One fo the biggest surprises of the 2013 NAMM Show, was the new Prophet 12, which Dave Smith calls “my best synth yet.”

Some of the key features:

• Twelve voice polyphony – the greatest polyphony of any instrument Dave Smith has designed.
• Powerful voice architecture features four oscillators, capable of generating classic and complex waveforms, a sub-oscillator, resonant analog low- and high-pass filters, and analog VCAs.
• ‘Character’ section adds a variety of wave shaping and sound sculpting options, like Drive, Hack, Decimation, Girth, and Air.
• Additional features include a tuned feedback path, a four-tap stereo delay per voice, expanded arpeggiator functionality, deep modulation capabilities, and bi-timbral operation.
• The LFOs, delay, and arpeggiator can all be synced, either to the internal clock or an external MIDI clock.
• Two programmable position- and pressure-sensitive touch sliders take the performance controls beyond the standard pitch and mod wheels (also included).
• Knobs for everything

There’s currently no polysynth that’s comparable to the Prophet 12.

And the Prophet 12 also stands out among the great polyphonic synths of the past. It’s got much more sophisticated capabilities than synths like a Prophet V or a Yamaha CS-80, plus the benefits of 35 years of advances in technology.

Is the Prophet 12 the best polyphonic synth of all time? Let us know what you think!