Prophet X Receives 2019 TEC Award for Best New Musical Instrument

Prophet X Receives 2019 TEC Award for Best New Musical Instrument

San Francisco, CA—Jan 30, 2019—The NAMM Foundation has awarded the Sequential Prophet X its prestigious Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Award for “Best New Musical Instrument.” The Award was presented at the Foundation’s annual awards ceremony at the National Association of Music Merchants convention in Anaheim, California. The award marks the third TEC award for Sequential and the second TEC award for 8Dio’s Troels Folmann, sample content developer for the instrument.

The TEC Awards are the “Oscars” of the pro audio and sound recording industry and recognize the most outstanding products and technical achievements in the world of music making, live performance, video games, television, and film. Winners represent superior accomplishments in their respective fields and categories.

In addition to the TEC award, the Prophet X has garnered wide critical acclaim from both the music industry press and users alike for its sonic versatility and depth. Its powerful, yet easy to use combination of synthesis-plus-samples technology powers two simultaneous 16-bit, 48kHz sample-based instruments plus two high-resolution digital oscillators with waveshape modulation — all processed through analog filters.

It boasts an internal library of 150 GB of sample content from Academy-award winning sample developers 8Dio, as well as the ability to import up to 50 GB of additional user samples and third-party add-on content. Users can shape the samples through loop manipulation, sample stretching, and a full complement of synthesis functions which include 4 envelope generators, 4 LFOs, and a deep modulation matrix. A dual-effects engine, 64-step polyphonic step sequencer, and arpeggiator add additional performance features.

Sequential founder Dave Smith commented: “We’re proud that the Prophet X has been recognized by both the NAMM Foundation and by the public for what it is — a great-sounding, easy to use creative tool that puts powerful technology in the hands of musicians. That’s always been our philosophy and that’s what we continue to do.” 8Dio co-founder Troels Folmann added: “Receiving a TEC award is always a gratifying experience, but we’re particularly pleased to receive it for our work on the Prophet X because the synth gives musicians a very immediate, expressive, and tactile way to use our deep-sampled instruments.”

About Sequential

Originally launched in 2002 as Dave Smith Instruments, Sequential is helmed by legendary musical instrument designer and Grammy® award winner Dave Smith. Dave’s many accomplishments include the creation of the Prophet-5—the world’s first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer—and his legacy as the primary driving force behind MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface).

The company’s products are used by an ever-growing roster of well-known musicians and are available from music retailers worldwide. Instruments include the Prophet-6, OB-6, Prophet Rev2, and the Tempest analog drum machine. Sequential is based in San Francisco, where its instruments are also manufactured. Visit www.sequential.com.

About 8Dio

Founded in 2011 by Troels Folmann and Tawnia Knox, 8Dio is the leading independent developer of software instruments and the inventors of deep-sampling. Troels is an Academy Award, TEC/Mix Foundation, GANG and D3 award-winning composer and Ph.D scholar in music technologies. Tawnia is the CEO of 8Dio Productions and has had a long career as an executive in luxury brands.

8Dio has created an extensive, deep-sampled catalog of advanced instruments based on literally millions of samples. Notable titles include Majestica – the largest symphony orchestra ever sampled, Epic Taiko Ensembles, Titanic Choirs, Cinematic Scoring Tools, and over 250 other instruments. 8Dio products are used by high-profile artists, composers, and top music producers in all genres. They are featured in a majority of current blockbuster movies, independent films, video games, TV-shows, Broadway productions, and the professional sports industry. For more information, visit www.8dio.com.

The Prophet X Synthesizer