Pricing and availability
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Average Price: $80
Budget/Beginner
$500
$1501+
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Description
Introducing the Sequential Circuits Pro One Synthesizer, a powerful monophonic piece of kit from the golden era of analogue synthesizers. With its dual voltage-controlled oscillators (VCO), it's a master of fat, warm, and expressive sounds. The Pro One is not just a synth, but a creative powerhouse with its built-in 4-pole low-pass filter and Voltage Controlled Amplifier (VCA). The synthesizer also rocks an arpeggiator and sequencer, giving musicians a wide palette to work with. Sprinkle in CV/Gate controls, and you've got the perfect companion for your vintage or modular setup.
Key Features:
- Monophonic synthesizer with 2 voltage-controlled oscillators
- Built-in 4-pole low-pass filter and VCA
- Features an arpeggiator and sequencer
- CV/Gate controls for modular setup compatibility
- Rich, warm, and expressive analogue sounds
- Classically designed for vintage aesthetic appeal
Product specs
| Brand | Sequential |
| Model | Pro-One 37-Key Monophonic Synthesizer |
| Finish | Black |
| Year | 1981 - 1984 |
| Made In | United States |
| Categories | Analog Synths, Keyboard Synths |
| Analog / Digital | Analog |
| Key Size | Slim |
| Keyboard Action | Synth Action |
| Number of Keys | 37 Keys |
| Polyphony | 1 Voice |
FAQs
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Is the Sequential Circuits Pro One synthesizer polyphonic or monophonic?
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The Sequential Circuits Pro One is a monophonic synthesizer, meaning it can produce one note at a time, which is ideal for basslines and lead sounds.
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What kind of sound can I expect from the Sequential Circuits Pro One?
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The Pro One is known for its rich, analog sound with a classic, warm tone ideal for genres like electronic, synth-pop, and new wave.
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Does the Sequential Circuits Pro One have MIDI connectivity?
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The original Sequential Circuits Pro One does not have MIDI connectivity as it was produced before MIDI was standardized, but it can be modified to include MIDI capability.
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What is the keyboard action like on the Sequential Circuits Pro One?
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The Pro One features a synth action keyboard with 37 slim keys, providing a responsive and fast-playing experience suitable for synth leads and basslines.
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How does the Sequential Circuits Pro One compare to the Prophet-5?
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While the Pro One is a monophonic synthesizer, the Prophet-5 is polyphonic. The Pro One shares a similar analog sound character but is more focused on single-note performance.
Videos
Telekom Electronic Beats TV
Mathew Jonson Presents His Synthesizer Favourites: Sequential Pro One (Electronic Beats TV)
Reviews
PROS
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Unmatched sound quality, bridges 70s edge and 80s analog cleanliness
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Powerful sequencer and modulation options
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Exceptional for tight, punchy bass and snappy arpeggios
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Versatile sound creation, from fat bass to experimental atmospheres
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Stable chipset design, solid tuning
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Offers a wide range of CV/Gate inputs and outputs
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Can produce a variety of sounds including deep subs and electro arps
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Simple yet inspiring sequencer and arpeggiator
CONS
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High resale price may not justify the value compared to alternatives
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Lack of MIDI without an upgrade
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Limited production makes it rare and expensive
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Prone to key triggering issues (double or triple triggering)
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When a chip fails, repair or replacement can be challenging
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Sequential Circuits Pro One Synthesizer.
Setup and maintenance
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The power supply capacitors should be replaced to prevent tantalum cap failure, which can ruin the PCB.
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Bent support arms under keys can often be repositioned to fix non-working keys.
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Older Pro-One models use Pratt Reed keyboards; newer ones use rubber contacts. Both are repairable, but a full Fatar keybed replacement is often recommended for better performance.
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Mods and upgrades
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Fatar keybed replacements are recommended for improved playability and future resale value.
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User experience
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The membrane-style keybed can have broken keys and is challenging to service.
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Features and functionality
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The Pro-One allows for manual parameter manipulation, unlike preset-only synths like the ARP Soloist.
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Comparisons
Value and pricing
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Original Pro-One units can sell for over $1,000 on platforms like eBay, making a $520 purchase potentially profitable after repairs.
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Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 7 Reviews and 24 Ratings
67
Excellent synthesizer in it's own right.... But.... Not a bit like the ARP Oddysey
Love the modulation mixer. It's not been done on that many synthesizers. It almost gives the impression on a modular - without all the hassle of cables and sockets that would eventually start to crackle and go intermittently open circuit.
Pros - nice and stable thanks to a complete chipset designed just for synthesizers designs. Cons - When one of the chips goes down, which, to be fair would be a long time ago, the whole instrument is pretty much scrap.
Unless a good engineer could redesign that specific section. I used to keep all schematics of these sort of mods. I do believe that the chipsets for these synthesizers have once again been brought back to life and the foundries have started up again. This will be.great for the second hand market once again. To own any synthesizers of this age, you either need to know a very good engineer, or you would need to have the knowledge to modify these beasties. Come to think of it, to own a studio and engineer it yourself, you (should be) just the sort of engineer to keep one of these of these on it's feet.
the only monosynth you need if you cant find or afford an obie two voice, ob1, kobol, syrinx
does a 303, does a deep sub, does electro arps/seqeuncing, does moogy, does arpy, does the monopoly chord memory sub octave sound, plus its great at thunder and zaps. pretty solid tuning, lots of cv/gate in and outs with trigger. fairly robust and not finicky. a solid synth, i guess thats why theyre now $1500-2000 cdn/us. in case you didn't know, millenials...we (gen-x) old timers used to pay 350-600 for these back in the ancient olden days of 1993.
83
One of the absolute best
This is a marvellous synthesizer. Probably the best monosynth ever made after the Minimoog. It can handle pretty much anything, from smooth moogy leads to filthy bass and extreme effects. Everything you dial in sounds good, and the sequencer and arp are simple but inspiring. If you need a monosynth and can't afford a Minimoog, this is the one to get.
91
All in one synth for everything
Crappy keys suffering from double or triple triggering but soundwise it could be the only machine you ever need because it delivers any basic sound in outstanding quality. Fast envelopes, a strong filter which opens up to the highest highs and resonates over the entire audio spectrum, very flexible modulations, sync, fm (with a character similar to my ARP2600) and lots of other goodies. Vince Clarke was right to choose it as one of his favorite machines.
420
My favourite synth
this is my favourite synth in my collection, it produces some wicked bass sounds and is a right staple within my collection. I wish I had the the pro 5, but I couldn't afford it last time I saw one on ebay. I have the pro 5 VST which is pretty cool, but the sound is very much different from the synthesizer in the flesh! .
40997
ah the pro1, snappiest envelopes ever
1264
Favorite Monosynth
I had it for a long time and then sold it like a chump. I regret everything. I need to get another but the price is so much higher now. Maybe the clone will be ok, maybe not. Maybe I need to get another one. I still cry every night missing my Pro One.
1963
Pro-1
At the studio we use it mostly as a bass synth but also for arpeggios.
Artist usage
Add artist
At 1:01 Kevin Parker of Tame Impala , can be seen using the Sequential Circuits Pro One.
In a Reddit discussion, user SpudSkub highlights that frames from the video for Aphex Twin's 2018 track "T69 Collapse" reveal equipment details for the "Collapse EP." These frames include images showing the Cirklon sequencer's channel tracks, indicating the use of the Sequential Circuits Pro One Synthesizer among other gear.
"We have a whole bunch of outboard gear including the Sequential Circuits Pro One that made that dark sound in the Madonna remix..."
"I don't like the Prophet Five... I like the Pro One though. I've also got a Casio 202... "
"The Pro One is something that P bought before we started the album 'Business Casual.' This is the bass sound on 'Don't Turn the Lights On' and on 'Hot Mess' as well. What's cool about this is that contrary to the Prodigy, this is MIDI so we can program. What P actually did for 'Hot Mess' was he programmed a line in MIDI and then did the glide manually and then re-recorded it with the glide in it... I actually found it hard to deal with the filter because the synth has a phase. The oscillators are not really in sync. When oscillators get too in phase you lose some of the width of the sound and the depth. When they're out and not apart they sound off key and not in tune. So what we did is that we let it run for the length of the song and we chose the parts where we found them aligned and it sounded great. You could sync it but you lose all the clarity, it's horrible - I hate that. You need the right balance of cheating and the human element of these synths, which is a little imperfect but you want to cheat it to contain it and make it sound more modern. Also, for the aficionados, this is totally not a typical Pro One case. They're black usually. This is custom built with parts from a Prophet 5. So it's like a mini Prophet 5, kind of. It's still the Pro One just with a different casing."
Jay Watson's Sequential Circuits Pro One is shown to his left under the Brian Eno photo
The Pro One can be seen during Alessandro Cortini's "synth cave" tour. The item can be seen 10:59 into this video.
Paul playing Pro One next to Mick Talbot live with Style Council (last photo on page)
Do you have a favorite synth?
"The Pro-One [i.e., the Sequential Circuits Pro-One analog synth, used on Yaz hits like “Don’t Go” and “Only You”]. I’ve had it for so long. I like the envelopes on it, and it has really interesting modulation. It was easier to zero in on earlier in my career since there weren’t that many synths around, but now there are quite a few."
Album Usage
The Sequential Circuits Pro One Synthesizer has been featured on the following albums:
Arseholes, Liars, and Electronic Pioneers
Paranoid London (2024)
Doctor! Doctor!
Thompson Twins (2024)
T69 collapse
Aphex Twin (2018)
Collapse EP
Aphex Twin (2018)
Only You
Yazoo (2018)
Apocalypse Live
Material (2017)
Passion
Para One (2012)
Lonerism
Tame Impala & Kevin Parker (2012)
Bruise (Deluxe)
Assemblage 23 (2012)
Hot Mess
Chromeo (2011)
Business Casual
Chromeo (2010)
Don't Turn the Lights On
Chromeo (2010)
Compass
Assemblage 23 (2009)
Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
Metric (2003)
How I Long To Feel That Summer In My Heart
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci (2001)
The Blue Trees
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci (2000)
Caustic Grip
Front Line Assembly (1990)
Hello America (2019 Remaster)
The Cassandra Complex (1986)
Journeys out of the Body
Steve Jolliffe (1983)
Upstairs At Eric's
Yazoo (1982)
Sunlight
Herbie Hancock (1978)
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Sequential Circuits Pro One Synthesizer, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
Show yoursSimilar
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Repro is U-He's very detailed and fully-featured software emulation of the Sequential Circuits Pro One.
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