The Lost Prophet: Dave Smith's Forgotten Flagship

The Prophet 12 was one of the first synths that caught my eye when I first got into synthesizers, but then I promptly forgot about it during the analog revival of the 2010s. I recently got my hands on one, and decided to do some digging into why this synth is seldom talked about, despite Dave Smith himself proclaiming it to be his favorite when it was released 10 years ago.
Special Thanks:
Andrew McGowan - Senior Product Designer at Sequential
Tony Anderson - Artist, Prophet 12 Owner (‪@TonyAndersonMusic‬)
Additional Footage:
‪@SequentialLLC‬, Sonic State
Full Prophet 12 Soundtrack from this video available exclusively to my Members:
bit.ly/JNJmembership
FREE Synthesis Workshop:
bit.ly/synthworkshop
My Sample Packs: store.fracturedcapstan.com/
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
2:08 - My history with the P12
4:59 - The story of its development (with Andrew McGowan)
9:18 - An artist's perspective (with Tony Anderson)
12:34 - Digital vs. Analog, and how Dave felt about it
17:28 - The Character section
21:07 - Comparisons to the Poly Evolver
23:15 - Aesthetics and UI
25:03 - Intuitive Complexity and FM
26:39 - Why don't many people talk about it anymore?
31:10 - It was never supposed to sound like a Prophet 5
32:52 - Leaving a legacy
34:35 - Was it still Dave's favorite synth?
Music
Spotify: bit.ly/JNJSpotify
Apple Music: bit.ly/JNJAppleMusic
Bandcamp: bit.ly/JNJBandcamp
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[@JamesonNathanJones]

If you'd like to grab the soundtrack I made with the Prophet 12 for this video, have access to a growing community, and directly support my ability to make videos like this, it's available in my new Membership: bit.ly/JNJmembership Thanks for watching!

[@commodoor6549]

Is there a fair comparison between the Prophet 12 to the UDO Super 6, which are both hybrids?

[@pispalantimbaland]

The music indeed was cool, where you were jamming with this synth in the beginning of the video. Might need to buy a membership plan to hear it all!

[@downpatmusic]

Watching this again. This is such a well made video and should be called The Prophet 12 Documentary. Thank you for this great edit on Dave's favorite synth. I always liked his Prophet VS and this reminds me loosely of that kind of synth.

[@vanmccalister3345]

Absolutely great content, thank you.

[@jiffybox]

I miss Dave ❤️

[@JimAlfredson]

We all do. :(

[@smackdammit4266]

Absolutely

[@customjuices]

I also bought my Prophet 12 not knowing what it does, and as my first synth. It's like having a Ferrari on my desk.

[@bf0189]

I love how Dave didn't give a hoot about trends and just focus on interesting sounds. Digital and analog go well together. Dave clearly knew it. It was ahead of it's time and I suspect it'll become cult over time if it isn't already.

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Haha Yeah I loved those old clips of Dave dismissing the digital vs analog debate entirely. 😂

[@LordoftheBadgers]

That's cause Dave knew better than to get sucked in by what are now endless reddit debates - he was the designer. He KNEW.

[@gunark]

Dave, Tom Oberheim, Dave Rossum, Chris Huggett, many others too, have often said that from an engineering point of view they are looking beyond the limitations of analogue sound generation and that digital sound generation was far more interesting to them. It could still surprise them and take them places they imagined, while still pushing them creatively.

[@oscarvanderburgh9915]

Passed away too soon. Prophet X is another misunderstood gem.

[@jamesmeeker6933]

Incredible hybrid synth. A programmer's dream. To get the best out of it you have to pay attention to your oscillator mix levels. With so many oscillators you have to make sure not to have the levels too hot. Also, just because you have 4 oscillators (and a sub) per voice doesn't mean you need to use them all the time, always. Some of the best sounds I've made are single or dual oscillator only.

[@JimAlfredson]

What a lovely video and a fitting tribute to Dave Smith and Sequential. I have a P12 and I absolutely love it. It is really easy to program and achieve fantastic results. I've been saying for years that it is a vastly underrated synth. I'd say the same thing for the Prophet X as well. Great to see Andrew McGowan in the video. His contributions to Sequential's legacy need to be more widely recognized.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

I miss his presence in the synth community. What a beautiful dude. And wickedly brilliant. I bought a Prophet X a few months before he passed. And whenever I sit down and hear those incredible stereo Prophet deluxe filters on whatever crazy tones i’m filtering, it gives me feels!

[@PeterJensen7]

MIDI was a triumph of tech standardization that inspired the Internet as a platform and Web and so much besides. Dave Smith was viewed as a hero across the tech industry broadly.

[@elliotttadanier5971]

I’ve never owned a single Dave Smith synth, and I probably won’t ever, but this was still fun to watch. I love hearing instrument designers talk about their creations.

[@lewis9898]

As a P12 owner and regular user for the last 8 years, Tony's perspective on the P12 is spot on how I feel about it.

[@antonhamacher]

This video is so beautiful and gave me a deep certainty that the prophet 12 will become my first synth too. Thanks to all the amazing humans involved ❤️

[@ErwinSchrodinger64]

I didn't need to see this video. Thinking of selling my Hydrasynth to get this bad boy.

[@derrickaf1]

I bought my Prophet 12 a couple months after it went on sell, I never turn it off except to clean it and it is always in my studio. This synthesizer encourages me everyday to explore synthesis. I love this exquisite instrument:)! Rest in peace, Mr. Dave Smith…

[@SlowHaste]

This is really lovely and I would binge a whole bunch of synth history content from you! Can definitely appreciate the scope of work you put into this one

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Thanks man!

[@isingthebodyelectrick]

I found those last 2 chapters very moving, and that piece of music you performed to accompany them possessed an elegiacally beautiful sense of loss, and yearning.

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Thank you!

[@totallypixelated]

@@JamesonNathanJones Agreed. That last couple of minutes was very moving. Great piece of work.

[@bozziewald]

​@@JamesonNathanJones What reverbs were you using on these patches?

[@JamesonNathanJones]

@@bozziewald Just a tad of Statium from Specular Tempus on a send for some extra space.

[@user-sc6he1pp6x]

Dave was and is the King !!! ❤ Greatings from Frankfurt/Germany!

[@ivorydungeon909]

The P-12 is definitely the piece of hardware in my studio that I play the most. My first synth was a Juno 106 (in the closet atm: not a murderer) that I bought about 20 years ago. I bought lots of gear in between but then in 2016 I picked up a Tempest, Pro 2, and OB-6 desktop. I had considered the P-12 at the time but convinced myself that the aforementioned combination was a better overall purchase. Between the vintage vibes of the OB-6 and the modern features of the pro 2, it seemed like the P-12 was not as compelling. I really enjoyed those three instruments, finding them all to be challenging/rewarding in a way that made me comfortable with the significant investment I'd made. I tend to hold onto stuff, and so I try to be pretty careful about what I buy but I knew I had some instruments that I'd be happy to hold onto for a lifetime. So, when the white P-12 was announced, I decided to purchase one right away. While the regular P-12 is no doubt the safer choice, in terms of appearance, I prefer the sense of contrast against the other Sequential machines on my A frame. Out of anything else I own, it reminds me of my 106. While it sounds pretty different, they're both relatively immediate instruments that invite interaction. The layout allows me to make all sorts of different sounds that I'd never have the skill/patience to get from a VST. As beautiful as the OB-6 sounds, the P-12 offers a much more textured and dynamic palette of sounds. It was super interesting to hear of the instrument's development, and also to hear people expressing their fondness for this machine - thanks for this great video

[@JupiterRexMusic]

I preordered it a week after he announced it and never looked back. I still love it as much as the day it arrived. A truly magical synth

[@downpatmusic]

It sounds different and good to me in these samples. Great video story here. Thanks for the great video. I still say my Pro 3 is my best sounding synth of all time. Since the mid 80's. It's an instrument and I don't even miss the polyphony with it. It sound so transparent, punchy, and musical anything you program on it sounds good. It stand leaps and bounds ahead of my other synths which I also like. It's just like this one is the leader of the pack that says, follow me.

[@UndercoverWanderer]

Great video! Thank you for putting all of this together.

[@itinerantghost]

This was a great watch. Great job putting this together, Jameson!

[@Koboto]

Excellent content, this! Thanks for making. Looking forward to your future stuff.

[@JavadMustafayev]

Dude, you have a talent. You should make documentaries and soundtracks to them. This was amazing. Lovely! Thank you so much!

[@TechnoShamanism]

Love this, thank you for making this high quality content!

[@allkeyspro6606]

Spectacular video! Thanks so much for sharing!

[@StewartMcKee]

Gosh, what a great video! I'm so glad I found this.

[@MusicLandria]

A couple years ago, an amazing soul donated a Prophet X to our library. Time to go play with it and build a deep connection. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@pfmmodule5144]

Got an X. Gateway to another sound dimension once you start sound designing.

[@mikepegman]

Thank you for taking time and care to create a meaningful documentary.

[@neonether]

This popped up in my feed, couldn’t have found a better celebration of my favorite prophet. This thing changed my view of synths after I got used to the P6 and I went through a lot of the same emotions discussed here when I first got it. Now I can’t just can’t see myself without it. It is truly a gift. Thank you for doing this!!

[@NimraXAudio]

Omg, I did not know that Prophet 12 is a synth I would really love! Had an eye on the Summit for the last years, but the filth and grit you can get out of the digital effects before filtering is something I really love. Thanks for this wonderful video!

[@Asyouwere]

You need the summit too ;)

[@haslo_]

Thanks so much for this video. I love seeing the passion that went into making these amazing instruments!

[@MXVDJ]

man, what a video. This is really amazing work dude. thank you!

[@hatlissen-2021]

Thank you for making this! Nice to see such a personal take on an instrument, and appreciating it's character and quirks.

[@oystercatcher943]

What a fantastically interesting video. Brilliant to hear the design side and digital/analog debates

[@rogerwalnut]

I keep coming back to this video, it's so well done and I love hearing the story of such an interesting synthesizer.

[@RinnEryr]

Very well made documentary of a really interesting synthesiser. The quality of this video’s editing, content and storytelling is top-notch. The personal stories from both designers and users around an instrument are - what I think - make all instruments special. Snobbery and gate-keeping do more harm than you would expect. Thanks for your effort in this project, Jameson.

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Thank you!

[@Konnekta]

I've been waiting for this since you mentioned the P12 a few weeks ago. The video exceeded already high expectations by a mile and to echo the other comments, what a tribute to Dave and his legacy

[@The_Trees]

This was really great man! I’ve had a pro 2 for about six months now and I really love it!

[@minimal.camera]

Great video, really enjoyed the deep dive and history here!

[@kuciferr]

Thanks JNJ for this wonderful video. I think it will stand in time as a historical record of the Prophet 12 and highlights the time, work, energy, and soul that went into making such a great instrument.

[@RareBlood-gf3kh]

The premise, the guests, the music. Just a superb piece of work.

[@shannonia81]

So interesting - and cool to hear the interviews too. Some of the sounds in The Character Section were otherworldly- perfect for sci-fi horror. Thanks for the content!

[@Aedhon]

great video! Also, thanks for introducing me to Tony's music which is fantastic.

[@pthomas36]

Well what a treat this was. Thanks for such an in depth look into a beautiful instrument, and for such a loving tribute to Dave Smith.

[@dstrats]

This was amazing. Thank you!

[@dodgedforgottenn]

Great job with this video! Funny, informative, touching, good music. You did an excellent job with the editing.

[@AndyVonal]

Fab and really informative video! I'll take another look at this synth... it was released before I got back into making music and didn't really know much about it. Thank you for your hard work on this!

[@WaveDashMagazine]

Awesome sound design in this video! Beautiful

[@tonyrapa-tonyrapa]

Great video. I especially loved the music right at the beginning - wonderful.

[@Criterionradiohead]

Prophet 12 was my first synth. Bought it when it came out. Learned about synthesis and how sound design works with my P12. I love this synth. It is easy to make sound good. It is really easy to make sound dirty and broken. It's a bit more difficult to make it sound great... that's what Girth, Air, and Drive are for. The oscilators are super stable and clean, so the Charachter section helps a lot with subtle (and drastic) sound alterations. Good stuff! I'm excited for this video.

[@JamesonNathanJones]

It’s a great synth for sure! Hope you enjoy the video :)

[@remi1913]

Thanx Jameson for this wonderful vidéo 🙏

[@ErinIsBlueBlue]

Excellent video ! Beautiful. Thank you.

[@ERYKJACKNIFE]

thanks for doing this video J. ..that "oscillators before the filters" part with the chord stab made my eyes water. great job man.

[@JoshSemans]

A truly beautiful video! Didn't press play on this expecting all these emotions. Super good work!

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Thanks Josh!

[@michaelmckenna7211]

Now the prices go up! Great Video. Thanks Andrew and Dave

[@Roberto_MR]

Great content, thanks for uploading

[@macronencer]

34:15 This is a really nice patch! Great film, thank you for making it. You've inspired me to go back and experiment more with my Peak, which has been neglected a bit.

[@sentimental7167]

Great work, nice vid, thanks! I think the Novation Summit comes most close as for synths in the market and personally I find the oscillators sound better. What you call here „tiney“ can be annoying in my ears at times. It’s definitely a character and for me the choice was to go for the Pro2 as I find the oscillators together with the deeper modulation possibilities more challenging. But that is because I do different things with polysynths… The P12 surely is an underrated synth though and deserves more attention.

[@hemlock3088]

Wow I had no idea what a cool synth this was excellent video thanks.

[@Knardsh]

You’re a legend Billy Bob. Thanks for sharing all you do w us.

[@TwoThreadsAhead]

What an honest joy this was to watch. It was a humbling video for me honestly because I've spent so much time obsessing over the analogue feel/sound and came to realize that i've been overlooking a lot of amazing instruments like the prophet 12 because of it. I've had an affinity for sequential/dsi boards for quite some time and I don't know why it's taken me this long to see how beautiful and how much sense it makes to want for something like the 12 that can do both analogue and digital, especially when it's done as masterfully as the 12. You make her sing in the segments you play throughout the video and it sounds like phenomenal synthesizer.

[@fatcharliethearchangel5122]

Best 36 minutes i've spent in a long time. Thank you for a great story told.

[@mass-1128]

This is undoubtedly one of the best synths ever made.

[@chrisleeramsden2077]

Amazing synth and sublime music throughout. Gave my goosebumps goosebumps...

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Thanks Chris!

[@chrisdavies9143]

Absolutely brilliant video mate. A really informative deep dive into a synth that I'm personally not familiar with but now desperately want to own 😅

[@Lordxfx]

Such a great video, and what an insight to the world of the prophecies.

[@nopenada3449]

This has been my main synth for only this year, although I bought it in 2012. I've spent so much time with soft synths that I've totally neglected my hardware. I must concur that, aesthetically, it is among the most beautiful synths I've ever seen. The UI is exquisite and pretty intuitive. I'll be learning this synth's capabilities for years. I'm totally in love with this synth. No way I'll ever sell it, just like there's no way I'll ever sell my Moog Prodigy that I bought in 1981. The Prophet 12 is a keeper.

[@benjaryan]

Wow, what a fantastic video. I had completely forgotten that the Prophet 12 even existed until now, which I guess is the whole point. The different viewpoints for developers and users was fascinating, well done!

[@my4trackmachine]

I got to try the Prophet 12 and meet Dave Smith a little before it came out in a San Francisco studio. I remember it being excellent and Dave (and of course his team) were incredibly excited to share it. I tried chatting with him about his old stuff but he was more interested in looking forward. I am glad that perspective came through in this video. It is a great tribute to a unique synth and it's innovative creators.

[@cortical1]

Beautiful video! Excellent storytelling and music, with real inside insights. Man, I absolutely love my Prophet 12 and will never give it up. I agree with you; Dave was way ahead of all the mere mortals when he made it and called it his favorite synth, despite analog fever peaking with the masses at that time. Pearls before swine. I'm an old school vintage analog guy with a bunch of old analog classics. But this thing is one of a kind from the genius himself, and it always sounds beautiful to me.

[@henrikfisch]

I've seen this video twice now ... and most probably this wasn't the last time I've seen it. Of all the fine videos on your channel it is maybe the most emotional one and of all the videos on KZbin one that explains the »Prophet 12« best. I am now REALLY tempted to buy one (in a not so far future). Thank you so much, Nathan, for this video!

[@bricelory9534]

A very cool video - and it was awesome getting to hear about the instrument from the co-designer as well! It's also a fascinating exploration of the digital vs analog debate. I don't really have any nostalgia for the analog sound, so I'm all for digital synthesis myself - I love the new worlds of sounds it provides!

[@andrealevamusic]

Andrew, Tony and of course YOU in one video .... wow ... that was so special James, I really want to explore more about P12 now. But synth aside, you all made an awesome gift to synth community and a thought to think about ... Thank you !

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Thanks Andrea!

[@winduberry]

Oh man so glad you have posted this. I have the desktop version, and I need to use it more. This will inspire me.

[@benoitlaine1131]

Excellent, deep and informative video.

[@disappt]

When I bought my P12 new ten years ago, it was immediately the uncool kid on the second hand market. So being unable to trade for a trendier synth if I wanted to, I certainly found more value learning and practicing my first synthesizer! Definitely paid off and any time I play other hardware, I feel totally spoiled by the P12’s great playability and programmability! Had it been another era, I would’ve ended up in the same situation with the DX7 probably… Thanks for the background and discussion on this wonderful instrument!

[@disappt]

wanted to add, the Prophet 12 is my favorite electric piano.

[@Wrenchfist_Studios]

Awesome man. Made me dig out my P12 and rack it up

[@citadel314]

Total respect for making such insightful, creative, and entertaining material... I wish you monetise the sh1+ out of all your efforts to further build on that wonderful collection of synths and grace us with beautiful music. Listening to the synth insights exchange with Tony (an artist I admired for years) I bet somewhere in there you must have an itch for the 3rd Wave from Groove... the P12 had Bob's DNA all over it. Can't wait for your future coverage of it 🤙

[@MistyMusicStudio]

Man, I LOVED this. Thank you so much for making this documentary! It is so incredibly thoughtful and insightful. I never realized how much my Summit borrows from the design of the Prophet 12. Standing on the shoulders of giants is how we learn to grow tall, as they say. Rest well Dave Smith, forever in our hearts 💕

[@videosuperhighway7655]

Funny thing is the Summit and P12 module sit on the primary desk.

[@fercontreras8]

Amazing video! Thanks for putting this together. So cool that you got to hear from the original designers. Wonderful documentary.

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Thank you Fernando!

[@patrickp9624]

thanks for making this piece! Once again a very very well made video. I'm curious what's next...

[@thibautf893]

Beautiful video, thank you

[@drsamurai009]

I wasn't aware of how Dave felt about the P12. The amount of things a P12 can do is amazing. Taking so many things from the past Prophets including the VS, it truly is an evolution to the next level. There is still a place for a Prophet 5 or an OB-X8 just like there is for a piano. Nothing sounds like an OB or P5, and I'm glad they're back, but so long as synth makers don't abandon fully analog synths, things like the 12 are the direction of the future.

[@kenb7540]

What a great video. Thank you 🙏👏👏🎶

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

Part of me wishes that I had the budget when it was on the market to get the P12. On the other hand, I didn’t pay attention and wasn’t aware that the P12 largely picked up where the PPG Wave 2 left off. I’ve always wanted something like that in my arsenal. I’ve owned analogue polyphonic synthesizers with microprocessors and patch memory, and, I have owned multiple digital synthesizers, but I’ve never owned anything in this specific subcategory.

[@phable]

Great work! Thank you!

[@Phil-1]

Lovely video. Many thanks.

[@abariska]

Thanks for this video!!! ❤

[@wanderingstarseed6089]

Glad to see this homage to a synth that I also will never sell. In fact, I'm constantly on the lookout for a second to hoard away in case anything happens to mine. This synth is so deep and, like you said, has the best UI of any synth, ever. It continues to teach me things it can do, and, despite my current infatuation with my OB6, is undeniably the best investment I've made in a synth. I'd love to see more content from you exploring it!

[@Rustie.]

This is such a well put together video, really loved the interviews and stories told here! Definitely want to give the P12 another look, if I can find one!

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Thanks! I was fortunate to be able to chat with Andrew and Tony about it. Really transformed the video into something much bigger than I had originally planned.

[@swanofnutella4734]

You can find them. For not epically painful prices. unlike the poly evolver. ......................................T.T

[@robertlee1176]

Captivating video. Great job. It’s great to hear about the emotional tie people have to their instruments.

[@TonyAndersonMusic]

Andrew is a genius. You are an inspiration. Love how this turned out.

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Thanks for your help on this one my friend!

[@domiloik]

What a nice love statement to this synth. I love my Prophet12. I wanted it at the release but had to wait 2 years to have the budget. I tried it at the music shop and i found the presets cheap and flat. Then i started to make a preset and what I heard convinced me. I love the amount of possible automation and cross automation that this huge synth offers. A big and powerful sound laboratory.

[@JanMeinhartSachau]

This is excellent! Thx a lot!

[@v3lin3on]

Bravo. Splendid video.

[@Soundpaintmusic]

Fantastic video!

[@crybo]

Well this was excellent! Amazing content as usual.

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Thank you!

[@michaelkonomos]

Great video! I have only used my Prophet VST but have been growing to love the sound and straightforward and limited character of the design. I never know anything about the 12 and it’s really cool to learn more. I’ll be keeping my eye on this one.

[@JamesonNathanJones]

Thanks Michael! It’s been a lot of fun getting to know it.

[@ardvrech]

This is, simply, an outstanding video - thank you... 👍😊🎹❤

[@saltykraut]

Great video. Keep up the good work. I was hoping to meet Dave at the last knobcon. RIP Dave.

[@gwsound]

Thank you, great video.