SCI – Sequential Circuits Synthesizer
SCI – Sequential Circuits Synthesizer , DSI , dave smith instruments
| Prophet 5 / P5 / T8 | Drumtraks (drumtracks!) | Mulititrak | Pro-One | Sixtrak |
| Prophet 600 | TOM Studio 440 | Evolver Polyevolver PE.keyb. | Max | Prophet VS |
SCI gear trigger: in/out 15V GROUND to positive.
| SCI text | images: click to see a larger image.. |
| SCI | SCI Synth overview / überblick.. |
| Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 there are basically 3 Revisions the first one had SSM chips (78), rev2 (78 -80) still ssm and rev3 (from 80) had curtis chips.. there was also a chance in the VCA and DACs architecture due to the change from the (different) ssm chips. rev 3 also divides into 3 sub-versions: the first one (3.1) added the edit mode as we know it today (change parameter when turning the knobs) and the tape interface (compact cassette) and other little things some are MIDI-retrofitted, some aren’t.. this synthesizer was the first „real“ 5 voice synthesizer (after the 4voice from oberheim and others..) interesting: the so called poly mod. for making the sound more interesting ;) see the left section? this is the key to the prophets.. pic by/thx to Rob Schweizer chips inside the Prophet 5 and all other models are listed here | SCI Prophet 5 Synthesizer  click Prophet 5 image to enlarge..   |
| Prophet 600 the „cheaper“ version of the Prophet 5… the parameters were more „stepped“ and some mod routings have been removed compared to the Prophet 5 but it was much cheaper and had to compete with the polysix and other poly synthesizers in the 80ies.. anyway it still sounds comparable..the difference: the 1983 released Prophet 600 was the first midi equipped synth to talk to the jupiter 6 (same time) in omni mode and later ones in poly mode.. (very few) the weak point on the Prophet 600 is the keypad like the sitraks keypad this is the weakest thing to check for before getting one.. | Sequential Circuits Prophet 600
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| one voice of the P5 (prophet 5) the SCI ProOne (Pro1) basically one voice of the p5,so it’s monophonic. Powerful Oscillators but a quite low quality of the construction itself. very easy and a Sequencer and Arpeggiator is also on board. it was the post poly-synth era, so they did it to make a solo synth that normal people could afford.. chips inside the P5 and all other models are listed herefind more Pro One info on unease | 
another one by myself.. |
| The SCI PROPHET 10 a double Prophet 5 (P5) with card slot.. it is simply a dual keyboard dual Prophet5 boards for 2×5 voices… the PROPHET 10 is quite rare, possibly it was too much.. ;) 3 Versions of this were made.. the first one was a rev1 „doubled“, the 79 version of course was more close to a rev 2 p5 (doubled).. perhaps the early one was only double voices but not „multi timbral“ style.. | PROPHET 10 (click to enlarge PROPHET 10)    power supply and some processors..  double boards with CEMs  |
| SCI T8the top model in fact they all said: hey, Dave you want poly pressure on the new (yes!) midi standard just for this synth! (no other synth exept the cs80 had poly pressure „Aftertouch“ that time) it is mainly a velocity equipped dual prophet 5. no more , no less. to my ears it is a bit thinner than a p10 or p5 but more expressive (velocity and pressure) | T8  |
| SCI Programmerthis is basically for keeping parameters in memory, it is not made for a special synth, imagine your modular or any analog synth have some RAM to save your sound.. this is the one to do it.. strange, that there are not many of new programmers out there for newer modulars.. |  |
| the SCI poly sequencer .. store your data to cassette recorder! ;)and the c64 interface. |  |
| dave smith. head of SCI now makes the evolver under another name DSI has the prophet VS waves, lots of LFOs and ENVS, analogue filter, distortion, and (!!) a tunables trackable delay loop with feedback, so you can do noise „robotic“ and karplus-strong like sounds.. also internal 16step sequencer.. more about evolver here kleiner deutscher impressions-bericht zum evolver.. a keyboard EVOLVER with knobs 5oct. ist ready for NAMM 2005 all EVOLVERs use Curtis Chips which seem to be produced for Dave..! Want to see the Evolver Keyboard Board? thanks for board pics to Bluescreen/St.Trippler more – go here: (DaveSmithInstruments) some audio (my amazona review): it CAN sound soft, too (unlike the opinion of some..) evo#02.mp3 (glitch warp sounds) | EVOLVER SYNTHESIZER SERIES PEK (poly evolver keyboard)
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| SCI DRUMTRAKS a nice 8bit (!) sample playing drum machine. it’s one of those that can be burned by the Oberheim Prommer can be clocked and has midi (SCI were the first ones introducing midi those times..)24dB/oct. filters on board, 11 sounds, 6 voice polyphony. listen to it: |   thx viewermail studio for pic! |
| the DRUMTRAKS interna.. listen to it: |   thx viewermail studio for pic! |
| DRUMTRAKS brochure.. (click the pics to see them enlarged..) |  _ _  thx viewermail studio for pic! |
| upper pic – below: Studio 440, a 12bit with 512KB ram for own samples.. quite normal 1986.. Sequential TOM |   |
| SCI SIXTRAK one of the first mono mode midi synthesizers. 6 voices. and a very simple sequencer. todays view: you can switch it to double mode and tune up the LFO for nice FM filtering.. it’s only one VCO per voice, thats why it’s better to go to dual mode.. stable but you need a nice info about the progging stuff (midi and stuff is progged by those numbers on the right side!.. the parameters are printed on the case.. but the midi stuff isn’t..)-eg: double mode is track rec & select 2 -midi clock input: speed full left -prog change enable/disable: ctrl rec.+1 -local on: track rec.+7 -wheel/param.change: ctrl rec.+4 -dump to midi:ctrl rec+2 dump seq: ctrl rec+0 midi modes: | Sequential Circuits SIXTRAK click to enlarge.. sixtrak + to read parameter list!  sixtrak: nice, but check if the buttons still work (number keys!)  specs see below.. quite like the multitrak.. |
| SIXTRAK brochure..nice fast LFO btw.. |  _
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| click the SIXTRAK pics to enlarge! |  _ |
| Multitrak 6 voice synthesizer the sequential TOM and MAX were also part of a „system“. the Commodore C64 as a sequencer was used at that time! the max is more like an „expander“ and it can beedited via software (c64: the SCI 920 software will do it.. or sounddiver from emagic today!) it’s (beside no real editing) the same as a sixtrak. the 4time polyphinc TOM was a more advanced drumtraks (well, it also looks like a more coloured drumtraks,too) ;) the later (1986) studio 440 was the top model and sequencer and was more like the mpc60 then just a „drum machine“.. 12bit sampling (44.1khz max.) and filter (no reso)! max memory: 512KB RAM. 8 voices. and „swing“. | also pic from „fairlight“: viewermail studios , so far.. also „for the home user“-mono mode synth..  also 1 VCO (pwm,sqr,tri,saw,noise) per voice but also mono midi mode, so it was quite sophisticated for 1985! other synthesizers used to offer poly mode only. arperggiator! 2 ADSR envs for VCF and VCA   SCI MAX  |
| Split Eight lso midi brought to us this synth, quite like the max, sixtrak etc. 8 voices in here.. |  |
| Prophet VS chips inside the P5 and all other models are listed herethis is THEEE SCI machine.. using vector synthesis (4 DCOs that can be controlled by env or/and joystick – advanced in the korg wavestation) has real analogue filters with resonance (unfortunately the wavestation had no resonance parameter at all) the ENVs could be looped and the user had the chance to make some spectra (additive!) for use as one of the DCOs.. there is a rack and key version available. |  Prophet VS (and prelude preset synth under the table) click to enlarge..  
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| Dave Smith and other things..the prophet 3000 sampler with remote display / control .. on top of the rack: the prophet3000 itself is in the rack on the bottom .. analog filtered like on the prophet 2002 (topmost) the strange rack stuff is the SCI FX systems which had CEM 3360 for phasing , delay etc. not too many made… less then 10. | anyway, SCI started the prophet 3000 sampler series and soon went into bankrupcy..  click pic to enlarge prophet 3000, prophet 2002 and FX Dave was involved in the Korg Wavestation (see Korg Section) Project and some even more exiting projects, but in fact the wavestation was the final buyble „product to buy“.. Dave Smith started SEER SYSTEMS and did the „REALITY“ software synthesizer. I did not sell well and was Win only.. Dave went back to hardware and presented the Evolver and Polyevelver after that. |
| SCI | SCI Synth overview / überblick.. |
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