Sequential’s Pro 3 embodies the digital-plus-analog approach we’ve come to associate with Dave Smith. Now its digital oscillator is open to custom wavetables.
The Pro 3 is a versatile choice as a premium monosynth / paraphonic synth – two analog VCOs, and a third digital oscillator, plus multiple filters. There were always 32 factory wavetables available. These are single-cycle wavetables – but that can contain a lot of sonic possibilities, based on harmonic content.
Now you can swap up to 16 of your own custom wavetables into those slots, with the free 1.1 OS for Pro 3 and a new Web-based Wavetable Generator. Import any wavetable you want – design it yourself or you can find loads of single-cycle waveform collections online – and use the Web interface to add it to your Pro 3.
That makes this a really deep instrument, between the three filters (Prophet-6, Oberheim OB-6, and classic ladder), the option of either mono- or 3-voice paraphonic operation, and a bunch of sequencing, arpeggiation, and envelope and modulation options, plus effects (delay, reverb, etc).
I know a lot of people are seriously unloading gear at the moment, but… if you had a big studio of stuff and wanted a single instrument to with some depth in this price range, I can imagine a lot of sound options with the Pro 3. Standard edition is US MAP $1599 with a special edition for $2099.
And custom wavetables has to put it up on the list if Sequential was what you had in mind.
It’s also nice to see Sequential embrace Web functionality; it’ll be interesting to watch if they do more with their product range through this route.
If you’ve got some other Sequential gear, they’ve been posting some nice, deep, no-nonsense but creative tips series for their hardware lately. Here’s a clever use of delay lines by Noir Et Blanc Vie: