clipping without touching the DAW fader).

Virtual keyboard

Pitch Wheel

Standard pitch bend.

Mod Wheel

CC1, controls the Wheel Mod; with Hardware Link (Advanced → Keyboard) the controller's wheel is used with a custom curve.

Voice Dispersion (door above the keyboard)

1 Factory / 2 Aged / 3 Out of Calibration

Three increasing levels of differences between voices.

Custom: Pitch

Detuning between voices.

Custom: PW

Variation of pulse width between voices (square waves).

Custom: Cutoff

Variation of filter cutoff between voices.

Custom: Reso

Variation of resonance between voices.

Custom: Env

Differences in envelope times.

Custom: Mod

Differences in modulation depths.

Advanced: LFO 2

On/Off (Modulations tab)

Bypasses LFO 2 and Function without losing the settings.

Rate + Sync

Free or synced speed (binary, triplets, dotted).

Amplitude

Overall output depth.

Env / LFO / Env Retrig

Env = one cycle per note (like an envelope); LFO = continuous cycle; Env Retrig = cyclic but restarts on every note.

Unipolar

Positive values only.

Polyphonic

Each note starts from the beginning of the phase (only in Env and Env Retrig).

Waveform

Triangle, sine, sawtooth, ramp, square, sample & hold, smoothed sample & hold.

Phase

Starting phase (e.g. 180° = starts descending).

Destination 1/2 + Amount

Two destinations with bipolar amount -1/+1; be careful in Unipolar with negative amounts.

Advanced: Function

Presets

24 ready-made shapes (ramps, envelopes, rhythms).

Breakpoints

Up to 16 points; click to add, right-click to delete; double-click for the sustain point 'S'.

Point / Level / Time

Precise selection and positioning of the point on the axes.

Curve

Handles between points to bend the segments up to a step.

Draw Mode

Draw, Steps, Ramp Up, Ramp Down for drawing repeated patterns.

Rate + Sync / Amplitude

Speed and depth.

Env / LFO / Env Retrig, Unipolar, Polyphonic

Same modes as LFO 2.

Destination 1/2 + Amount

Two destinations with bipolar amount.

Advanced: Keyboard

On/Off

Bypasses the four sources.

Velocity

Curve (up to 2 intermediate points) and 3 destinations: typically Amp Env and Cutoff.

Aftertouch

As above; polyphonic with an MPE controller.

Modulation Wheel + Hardware Link

Curve and destinations of the mod wheel; Hardware Link replaces the on-screen wheel with the controller's.

Keyboard

Keyboard tracking with custom curve and 3 destinations.

Advanced: Effects

Routing

Series or parallel between the three slots; master On/Off button and bypass per slot.

Effect selection / Presets / Copy / Dry-Wet

16 types: Reverb, Delay, Tape Echo, Pitch-Shift Delay, Chorus, Chorus JUN-6, Flanger, Phaser, Compressor, Multiband, Bitcrusher, Multi-Filter, Param EQ, Stereo Pan, Distortion, BL-20 Flanger; each effect has its own presets and Dry/Wet slider.

Bottom bar and Settings

Polyphony / Unison voices

Number of voices (up to 16) or unison voices (2–8).

Hold mode

Normal or Append when the arpeggiator is active.

MPE

MPE enabling and settings in the side panel.

Sound design tips

Filter

• Env Amt vs Cutoff: the Prophet is designed to work with a low Cutoff (20–35%) and a medium-to-high Env Amt. If you raise the Env Amt, lower the Cutoff by the same amount, otherwise the sound stays always open and shrill.
• Resonance: beyond 50–60% the 4-pole SSM "eats" the lows: for resonant basses add Osc 2 an octave below with the triangle, or keep the resonance under 35%.
• KBD tracking: turn it on for leads, keys and resonant sounds (the peak follows the note); turn it off for dark pads that need to stay even.

Envelopes

• Filter attack vs amplitude attack: for "blowing" brass use a Filter Attack of 60–150 ms and an Amp Attack of 5–20 ms; reversing the ratio makes the sound mushy.
• Decay and tempo: for plucks synced to the track, a Filter Decay around 1/16 (at 120 BPM ≈ 125 ms) or 1/8 (250 ms) makes the phrase "breathe" in time.
• Release and tempo: releases longer than a harmonic movement smear the chords; for pads at 90 BPM stay between 0.8 and 2 s.

Poly-Mod

• Always start with minimal amounts: small doses of Osc 2 → Freq 1 add grain, large doses generate inharmonics and noise.
• For bells keep Osc 2 at non-consonant intervals (e.g. +7 semitones + a few cents) and lower its volume in the Mixer so that it works only as a modulator.
• Filter Env → Freq 1 with Sync on is the most musical route to sync leads: the timbre "talks" without going out of tune.

Frequencies and mix

• Without an HPF, Prophet pads take up a lot of 100–300 Hz: cut with a high-pass at 120–200 Hz in the EQ (Param EQ) when there's a bass.
• The "bite" of the brass sits between 1.5 and 3 kHz: that's the zone to manage if it competes with vocals and guitars.
• Noise in the mixer at 5–10% on pads and strings adds perceived air without raising the highs.

Glide, velocity, unison

• Glide with Legato on: the portamento stays an expressive gesture instead of a constant effect.
• Assign velocity to Amp Env and Cutoff (Advanced → Keyboard) for dynamics: values of 0.2–0.4 are natural.
• Unison with high Detune + chorus = a huge sound but poorly defined in mono: for basses keep Detune low.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting the mod wheel raised with Wheel Mod active: unintended vibrato or wah.
• Osc 2 KBD on in Lo Freq: the LFO changes speed with the note.
• Pulse Width at the extreme: the pulse becomes so narrow the sound nearly disappears.

Presets to recreate

In genres and records

• New wave and synthpop: Greg Hawkes uses it with The Cars on Let's Go and Shake It Up; Japan use it often, for example on Ghosts. Documented users include Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Tears for Fears, Thompson Twins, Thomas Dolby, Devo, Eurythmics, Soft Cell, Vince Clarke, Pet Shop Boys and Talking Heads. Sync leads, cutting brass, pads.
• '80s pop and rock: Michael Jackson uses it extensively on Thriller, Madonna on Like a Virgin, Phil Collins on In the Air Tonight; Peter Gabriel considers it his workhorse and uses it for many of the sounds on So. Brass, pads and keys.
• Soundtracks: John Carpenter uses the Prophet-5 and Prophet-10 for his film scores, Brad Fiedel recorded The Terminator with a Prophet-10, Vangelis uses it on Blade Runner, Ryuichi Sakamoto on Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence and with Yellow Magic Orchestra. Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein use it for pads and effects in the Stranger Things theme.
• Synthwave and darksynth: the sound of Carpenter's scores is a cornerstone of the genre.
• Electronic: Kraftwerk (Computer World tour), Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre, Giorgio Moroder. Sequences, pads, effects.
• Progressive rock: Tony Banks (Genesis), Rick Wakeman, Richard Wright (Pink Floyd).
• Hip hop: Dr. Dre is among the documented users.
• Alternative rock and modern electronic: Radiohead use it on Kid A, notably on Everything in Its Right Place; BT and Pendulum are among the more recent users.
• House, nu-disco and modern synthpop: stabs, polyphonic plucks and brass.