Sequential Take 5

The Sequential Take 5 is one of the most significant synths of recent years — not because it reinvents the wheel, but because it makes the wheel genuinely accessible. Built around the same four-pole resonant filter as the Prophet-5 Rev 4, the Take 5 delivers authentic Sequential warmth at roughly half the price of its legendary ancestor. It was among the last instruments Dave Smith shipped before his death in May 2022, and it shows the same democratic spirit that defined his career: great analog sound for more musicians, not fewer.

Architecturally the Take 5 is a hybrid — the VCOs and filter are fully analog, but the VCA and output stage are handled by DSP, with audio passing through an ADC before output. Sequential markets this honestly as "hybrid analog." In practice the effect on sound quality is minimal; the filter is the soul of the instrument and it sounds unmistakably like Sequential. The Vintage knob, shared with the Prophet-5, introduces voice-to-voice detuning and analog drift ranging from tight to pleasingly unstable.

Beyond its Prophet heritage, the Take 5 is a genuinely modern instrument. Two LFOs (one global, one per-voice) with five waveforms each, a 64-step polyphonic sequencer, an arpeggiator, front-panel FM, overdrive, and dual effects engines (reverb plus a multi-effect covering chorus, phaser, delay and ring modulation) make it far more versatile than the bare-bones Prophet-5 it echoes. A firmware update in 2025 added poly chaining between two units, stretching the voice count to ten.

The keyboard version ships with 44 full-size keys on a Fatar keybed with both velocity and aftertouch — unusual at this price point. The Low Split feature divides the keyboard into separate octave zones for a wider effective range. The desktop module, released July 2025, carries the same engine in a more compact form for studio use.

Criticisms are real but manageable. Five voices is a genuine constraint for lush layered chords. The effects are monophonic rather than polyphonic, which limits their depth. There is no external effects loop. Some users find the audio-rate FM modulating the filter underwhelming compared to dedicated FM synths. These are trade-offs, not flaws — and at this price, the Take 5 competes directly with the Oberheim TEO-5 and comfortably outclasses everything else in its class for sheer warmth and heritage.

Who Is This For?

• Synth players who want a genuine Sequential analog filter without the Prophet-5 price tag
• Studio producers seeking warm, classic polyphonic textures for recording sessions
• Live performers who need a lightweight, full-featured instrument that travels easily
• Subtractive synthesis learners who want an instrument with room to grow
• Anyone already using Sequential software or hardware who wants consistent DNA across their setup