in 2015
1974–1980: Founding, first products and Prophet-5 The engineer
Dave Smith founded Sequential Circuits in San Francisco in 1974. 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. The Model 800, launched in 1975, was controlled and programmed with a
microprocessor. 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. the Prophet-5 used microprocessors to store sounds in patch memory. This facilitated a move from synthesizers creating unpredictable sounds to producing "a standard package of familiar sounds". The Prophet-5 became a market leader and industry standard, used by musicians such as
Michael Jackson,
Madonna, and
Dr Dre, and by film composers such as
John Carpenter. The smaller Pro-One, essentially a monophonic Prophet-5, saw more success. Smith and the Sequential engineer Chet Wood designed an interface using Roland's
Digital Control Bus (DCB) as a basis. This standard was discussed and modified by representatives of Roland, Yamaha, Korg, and Kawai. The protocol was named
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) and unveiled by Kakehashi and Smith, who received
Technical Grammy Awards in 2013 for their work. In 1982, Sequential released the Prophet 600, one of the first MIDI-equipped synthesizers. In 1984, they released the
Drumtraks, one of the first
drum machines with MIDI control. File:Sequential Circuits synths rack.jpg|thumb|220px|Various Sequential products [top to bottom] PRO-ONE (1981)
1987: Closure In 1987 Sequential Circuits released their final product, the Prophet 3000 digital sampler. 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." In 2015, Sequential released the Prophet-6, followed in 2018 by the Prophet-X, which featured
sample playback and digitally controlled oscillators. On August 31, 2018, the 40th anniversary of the Prophet-5, Dave Smith Instruments rebranded as Sequential. In September 2020, Sequential announced an updated reissue of the original Prophet-5. Sequential reported revenues of $18.3 million in 2020. In April 2021, Sequential was acquired by the British audio technology company
Focusrite. Smith died on May 31, 2022. ==References==