Sequential is an American company that makes synthesizers. It was started in 1974 by Dave Smith under the name Sequential Circuits. In 1978, Sequential released the Prophet-5, the first synthesizer that could be programmed to play multiple notes at once. This instrument became widely used in the music industry. During the 1980s, Sequential played a key role in creating MIDI, a standard way to connect and control electronic music devices.
In 1987, Sequential went out of business and was bought by Yamaha. Smith continued to design musical instruments through a new company called Dave Smith Instruments. In 2015, Yamaha gave back the Sequential Circuits trademark to Dave Smith Instruments. That company changed its name to Sequential in 2018. In 2021, Sequential was purchased by Focusrite, a British company that makes audio technology. Dave Smith passed away in 2022.
History
In 1974, engineer Dave Smith started a company called Sequential Circuits in San Francisco. The first product made by the company was an analog sequencer, a device that helped control Moog and ARP synthesizers. Later, the company created a digital sequencer and the Model 700 Programmer, which let users program Minimoog and ARP 2600 synthesizers. In 1975, the company launched the Model 800, which used a microprocessor for control and programming.
At the time, Smith had a full-time job working with microprocessors, a new type of technology. He thought of combining microprocessors with synthesizer chips to create a programmable synthesizer but did not act on the idea, believing Moog or ARP would develop such an instrument first. When no other company created a similar instrument, Smith left his job in early 1977 to focus on designing the Prophet-5, the first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer. He showed the Prophet-5 at the NAMM International Music & Sound Expo in January 1978 and began selling it later that year.
Earlier synthesizers required users to adjust cables and knobs to change sounds, but this process did not guarantee the same sound could be recreated. The Prophet-5 used microprocessors to store sounds in patch memory, allowing users to save and recall sounds reliably. This made it easier to produce consistent, familiar sounds rather than unpredictable ones. The Prophet-5 became a leading product in the industry and was used by musicians like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Dr. Dre, as well as film composers like John Carpenter. A larger version, the Prophet-10, had two keybeds but was less successful due to reliability issues. A smaller version, the Pro-One, was more successful.
In 1981, Ikutaro Kakehashi, founder of the Japanese company Roland, asked Smith to help create a standard way to connect electronic instruments from different companies. Smith and Sequential engineer Chet Wood designed an interface based on Roland’s Digital Control Bus (DCB). This standard was discussed by representatives from Roland, Yamaha, Korg, and Kawai. It became known as Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) and was introduced by Kakehashi and Smith. They received Technical Grammy Awards in 2013 for their work. In 1982, Sequential released the Prophet 600, one of the first synthesizers with MIDI capabilities. In 1984, they released the Drumtraks, one of the first drum machines with MIDI control.
In 1987, Sequential released its final product, the Prophet 3000 digital sampler. Only a few units were made before the company closed. Smith said the closure happened because the company focused on computer audio too early, which used too many resources. By the time they returned to professional instruments, it was too late.
Sequential Circuits was later bought by Yamaha, a Japanese company. Yamaha did not release any products under the Sequential name and shut the company down in 1989 after the failure of the TX16W digital sampler. Smith and many engineers from Sequential moved to Korg, where they worked on the Wavestation synthesizer.
In 2002, after working on software synthesis for several years, Smith started a new company called Dave Smith Instruments. Its first product was the Evolver synthesizer. In 2008, the company launched the Prophet '08, an affordable eight-voice analog synthesizer.
In 2015, Yamaha returned the Sequential Circuits brand to Smith as a gesture of goodwill. This was encouraged by Kakehashi, who had worked with Smith on MIDI. Kakehashi said he wanted to reduce conflicts among companies, a goal he believed MIDI helped achieve. In 2015, Sequential released the Prophet-6, followed by the Prophet-X in 2018, which included sample playback and digitally controlled oscillators. On August 31, 2018, the 40th anniversary of the Prophet-5, Dave Smith Instruments changed its name back to Sequential. In September 2020, Sequential announced a reissue of the original Prophet-5. Sequential reported $18.3 million in revenue in 2020. In April 2021, Sequential was bought by Focusrite, a British audio technology company. Smith died on May 31, 2022.