Vintage Synth Explorer

Sequential Circuits • Prophet 2000

An early and affordable sampler synth. It's similar to the Emulators and old Ensoniqs. It is a low quality sampler with a tiny 256k (or 512k) memory and 12 bit sampling. However it has analog VCF's and VCA's which give you analog tweak-control over the sounds you sample. Though it does not even come close to modern day synth samplers like the Kurzweil K2000, it is an affordable classic that, with a little creativity is capable of some great and unusual lo-fi sounds. It has 8 voices of polyphony, the keyboard can be split into 8 layers, MIDI equipped, and there is an arpeggiator. The Prophet 2000 was also released in a rackmount version called the Prophet 2002. These have been used by: Hardfloor, Depeche Mode, Ultravox, Information Society, Mark Isham, filmmaker/composer John Carpenter, and D:ream.

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Allan

Posted 346 days ago

Need help.... I bought one of these at a flea market ( for 5 dollars) It seem to be in perfect condition, Keys are perfect, Case is not scratched or dented. When I turn it on different lights light up but buttons do no function, No sound is generated when hooked to Amp. I think the disk drive is defective, Does it need the Drive to be working and a proper disk to be read to boot up or is it something else. Thanks

scott

Posted 366 days ago

I actually have one of these samplers and the fidelity is great...better than any 12 bit sampler I've heard...I had an Ensoniq Mirage as well and it sounded like a piece of garbage next to this Sampler Although the Mirage is 8 bit, it sounds pretty terrible

MoulinNoir

Posted 373 days ago

The description here is INCREDIBLY misleading. There is absolutely nothing lo-fi about this machine. It gives about as high quality as you can get from 12 bit converters running at 40kHz. Which in thjis case is a respectable 70 db S/N and a frequency range well over most peoples hearing range. Since it has one DA converter per voice it does come close to more modern samplers soundwise. The difference is that a modern sampler has infinitely more memory, and creates pitch change by interpolation. But the P2000 has analogue Curtis filters. That's why people still use it.

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