GForce Sequential Prophet-5 review and sound demo: the best soft Prophet synth?

GForce has partnered with Sequential to deliver the first officially licensed Prophet-5 plugin, bringing the legendary synth to modern DAWs

Back in 1978, the legendary synth developer Dave Smith released his first polyphonic analog Synthesizer with patch memory, the Sequential Prophet-5. It is a timeless instrument that continues to command high esteem more than 48 years after its release.

The Prophet-5 lives on as a hardware reissue or in numerous software products. After many emulations from best-known soft companies (Arturia, u-he, Cherry Audio…) Sequential, in collaboration with GForce Software,  has now released an official Prophet-5 emulation.

With the Sequential collaboration, GForce closed the Focusrite circle. They’ve already had partnerships with Oberheim and Novation for some time. This is the first Sequential-endorsed plugin and Prophet-5 emulation. 

Thanks to GForce Software for giving me the opportunity to take a closer look at the first official software, Prophet-5, ahead of its release.

Disclaimer: Nothing has changed since the AudioKit Pro PRO-A5 (Prophet-5 for iOS). The review didn’t earn me thousands of €/$, so I still don’t own a vintage or modern Sequential Prophet-5 to verify its authenticity. 

Thus, I cannot confirm or deny the plugin’s 100% authenticity in this review. The only thing I can compare is the GeForce emulation to the others available on the market. I’ve played them almost all.

However, I don’t like it much as we don’t know the conditions under which they were modeled. Plus, each vintage Prophet-5 has a slightly different character/behavior, and some emulations are younger or older on the code side. Sorry, no hardware-vs.-plugin comparison bingo, but I will share my impression with you.

GForce Sequential Prophet-5 Summary

Positive

• authenticity 
• best-sounding Prophet-5 emulation compared to the others (personal impression) 
• two fully tweakable and routable layers 
• advanced modulations (XLFO, and XADSR)
• multi-FX with modulatable parameters
• arp and chords 
• presets
• moderate CPU consumption

Neutral

• I can’t verify the 100% authenticity (don’t have a Prophet-5) 
• Multiple parameter assignments for velocity and aftertouch, but this could be better visualized.

Negative

• no global FX OFF 

What Is The GForce Sequential Prophet-5? 

The Sequential Prophet-5 plugin is an analog-modeling Synthesizer that, as the name suggests, is a virtual Prophet-5 for your DAW. That’s what you get here, but also more.

GForce Software has given its virtual Prophet two fully-resizable user interfaces. One replicates the design of the 1978 hardware, and the other takes it to the modern age with a fold-out advanced panel.

The original and the Prophet-5 reissue are 5-voice synths, but can be purchased or upgraded to 10-voice. No need for this in here. It’s a 10-voice synth right out of the box, but time two.

Yes, each layer has 10 voices that can be stacked or layered with independent voice pan and VCA controls. Independent voice pan is a great addition, and the alternative mode from the vintage Prophet-10 is also onboard.

Prophet-5 Voice Architecture

Each layer features a 10-voice Prophet-5-style Synthesizer with the original formula, playable in monophonic, legato, polyphonic, or 10-voice unison modes, with adjustable detune.

Two oscillators, each with frequency and pulse-width control, form the foundation of the synth. Oscillator 1 has selectable saw and pulse waveforms, while OSC 2 has saw, tri, and pulse waveforms that can be freely mixed. In the dedicated mixer, you have a white noise generator.

Features like rich PWM, sharp sync between oscillators, and clean FM via the poly mod provide richer and wilder sounds. Just discovering the classic oscillator features reveals the quality of this Prophet-5 emulation. 

My path often leads me to the poly mod section when testing, as the sync and FM sound just gorgeous. A sub-oscillator like the one in the PRO-A5 app is not available. From here, the two oscillators + noise generator go straight into the filter section.

Two Legendary Filters In The GForce Sequential Prophet-5

Four hardware revisions, two legendary filters. The Rev 1 & 2 used the more organic, darker-sounding SSM2040, while the Rev 3 switched to the cleaner-sounding CEM3320 (designed by Doug Curtis). In revision 4, you can switch between the revisions.

In the GForce Sequential Prophet-5, you can switch between analog-modeled revision 1/2 and 3 filters, covering every known characteristic. The richer, more organic, cleaner, and more precise. My favorite here is the 1/2.

You can tweak the filter with classic cutoff, resonance, envelope amount, and keyboard track. New in the emulation is an adjustable bass compensation from 0 to 7. I’ve rarely seen this adjustable before. Set this to 7, and you’ll get the full bass experience back.

Anyone who wants to design fat, juicy bass sounds needs to take this step. The quality of the filters is very high.

Even though both revisions have a slightly different sonic quality, they are characterized by a very “sweet-spotic” sound. Just as you know it from the original – rich, thick, and warm.

Classic And Advanced Modulation

A key ingredient of the original Prophet-5 is its flexible modulation, which brings out a lot from the very classic oscillators.

First, you have two modeled ADSR envelopes fixed on the filter and amp, offering the same characteristics as the hardware unit. Important note: Switching the REV button not only switches the filter types but also the filter envelope characteristics.

The amp envelope also offers a switchable release stage. Second, you have a modwheel-controllable, syncable LFO that is routable to both oscillator frequencies and pulse widths, as well as to the filter.

Alternatively, you can turn the LFO into a fully tweakable sample-and-hold generator, but there’s one bigger thing that every Prophet-5 has.

The virtual Prophet-5 also has the mighty poly mod section, which transforms oscillator 2 into an audio-rate modulator and unlocks additional destinations (frequency 1 and pulse width 1) for the filter envelope. 

The popular GForce Software X Modifiers have also made their way into the new Sequential Prophet-5 plugin.

These one-click assignable modifiers supercharge the timeless Prophet-5 modulation with unlimited, advanced multi-wave LFOs and DADSR envelopes. They massively expand the sound spectrum, making it more versatile and flexible than ever.

Additional features such as fade-in or S&H on the XLFOs are nice, allowing you to create very evolving sounds. The visualizations for the XADSRs are a great workflow improvement, making them easier to program.

On top of that, you have mod-wheel, velocity, and polyphonic aftertouch modulation. Initially, I thought you could only assign one parameter, but it turns out you can assign multiple to these. However, the visualization could be better.

MPE is on board, but a bit hidden at the bottom edge of the interface. One click switches aftertouch to MPE, and you can assign two parameters

Sound Refinements & Playability

Next to the Xmofiers is a multi-FX section with four slots. Two of them are freely assignable. Delay and reverb, however, are fixed. Each module has color-coded A and B buttons that let you assign effects to the appropriate layer, making it very flexible. 

The two assignable have chorus, phaser, distortion, filter, and tremolo available. An additional filter is a welcome addition, as it provides different filter types, such as a high-pass filter, that you might miss in the main Prophet-5 setup.

My favorite is the multi-type distortion, which harmonizes perfectly with sync and FM sounds. Dial in a bit, and your patch will instantly get character and grip. Dial more, and it awakens the beast from every simple patch. 

Delay and reverb are also high quality and offer a lot (different algorithms, built-in modulation…), which makes them more than one-click wonders

I prefer to play presets dry first, since they are often overloaded with effects. Unfortunately, the Prophet-5 plugin lacks a global FX option to quickly turn off all effects and restore the original sound.

Not to be forgotten is the option to modulate almost all FX parameters with the Xmofiiers, making them highly customizable and dynamic.

Arpeggiated Chords

The arpeggiator and chord generator are located in the lower left area. Like the FXs, you can route them to any layer. So, you can play an arpeggio on layer 1 and beef it up with chords on layer 2 or vice versa. You can even combine them in a single layer.

The arpeggiator is quite classic, but offers some creative extras like different patterns and probability (chance). You can choose from 25 presets, but a custom arpeggiator pattern cannot be programmed.

One mouse step to the right is the chord function with various built-in chords. Nice is the strummer with which you can create strumming chords like on a guitar. The pre and post arp function of the chord function is fun.

If you set it to pre, the arpeggiator will play the chord’s notes individually. In the post setting, the arp plays the chords. Activate strumming, and you get some strange gating-like patterns. A sequencer is not part of the Prophet-5.

Other features are a vintage knob that adds variations to the voices, multi-mode glide, a keyboard hold function, and more.

How Does The Official Prophet-5 Emulation Sound?

GForce ships the Sequential Prophet-5 with over 460 presets from professional sound designers. As a bonus, they include all 38 original factory patches from 1978, giving hardware users an easy way to compare the two instruments.

The patches cover a huge range of sounds. From classic, lush Prophet-5 pads and sharp sync sounds to precise leads and more. The extra features unlock a wider sonic palette, taking sound design well beyond the limits of any hardware Prophet-5.

For example, the Xmofiers, which allow you to create more dynamic and experimental soundscapes, and the effects, which allow you to refine sounds on a level not possible on the hardware without extra equipment.

You can find them in the easy-to-use patch browser, with a search engine and tags such as category, type, timbre, and more.

Warm, rich, organic, and musical are the key sonic characteristics of Dave Smith’s first programmable analog polysynth. It sits somewhere between silky smooth, elegant, and slightly aggressive, depending on the revision and settings.

Without having compared it 1:1, the plugin strongly reminds me of these timbres. The Prophet-5 plugin can be both an angel and a devil. 

One patch can sound beautifully smooth and rich, as if emerging from a cloud, while the next can create a big thunderstorm through different modulations. 

Better Computers Better Emulations

In the test, I again used the u-he Repro-5, Arturia Prophet-5V, and the Softube Model 80. I have to leave out the EXP5 here because I didn’t have it. In direct comparison, the age of some older emulations becomes apparent. They don’t age as subtly as vintage synths.

Technology progresses, and computers are constantly improving. This is also the case with emulations. I prefer the GForce Sequential Prophet-5 because its core sound is finer, warmer, and “analogish”.  

With the Repro-5 (still an amazing emulation), I like the in-depth voice-tuning options. This is lacking in this emulation. As I said, I cannot verify how closely the official emulation matches the Sequential hardware, as I lack the necessary hardware.

I can say that the GForce is the virtual Prophet-5 that I like best. Tastes are always very personal and different; there are certainly people who prefer other emulations. 

GForce Sequential Prophet-5 Review Conclusion

GForce has created a high-end Prophet-5 emulation here, with the details one would expect from a digital copy. They did not just put the name on it, but the softsynth also sounds “like” Dave Smith’s legendary polysynth.

The additional features (Xmodifiers, per-voice pan…) make sense and enhance the Pro-5 experience. There are a few minor details I would have preferred to see handled differently, but they don’t detract from the overall quality of the plugin.

All in all, Gforce delivers once again, bringing its modeling know-how to the Sequential synth world. I hope we’ll see Pro-1, Prophet VS, and other soft remakes in the future.

GForce Sequential Prophet-5 is available now for an introductory price of $83,99/83,99€ instead of $119,99/119,99€. It runs as a VST2, VST3, AU, and AAX plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel) and Windows.

More information here: GForce Software

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