Sequential Circuits got its start by creating products that interfaced with other devices. Founder Dave Smith originally developed them to extend the capabilities of his Minimoog. His first design, the Model 600 analog sequencer, was quickly followed by the Model 700 Programmer – which allowed certain parameters on external analog synthesizers to be saved and recalled – and the more advanced Model 800 digital sequencer. Smith’s background in the semiconductor industry fed a fascination with digital control systems, and his love of synthesizers led to curiosity about merging the two worlds.
In 1978, Smith’s team shipped the first Prophet-10, named for its ten voices – one for each finger. But this early version became a headache for one simple reason: heat. The enclosure was too cramped for the two stacked voice boards to cool properly, leading to nightmarish tuning issues and reliability problems. Sequential withdrew it from the market, but fortunately they had another synthesizer ready: the Prophet-5.
