History lives in this one. In early 1983 the Prophet-600 became the first synthesizer on earth to ship with MIDI, the protocol Dave Smith gave the world for free, and it was demoed by plugging it into a Roland Jupiter-6 at NAMM. But it is no museum piece: under the hood is a genuine 6-voice Sequential analog poly, two VCOs per voice, the Prophet-5's filter and VCA, and full Poly-Mod, plus an arpeggiator and an onboard 2-track sequencer. Brighter and grittier than a Juno, fat on pads, drones and leads, and a documented favourite of Daft Punk, Bon Iver and BT. Vintage Sequential polys almost never surface used in SA.

FEATURES & PROS:

• The First MIDI Synth: Made history in 1983 as the first instrument with built-in MIDI.
• True Sequential Analog: Six voices, two VCOs each, with the Prophet-5's VCF and VCA.
• Poly-Mod: The Prophet-5's powerful cross-modulation, inherited intact.
• Arp + Sequencer: Onboard arpeggiator and 2-track sequencer for instant motion.
• Fat and Gritty: Brighter than a Juno, superb on pads, drones, basses and leads.
• Record Royalty: Used by Daft Punk on Discovery, plus Bon Iver and BT.

AS USED BY

• Daft Punk, across the "Discovery" album
• Bon Iver (Justin Vernon)
• BT, a longtime Prophet-600 user
• A go-to for warm pads, drones and gritty analog leads

THE WORD: Vintage Synth Explorer notes the P600 is the first commercially available synth with MIDI, with the Prophet-5's circuitry and a sound that is "just as funky." Read more at Vintage Synth Explorer.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Model: Sequential Circuits Prophet-600
• Released: 1982 to 1983 (produced through ~1985)
• Designer: Dave Smith, Sequential Circuits
• Type: 6-voice analog polyphonic synthesizer
• Oscillators: 2 VCOs per voice (saw, triangle, variable pulse, sync)
• Filter: 4-pole resonant low-pass (Prophet-5 lineage)
• Modulation: Poly-Mod
• Sequencing: arpeggiator, onboard 2-track sequencer
• Memory: up to 100 patches
• Keyboard: 61 keys
• Connectivity: MIDI (the first synth to feature it)

Further reading: Juno-60 or Juno-106? The Honest Answer, Including the Chip That Kills Them