Sequential (company)
 | |
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Founded | 1974 |
| Headquarters | 1527 Stockton Street San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Key people | Dave Smith (founder) |
| Products | Synthesizers |
| Brands | Prophet |
| Parent | Focusrite |
| Website | sequential.com |
Sequential is a U.S.-based synthesizer manufacturer established in 1974 under the name Sequential Circuits by Dave Smith. The company gained prominence in 1978 with the launch of the Prophet-5, recognized as the first programmable polyphonic synthesizer, which became widely embraced within the music community. During the 1980s, Sequential was instrumental in the creation of MIDI, a universal standard for electronic instrument communication.
Operations ceased in 1987 when Yamaha acquired Sequential. Dave Smith continued his work through his venture Dave Smith Instruments. In 2015, Yamaha returned the Sequential Circuits trademark to Smith’s enterprise, which reintroduced itself as Sequential in 2018. The British audio technology company Focusrite purchased Sequential in 2021. Founder Dave Smith passed away in 2022.
1974–1980: Establishment, initial offerings, and Prophet-5
In 1974, engineer Dave Smith founded Sequential Circuits in San Francisco. Early releases included analog and digital sequencers compatible with Moog and ARP synthesizers, alongside the Model 700 Programmer designed for Minimoog and ARP 2600 programming. Introduced in 1975, the Model 800 was among the pioneering microprocessor-driven sequencers.
Smith, who was deeply engaged with microprocessor technology—then still emerging—envisioned integrating these processors with synthesizer chips to develop a programmable instrument. With no competitors pursuing this idea, he resigned from his position in early 1977 to dedicate himself to creating the Prophet-5, the first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer. It premiered at the NAMM Show in January 1978 and was released later that year.
Prior synthesizers required manual tuning without any capability for sound storage; however, the Prophet-5 utilized microprocessors to save patches in memory. This advancement transformed synthesizers from unpredictable sound generators into dependable devices capable of reproducing consistent tones. The Prophet-5 quickly became an industry benchmark and market leader, favored by artists such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Dr Dre, as well as film composers like John Carpenter. Following it was the larger Prophet-10, which featured dual keyboards but faced reliability challenges that hindered its success. The more compact Pro-One—a monophonic derivative of the Prophet-5—achieved greater commercial popularity.
1981–1982: Development of MIDI
In 1981, Ikutaro Kakehashi, Roland Corporation’s founder, invited Smith to collaborate on creating a universal interface to synchronize electronic instruments from different manufacturers. Together with Sequential engineer Chet Wood, Smith developed a protocol based on Roland’s Digital Control Bus (DCB). This interface was further refined through joint efforts involving representatives from Roland, Yamaha, Korg, and Kawai. The resulting standard was named Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), officially introduced by Kakehashi and Smith. Both received Technical Grammy Awards in 2013 recognizing this breakthrough.
Sequential incorporated MIDI into its designs early on, launching the Prophet 600 in 1982 as one of the first synthesizers equipped with MIDI capability. In 1984, the company released Drumtraks, among the pioneering drum machines featuring MIDI control functionality.
1987: Company Shutdown
Sequential Circuits concluded its operations in 1987 after launching its last product, the Prophet 3000 digital sampler, with production limited to just a few dozen units. Founder Dave Smith cited the premature commitment to computer audio technologies as a primary factor that depleted the company’s financial resources and led to insufficient capital.
Following this, Yamaha Corporation acquired Sequential Circuits and phased out the Sequential brand by 1989, particularly after the Yamaha TX16W sampler failed to achieve commercial success. Several of Sequential’s prominent engineers, including Smith, moved on to Korg, where they played key roles in developing instruments such as the Wavestation synthesizer.
2002–2014: The Dave Smith Instruments Era
After dedicating several years to software synthesizer development, Dave Smith re-entered the hardware market in 2002 by founding Dave Smith Instruments. The company’s first release was the Evolver synthesizer, which was succeeded by the Prophet '08 in 2008—an accessible eight-voice analog synthesizer designed to broaden its market appeal.
2015–Present: Revival of Sequential and Acquisition by Focusrite
In January 2015, Yamaha restored the rights to the Sequential Circuits name back to Dave Smith. This transfer was encouraged by industry veteran Ikutaro Kakehashi as a means to minimize competitive tensions among electronic instrument manufacturers.
Sequential made a comeback with the Prophet-6 analog synthesizer in 2015 and later launched the Prophet-X in 2018, a hybrid instrument combining sample playback with digitally controlled oscillators. Marking the 40th anniversary of the Prophet-5 in August 2018, Dave Smith Instruments adopted the Sequential brand name once again. In September 2020, the company announced a refreshed reissue of the original Prophet-5 model.
In 2020, Sequential reported revenues totaling $18.3 million. The following year, British audio technology company Focusrite acquired Sequential in April 2021, aiming to expand its international reach and product offerings. Dave Smith passed away on May 31, 2022, leaving behind a significant legacy as a pioneering entrepreneur and innovator within the synthesizer industry.