Prophet 10

Back in 1980, this beast finally hit the scene after some early prototype hiccups, delivering the ultimate analog polyphonic dream with its hulking dual 61-key manuals—essentially two Prophet-5s fused into a 10-voice sonic juggernaut.

Each of its 10 voices packs two analog VCOs pumping out sawtooth, variable-width pulse, and triangle waves, with osc B doubling as an LFO for extra flexibility; mix in white noise and hit that iconic sync button for those throaty, harmonic-rich leads. A resonant low-pass filter (Curtis CEM-based in production models for solid tuning stability) pairs with independent ADSR envelopes for filter and amp, plus Poly-Mod for wild cross-modulation, a dedicated LFO, and a mod matrix that lets you unleash creative routing. Controls are all knobs and sliders across the expansive wood-paneled front, with CV/gate, stereo outs, 32-120 patch memories (depending on Rev 3 variant), and even a polyphonic sequencer option stored on a micro-cassette—pure vintage tech. No MIDI or velocity sensitivity, but that raw, hands-on feel defined an era.

Players still chase these for their warm, heavenly pads and strings that no modern clone fully nails, though pristine examples are rare and pricey due to age; common gripes center on maintenance needs for those finicky CEM chips and cassette drives.