Sequential (company)

Last updated

Sequential
Formerly
  • Sequential Circuits
  • Dave Smith Instruments
Founded1974;50 years ago (1974)
Headquarters1527 Stockton Street
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Key people
 Dave Smith (founder)
Products Synthesizers
BrandsProphet
Parent Focusrite
Website sequential.com

Sequential is an American synthesizer company founded in 1974 as Sequential Circuits by Dave Smith. In 1978, Sequential released the Prophet-5, the first programmable polyphonic synthesizer, which was widely used in the music industry. In the 1980s, Sequential was important in the development of MIDI, a technical standard for synchronizing electronic instruments.

Contents

In 1987, Sequential went out of business and was purchased by Yamaha. Smith continued to develop instruments through a new company, Dave Smith Instruments. In 2015, Yamaha returned the Sequential Circuits trademark to Dave Smith Instruments, which rebranded as Sequential in 2018. In 2021, Sequential was acquired by the British audio technology company Focusrite. Smith died in 2022.

History

Sequential founder Dave Smith in 2015 Dave Smith at Sequential booth - 2 - 2015 NAMM Show (cropped).jpg
Sequential founder Dave Smith in 2015

1974–1980: Founding, first products and Prophet-5

The engineer Dave Smith founded Sequential Circuits in San Francisco in 1974. [1] The first Sequential Circuits product was an analog sequencer for use with Moog and ARP synthesizers, followed by a digital sequencer and the Model 700 Programmer, which allowed users to program Minimoog and ARP 2600 synthesizers. [2] The Model 800, launched in 1975, was controlled and programmed with a microprocessor. [3]

The Prophet-5 (1978), the first Sequential synthesizer. The specific model pictured above is the "Rev 3", first released in 1980. SCI Prophet 5.jpg
The Prophet-5 (1978), the first Sequential synthesizer. The specific model pictured above is the "Rev 3", first released in 1980.

At the time, Smith had a full-time job working with microprocessors, then a new technology. He conceived the idea of combining them with synthesizer chips to create a programmable synthesizer, but did not pursue the idea, assuming Moog or ARP would design the instrument first. [2] When no instrument emerged, in early 1977, Smith quit his job to work full-time on a design for the Prophet-5, the first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer. He demonstrated it at the NAMM International Music & Sound Expo in January 1978 and shipped the first models later that year. [2]

Whereas previous synthesizers required users to adjust cables and knobs to change sounds, with no guarantee of exactly recreating a sound, [4] the Prophet-5 used microprocessors to store sounds in patch memory. [5] This facilitated a move from synthesizers creating unpredictable sounds to producing "a standard package of familiar sounds". [4] : 385  The Prophet-5 became a market leader and industry standard, [6] used by musicians such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Dr Dre, and by film composers such as John Carpenter. [6] It was followed by the larger Prophet-10, which featured two keybeds and was less successful as it was notorious for unreliability. [7] The smaller Pro-One, essentially a monophonic Prophet-5, [8] saw more success. [6]

1981–1982: MIDI

Prophet 600 (1982), the first Sequential Circuits synthesizer with MIDI functionality SCI Prophet 600 (angled).jpg
Prophet 600 (1982), the first Sequential Circuits synthesizer with MIDI functionality

In 1981, Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of the Japanese synthesizer company Roland, contacted Smith about creating a standardized means of synchronizing electronic instruments manufactured by different companies. [9] Smith and the Sequential engineer Chet Wood designed an interface using Roland's Digital Control Bus (DCB) as a basis. [10] This standard was discussed and modified by representatives of Roland, Yamaha, Korg, and Kawai. [11] [12] : 20  The protocol was named Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) [13] : 4  and unveiled by Kakehashi and Smith, who received Technical Grammy Awards in 2013 for their work. [14] [15] [16] In 1982, Sequential released the Prophet 600, one of the first MIDI-equipped synthesizers. [17] In 1984, they released the Drumtraks, one of the first drum machines with MIDI control. [18]

Various Sequential products [top to bottom] PRO-ONE (1981) Model 700 Programmer (1976) Prophet-5 (1978) Prophet T8 (1983) Sequential Circuits synths rack.jpg
Various Sequential products [top to bottom]
  • PRO-ONE (1981)
  • Model 700 Programmer (1976)
  • Prophet-5 (1978)
  • Prophet T8 (1983)

1987: Closure

In 1987 Sequential Circuits released their final product, the Prophet 3000 digital sampler. [20] Only several dozen units were produced before the company went out of business. Smith blamed the closure on the decision to move to computer audio in prior years: "We were too small and under-capitalized, and we were a few years too early in the market ... It drained our resources, so by the time we pulled back to professional instruments, it was too late." [2]

Sequential Circuits was purchased by the Japanese corporation Yamaha. They released no products under the Sequential name and shut it down in 1989, [2] [9] following the failure of the TX16W digital sampler. [20] Smith and much of the development team moved to Korg, where they worked mainly on the Wavestation synthesizer. [2] [20]

2002–2014: Dave Smith Instruments

In 2002, after several years of working on software synthesis, Smith opened a new company, Dave Smith Instruments, to build new hardware. Its first product was the Evolver synthesizer in 2002. [2] In 2008, Dave Smith Instruments launched the Prophet '08, conceived as an affordable eight-voice analog synthesizer. [2]

2015–present: Return to Sequential and Focusrite acquisition

In January 2015, Yamaha returned the Sequential Circuits brands to Smith in a goodwill gesture. This was at the encouragement of Kakehashi, who had worked with Smith to create MIDI. Kakehashi said: "I feel that it's important to get rid of unnecessary conflict among electronic musical instrument companies. That is exactly the spirit of MIDI. For this reason, I personally recommended that the President of Yamaha, Mr. Nakata, return the rights to the Sequential name to Dave Smith." [21]

In 2015, Sequential released the Prophet-6, [22] followed in 2018 by the Prophet-X, which featured sample playback and digitally controlled oscillators. [23] On August 31, 2018, the 40th anniversary of the Prophet-5, Dave Smith Instruments rebranded as Sequential. [24] In September 2020, Sequential announced an updated reissue of the original Prophet-5. [25] Sequential reported revenues of $18.3 million in 2020. [26] In April 2021, Sequential was acquired by the British audio technology company Focusrite. [27]

Smith died on May 31, 2022. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronic musical instrument</span> Musical instrument that uses electronic circuits to generate sound

An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electronic circuitry. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical, electronic or digital audio signal that ultimately is plugged into a power amplifier which drives a loudspeaker, creating the sound heard by the performer and listener.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roland Corporation</span> Japanese audiovisual equipment company

Roland Corporation is a Japanese multinational manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment, and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on 18 April 1972. In 2005, its headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. It has factories in Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, and the United States. As of December 2022, it employed 2,783 people. In 2014, it was subject to a management buyout by its CEO, Junichi Miki, supported by Taiyo Pacific Partners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music technology (electronic and digital)</span>

Digital music technology encompasses the use of digital instruments to produce, perform or record music. These instruments vary, including computers, electronic effects units, software, and digital audio equipment. Digital music technology is used in performance, playback, recording, composition, mixing, analysis and editing of music, by professions in all parts of the music industry.

A music sequencer is a device or application software that can record, edit, or play back music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically CV/Gate, MIDI, or Open Sound Control, and possibly audio and automation data for digital audio workstations (DAWs) and plug-ins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Analog synthesizer</span> Synthesizer that uses analog circuits

An analog synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog signals to generate sound electronically.

A music workstation is an electronic musical instrument providing the facilities of:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberheim Electronics</span> American synthesizer company

Oberheim is an American synthesizer manufacturer founded in 1969 by Tom Oberheim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha DX7</span> Synthesizer

The Yamaha DX7 is a synthesizer manufactured by Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1989. It was the first successful digital synthesizer and is one of the best-selling synthesizers in history, selling more than 200,000 units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moog Music</span> American synthesizer manufacturer

Moog Music Inc. is an American synthesizer company based in Asheville, North Carolina. It was founded in 1953 as R. A. Moog Co. by Robert Moog and his father and was renamed Moog Music in 1972. Its early instruments included the Moog synthesizer, followed by the Minimoog in 1970, both of which were highly influential electronic instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Smith (engineer)</span> American audio engineer and inventor (1950–2022)

David Joseph Smith was an American engineer and founder of the synthesizer company Sequential. Smith created the first polyphonic synthesizer with fully programmable memory, the Prophet-5, which had a major impact on the music industry. He also led the development of MIDI, a standard interface protocol for synchronizing electronic instruments and audio equipment.

Ikutaro Kakehashi, also known by the nickname Taro, was a Japanese engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur. He founded the musical instrument manufacturers Ace Tone, Roland Corporation and Boss Corporation, and the audiovisual electronics company ATV Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prophet-5</span> Synthesizer

The Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the American company Sequential. It was designed by Dave Smith and John Bowen in 1977. It was the first polyphonic synthesizer with fully programmable memory.

Polyphony is a property of musical instruments that means that they can play multiple independent melody lines simultaneously. Instruments featuring polyphony are said to be polyphonic. Instruments that are not capable of polyphony are monophonic or paraphonic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Oberheim</span> American audio engineer (born 1936)

Thomas Elroy Oberheim, known as Tom Oberheim, is an American audio engineer and electronics engineer best known for designing effects processors, analog synthesizers, sequencers, and drum machines. He has been the founder of four audio electronics companies, most notably Oberheim Electronics. He was also a key figure in the development and adoption of the MIDI standard. He is also a trained physicist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synthesizer</span> Electronic musical instrument

A synthesizer is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and frequency modulation synthesis. These sounds may be altered by components such as filters, which cut or boost frequencies; envelopes, which control articulation, or how notes begin and end; and low-frequency oscillators, which modulate parameters such as pitch, volume, or filter characteristics affecting timbre. Synthesizers are typically played with keyboards or controlled by sequencers, software or other instruments, and may be synchronized to other equipment via MIDI.

The Prophet 2000 is a sampler keyboard manufactured by Dave Smith's Sequential Circuits (SCI) and released in 1985. It was the company's first sampler, and, despite its low audio fidelity and technical limitations by modern standards, marked a shift toward affordable samplers with better audio quality than its predecessors. It is also considered to be one of the earliest multitimbral samplers.

The timeline of music technology provides the major dates in the history of electric music technologies inventions from the 1800s to the early 1900s and electronic and digital music technologies from 1874 to the 2010s.

The history of home keyboards lies in mechanical musical instrument keyboards, electrified keyboards and 1960s and 1970s synthesizer technologies.

References

  1. ↑ Gentile, Dan (June 5, 2022). "San Francisco musical pioneer dies at 72". SFGATE. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Preve, Francis (July 23, 2012). "Dave Smith in his own words". Keyboard . Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  3. ↑ Dean, Roger T. (2009). "Hardware Digital Synthesizers and How They Developed". The Oxford Handbook of Computer Music. Oxford University Press. p.  58. ISBN   978-0-19-533161-5. in 1975 the newly established company Sequential Circuits had, as one of its first products, an analog CV sequencer controlled and programmed with a microprocessor.
  4. 1 2 Pinch, Trevor; Trocco, Frank (2004). Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer. Harvard University Press. ISBN   978-0-674-01617-0.
  5. ↑ "The 14 most important synths in electronic music history – and the musicians who use them". Fact . September 15, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 "The 14 most important synths in electronic music history – and the musicians who use them". FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music. September 15, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  7. ↑ Reid, Gordon (March 1999). "Sequential Circuits – Prophet Synthesizers 5 & 10 (Retro)". Sound on Sound . Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ "SCI Pro1". Sound on Sound. March 1994. Archived from the original on June 7, 2015.
  9. 1 2 "The life and times of Ikutaro Kakehashi, the Roland pioneer modern music owes everything to". FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music. April 2, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  10. ↑ Kirn, Peter (2011). Keyboard Presents the Evolution of Electronic Dance Music. Backbeat Books. ISBN   978-1-61713-446-3. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017.
  11. ↑ Chadabe, Joel (1 May 2000). "Part IV: The Seeds of the Future". Electronic Musician. Vol. XVI, no. 5. Penton Media. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012.
  12. ↑ Holmes, Thom. Electronic and Experimental Music: Pioneers in Technology and Composition. New York: Routledge, 2003
  13. ↑ Huber, David Miles (1991). The MIDI Manual . Carmel, Indiana: SAMS. ISBN   9780672227578.
  14. ↑ "Technical GRAMMY Award: Ikutaro Kakehashi And Dave Smith". Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  15. ↑ "Ikutaro Kakehashi, Dave Smith: Technical GRAMMY Award Acceptance". 9 February 2013. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  16. ↑ Vail, Mark (2014). The Synthesizer. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 56. ISBN   978-0-19-539481-8.
  17. ↑ Colbeck, Julian (1996). Keyfax Omnibus Edition. Emeryville, California, United States: MixBooks. p. 124. ISBN   0-918371-08-2.
  18. ↑ Wiffen, Paul (December 1986). "Mono Mode". Music Technology. United Kingdom: Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing. pp. 79–81. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "About Dave Smith". Sequential.com. April 12, 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 Alexander, Robert (October 2000). "Sequential Prophet 3000 [Retrozone]". Sound on Sound . Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Yamaha Returns Sequential Brand to Dave Smith". Music Trades. 163 (2): 30. March 2015.
  22. ↑ "Review: Sequential Prophet-6 Analog Synth". KeyboardMag. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Dave Smith reveals Sequential Prophet X |". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Dave Smith Instruments rebrands as Sequential". Resident Advisor. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  25. ↑ Rogerson, Ben (October 2020). "Sequential announces a new Prophet-5, a faithful reboot of one of the greatest synths of all time". MusicRadar . Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  26. ↑ "In tune: Synth makers Sequential snapped up by Focusrite for £18m as revenues grow". CityAM. April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Focusrite acquires Dave Smith-led synth-maker, Sequential". MusicTech. April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  28. ↑ Pareles, Jon (June 8, 2022). "Dave Smith, Whose Synthesizers Shaped Electronic Music, Dies at 72". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 12, 2023.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.