Prophet 10 Revisited

US UVI PX P10 aims to capture the best sounds the dual-keybed analog synthesizer 11/11/19

UVI has released PX P10 as part of their PX line of instruments, exploring the world of unique, rare and sometimes unreleased electronic and acoustic instruments. They say that is based on an ultra-rare and iconic dual-keybed analog synthesizer. Here’s the story in their own words…

By far one of the sweetest sounding and most influential analog synths we've had the privilege to work with, an iconic and powerful instrument whose lineage helped shape the sound of music and music for film throughout the '80s and beyond. Developed as the first fully-programmable polyphonic synthesizer with preset storage, this version 10 was the original prototype of what would become the mythical version 5, debuting in 1978 and revolutionizing the synthesizer world. It was only 3 years later, in 1981, that the more complex version 10 would see commercial release.

Essentially two version 5 synths rolled into one dual-keybed monster synthesizer, version 10 sported 2 oscillators, a white noise source, and a resonant low-pass filter per-voice. Depending on mode it could function as two discrete 5-voice keyboards, a single 10-voice keyboard, a single 5-voice 4-VCO "doubled" mode allowing sweet stacked unison sounds, or an alternate mode where subsequent notes would switch between the settings of the two 5-voice keyboards. Few of these giants were produced, and due to their sheer size and complexity very few remain. A truly iconic instrument from aesthetics and features to sound quality, this synth is a gem with a timeless sound and lasting legacy.

Given the history of this renowned series and particular gravity of this version 10 we spared no expense in the creation of PX P10. The refurbishment was the most difficult and time consuming we've undertaken, but resulted in a perfectly functional instrument with a gorgeous sound that translates directly through to the final presets.
From vintage-styled to contemporary, we designed a huge selection of sounds capturing vibes from '80s classics, modern genre, soundtracks and more. Everything was extensively multisampled including the raw waveforms both with and without unison allowing you to enable genuine hardware 4-VCO stacking on any sound in the library - and unlike the hardware, these can all be played polyphonically, limited only by your computer.

As with the original, you can load two programs at once, and with the unison mode engaged you can create truly massive analog sounds without consideration for a 5 or 10-voice ceiling. Explore the premade sounds or create your own by mixing and matching layers, adjusting amp, filter, panning, effect settings, and utilizing per-layer arpeggiators and modulators.

In the end we recorded over 30,000 samples, packing PX P10 with a whopping 309 presets made from 188 layers, divided into 15 categories including bass, leads, strings, polysynth, ... Each of the sounds is fully customizable and can be used straight-away or as the starting point for your own sound design. Raw waveforms are also available for those who want to build up their own sounds from scratch.

We've done our utmost to capture the best sounds this iconic instrument has to offer and present them here for your pleasure, inspiration and pursuit of sonic mischief.