Sequential Prophet Rev 2, User Manual

Page 1: ...8 16 Voice Polyphonic Synthesizer ...

Page 2: ...User s Guide Version 1 2 Feb 2019 Sequential LLC 1527 Stockton Street 3rd Floor San Francisco CA 94133 USA 2019 Sequential LLC www sequential com ...

Page 3: ...e toutes les exigences du Reglement sur le materiel brouilleur du Canada For Technical Support email support sequential com Table of Contents A Few Words of Thanks ix Getting Started 1 Sound Banks 1 Selecting Programs 2 Editing Programs 2 Comparing an Edited Program to its Original State 3 Creating a Program from Scratch 3 Saving a Program 4 Canceling Save 4 Naming a Program 5 Working with Stacked...

Page 4: ...Master Volume Program Volume 57 Pan Spread 58 Transpose 58 Hold 59 Glide 59 Pitch and Mod Wheels 61 Pitch Wheel 61 Modulation Wheel 62 Adding Aftertouch 62 Exporting Programs and Banks 67 Importing Programs and Banks 68 Calibrating the Prophet Rev2 69 Calibrating the Oscillators and Filters 69 Calibrating the Pitch and Mod Wheels 69 Resetting the Global Parameters 70 Using USB 70 Appendix A Modula...

Page 5: ...dulation matrix a polyphonic step sequencer in addition to its original gated step sequencer a more intuitive user inter face USB connectivity and more The result is a modern classic revisited Creating the Prophet Rev2 has been a very satisfying adventure in making a good synth even better Create some great sounds with it Cheers SOUND DESIGN JosephAkins Rory Dow Peter Dyer Josh Eustis Peter Gorges...

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Page 7: ...ev Saw Square Random SHAPE 4 POLE DELAY ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN RELEASE Sawtooth Saw Tri Triangle Pulse SHAPE KEY SYNC CLK SYNC Sawtooth Saw Tri Triangle Pulse OSC 2 FREQ FREQUENCY AMOUNT DESTINATION PITCH MOD 1 2 3 4 FINE TUNE OSCILLATORS LOW FREQUENCY OSCILLATORS LOW PASS FILTER AUXILIARY ENVELOPE EFFECT CLOCK ARP MODULATION DESTINATION MASTER VOLUME ATTACK ENV AMOUNT DECAY SELECT AMOUNT RATE GLIDE...

Page 8: ... 16 Comparing an Edited Program to its Original State When editing a program it is often useful to compare its edited state to its original state to evaluate your edits Alternatively before saving a program to a new location you may want to check the program in the target location before you overwrite it To compare an edited program to a saved version 1 Edit a program 2 Press the compare button It...

Page 9: ...is flashing press the global button The write LED stops flashing and saving is canceled You can return to editing if you want Comparing Before You Save Before saving a program to a new location it s a good idea to listen to the program in the target location to make sure you really want to overwrite it To evaluate a program before you overwrite it 1 Get ready to save by pressing the write button I...

Page 10: ... Layer B Stack A B Split A B Compare Write Global Button is lit when split is active Button is lit when stack is active Press to enable Layer B editing Split and Stack buttons Stacked Programs Stacking two programs allows you to create extra fat sounds since you can have two completely different programs layered on top of each other Polyphony is halved in Stack mode so if you have a 16 voice Proph...

Page 11: ...is allocated equally between the two sounds with half of the available voices on Layer A and half on Layer B The specific key that starts the Layer B sound is called the split point and is saved with the program All factory programs have a B layer even if that layer isn t currently enabled To turn Split on If it s not currently lit press the split a b button The button becomes lit The left side of...

Page 12: ... Modes and determine which works best for you when you re editing sounds You ll also find information about MIDI setup Read this to more effectively integrate the Prophet Rev2 into your MIDI rig To get the most out of the Prophet Rev2 s live performance capabilities read up on using a footswitch or expression pedal And finally be on the lookout for tips and notes scattered throughout this manual t...

Page 13: ...udio signals used to drive the arpeggiator sequencer should not exceed 5 volts peak to peak 5 Sustain Accepts a momentary normally open or normally closed footswitch to control sustain 1 2 3 4 5 6 9 PEDAL CV MAIN A OUTPUT 7 8 B OUTPUT 1 2 3 4 5 6 9 PEDAL CV MAIN A OUTPUT 7 8 B OUTPUT 6 Pedal CV Accepts a standard expression pedal that has a variable resistor on a TRS tip ring sleeve inch phone plu...

Page 14: ... page 82 for details NRPNs are the preferred method of parameter transmission since they cover the complete range of all parameters while CCs are limited to a range of 128 7 MIDI Param Receive Off CC NRPN Sets the method by which parameter changes are received via MIDI As with transmission NRPNs are the preferred method 8 MIDI Control Enable Off On When On the synth will respond to MIDI controller...

Page 15: ...n the Prophet Rev2 s front panel are a mixture of endless rotary encoders and potentiometers or pots The pots are identifiable by their lined knobs and the fact that they have about 300 of travel There are three pot modes to determine how the synth reacts when the programmable param eters are edited Master volume is not programmable so these modes don t apply When set to relative changes are relat...

Page 16: ...y Sustain is on until the footswitch is pressed and then it turns off which is the opposite of the expected behavior Connect your pedal and choose the appropriate setting based on its behavior 26 Sustain Arp Arp hold Sustain Sets the function for the Sustain pedal input the rear of the synthesizer Selecting arp hold and pressing the sustain pedal causes the arpeggiator to hold the current arpeggio...

Page 17: ...le Pulse OSC 2 FREQ FINE TUNE OSCILLATORS The Oscillator section Oscillator 1 can be hard synced to Oscillator 2 for harmonically complex sounds when modulated Both oscillators feature a fine tune knob for detuning and thickening sounds You can force either or both of the oscillators to start its wave cycle from its beginning its zero crossing each time you press a note on the keyboard by setting ...

Page 18: ...as you like Filter The Filter takes the basic raw sound of the oscillators and noise genera tor and subtracts frequencies changing the harmonic content and char acter of their sound This change can be varied over time using the Filter Envelope to produce more dynamic animated timbres The Prophet Rev2 s filter is a classic resonant low pass Curtis filter that is switchable between 2 pole operation ...

Page 19: ...useful if you are using the filter to generate a pitch through self oscillation in 4 pole mode Audio Mod 0 127 Controls the amount of audio from Oscillator 1 used to modulate the filter cutoff frequency It is useful for adding a bit of harmonic movement and high end sizzle to many sounds especially in 4 pole filter mode with some filter resonance To create bell like FM sounds with audio mod set th...

Page 20: ...Amplifier Envelope After passing through the filters a synthesized sound goes into an analog voltage controlled amplifier or VCA which controls its overall volume The VCA has a dedicated five stage envelope generator DADSR The Amplifier Envelope is used to shape the volume characteristics of a sound over time by giving you control over its attack decay sustain and release stages plus a delay param...

Page 21: ...t 0 127 Sets the amount of modulation from the Ampli fier Envelope to the VCA In most cases you will probably want to set this fully clockwise for maximum VCA volume If you experience signal clipping try reducing the env amount To recreate the gated VCA effect used on certain classic rock anthems choose an organ sound then set the env amount of the Amplifier to zero route the LFO square wave to am...

Page 22: ...th bass typi cally have shorter decays Sustain 0 127 Sets the sustain level of the envelope The higher the setting the louder the sustained portion of the sound will be The sound will stay at this level for as long as a note is held on the keyboard Release 0 127 Sets the release time of the envelope This controls how quickly a sound dies out after a note is released Low Frequency Oscillators The f...

Page 23: ...a front panel destination provided that the destination is a valid destination Simply hold down the selector button of the desired LFO then and move the knob or control you want to use as a destination the filter cutoff for example Set the amount using the LFO amount knobs Be aware that not all front panel controls can be used as a modulation destinations Modulation Although the overall sonic char...

Page 24: ...in the previ ous example to add vibrato with key pressure aftertouch To use the mod wheel to control the filter cutoff 1 In the modulation section press the source button Use the parameter knob next to the display to scroll to Mod Slot 1 if it s not already displayed 2 Use the parameter knob to select the source field Use the value knob to scroll through the various mod sources and choose mod whee...

Page 25: ...intage chorus Phaser High vintage 6 stage phaser high feedback Phase Low vintage 6 stage phaser lower feedback Phaser Mst emulation of Tom Oberheim s original 6 stage phaser Flanger 1 vintage through zero flanger high feedback Flanger 2 vintage through zero flanger no feedback Reverb classic digital reverb with adjustable size and color Ring Mod emulation of Tom Oberheim s classic ring modulator D...

Page 26: ...depending on the effect This knob adjusts parameter 2 for the chosen effect Each effect has two adjustable param eters which differ depending on the effect Effect Type Parameter 1 Parameter 2 mono delay delay time feedback amount DDL stereo delay time feedback amount BBD delay delay time feedback amount chorus rate depth phaser high rate depth phaser low rate depth phaser mst rate depth flanger 1 ...

Page 27: ...IVIDE The Clock and Arpeggiator controls To use the arpeggiator 1 Press the arpeggiator on off switch to turn it on 2 Hold down one or more notes on the keyboard The arpeggiator plays them according to the settings you ve chosen 3 To latch arpeggiation on so that you don t have to continuously hold down notes press the hold button 4 Adjust settings such as mode octave repeats and bpm 5 To synchron...

Page 28: ...over MIDI as MIDI notes Similarly any notes output by the sequencer will be output over MIDI as MIDI notes You can use this feature to drive other MIDI equipped devices such as synthesizers and drum machines To access this feature use the midi arp seq setting in the global menu To enable MIDI Note output from the arpeggiator 1 Press the global button then turn the parameter knob to select midi arp...

Page 29: ...ghth note 8 Half BPM x 2 Eighth note half swing timing 8 Swing BPM x 2 Eighth note full swing timing 8 Trip BPM x 3 Eighth note triplets 16th BPM x 4 Sixteenth note 16 half BPM x 4 Sixteenth note half swing timing 16 Swing BPM x 4 Sixteenth note full swing timing 16 Trip BPM x 6 Sixteenth note triplets 32nd BPM x 8 Thirty second note 32 Trip BPM x 12 Thirty second note triplets 64 Trip BPM x 16 Si...

Page 30: ...peggiator enabled and you stop sequencer playback which will also stop the arpeggiator or gated sequencer you can return to the original state of the program i e arpeggiator gated sequencer on by switching momentarily to a different sound and then back again Programming the Polyphonic Sequencer For most sequences you ll probably want to use sounds with a relatively sharp attack and short release T...

Page 31: ... s velocity numerically hold down the record button and turn the value knob 7 To save the sequence save the program by pressing the write button twice Copying a Polyphonic Sequence Between Layers You can copy a sequence from Layer A to Layer B and vice versa You can also swap sequences between layers To copy a sequence on Layer A to Layer B 1 Press both the split a b button and the stack a b butto...

Page 32: ...reaches that step 7 Repeat steps 5 6 as necessary to create the rest of the gated sequence 8 When you re done hold down a key to listen to your sequence 9 To save the sequence save the program and they are saved together See Saving a Program on Saving a Program on page 4 Try using different sequence lengths on different gated sequencer tracks to create non repetitive modulations For example if tra...

Page 33: ... you play on the keyboard No Reset Same as Normal except that new key presses received MIDI notes do not begin the sequence for that note at step one In this sense the gated sequencer is free running in No Reset mode This makes is less useful for melodies but still great for rhythmic parameter changes No Gate In this mode the envelopes respond to the keyboard received MIDI notes and not by each ad...

Page 34: ...2 Press the misc params button and use the parameter knob to scroll to unison mode 3 Use the value knob to choose the number of voices to stack 4 To detune the oscillators while in unison use the parameter knob to scroll to unison detune in the misc params menu 5 Use the value knob to choose the amount of detuning Using Chord Memory Unison has another useful feature chord memory Instead of assigni...

Page 35: ...params button and use the parameter knob to scroll to the desired mode 2 Play a few notes to listen to the result Key Assign settings are only relevant to Unison mode They do not affect poly phonic playback Master Volume Program Volume The master output level of the Prophet Rev2 is controlled by the front panel master volume knob In addition the volume of an individual program can be set with the ...

Page 36: ...ved with individual programs TRANSPOSE Down Up The Transpose controls Hold When hold is on any notes played will continue to play until hold is turned off When used in conjunction with the arpeggiator notes are latched on If hold is on and at least one key continuously held down any new notes played are added to the arpeggio HOLD UNISON TRANSPOSE Down Up The Hold button Glide Glide causes the pitc...

Page 37: ...ameter knob to scroll to glide mode 3 Turn the value knob to set the mode 4 Play a series of notes up and down the keyboard to hear the effect Pitch and Mod Wheels The Prophet Rev2 has a spring loaded Pitch wheel and a Mod wheel You can use these controls to enhance live performance by bending notes and adding modulation in real time as you play In the same way that guitar players use note bends a...

Page 38: ...ressure to any key within a chord will apply modulation to all notes currently held The modulation section lets you choose the amount of modulation applied using aftertouch and also which parameters are modulated oscil lator frequency filter frequency etc You can set either a positive or negative amount For example if you select the filter cutoff as modulation destination cutoff set a positive amo...

Page 39: ... its pitch may be affected by modulation from other sources Osc 2 Key On Off Off On See the explanation above Pan Mod Mode Alternate Fixed Designates the behavior of panning when Pan is used as a modulation destination Choosing alternate directs modulation to the Pan Spread parameter and thereby affects the panning width of individual voices within a program Choosing fixed directs modulation to pa...

Page 40: ...t For typical keyboard playing VCA LEVEL is set to zero Split Point C 2 C8 Sets the split point for Layer B in Split A B mode In split mode playing a key on the left side of the keyboard will play the Layer A sound and playing a key on the right side will play the Layer B sound Polyphony is allocated equally between the two sounds half of the available voices on Layer A and half on Layer B The spl...

Page 41: ...ng a dedicated MIDI interface 2 Press the global button on your Rev2 3 Use the parameter knob to select midi sysex cable then use the value knob to choose either usb or midi depending on which port you are using to connect to your computer 4 Open your MIDI librarian software and configure it to send SysEx messages to your synthesizer 5 In the MIDI librarian open the programs and or banks you want ...

Page 42: ...nsmit audio MIDI In and USB should not be used at the same time as overlapping messages from different sources may cause the Prophet Rev2 to respond unpredict ably MIDI Out and USB can be used at the same time and transmit the same data USB Notes Under Mac OS X Prophet Rev2 Keyboard will appear as a MIDI port when connected via USB and can be configured using the Mac s Audio MIDI Setup utility typ...

Page 43: ... Freq Osc All Freq Osc 1 Level Osc Mix Noise Level Sub Osc Level Osc 1 Shape Osc 2 Shape Osc All Shape Filter Cutoff Filter Resonance Filter Audio Mod VCA Pan LFO 1 Freq LFO 2 Freq LFO 3 Freq LFO 4 Freq LFO All Freq LFO 1 Amount LFO 2 Amount LFO 3 Amount LFO 4 Amount LFO All Amount LP Filter Env Amount Amp Env Amount Env 3 Amount Env All Amount LPF Attack VCAAttack Env 3 Attack Env All Attack LPF ...

Page 44: ... 4 Meantone Temperament An early tempered tuning with better thirds than 12ET Sounds best in the key of C Use this to add an authentic touch to performances of early Baroque music C 1 1 260 Hz 5 1 4 Tone Equal Temperament 24 notes per octave equally spaced 24root2 intervals Mexican composer Julian Carillo used this for custom built pianos in the early 20th century 6 19 Tone Equal Temperament 19 no...

Page 45: ... Just Major gives preferential treatment to major thirds on the sharps and a good fourth relative to the second C 1 1 261 625 1 1 16 15 9 8 6 5 5 4 4 3 45 32 3 2 8 5 5 3 16 9 15 8 15 Yamaha Just Minor C Similar to Yamaha s preset Just Major the Just Minor gives preferential treatment to minor thirds on the sharps and has a good fifth relative to the second C 1 1 261 625 1 1 25 24 10 9 6 5 5 4 4 3 ...

Page 46: ...e sure the Prophet Rev2 is receiving MIDI clock If there is a ground hum in the audio output USB can cause ground loops so try to resolve any grounding issues between the computer and the Prophet Rev2 Or use MIDI which is opto isolated If the Prophet Rev2 is behaving erratically This is almost always caused by a MIDI data loop Make sure that any MIDI Thru functionality is turned off on the MIDI in...

Page 47: ...al button menu is enabled and the purchase date If you have not already reset the Global parameters and run the calibration routines see Troubleshooting you should do it before contacting Technical Support It s probably the first thing they ll ask you to do Warranty Repair Sequential warrants that the Prophet Rev2 will be free from defects in materials and or workmanship for 1 year from the date o...

Page 48: ...eters can also be turned off NRPNs are the preferred method of parameter transmission since they cover the complete range of all parameters while CCs are limited to a range of 128 Param Rcv Off CC NRPN Sets the method by which parameter changes are received via MIDI As with transmission NRPNs are the preferred method MIDI Prog Enable Off On When set to On the synth will respond to MIDI controllers...

Page 49: ...ond Third Description 1000 nnnn 0kkkkkkk 0000000 Note Off 1001 nnnn 0kkkkkkk 0vvvvvvv Note On 1011 nnnn 0vvvvvvv 0vvvvvvv Control Change see Transmitted Controller Messages 1100 nnnn 0ppppppp Program change 0 127 for Programs 00 128 within current Bank 1101 nnnn 0vvvvvvv Channel Pressure 1110 nnnn 0vvvvvvv 0vvvvvvv Pitch Bend LS Byte then MS Byte Notes 0kkkkkkk Note number 0 127 nnnn Channel numbe...

Page 50: ...meter Number NRPN MIDI messages are used to transmit and receive both global and program parameters They are transmitted when MIDI Parameter Send is set to NRPN in globals and received when MIDI Parameter Receive is set to NRPN in globals The messages are handled in standard MIDI format using the NRPN CC commands in running status byte format Below is the format used for transmitting a NRPN parame...

Page 51: ...al parameter dumps and corresponding NRPN number when sent received individually NRPN Range Description 4097 0 24 Master Coarse Tune 4096 0 50 Master Fine Tune 4098 0 16 MIDI Channel 0 All 4099 0 4 MIDI Clock Mode 0 Off 1 Master 2 Slave 3 Slave Thru 4100 0 1 MIDI Clock Cable 0 MIDI Port 1 USB 4101 0 2 MIDI Param Send 0 NRPN 1 CC 2 Off 4102 0 2 MIDI Param Receive 0 NRPN 1 CC 2 Off 4103 0 1 MIDI Con...

Page 52: ...072 0 127 Filt Env Decay 25 2073 0 127 Filt Env Sustain 26 2074 0 127 Filt Env Release 28 2076 0 127 Pan Spread 29 2077 0 127 Program Volume 30 2078 0 127 VCA Env Amt 31 2079 0 127 VCA Env Velo NRPN Layer A NRPN Layer B Value Description 32 2080 0 127 VCA Env Del 33 2081 0 127 VCA Env A 34 2082 0 127 VCA Env D 35 2083 0 127 VCA Env S 36 2084 0 127 VCA Env R 37 2085 0 150 LFO 1 Freq 38 2086 0 4 LFO...

Page 53: ...d 103 2151 0 99 Osc 2 Shape Mod 104 2152 0 1 OSC 2 Note reset 105 2153 0 1 LFO 1 Key Sync 106 2154 0 1 LFO 2 Key Sync 107 2155 0 1 LFO 3 Key Sync 108 2156 0 1 LFO 4 Key Sync 110 2158 0 127 Sub Osc NRPN Layer A NRPN Layer B Value Description 111 2159 0 1 Glide ON OFF 113 2161 0 12 Pitch Bend Range 114 2162 0 1 Pan Mode 116 2164 0 254 Mod Wheel Amt 117 2165 0 52 Mod Wheel Dest 118 2166 0 254 Pressur...

Page 54: ...4 Note 5 852 915 2900 2963 128 255 Seq Step 1 64 Velocity 5 916 979 2964 3027 0 127 Seq Step 1 64 Note 6 980 1043 3028 3091 128 255 Seq Step 1 64 Velocity 6 Control NRPN Data The following table lists the Rev2 s control NRPN data It is received and transmitted but not saved as part of a program NRPN Value Description 1088 0 1 Seq Play Stop 16383 0 1 Seq Rec On Off SysEx Messages Universal System E...

Page 55: ...t Global Parameter Transmit 1111 0111 End of Exclusive EOX The Rev2 will respond by sending out the current values of the global parameters in the format described in Global Parameters Data Dump Program Data Dump Status Description 1111 0000 System Exclusive SysEx 0000 0001 DSI ID 0010 1111 Rev2 ID 0000 0010 Program Data 0000 00vv Bank Number 0 9 0vvv vvvv Program Number 0 99 0vvv vvvv 2046 bytes ...

Page 56: ...nput Data Packed MIDI data 1 A7 A6 A5 A4 A3 A2 A1 A0 1 00 G7 F7 E7 D7 C7 B7 A7 2 B7 B6 B5 B4 B3 B2 B1 B0 2 00 A6 A5 A4 A3 A2 A1 A0 3 C7 C6 C5 C4 C3 C2 C1 C0 3 00 B6 B5 B4 B3 B2 B1 B0 4 D7 D6 D5 D4 D3 D2 D1 D0 4 00 C6 C5 C4 C3 C2 C1 C0 5 E7 E6 E5 E4 E3 E2 E1 E0 5 00 D6 D5 D4 D3 D2 D1 D0 6 F7 F6 F5 F4 F3 F2 F1 F0 6 00 E6 E5 E4 E3 E2 E1 E0 7 G7 G6 G5 G4 G3 G2 G1 G0 7 00 F6 F5 F4 F3 F2 F1 F0 8 00 G6 G...

Page 57: ...100 101 Appendix E MIDI Implementation Sequential Prophet Rev2 User s Guide Appendix E MIDI Implementation ...

Page 58: ...Sequential LLC 1527 Stockton Street 3rd Floor San Francisco CA 94133 USA 2019 Sequential LLC www sequential com DSI 10266R ...