AFTER a lean couple of years post-Prophet-5, Sequential fought back with their pioneering work on MIDI and subsequent launching of a host of multi-timbral instruments like the Six-Trak, Multi-Trak, and Max. During this period they've also dabbled in rack-mounted signal processors and low-cost MIDI computer software, produced a couple of noteworthy drum machines, and even marketed and distributed some cheap European pianos.

It all indicates an active, energetic company looking for a cause.

Sequential have soldiered on with classic analogue design synths for as long as they can, extracting more mileage than was thought possible via MIDI and the company's inventive concept of multi timbralism.

But it's time to move on.

Their reputation was built on the Prophet-5 — on high quality workmanship and innovative design. Their recent attempts to squeeze into the mass market sit uncomfortably with this image.

The Prophet 2000 marks not only Sequential's entry into the digital sampling keyboard market, but also their return to the production of unashamedly high-tech products: A wise move in both cases. For all that, there's nothing startlingly new about the 2000.

What Sequential have done, though, is to produce a high quality sampling keyboard that minimises much of the schlepp that other samplers create by one means or another.

For a start, the 2000 uses standard 3½in diskettes so you're not going to get stung for fancy pre-formatted creations. Secondly, its control panel is a sea of membrane switches with specific functions. Much of today's problems occur because no one can find the bloody parameter they want, never mind edit it when you're confronted only by the keypad and screen arrangement.

Thirdly, the 2000's keyboard is both velocity-sensitive and weighted, relieving the problem of playing a piano sound on a featherlight keyboard (as you must on a Mirage or Emulator-II, or else faff about MIDI-ing it up to a DX5 or whatever).

Finally, though the benefits have yet to be proved to me, the 2000 has many automated looping functions which aim to ease this consistently irritating aspect of samplers. On admittedly brief attempts so far, however, finding the ideal looping point continues to be as big a drag as it ever was.

The 2000 can zoom up to a highly impressive 41k sample rate, using which you can sample a three-second sound for each keyboard half. The maximum length of sample is eight seconds per keyboard half, in which case you'll have an 8k bandwidth — or mud, as we call it in the trade.

But the 2000's 12-bit resolution is obviously capable of great accuracy at the shorter distance, certainly wiping out the Mirage, and even giving the Emulator-II a good run for its money.

Like both these instruments, the 2000 offers eight-note polyphony and extensive editing via sundry analogue parameters like filters and envelope generators. Unlike them, however, the 2000 also include a wodge of waveshapes that can be used to build up sounds, or simply be slotted in with your samples. Alone, they sound a trifle transparent.

Although up to 16 samples can be assigned to specific areas of the keyboard, the 2000 really shines when you're playing it as a keyboard instrument, with say two or three distinct sounds — a bass, strings, voices...? Twelve keyboard combinations can be stored and recalled from the main control panel.

Sequential intend the Prophet 2000 to be a complete instrument, and not one that is continually being updated with software. Provided they get it right first time, all well and good. They also hope to get the 2000 into the shops by December. In the meantime, a cautious thumbs up. JULIAN COLBECK


AS A RECENT Ensoniq Mirage purchaser, my approach to the Prophet 2000 was inevitably along the lines of, "Have I made a nerk of myself? Is it worth dumping a Mirage to get a Prophet?" Rather than building up any tension and excitement, I'll blow the answer now. The answer is no — but not for the reasons you'd think.

Sequential have managed to produce a rather more exciting machine than the Mirage, and although it will be around £400 more expensive, it does get more sounds on its discs and can format them itself, so you don't have to go out and buy pre-formatted discs at a massive markup. The difference is considerable — Prophet discs will cost you £47 or less for a box of ten; pre-formatted Mirage discs are £14 each.

Many of the Prophet's capabilities (five-octave, velocity-sensitive keyboard, eight-note polyphony, eight-way multisplit if desired, mixing of another eight sounds by keyboard velocity or modulation wheel) are similar to those of the Mirage, but the Prophet's sampling time and frequency response are better — up to eight seconds per keyboard half as opposed to two seconds, and 20kHz response at six seconds.

The Prophet does load more slowly than European Mirages — 10 seconds per keyboard half as opposed to six — which can be annoying on stage. But one much-vaunted facility on the Prophet is the fact that it comes with 12 sounds ready to play. However on the prototype I saw these were nothing to write home about, simply analogue string/organ/brass type sounds. The Prophet's analogue section is slightly weaker than that of the Mirage as there's only one bank of oscillators instead of two — but did you really buy a polyphonic sampler to make up analogue sounds? As long as you can treat the sampled sounds with analogue parameters (and the Prophet's filter and envelope, modulation and other parameters are more than adequate for this) that's all you should need.

In terms of keyboard control, the Prophet has a couple of facilities the Mirage lacks: you can make the keyboard velocity control the sample start point and the modulation depth, for instance. But more importantly, it's easier to sample your own sounds on the Prophet. Just punch in the number of the sample you want to take, then the amount of memory you want it to use up (change the sampling rate to compensate if you like), and away you go. On the other hand, making multisamples on the Mirage is hell, involving a £49 Advanced Sampler's guide and discs, three arms and an ability to count in hexadecimal.

To sum up, the Prophet 2000 has nice long sampling times, very high sampling quality and relatively easy operational methods. But it's slow to load for stage purposes, more expensive than the Mirage, and less powerful on the analogue front. It has an (admittedly sophisticated) arpeggiator rather than a fully polyphonic sequencer section, balanced by a very full MIDI implementation.

Put that way, the Prophet sounds a good bet even for existing Mirage owners. But the bottom line is that the sampling world is going to be blown wide open at the Frankfurt show in February 1986, probably by Casio but possibly by at least two other major companies. Before you go and invest your £2000, just consider the prospect of a polyphonic sampling Casio CZ-101. Makes you think, don't it? MARK JENKINS

PROPHET 2000 sampling keyboard: £1995

CONTACT: Sequential Circuits Inc, (Contact Details).