Sequential Circuits "Choice of the month" ad, International Musician and Recording World, 1982

Sequential Circuits "Choice of the month" centrefold colour advertisement featuring the Prophet-10, Prophet-5 and Pro-One from page 42 and 43 in the May 1982 issue of International Musician and Recording World.

Wow. Just wow.

I was doing a bit of research in back issues of some magazines for a lawyer last night and while casually flipping through one of those mags, this suddenly appeared before my eyes.

I've never seen it before. Ever. Time for a quick blog post!

In my defense, it's not in the advertising index of this magazine - a technique I use to quickly reference and log some synth ads. Another SCI full page colour ad that appears on page 36 *is* in that index. But not this one. There also doesn't seem to be a reference elsewhere in the magazine as to why SCI became the "Choice of the month" for the magazine. There was a "Special Focus: Keyboards" article this month. So, I'm guessing it was supposed to be related to that.

It actually looks more like a poster image that's been re-used for this "Choice of the Month"  image. There is no ad-title or text. And the image itself doesn't stretch to the far right and far left of the pages - there is white space at both ends. I've left the white in the scan to make the point.

But its a poster or image I've never run across. I haven't seen it in other magazines and I haven't seen it hanging on the wall in the background of any of the Dave Smith demo videos.

The main image of a hand playing a Prophet-5 keyboard is very reminiscent of SCI's Poly-Sequencer advertisement that appeared a few times in Keyboard Magazine from 1981 to 1983 (a long shelf life for any ad!). The hand in this ad and the one in the centrefold illustration are even playing the same chord. It was definitely an inspiration for Nicholson, the artist who's name appears vertically near the top right of the image (just underneath the also-vertical Prophet-5).

The rest of this wonderful illustration consists of a Prophet-10, Prophet-5 and Pro-One used to frame the main image.

While comparing the Poly-Sequencer ad and the centrefold, I noticed something. Did you notice it too?

The fingers are playing the exact same notes, but in the illustration, there is a lot more space between the thumb and index finger. It took me a few seconds for my brain to figure it out. In order to even out the fingers in the illustration, Nicholson took a bit of liberty (and warped reality) by adding AN EXTRA KEY into the octave.

That takes balls. And makes this illustration even more unique to me.

But it may be why the image hasn't been seen elsewhere.

Sequential Circuits Inc. Prophet-5 "The Completely Programmable Polyphonic Synthesizer" reference brochure - 1980

Sequential Circuits Inc. Prophet-5 "The Completely Programmable Polyphonic Synthesizer" reference brochure (spec sheet) from approx. 1980.

Four pages of comfy, warm Prophet-5 goodness. What's not to like when your eyeballs can be sun-bathed in hip retro-font front-cover goodness, awesomely bright and sunny up-close and personal photography and, best of all - lots of tropical, beachy, sand-in-your-toes, reference informa... eeeer....

So, re-reading that above paragraph, one might guess that my part of the world may be going through an unprecedented looooong stretch of snowy, blizzardly, winterly coldly-cold weather.

Yes, COLDLY-COLD.

And after that stupid ground hog bolted back into his hole after seeing his shadow a week or so back, I'm trying desperately to incorporate fuzzy, warm thoughts into everything I do as I eagerly await the return of the warmth of Spring.

But back to the Prophet-5 - and one of the things I love most about it (and other Prophets too). Which is to say that there is something to be said for a clearly laid out front panel. Design is design is design - whether you are talking about the white space in an ad so it can be clearly read and processed, or a logically organized front panel with high-contract controls and labels that are easy to see and reach for when needed.

As I get older and have less time to actually hunker down and play in the studio, I find that when I do have time to work on music I tend to reach for gear that will give me quick access to sound editing - and that usually means keyboards with knobs. And a clearly and logically laid-out panel helps keep me in the zone while i'm doing this.

Compare that nice, simple Prophet-5 front panel to say... a Roland JP8080. I love my JP8080. Its fun. Its powerful. And it has a great sound. But, like most gear in the studio that I can't bring to the bedroom with me (I know you do it too!), I don't get to play on it a lot. And when I do have a hankering for some smooth Roland bubbly goodness, I reach over to the front panel and... [SCREEEECH!]

Yup. I'm suddenly out of the zone. I have to look around to figure out where everything is again. My brain has to take time away from music making to re-learn that front panel display.

To be clear, this isn't necessarily a JP8080 problem. It has to pack a lot of controls into a relatively small 19-inch rack space. All I'm saying is that the less I'm in the studio, the less and less I reach for this piece of kit. So, yeah - this definitely isn't a JP8080 problem. This is a "me-problem" of not spending enough time in the studio. :)

Well, enough complaining. I'm old.

Although there is no date stamped anywhere on this Spec Sheet, I've dated it 1980 for the simple fact that the font panel photo includes the cassette interface found standard on the Rev. 3 Prophet-5s in the top-right corner.

I did a quick search and found this great video (well... audio) of the Prophet-5's original factory program interface cassette. This is the DATA cassette, so I don't recommend listening to it unless you really like the sound of 90's dial-up modems. But, I couldn't resist posting due to the fact that the background of the video looks really really warm and sunny.

Hurry Spring, hurry... faster Spring, faster.

Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 U.K. ad, 1978

Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 1/2-page advertisement from page 155 in International Musician and Recording World July (UK)/August (USA)1978.

Oh Rod! How much does your store love US synth companies! First "OBERHEIM month" - twice. And now July is the "MONTH FOR THE COMING OF THE PROPHET".

And, not sure if the Prophet just didn't show up in July or not - but the ad appeared again in September declaring that it was the month that Prophet would show up.

Either way - like I said in my last Rod Argent ad post on the Oberheim synths - good on ya for giving companies like Sequential Circuits and Oberheim some good advertising real estate in IMRW.

The ad template is very similar to the Oberheim advertisement, and in fact this template appeared quite frequently to promote the store in IMRW. For example, the same 1/2-page advertisement template appeared in the May issue of IM declaring May as R.M.I. month - "starring for the first time in the U.K. the RMI KEYBOARD COMPUTER - solely available from us". Great historical info!

Side note: It seems Rod Argent was the exclusive distributor for a few synths in their time. As as I flipping through the Nov (UK)/Dec (USA) issue doing research, I noticed that the "Stand by for the Wasp invasion" ad mentions that Rod Argent's was the exclusive distributor in the UK. 


Similar 1/2- page Rod Argent ads in other months wouldn't focus on a particular piece of gear, but instead be very general in nature. The ad in the March 1978 issue of IM was just that - listing off a string of synths, electric pianos, organs and string machines by Moog, Yamaha, ARP, Korg, Yamaha as well as a few lesser known companies such as the Jeremy Lord SkyWave! Yum!

This ad is also cool because it really helps pin down when exactly the Prophet made it on to UK soil. Promotion of the Prophet started in Contemporary Keyboard back in February 1978. And this ad states that this synth is "solely available from Rod Argents Keyboards" in the UK. This seems to indicate to me that there was only a four or five month delay (tops!) before Dave Smith got that instrument across the pond. Not too shabby for 1978.

And something I didn't mention in my previous blog post -  you will find a small blurb at the bottom of this ad that states that Rod Argent carried Contemporary Keyboard magazines! Including back issues. Nice!

Just like I mentioned in my previous Rod Argent advertisement, it seems that its not only me and Rod that are digging the Prophet-5 either. But this time, its not IMRW reviewer Dave Simmons that is reviewing the synth. It is none other than Robin Lumley from Brand X.

In the review, Lumley doesn't hide his excitement over the Prophet too well. Okay - not at all.

For example, at one point he describes the Prophet as a "super-Minimoog" that "behaves like and has the inherent richness of sound of the Moog". He even includes this note:

"Note the constant reference back to the famed little instrument from Norlin: this is because constant comparison to the Mini should be useful to you as a tern of reference, and also because for any instrument to be compared favourably to a Mini is a compliment to its ergonomics, its sound, and its satisfaction in operation."

Even when he mentions that quick removal of the Prophet-10 from the market due to the power-supply temperature issue, he is quick to point out the good in the situation:

"Obviously, Sequential Circuits is going to lose a lot of prospective customers by withdrawing this version, but it's to their credit that they've not prepared to see anything that is slightly below their high standards."

Near the end of the article, he mentions that his only two quibbles (I love UK-speak!) are the fact that it is only five-voice polyphonic, and the lack of triangle wave on oscillator 1.

Interestingly, his conclusion is upbeat, and, even better, also gives us a little bit more history on the Prophet's entry into the UK. After pointing out the number of Prophets bought up by musicians such as Rick Wakeman, Patrick Moraz, Bob Styles, and others, he writes:

"Only the fairly slow arrival of the product into the UK is stopping a boom from occurring. If you are into synths, you must try the Prophet, and if you're not, try one anyways and you'll be converted for sure."

Can't beat that kind of historical info.

End note: One other thing I always find interesting about UK ads is the different credit cards that seemed to be available.

Diners Club?

To buy a synth?  :)

Sequential Circuits Inc. Prophet "Two and a half years ago" ad, Contemporary Keyboard 1980

Sequential Circuits Inc. Prophet "Two and a half years ago" 1-page advertisement from page 13 in Contemporary Keyboard July 1980.

Update: Added to the Sequential Circuits Inc. advertising timeline tool.

I've blogged *a lot* about Sequential Circuits Inc.'s Prophets and the Prophet-5 in particular. My Prophet-5 label is up to 12 or 13 at last count, and most include links to a wack of great Prophet resources around the Web.

But somehow this ad evaded my blog. I would start, and then while surffin, or noodling around in my studio, get caught up on something else. But, I always knew I would get to it some day. If for only one reason. And that reason starts with another Prophet ad.

For a long time I had always thought that this colourful Prophet advertisement was special for two reasons.

1. First Mattos-designed advertisement. Woot!
2. First ad to promote the Rev. 3 Prophet. And I based this claim on the small "addendum" text that appears at the end of the ad-copy during the second ad-run (see that blog post for more details).

But, this "Two and a half years ago..." advertisement was actually the one that introduced the world to the new features of the Rev. 3s in July 1980, which included the switch to recently-blogged-about Curtis Electromusic Specialties CEM chips.

The ad itself is gorgeous. The black and white up-close-and-personal photo of the Prophet's front panel shows off SCI's characteristic control knobs and buttons to great effect, as well as the small read-out screen. But, I have to admit, my curious mind keeps trying to figure out why SCI chose "32" as the number to show on the screen. I was guessing that the "2" was chosen so that the LED on button "2" would be lit within the photo frame - a nice balance with the lit "Keyboard" button on the left side of the photo. But, why "3" to go along with it? Maybe because it is the Rev. 3 Prophet?

Yah, I realize I'm probably thinking to deeply on the matter. It's probably because "32" just looked nice. :)

The other thing that is really nice about this photo is that it bleeds right to the edges of the page. A lot of ads get framed on the page, with a good centimeter of white space around the edges. But this advertisement was expanded to take up the full page, making that up-close photo look even more impressive.

The ad-copy is also fantastic. The way it is lined up on an angle to follow the wood panel in the photo works well, and doesn't impede reading as much as one would think it should. The text really looks like it belongs there.

The content of the ad-copy is exactly what you would expect. It starts with a short well-earned pat on the back explaining how SCI had created the first completely programmable polyphonic synth, and then right into a feast of historical references. Yum.

I don't think I've seen the variable scaling feature described to such an extent in any other Prophet ad.

"JUST INTONATION, Pythagorean, mean tone, and other types of scales are now available. The Prophet enables you to individually tune each note in the scale (C, C#, ...B) and then program that scale into its memory. This allows instant changes from one scale to another (or a given scale can be tuned in different keys, to allow instant modulation in performance). This tuning feature makes the Prophet-5 ideal in educational environments, as well as an excellent tool for experimentation and performance by all musicians. Imagine... a keyboard with thirds that don't beat!"

Even more interestingly, SCI doesn't shy away from the Prophet's technical issues of the past. Instead it meets the issues straight on:

"A new oscillator design, coupled with a unique computer-correction scheme, eliminates tuning problems and periodic internal adjustments. With fewer electronic parts, the new circuitry cuts service problems and dramatically improves the reliability and roadworthiness of the instrument."

Nice touch.

Not even the Spec Sheet promo, which appeared in the same issue as this advertisement, says as much about these new features. But, it does provide a bit of information not found in the ad, including the all important retail price point!

"Revised Prophet-5. The Prophet-5 polyphonic synthesizer has been revised to include the following features: a built-in cassette interface, an A-440 tuning control, voice defeat switches, a new kind of edit mode, and a mode that lets you individually tune each note of the scale to accommodate tunings other than equal temperament. The cassette interface lets the user store program on cassette tapes. The edit mode functions in such a way that turning a knob or hitting a switch will change the sound immediately (previously, you had to hit an edit switch). The voice defeat function is provided for emergency situations where a voice goes out in some way and can't be used. The voice defeat function lets you turn off whatever voice is malfunctioning so you can continue to play the instrument. The tuning feature lets you tune the notes of the scale to different frequencies. the range for each note is about 1/2-semitone from its normal equal-tempered value. These different tunings can be stored in memory (and in cassette tape memory) for later recall. Price is $4,595.00. Sequential Circuits, 3051 N. First St., San Jose, CA 95134."

As mentioned previously, there's not much more to be said about the Prophet-5 that hasn't been said by all the great Prophet resources out there.

Just click on the Prophet-5 label to get started.

Now... back to my long weekend at the parent's. My dad is letting me operate the chainsaw to clear some fallen trees at their farm in Saskatchewan.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! :D

Sequential Circuits Prophet -5 and Prophet-10 "The Industry's First" ad, Synapse 1978

Sequential Circuits Prophet -5 and Prophet-10 1-page advertisement from Synapse Magazine January/February 1978.

A long time ago before I did much writing, I had scanned this ad and just popped it up as a post. But, as I was creating the Sequential Circuits advertising timeline last weekend, I realized that I've never really said much about this ad. And that is a shame, because this has some great historical significance.

The thing is, as far as I can tell, this was the first ad for the Prophet. And, although Contemporary Keyboard magazine was usually the first place that synth peeps back in the day would come across these synth ads, technically speaking this ad first appeared in Synapse magazine. In other words, this ad first appeared in the February 1978 issue of CK, but it appeared in the January/February 1978 issue of Synapse. :)

That's pretty good timing though. I kind of take it for granted that my different synth sites will pick up on gear news within *minutes* of each other, and all the different mags will pretty much report on a piece of new gear in the same month. But I would guess that back in the pre-Internet days, if gear news happened to get out to different publication sources within a month or two of each other, the Marketing Manager was probably getting a hefty bonus at Christmas.

And this ad, and the whole initial marketing/promo campaign around the Prophet, is probably a good example of some pretty good timing.

For example, the same Jan/Feb issue of Synapse that included this first Prophet ad also included a little blurb in the "What's Happening" section about this introduction of this new instrument:

"Sequential Circuits will unveil, at this month's NAMM Western Market Show, a new polyphonic synthesizer named the Prophet. The Prophet is available in 5 and 10 voice versions with 50 programmable pre-sets (programmed at the factory but re-programmable by the user). The unit is controlled by a micro-computer and features pitch and modulation wheels, programs modifiable in real-time, a memory power back-up unit allowing the instrument to be turned off without erasing the stored patches, and a 5 octave keyboard. the 5 voice version (10 oscillators) is expected to list for under $3000.00. Although no retail price has been committed for the 10 voice version, manufacturer's literature states that the conversion from 5 to 10 voices is literally as simple as adding one printed circuit card."

Meanwhile, although SCI's marketing peeps also got the Prophet ad showing up in the February issue of Contemporary Keyboard, it wasn't until a month later (March 1978) that the specs made it into CK's Spec Sheet section:

"Sequential Circuits Synthesizer. The Prophet is a polyphonic synthesizer with a micro-computer built in to control its operation. This computer automatically tunes all of the unit's oscillators. The Prophet is available with either five or ten voices. Each voice has two oscillators. The unit also has a computer memory to store patches. It comes programmed with forty different patches, each of which can be reprogrammed by the user at any time. Other features include a 5-octave keyboard, pitch and modulation wheels, live editing capabilities, sequencer interface for use with the Sequential Circuits Model 800 digital sequencer, volume and filter pedal input jacks, a final release foot-switch, and a memory power backup with a 10-year life. The unit measures 37" (94 cm) wide, 16" (40.6cm) deep, and 4 1/2" (11.3 cm) high. Sequential Circuits, 1172G Aster Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94086."

Still - only a month delay? Not too shabby for the time period.

Looking at these two descriptions, I can't help but compare them.

The Synapse promo contains quite a bit less technical detail, and it also contains a factual error - the number of patches is listed as 50, where the ad in the same magazine says 40. Now this might have been because Synapse received early pre-NAMM specs to help promote the NAMM show introduction, while the ad arrived for printing later on. Meanwhile, CK may have also received pre-NAMM info, but for one reason or another, the Spec Sheet write up didn't make it into CK until after the NAMM show - at which time there may have been more tech details available. All just guesses, but that's the fun part of blogging in hindsight. :)

Yah, I know that it's not really up to the company on when they get promo'd in these sections, but just the fact SCI is organized and connected enough to get pre-NAMM news into a mag is pretty good marketing work in itself.

Side note (more of a question): Would I rather have my new gear info fed to me early on, with an increased chance of errors/changes? Or later, with full, correct specs? Tough one...

Anyways, again - not too bad in terms of timing. Within two months, both the ad and the specs could be found in two highly respected mags.

The ad continued to run in Synapse pretty regularly right into the January/February 1979 issue. While in CK, the ad ran only until July 1978, after which SCI decided to take break from any advertising in that magazine. Then, in November 1978, SCI ran this "You'll look at it's features" Prophet ad just once in CK (and never appeared in Synapse as far as I can tell - see my blog post and my guess that this was just an interim ad), and then this longer running "No excuse" ad in February 1979. This ad didn't start running in Synapse until mid-1979.

So, a little bit of a campaign transition issue when you look at the two mags, but again, three months ain't too shabby for the time period.

Could you imagine if there was this type of timing issue online?

InterWebz - you rock. :D

Sequential Circuits Inc. Prophet-5 Composers/Producers ad, Contemporary Keyboard, 1980

Sequential Circuits Inc. Prophet-5 Composers/Producers 1-page advertisement from page 83 in Contemporary Keyboard November 1980.

What the heck is this? And is that Hall or Oats? :D

What an odd ad. It is just so "not-SCI" that it's almost not funny. Especially when you realize this ad was sandwiched in the middle of one of the most awesome series of Prophet-5 ads. Those featuring John Mattos' fine artwork.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, below are the two ads that ran before this one:

Note: extra marks to SCI for including the imagery of the two ads on the walls of the studio in the ad photo)

And this ad ran right after it:

So, why slap this rather dull looking Composers/Producers ad in the middle of such a innovative series of ads for the Prophet-5?

Turns out this issue of Contemporary Keyboard featured a "CK special" on American composer Aaron Copland. So, it kinda makes sense that SCI would take advantage of an opportunity to speak directly to those composer fans that would tune-in to this issue for that special.

End result: this ad.

But, unfortunately, it doesn't look like SCI had a lot of time to prep for the advertisement - it looks a little like a rushed job. The ad-copy in particular looks like one really long run-on sentence. I know at least two editors that could cut that copy to atleast 1/2 of its current size - which would have really helped this ad breathe a little. Long run-on sentences are fine for blog posts *grin*, but in an ad like this, it could lead to premature page-flip. Plus, the ad-copy refers to the Prophet-5 sans hyphen. Not a big deal you say? Grrrrr. I think it is. :)

The one thing SCI definitely did right with this ad was to keep all the techno-mumbo-jumbo out of it. I could imagine that there might have been some SCI engineer/marketing types that wanted to plaster this ad with technical info since the Prophet-5 had just recently hit Rev. 3. But, I think you will agree, most composers reading an article on Aaron Copland that would then come across this ad wouldn't have gotten much out of any technical info anyways.

But if there is one thing I am not - its a composer :) And since I'd never really taken the time to look into the evolution of the Prophet-5 too much, I pulled up Google for a quick search.

The always informative Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 Tribute Web site has some great info on all the Prophet-5 revisions. And the site's author had this to say about the introduction of the Rev. 3:

"In 1980, the Prophet 5 was the synth keyboard players 'had' to own. About 1.300 Prophet 5's where built until then. Sequential's name and reputation were unassailable. But the Prophet 5 was still not a stable instrument, and hard to obtain. This instability was explained by the deficiencies of the SSM oscillators used. And the reason for its rarity was, to a very great extent, explained by the inherent deficiencies of the manufacturer of those SSM oscillators.

Therefore Sequential decided to stop producing Prophet's with the SSM chips, and replace them by Curtis (CEM) chips. This entailed another, much more thorough redesign (than that of the Rev 1 to the Rev 2) that included the power supply, envelopes, DAC's and VCA's..."

According to the site's author, the sound of the Prophet-5 Rev. 3 was, for the most part, surprisingly unchanged by these large-scale revisions, although "some of the bite had gone, leaving an instrument that remained impressive and pleasant to play, but was slightly different in comparison to earlier models".

Along with the internal redesign, it looks like Prophet-5's added a number of other features for users (as listed in the "addendum" of this previous colourful Rev. 3 ad):

• Cassette Interface
• Variable Scaling (Programmable)
• Simplified Editing Facilities
• Voice Defeat System

The cassette interface and variable scaling were self-explanatory to me, but the two others needed a bit more investigation. Back to Google and I quickly had more information on both the simplified editing and the voice defeat system.

Simplified editing: Often referred to as "live editing", this was simply an easier means of entering the sound edit mode of the operating system. In earlier versions, the user had to hit an edit button to start editing a sound (I hate that), but with Rev. 3, you could simply just turn a knob, and the operating system automatically entered edit mode.

Voice defeat system: This is really cool. According to the Prophet-5 owners manual (Rev 3.3) that I pulled from synthfool.com, the voice defeat system allowed you to play the synth normally even if one of the voices konked out on you. From section 1, page 4 and 5 of the manual:

"For the occasion when a voice may become unplayable due to component failure, a Voice Defeat allows you to delete the failed voice from the assignment system. The Prophet can then be played normally, with the remaining voices.

To defeat a voice, hold the key it is currently assigned to with one hand while holding PROGRAM SELECT 1 and pressing PROGRAM SELECT 8. The voice will be defeated and will remain defeated until the Prophet's power is switched off. (When power is switched back on, the voice will not be defeated.)"

Nice! I had never heard of this feature on any synthesizer before! Are there other synthesizers that include this? How about the new Prophet?

Man, I have a couple of keyboards sitting in my basement that are currently unusable because one of the voices has tanked.

I wonder...

Sequential Circuits Inc. advertisements / Mattos artwork round-up

Okay, my John Mattos infatuation is coming to a close.

For now... :o)

But, before I put it to bed, I thought that since he was, in my humble opinion, responsible for some of the most juicy, well-remembered synthesizer ads of the late 70s/early 80s, I would provide a few more yummy nuggets of Mattos info that I came across a while back.

And, who better to relay this info, but SCI themselves, through a short article that appeared in the February 1982 issue of Sequential Circuit's newsletter/magazine called "The Patch" (Volume 2, Number 1).

The half page write-up appeared at the top of page 12 (the last page) of the newsletter, and gave readers an excellent introduction to John.

In addition, the article contains some wonderful historical reference information and is a must-read for hoarders of SCI promotional material, John Mattos' work, and heck, synthesizer historical information in general.

"Love your artwork..."

"Can I get posters?" "Who does all your stuff? It's terrific!" John Mattos does our "stuff," and we think it's pretty terrific, too. At 28, John is a phenomenal air brush artist whose works have drawn critical acclaim from the Western Art Directors Club and the Art Directors Club of New York.

Born in Modesto, John's first interests included horseback riding and music as well as art. At thirteen, he received his first award for art (a blue ribbon) at the Stanislaus County Fair, where he also won an award for equestrian dressage! Music captured his attention in high school and he played a Vox "Phantom" guitar with a group that performed at every prom from Stockton to Merced. "The band was popular because we knew the long version of 'Sunshine of Your Love,' and the real verses to 'Louise, Louie'!"

After high school, John majored in illustration at the Art Center College in Los Angeles and received his degree in 1975. His first "real" commission came from A&M Records for an insert in Rick Wakeman's album, "The Myths and Legends of King Arthur." John traveled in Europe for the next two years and worked as an illustrator in Paris. "I drew black and white rapidiograph (technical ink pen) pictures of men shaking hands, women in front of refrigerators, platters of food, grinning men with fistfuls of French money; horrible work but it prolonged my stay - two years of no air brush."

In 1978, John returned to California and took up residence in Palo Alto as a free lance artist. The Blank Design Group, then representing SCI, commissioned him to portray a multitude of sounds rising from a new instrument called a Prophet-5. This advertisement was entitled "Beware of False Prophets," which was later combined with gold lettering to become the "Earotic poster". John's next assignment was the Sphinx ad, "A Legend in its Own Time." This piece and all subsequent artwork has been commissioned directly by Sequential Circuits, and has appeared in Contemporary Keyboard, Musician Player and Listener, International Musician and Recording World, Music & Sound Output, Sound Arts, as well as SCI publications in the form of posters, decals, literature folders, and Christmas cards.

John's biggest contribution to SCI has been the personification of the Prophet synthesizers in the form of the Prophet Man. Originally seated on his "throne" ("The Prophet delivers" poster), the Prophet Man has taken off (reflecting the success of the instruments he represents) and has flown a bi-plane, a turbo-jet, and a rocket plane in the "Ear * Force" campaign. In 1982, we'll be launching him into space for some Extra Vehicular Activity with a Remote keyboard!"

Where do I begin? So much historical reference info!

Well, for starters, this article confirmed my research that the "Beware of False Prophets" and Legend In Its Own Time" artwork were among the first ads to be created by John. I initially couldn't find any info on the "The Prophet Delivers" poster also mentioned above, but then remembered the SCI merchandise ad that included a lovely gal wearing "The Prophet Jersey". Look at that image (bottom right corner of the ad) for what is probably the image from the poster.

And, how about that reference to Rick Wakeman's "King Arthur" album.

A quick Google Images search brought up the album page on the Audio Preservation Fund Web site, which includes some high resolution images of the inserts. A quick scan of the images didn't bring up the identifiable Mattos signature that can be found on his SCI artwork, but gatefold 1 and 2 (which make up one larger image) in particular looks fairly Mattos-ish. Especially the clouds. But, I could be totally off-base there. Just thinking out loud.

But, what I'm most interested in is the reference to Mattos artwork that was included in Christmas cards.

Does anyone know anything about these cards? Copies? Scans? Anything?

Seriously. I have never heard of these cards, and would love to see a sample.

One last thing. I thought I would also mention that you can view more of John Mattos' artwork on his Web site. Some great stuff there.

Also, I have created two new labels - one for MATTOS, and one for ARTWORK, so you can see even more great artwork done for SCI, Octave, Korg, and ARP.

Yummy.

Sequential Circuits Inc. Prophet-5 "A Legend In Its Own Time" ad, Contemporary Keyboard 1980

Sequential Circuits Inc. Prophet-5 "A Legend In Its Own Time" advertisement from page 41 in Contemporary Keyboard Magazine January 1980.

This advertisement first appeared in CK around January 1980 and continued to run in many issues of CK throughout the first half of the 1980.

My last blog post featured the first SCI ad that included artwork by John Mattos, and this ad is the second. Both ads are for the Prophet-5, but that is where the similarities between the two ads end.

That first ad was a two-pager, full of colour, and included more than a mouthful of ad-copy. This second ad is exactly the opposite. Half the size, black and white, and... absolutely NO ad-copy. Taking a page from Moog's marketing strategy, SCI chose to let the Prophet-5's already legendary status pretty much speak for itself through Mattos's artwork.

But, as far as I'm concerned, by this point the Prophet-5 synthesizer pretty much spoke for itself in *any* advertisement. :o)

Actually, there is one other similarity between that first Mattos ad and this one. The address at the bottom changed in later versions. From 3051 Orchard Parkway to 3051 North First Street. I pointed this out in the last blog post, although I have no idea why I'm so infatuated with this small historical detail. Just 'cause, I guess.

But, I can tell you why I'm infatuated with John Mattos. I first became a fan with the Ear*Force ads that included his artwork (see last blog post for a few links). Ads that were turned into a series of posters and other promo material. And he was also mentioned as the artist who airbrushed the updated version of the Sequential logo to create a 3D look with ruby lettering that was used in many other advertisements like this one.

And this earlier artwork doesn't disappoint either. As they say, its all in the details, and two things in particular help make this ad stand out.

The first is the tiny crane and dump truck. Perfect in helping put the size of the Sphinx and Prophet-5 in perspective. It also provides a bit of humor and personality as well.

The second is the shadow of the shoulders and head of a man with the hat and his companion at the bottom (front?) of the ad. Its almost like, suddenly, you the reader, are transported directly into the shoes of an archeologist, looking on as the Prophet-5 is unearthed.

And together, those two pieces help place the whole scene directly into the present time.

How excellent is that!

Sequential Circuits Inc. Prophet-5 "Beware of False Prophets", Contemporary Keyboard 1980

Sequential Circuits Inc. Prophet-5 two-page "Beware of False Prophets" advertisement from page 38 and 39 in Contemporary Keyboard Magazine September 1980.

Holidays were great - thanks for asking! Got a good start on another project I'm working on, and also managed to get a great deal of napping in as well. Best of both worlds. But it is great to be back, and I thought I needed to start 2011 with a bang.

And figured this was "a gooder".

Although this ad isn't even close to being one of SCI's first for the Prophet-5, I believe it is another first for SCI - the first ad to include the distinctive artwork of John Mattos. And, even so early on in the Mattos/SCI relationship, the company new they had tapped something powerful.

Great artwork.

SCI even offered the image as a 22" x 28" poster for only two bucks! You can review some of my other SCI blog posts that featured ads with Mattos artwork, including these ads for the Pro-One, Prophet-5 and Prophet-10.

Imagery aside, the title of the ad is also fantastic. With competition biting on the heals of SCI, what a great play on words - false prophets. Hee hee.

This two-page ad actually first appeared once in the November 1979 issue of Contemporary Keyboard, and promptly disappeared. But then, out of nowhere after a ten month break, it ran again, just once, in the September 1980 issue. Both times, it was placed in the centerfold of the mag, so I would guess SCI wanted to be sure it was noticed both times.

So, why the big break between ad-runs? I mean, two pages in the centerfold are probably gonna cost a fair amount. But SCI was running multiple ads in CK already and obviously had the cash. But, there had to be another reason.

At first glance, there didn't seem to be anything different about the two versions of the ad. But, after closer inspection, two main differences in the layout were identified.

The first difference is a minor one, but still historically relevant on some level or another (at least to me :o). In the 1979 ad, the address for SCI is listed as 3051 Orchard Parkway, San Jose, California 95134. In the 1980 ad, the road has changed to 3051 N. First St., San Jose, California 95134. Same ZIP code, Even same address number... just the road info has changed.

Anyways, the second, and more significant change, provides a bit of insight into why SCI waited 10 months before running the ad again. That change is the addition of the "Addendum" paragraph right at the end of the ad-copy. In the original version of the ad, there is just blank space where the addendum ad-copy sits in this scan. But it's like the art director knew they needed some extra space for a later ad-run.

And if that was the case... kudos to that forward thinking individual.

Why the kudos? Well, turns out that the addendum paragraph was required for the 1980 version of the ad because in the time between the first and second run of the ad, Sequential updated the Prophet-5 from Rev. 2 to Rev. 3.

Which makes sense - that Rev. 3 version included a lot of new features and SCI needed to come out with a bang. By using that original two-page colourful ad again, they saved a good deal of time and cost. It's a win-win for the company *and* the readers.

Plus, they probably had a few extra posters lying around.

I love efficiency, and in this case, it just... made... sense...

Sequential Circuits Inc. Poly-Sequencer ad w/ Prophet-5, 1981/1982

Sequential Circuits Inc. Poly-Sequencer advertisement (including the Prophet-5) from Keyboard Magazine. The ad on the left is from page 89 of the November 1981 issue, and the one on the right is from page 7 of the July 1982 issue.

Versions of this advertisement ran in Keyboard Magazine for about a year and a half. The first version started showing up in late 1981, and was replaced by the second version in mid-1982 when the sequencer was upgraded with more memory. That ad continued to run well into 1983.

SCI had a bit of a dilemma on their hands when designing this ad. Yes, it was primarily a Poly-Sequencer ad, but because a user had to have a Prophet-5 in order to use the sequencer, the company had to make sure to get Prophet-5 users' attention. Thus, SCI chose to punch Prophet-5 users in the nose with a big fat 'Prophet-5' logo at the top of the ad, and then use the unique imagery of the hand/arm to draw their attention down to the Poly-Sequencer. The reader's eye doesn't come across the word 'Poly-Sequencer' text until they finally either find it on the photo of the machine itself or in the ad-copy.

But, stick with the ad long enough, with it's lovely blue-sky-and-clouds Ear-Force-themed background, and SCI eventually gets their point across.

And, for the record... it's a lot less creepy than a similar themed ARP ad from 1976. :o)

I find it very fascinating that this ad was still being run in Keyboard Magazine well into the middle of 1983, months after their first ad for the new MIDI-equipped Prophet-600 started to appear at the beginning of 1983. A stark contrast - the end of an era, and a new beginning.

You have one SCI ad marketing a piece of gear so closed-ended that it only works with their own Prophet-5/10 synths, and another SCI ad marketing a piece of gear designed to work with ANY other manufacturer's piece of gear (eventually...). In the same issue!

But just like all the other companies that were starting to think about how/if/when to transition to this new universal standard called MIDI, SCI still had to worry about the present. Hence, stick with the old while promoting the new.

Sorry, I think milked that point way too long... :o)

When this sequencer was first released, it already had some competition, but by 1983, there was a wide range of analog and digital sequencers on the market. Keyboard magazine did a great little 4-page sequencer round-up article in April 1983 called 'Analog and digital sequencers. A survey of current models'. Included in the article was info on a number of both stand-alone and integrated sequencers from Aries, Buchla, E-mu, Korg, Moog, PAIA, Polyfusion, Roland, Serge, Gleeman, J.L Cooper, Oberheim, Multivox, SMS, Digital Keyboards, NED, and, of course, a small paragraph on the Poly-Sequencer.

"The Sequential Circuits 1005 is a five-voice sequencer designed to drive a Prophet-5 or Prophet-10 (it is offered built into the 10). In its original version it stored 2,600 notes, but a recent upgrade has expanded this to 10,000 notes, which can be apportioned in any way over six separate sequences. Sequences may be recorded either in real-time or in single-step mode from the keyboard. The 1005 remembers program changes, and it has a built-in cassette deck so that sequences (and also the Prophet's programs) may be stored on tape. Editing functions allow for insertion, deletion, or timing changes."

The conclusion to this article on sequencers is very reflective of the time, and although MIDI isn't mentioned at all, the author touches on one of the themes of my posts lately - how the introduction of MIDI was about to completely change the synthesizer/sequencer/computer landscape.

"As we've seen, every manufacturer takes a slightly different approach to the design of digital sequencers. The field is developing rapidly, and there is still little uniformity. because the design is mostly a matter of writing computer software that will function within the limits imposed by the microprocessors inside the machine, the present generation of sequencers reflects the preconceptions and musical concerns of the people who are programming them, as well as the abilities and limitations of currently available chips. Within a couple of years, we'll be seeing a shakedown period, in which the more aggressive manufacturers borrow ideas from one another, evolving (probably) a more uniform sequencer design with more capabilities at a lower price."

Good online reference information on the Poly-Sequencer is still rather hard to find at the usual synthesizer sites.

You can find some good photos from a relatively recent eBay auction on MATRIXSYNTH. Check out the built-in digital cassette deck for storage! There is also a photo of a Poly-Sequencer, with a manual and some cassettes, along with a Prophet-5 on Synthfind.com.

Some pretty good reference info is available in an SCI accessories and merchandise ad from December 1982 that I blogged about a while back. It provides a description of the Poly-Sequencer/Prophet-5 digital interface jack, lists the basic features of the sequencer and, surprisingly (considering this is an advertisement, not a tutorial) some instructions on recording and overdubbing, including:

"This sequencer is very easy to use. To record a sequence, simply press the Record Switch then the desired Sequence Switch. The recording will automatically begin when you play your first note. When you've finished playing, hit the Stop/Continue Switch (or the Stop Footswitch) to end the recording and the sequence will start playing back. That's all there is to it!"

Well, that seems easy enough. And it is. Check out these two YouTube videos by AnalogSweden:

Easy as pie!

Sequential Circuits Inc. family of products, Keyboard 1982

Sequential Circuits Inc. family of products advertisement, including (clockwise) Prophet-10 synthesizer, Remote Prophet keyboard, Prophet-5 synthesizer, Poly-Sequencer, and Pro-One synthesizer, from page 50 of Keyboard Magazine February 1982.

This advertisement ran sporadically throughout 1982 starting in February. You've probably seen this ad numerous times on the Web, but I just had to post and blog about it because the ad has some absolutely great historical significance.

Not only was it one of the first ad campaigns to replace the famous Ear-Force campaign (along with the plexiglass Pro-One ad), but it was also one of the first SCI advertisement to use the new Sequential Circuits Inc logo.

Ever since I can remember coming across this logo, I had always thought the little swervy design element beside the logotype was supposed to represent recording tape. But, of course, I was wrong (again)...

The new logo was actually introduced and explained on page one of the February 1982 issue of 'The Patch' (Volume 2, Number 1) - SCI's customer magazine that included information about new products, hints and how-to's, patches, etc.

"SCI has introduced a new corporate logo designed by Greg Armbruster, Advertising Coordinator. Greg took the simple, reverse 'S' shape from the evolution of the treble clef and combined it with the existing Sequential Circuits typeface. John Mattos air brushed the design, creating a three-dimensional symbol and 'ruby' letters. Look for this new logo, which will be extensively used in all future ads and promotional campaigns!"

A treble clef! (*smacks forehead with hand*) How did I not see that? Geeez.

And even better, overly-blogged-about beloved Ear-Force ad designer John Mattos also had a hand in the design. Awesome.

If you've read past blog posts, you will know that I like researching the evolution of logos. I've blogged about SCI's early logo evolution before, and here we see more. The new logo started to appear on gear shortly after the launch - but there seemed to be a problem. Even as far as into late 1984 when SCI was about to change their logo yet again, you would see gear both in the wild and in ads that had both the new logo ('S' logo) and a version of the old logo (although, maybe technically it never was the logo without the 'inc' - but I'm going to keep calling it that). And we are talking both logos on the same piece of gear.

So, for example, all the Six-Traks I've come across have a non-treble-logo (sans inc.) on the front and a treble-logo on the back. Even when looking at Six-Traks in ads running as late as 1984.

(Photos shamefully taken from
MATRIXSYNTH's Flickr stream)

Drumtraks vary - I've seen ads from as late as 1984 with the old-style logo on the front, but my Drumtraks, and most of the ones I come across in the wild, have the new treble-logo on them. Prophet-T8's - old logo on the front, even in later ads.

I'm a big fan of consistency in branding - if you have a new logo, it should always be used. But I think I can see SCI's reasoning for continuing to use the older logo style in most cases. Aesthetics and/or real estate.

In gear that had already been designed like the Prophet-10, the front panels were really thin - so keeping the older logo makes sense. Otherwise the logotype would just appear too small. But, again, then why not include the 'inc.' as well? Consistency!

In gear designed after the new logo launched, such as the T8, the long thin wooden front panel screams for the old logo as well. In something like the Drumtraks, the front panel is a bit taller, so the treble-logo snuggles in nicely and is balanced.

So far, so good. Looks like SCI is making some good calls on when to use the old or new-style logo.

But then you look at the Prophet-600. All Prophet-600's seem to have the new logo on the front as well as the back. Finally! Consistency!

But when I look at it, that front logo just looks too small. Gah!

Maybe I'm just being nit-picky.

Probably.

Sequential Circuits Inc. Prophet-5, Contemporary Keyboard, Synapse 1979

Sequential Circuits Inc. Prophet-5 advertisement from page 8 of Contemporary Keyboard Magazine February 1979.

Um... er... how do I put this. It is *really* nice out this week. Warm and sunny. In May. In my part of the world this is a big treat. So, I'm gonna try and keep this short so I can go back outside an enjoy this early summer surprise.

This colourful advertisement ran in most issues of CK from February to October 1979 as well as in the May/June 1979 issue of Synapse (in black and white).

This is the first full-colour advertisement that SCI put into CK. And they took an interesting approach.

In both the early 1978 Prophet-5 introductory ad and the singular late 1978 Prophet-5 stop-gap (my description) ad, SCI used the common Title->Tag Line->Gear Photo->Ad Copy->Logo format. But in their first full colour ad, SCI took full advantage of the Prophet-5 itself. Using the stark contrast between the black & white front panel/keyboard and the lovely wood-grain body of the Prophet-5 keyboard as the main focus, they stretched the photo to the absolute edges of the magazine page.

And normally I'm a fan of a big front-and-centre logo, but SCI took great care to put the white tag-line text in the only black space of the page, which then naturally draws the eye horizontally across the page to the logo on the photo. Nice touch.

The only other text on the page is right at the bottom. But don't fear that it will get lost, because the wood grain finish that separates the front panel and the keyboard draws the eye directly downward from the logo to their action item - send $1 for a demo record.

Now, I don't know how much of the above was strategic and how much was a happy accident. But I do know it worked for me. I also know I would have sent away for that demo record.

Many companies were offering both vinyl and soundsheet records at the time, including this ARP Avatar ad from 1978 that also asked you to send one buck to get their demo record.

This Prophet-5 soundsheet has two pieces on it:

Part I - Performed by John Bowen, recorded at Music Annex, Menlo Park, California.

Yes, that John Bowen - he worked with Dave Smith at SCI and programmed the original 40 factory sounds in the Prophet-5 - as well as for many other synths. He was also involved in the creation of many of my other favorite synthesizers including the Wavestation and the Z1.

Part II - Bach: Simfonia No. 11 - 3 Part Invention Performed by Dan Wyman, Recorded at Sound Arts, Los Angeles, California.

Micke Lindgren from Sweden scanned and recorded some Prophet-5 material for a tribute Web site a while back, including these images and an MP3 of the front cover, inside cover, and the soundsheet itself.

[MP3 file - 13MB]

I emailed him just before posting this to ask him more about the sound sheet and he had this to say:

"The '518782S' is printed on the flexi-disc right above the EVA-TONE logo and I'm suspecting the first five digits refer to the date of print or recording; ie May 18th, 1978. I think I'm right about this because that's about the same time the first P5's shipped from the factory."

Micke also added about the the second piece of music on the sound sheet:

"Dan Wyman, who performs the lovely Bach piece, is the same guy who wrote the Moog modular manual back in the mid '70s. He also wrote a couple of synth reviews (P5 and CS-80) for the Synapse magazine in the late '70s.

Dan learned synthesis under Paul Beaver in the late '60s and was one of the co-founders of Sound Arts studio in LA. His credits include synth-programming (often done on a Moog modular) for Giorgio Moroder (Münich Machine, Donna Summer, Sparks, Midnight Express soundtrack etc.), John Carpenter (soundtracks), Angel (Greg Giuffria's group), Barbra Streisand, The Beach Boys, Cher, Diana Ross, Devo, Berlin,David Shire (Apocalypse Now soundtrack/rejected version) and many others. Mr. Wyman's feature film composition credits include The Return, Hellnight (in which Dan used the rare original single-keyboard P10 along with a small orchestra), Without Warning, Metamorphosis, and The Lawnmower Man."

I don't think Micke realizes just how much I'm going to be e-mailing him in the future...

Now, time to grab a beer and go sit out on the deck. I recommend Half-Pints Little Scrapper IPA if you are a hop-head like me. And no, I'm not getting paid to promote 'em... :o)

I have a feeling this is going to be a long, hot summer. I'm lookin' forward to it.

Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Contemporary Keyboard 1978

Sequential Circuits Inc. Prophet-5 synthesizer ad from page 75 of Contemporary Keyboard magazine, November 1978.

SCI was still just starting to get used to advertising, so I can't really fault them for this rather bland looking ad. And I think even SCI knew it was pretty bland as well - it only seems to have ran once. [I've blogged about some of SCI's best ads - see the Sequential Circuits label for more info]

My thinking is that this ad was a stop-gap measure between the first Prophet ad that ran in CK from February to July 1978, and the new colour Prophet ads that didn't start running until early 1979. That would have been six months of silence from SCI, and I think they realized that they needed to include something in the popular pre-Xmas November issue of CK, and rather than use the original ad, this is what they came up with on short notice.

Another reason SCI might have included an ad in this issue of CK was that the Prophet-5 was one of a number of synthesizers featured in a great article by Dominic Milano called "Polyphonic Synthesizers - Part 2". The article contains a whole page-worth of detailed specs (with reference photos) and a write up for each of a number of polyphonics including:

• Emu 4060 keyboard
• Oberheim Four-Voice
• Polymoog
• RMI KC-II
• Korg PS3300
• Roland JP-4
• Yamaha CS-60
• Prophet-5
• ARP Quadra
• Multivox MX3000
  

The Prophet-5 page in the article includes some great reference information and quotes from Dave Smith that helps sum up what was happening in the industry at the time.

On the main reason for creating the Prophet-5, Dave comments:

"We wanted to answer two of the main complaints people seem to have about synthesizers, one being that they're too hard to use live and the other being that they can't be used to play chords."

The article also mentions that Dave was a computer engineer before going into synthesizer design, and how this enabled SCI to be more flexible and save costs:

"Using the computer is more cost-effective"... "It enables us to do quite a few things that we couldn't have done without it. The edit mode, for example, was added as an afterthought. It was done totally with the software. All I did was change the program. I didn't have to add any circuitry at all. By simply changing the program we sudden had an edit mode."

When asked about the use of Minimoog-style pitchbend and modwheels, Dave is very straightforward:

"From what I can tell, everybody likes the wheels. The other alternative to them is to do what ARP and Oberheim and CAT (Octave Electronics) have done, which is try to build something that's different just to be different. Then people probably won't like it. So I figured, I'm not proud. I'll put exactly what people want on it. We even designed it to match the Minimoog's almost exactly. The idea was to get something familiar. That idea carried over to the whole front panel. We wanted something that people could understand almost immediately."

Dave also comments on his relationship with Emu, interfaceability (their words, not mine), and the new double-keyboard 10-voice Prophet to appear sometime in 1979.

And that's just the Prophet-5 page. There are a number of pages dripping in history - including Tom Oberheim providing great background on the Four-Voice, Dave Rossum and Scott Wedge waxing on Emu, and Dave Friend chatting about the Quadra.

Seriously great stuff.

So, what about Part 1? That was also written by Dominic Milano in the April 1978 issue of CK, but it was much shorter and contained more general information on the polyphonic keyboards around at the time. Still a great read, but as far as I'm concerned, nothing compared to Part 2.

I wish I could keep on typing, but my stomach is really growling... I need a veggie burrito, pronto!

Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Contemporary Keyboard 1981

Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 synthesizer ad from page 39 of Contemporary Keyboard Magazine May 1981.

This ad was part of a series of 'Ear-Force' ads that Sequential Circuits Inc. was running throughout 1981.

The Ear-Force series included full-page ads for the Prophet-5, Prophet-10 (view it here), and Pro-One (coming soon!) . The fabulous artwork for each ad revolved around the theme of the air-force and a pilot flying a plane, and all three were later made into a series of posters that were promoted in Keyboard Magazine during the 1982 Christmas season along with other mouth-watering merchandise including this SCI belt buckle.

These three ads were not the only ones that the artist, Mattos, created for SCI. The business relationship goes back as far as 1979 when he created the artwork for a two-page Prophet-5 advert 'Beware the False Prophet'. More on that ad, and hopefully Mattos, in the near future.

There is a lot of reference material available online for the Prophet-5, including these top three Google results: Vintage Synth Explorer, Synth Museum, and Wikipedia. Also check out the Prophet5.org discussion board for information on some old and new Prophet gear.

Sequential Circuits Orgy, Keyboard 1982

Sequential Circuits orgy - Poly-Sequencer, Remote Prophet, and Prophet-5 from 29 of Keyboard magazine March 1982.

Sequential Circuits Prophet -5 and Prophet-10, Contemporary Keyboard 1978

Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 and Prophet-10 synthesizers from page 9 of Contemporary Keyboard magazine June 1978.

This was the first Prophet ad to appear in CK, running during the first half of 1978, ending in July. It would be another four months before another SCI ad (Prophet-5!) would appear in CK.

This ad features content about both the Prophet-5 and -10. The first versions of the Prophet-5 and -10 looked virtually alike. The more commonly known double-keyboard Prophet-10 didn't come out until 1979.