Digital does analog! The Prophecy was among one of the first synthesizers to lead a revolution started in the mid-nineties by synthesizer makers to satisfy a growing segment of the market that was lusting after old-school vintage equipment in the pursuit of making electronica-style music, by providing a state-of-the-art retro synthesizer that could sound like a classic analog.

The Prophecy Solo Synthesizer was unveiled in 1995, and was a purely monophonic solo/lead synthesizer. It employed DSP synthesis first developed for the Korg OASYS synthesizer, with algorithms for producing realistic analog timbres, VPM (Variable Phase Modulation) tones similar to FM synthesis, and physically modeled brass, reed, and plucked string instruments. At your finger tips were tons of real-time control over traditional analog editing parameters like filter cutoff and resonance, envelopes and the arpeggiator. It had a pitch wheel, a mod wheel, an expressive dual action ribbon wheel, six effects processors and more!

It is used by The Orb, Jan Hammer, Download, Meat Beat Manifesto, Mirwais, Front Line Assembly, Kobe, Depeche Mode, Orbital, Theatre, Überzone, BT, Union Jack, The Prodigy, the Crystal Method, Eat Static, Apollo 440, Radio Head, Luke Vibert, Stabbing Westward, 808 State, Rick Wakeman, Yes, Joe Zawinul, the Pet Shop Boys and lots more! A great and modern techno/electronic music machine.

flip

March 2, 2012 @ 1:58 pm

You really cant knock this synth. Ive just this second sold mine and now feel a little bit gutted (i may even buy one again in the future), but the simple fact is im just not good enough for it (like many others who blame the synth rather than themselves) Ive seen a few demos on youtube and some guys really are pros with it, they have it doing things i could never dream of! I found the original presets boring but once you begin to edit them they become something totally unique! Respect to the Prophecy! :D

Axel

February 25, 2012 @ 9:58 am

Still using mine, bought it back then! Great tool. I find it very inspiring... but it depends on what style of music you make. It's actually very versatile if you know how to make it do what you want to. The sound is quite unique.

Mr. Vaughn

January 31, 2012 @ 12:49 pm

Yes, "virtual analogs" have come a long way, baby. I bought this synth in high school and didn't really like it. A older keyboardist friend of mine told me I just had to "learn how to use it". I pored over the manual and learned to program and manipulate the sounds with ease but still... I hated the damn thing! To me, there is just nothing inspiring about this synth. I suppose the VA's from the mid to late nineties made by the likes Nord or Access were better, but not by much.

Smoinync

January 28, 2012 @ 12:06 pm

I remember how phat it sounded. Great yesterday's innovation but failes in appearance design. Hard to program so I sold mine,

harmony vibes

October 28, 2011 @ 5:26 am

I bought mine in 1996, and was enjoying the thick textured sounds, the organic leads and the programming potential before it was stolen a year later. I just hope the thief knew how to delve it's menu depths. I still wish I could own one.... if you enjoyed gutsy lead noodling, this was the one to own, it had a nimble keyboard and phat pre-sets that drove you to solo as hard and fast as you liked; the strip and wheels really helped add some character too. Maybe one day....

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