GForce Sequential Prophet-5

[zerocrossing]

This isn't always a "hardware wins/software loses" battle. The $3,500 3rd Wave module I purchased didn't make the grade. Software beat it out on every metric.

Yep, it happens sometimes. But it's something the hardware gate-keepers don't want to admit, especially after spending $4,000 on a synth that is matched on par by a $150 software, The pill can be hard to swallow

Right, but we also have to keep in mind, that for a lot of people, the software isn't an option. Some people just hate using software. I'm not one of those, but I get it. Those people are happy to have the 3rd Wave or similar. Hell, even I replaced the 3rd Wave with a Polyvera.

[Jim Roseberry]

I've owned the Prophet 10 twice.
Sold only because it's not practical for using live.

Listened to Starsky Carr's comparison with the hardware Rev4.
I do think the Gforce plugin sounds good... but (to my ears) it's not as good sounding as the hardware. The hardware just has a little something more (more 3D or lively sounding).

Well the hardware is mono so the 3D of it...

It does have clearly a bit more low end at the beginning of the video; the filter clearly let also pass a tiny bit more top end compare to the plugin (just checked the video you're talking about), but it's not that far away.

Still the acustica is also extremely close... Will test when i got some time, but very likely time to sell the hardware...

It's hard to describe sound differences (meaningfully).
The hardware sounds a little more lively.
The software sounds (for lack of a better word) more static or flat.
Kind of like seeing a 2D picture... and then seeing a 3D version.
Whether that difference is worth $4400... that's a difficult question.

[Jim Roseberry]

This isn't always a "hardware wins/software loses" battle. The $3,500 3rd Wave module I purchased didn't make the grade. Software beat it out on every metric. Inversely, the Melbourne Instruments Nina has a prominent spot on my desk, because even though it failed on audio rate modulation tasks, it has a character and feature set that I've not been able to match in software or hardware. Can I get somethings to sound "like" it? Sure, but to me, not enough like it to knock it out of its spot. Some software, like UAD's Opal, have excellent sound quality and character, but are missing some features that make it less useful to me.

I bought the 3rd Wave two different times. Sold it both times.
I love the sound of the analog Filter.
When doing VA type sounds, there's something to my ears that sounds very "digital" for lack of a better word. It is a digital synth.
I couldn't coax a convincing Moog type lead sound from it.
I think it was the envelopes that (to my ears) didn't sound quite right (for VA type sounds).

[Seluvis]

An amazing Synth. Worth every penny. A superb Prophet ...this thing is off the charts. Love it.
Gforce have done an incredible job.

[Korg Supporter]

I've owned the Prophet 10 twice.
Sold only because it's not practical for using live.

Listened to Starsky Carr's comparison with the hardware Rev4.
I do think the Gforce plugin sounds good... but (to my ears) it's not as good sounding as the hardware. The hardware just has a little something more (more 3D or lively sounding).

Well the hardware is mono so the 3D of it...

It does have clearly a bit more low end at the beginning of the video; the filter clearly let also pass a tiny bit more top end compare to the plugin (just checked the video you're talking about), but it's not that far away.

Still the acustica is also extremely close... Will test when i got some time, but very likely time to sell the hardware...

It's hard to describe sound differences (meaningfully).
The hardware sounds a little more lively.
The software sounds (for lack of a better word) more static or flat.
Kind of like seeing a 2D picture... and then seeing a 3D version.
Whether that difference is worth $4400... that's a difficult question.

By 3D, are you talking about how dynamic it sounds?

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Q: Be great if we could convert our Prophet HW patches into this ,can you say if Gforce / Sequential could make it happen , being we actually have Sequential working with Gforce now, technically this should be possible right ?

A: That would be good! We'd like to be able to include that in the future. The reason we didn't go for it yet is that we've handled certain things a bit differently to the hardware, for what we believe to be a better software experience. In particular Chord mode, and the way mod depths calculate for our variable depths, as well as simple things like splitting hold and release into two separate things. So we'd either need quite a complex layer of translations that may make untrue assumptions, or some acceptance/expectation from customers that they may need to manually adjust such things, such as reselecting chords, to get the exact sound. Both possible, but we'll see.

As a hardware owner, I'd be 100% fine with adjusting my expectations and understanding that I might need to tweak a few small things.

[Jim Roseberry]

By 3D, are you talking about how dynamic it sounds?

To my ears, the Prophet 10 hardware sounds less "flat/static".
FWIW, I think it was pretty easy to hear this difference.
Others have mentioned the same thing (maybe their description was better).

[D-Fusion]

I will redraw my tuning complain on the other page
At first i was like wtf. since i am used to stiff/perfect tuning with vst's and my digital Hardware but the more i play it the more i like the quirky analog tuning it has and it gives it it's own character/personality.

So i went from meh. to well done Gforce

[Echoes in the Attic]

I'm not sure why some people dont 'like the GUI, I think it's quite good. I just don't like how there are 2 additional modulation approaches beyond the original synths modulation. XMod is great, but why doesn't the other little modulation section (with volecity and pressure and MPE stuff), behave the same way? It doesn't put a ring around the control that is being modulated, and it doesn't show the target parameter when you click a knob, like xmod does. Hope they will improve this.

Also, not sure if anyone else found this, but the VST3 seems quite buggy in Bitwig with MPE. Crashed twice on me switching to mpe mode, once just wouldn't pitch bend, the note would just cut off.

[234north]

Yep, it happens sometimes. But it's something the hardware gate-keepers don't want to admit, especially after spending $4,000 on a synth that is matched on par by a $150 software, The pill can be hard to swallow

In the case of a real rev 4 the $4000 synth isn't matched by $150 software (I realize this response wasn't to a comment about the rev 4 but still relevant).

[zerocrossing]

This isn't always a "hardware wins/software loses" battle. The $3,500 3rd Wave module I purchased didn't make the grade. Software beat it out on every metric. Inversely, the Melbourne Instruments Nina has a prominent spot on my desk, because even though it failed on audio rate modulation tasks, it has a character and feature set that I've not been able to match in software or hardware. Can I get somethings to sound "like" it? Sure, but to me, not enough like it to knock it out of its spot. Some software, like UAD's Opal, have excellent sound quality and character, but are missing some features that make it less useful to me.

I bought the 3rd Wave two different times. Sold it both times.
I love the sound of the analog Filter.
When doing VA type sounds, there's something to my ears that sounds very "digital" for lack of a better word. It is a digital synth.
I couldn't coax a convincing Moog type lead sound from it.
I think it was the envelopes that (to my ears) didn't sound quite right (for VA type sounds).

It could definitely sound very big and lush, with a pronounced low end. It was great when you were just jamming around with it, but the moment you tried to fit it in a mix, you were EQing it a lot. If you want that bright PPG bass sound, you were SOOL. It just can't really do it, and that PPG type sound was really what I was after. I was happy with Waldorf's Microwave 1 plugin, but I couldn't resist the Polyvera. It's really got a lot going on and sounds amazing.

[IvyBirds]

Yep, it happens sometimes. But it's something the hardware gate-keepers don't want to admit, especially after spending $4,000 on a synth that is matched on par by a $150 software, The pill can be hard to swallow

In the case of a real rev 4 the $4000 synth isn't matched by $150 software (I realize this response wasn't to a comment about the rev 4 but still relevant).

Sure it is. The $150 plugin in this case can do everything the hardware can. Need the sound of a prophet 5 in a track or in the stage? The $150 plugin will be just fine

Does it sound 100% exactly the same? No but the Rev 4 hardware also doesn't sound 100% like the vintage units

Does it sound more than close enough? Absolutely

[Uncle E]

Being that there's no 3rd Wave emulation, it ends up being a variety of software, but the one that comes to mind that I use a lot in this type of thing is Dune 3. If memory serves, I also used Korg's ModWave... maybe Opal.

Dune and Modwave are great for those kinds of sounds. Modwave can do some of my favorite sounds from the Quantum, as well.

[Uncle E]

The hardware sounds a little more lively.
The software sounds (for lack of a better word) more static or flat.

Try running the software through Verve.

[trusampler]

Same producer. Same song. Hardware Rev4 vs. Software (GForce + Sequential) — which wins?
It was never really about the gear. It's about who's behind the wheel.

That said, we're at a point where the gap between hardware and software is closing every day. Are there differences? Absolutely. One person calls them minor, another swears they can hear every nuance — and honestly, both are valid. The real question is: can you make music with either one and feel confident enough that it stops mattering?

For me, with this synth, it's a no-brainer. And that's largely the story with most Prophet emulations out there today.
Now, on getting software as close to the real thing as possible — this is still a first release. To anyone passionate about these instruments: talk to the developers. These teams care deeply about what they're building. The difference is, they mostly hear from each other. Imagine if paying customers — not complaining, but genuinely engaged — reached out and said "hell of a job, here's what I'd love to see..."

Reasonable asks. Things like patch identity. Workflow details that bring the emulation closer to the source.
Here's hoping Sequential and GForce continue pushing their software toward the authentic experience. Will there still be differences? Yes. Anyone who has ever sat in the same room with the classics — or even the Rev4 — knows it's in a class of its own.
Thanks to Dave Smith and John Bowen for creating something worth chasing.