Here's a very cool keyboard from Sequential. Notice the joystick for controlling your sound modeling. The Prophet VS uses Vector Synthesis as its revolutionary new means of sound creation. It uses a total of four oscillators per voice with 127 waveforms (32 user) and dynamic waveform crossfading via the joystick. This was Sequential's first digital synth, and it was also their final synth unfortunately. But after Sequential was gone, Vector Synthesis technology went into the popular Korg Wavestation and Yamaha's SY-22 and TG-33.

Pictured above is the common rackmount version of the PVS. The Prophet VS is still a very sought after instrument because it has an incredible range of sounds! Its only problem is that there's practically nobody left that can fix it if something went wrong. It is used by Brian Eno, Trent Reznor, Apollo 440, Depeche Mode, Vince Clarke, Kraftwerk, Vangelis, Erasure and filmmaker/composer John Carpenter.

Kirth

January 6, 2012 @ 9:13 pm

The Prophet VS has been one of my favorites for over 20 years. I recently bought a second one. There is nothing else like it.

Vintage

August 17, 2011 @ 6:47 pm

If you're looking to sell I'm interested in buying (I've posted a few times trying to make a transition from to analog). Contact me at pablojaekwon1985@hotmail.com

WolfMan

May 3, 2011 @ 12:22 pm

Great synth, the Prophet VS. I personally prefer the Korg Wavestation more (it's much more affordable and has a better ablility to produce those lush new-age sounds that I like), but the Prophet VS, unlike the Wavestation is perfectly at home in a set-up of analog synths as it has a 'grittier' sound than the Wavestation and can compliment them very well. Brad Cole, keyboardist in Phil Collins' band used one on Phil's Serious Tour in 1990 (not sure if the VS was Cole's or Collins' though as Cole tended to use both his own and Collins' boards.)

Luke

March 30, 2011 @ 12:44 pm

Mr Zoon,
could you provide a little bit more information about the studio you worked in? I live in NE Vermont, and I'd love to know the old name and location. Maybe a bit of synth CSI is in order.

micke

March 13, 2011 @ 2:03 pm

One of the first recordings that used the Prophet VS is John Carpenter's soundtrack to "Big Trouble in Little China" (1986). LA synthesist Alan Howarth was able to get one ahead of its release and used it for a lot of the "chinese" sounds.

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