The Prophet 12 61-Key Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer from Dave Smith Instruments is a 12-voice polyphonic synthesizer with 61 semi-weighted velocity sensitive keys with aftertouch. Each of its 12 voices is powered by 5 oscillators that provide saw, square, triangle, and sine waveforms along with 12 selectable shapes as well as 3 types of noise. The oscillators are further shapeable via their AM and FM modulation and analog VCAs.
Beyond its oscillators, the Prophet 12 provides numerous options for sound creation. It includes 5 digital effects as well as analog high-pass and low-pass filters. The synth has no shortage of modulation capabilities, with a 16 x 2 modulation matrix with 26 sources and 97 destinations. The Prophet 12 has over 50 knobs and over 50 buttons that provide full access to all its parameters and effects, giving you hands-on control. The Prophet 12 has 5-pin DIN MIDI input, output, and thru and also accepts MIDI data via its USB port.
The digital oscillators can be frequency and amplitude modulated by each other with accuracy. They can be freely assigned in whatever operator and modulator configurations you would choose. You can even assign each of the oscillators to modulate LFOs, envelopes, and filters
The Prophet's full-sized, five-octave, semi-weighted keyboard with velocity and channel aftertouch is designed for playability. Two backlit pitch and mod wheels are accompanied by two location and pressure sensitive touch sliders
- Girth and Air are high and low shelf equalizers with harmonic excitement. Useful for thickening and/or adding air to the signal
- Hack and Decimate are sample and bit rate reduction algorithms which can add subtle grit or completely destroy the signal. It's harsh yet musical
- Drive is a soft saturator for adding soft distortion and harmonic content to the signal