The Take 5 has been an awesome synth for the last several months that I've owned it. I'm still learning so not the most proficient synthesist, but the Take 5 is super intuitive, has a very straightforward manual, and it's relatively easy to put together a great sounding basic patch. I have a lot of fun experimenting and playing around on this synth, and have enjoyed recording the output as well. The key bed feels great, and the build quality is good.

The only thing I dislike about the synth is the menu interaction - the knobs make it a chore to navigate through the menu and select whatever option you're looking for. I've really only noticed this when setting up the mod matrix or when using a more advanced program or global setting.

All in all a great synth and would definitely recommend for anyone playing with idea of buying it.

The best I can say to properly convey the depth of my love for this synth is that i have FUN playing it. Its like one huge sweetspot that takes you places you never imagined. I only need this one synth to make music!

Its deep and sounds incredible to my ears.

This is basically a half-sized Prophet 6 with a few difference. A very intuitive mod matrix, lots of interesting capabilities that give you very Prophet inspired tones while adding some additional effects and a stereo output to capture the space in the modulation and delay effects. It will take you maybe an hour or two to understand the workflow on it, but the screen basically always gives you a direct line of sight to what is modulating what.

Sounds amazing, the keys feel great, and it's incredibly easy to navigate. Knobs feel great to me too, very stiff, which is my preference on a synth.

Two small points - 1. While built very well, there is a very slight detectable bendiness to it when picking it up and moving it. 2. the velocity curves do take some getting used to, I find myself frequently turning off the velocity, but I also tend to play very lightly.

From the moment you power it on you can tell it's the real thing. Great oscillators, lots of low end, authentic filters, crips envelops, and the perfect feeling Fatar keybed. Don't be fooled by its size. Even has a smart split function that lowers a segment of the keyboard by 1 or 2 octaves to make the keyboard feel like 61+ keys.
~Thanks to my Sweetwater guy, Dave Snow

Take five has a nice organic vibe to it. The tone has pleasant overdriven character that is also easy to tame and generate a classic Sequential sound. The mod matrix makes it capable of a veritable smorgasbord of timbres. An excellent mix of classic and modern analog.

First thing I noticed was the giant knob in the middle of the control panel. Made a good impression as a design with an eye towards ergonomics and ease of use. It's almost Knob-per-function with a small digital screen to handle some of the more esoteric functions. The sound is massive. With a few exceptions it will never be mistaken for anything but an analog synth, which is just fine with me. And the big Cutoff knob just dares you to start experimenting & tweaking things. 2 envelopes, 2 effects units and more modulation options than you can shake a mic cable at. And just in case you're looking for it, the "Tom Sawyer" patch is Bank 2, Program 1.

Can't say how much I love this synth. Dialing in or creating your own sounds is super intuitive – modulation matrix is mind-blowing. The sound is fantastic – well it's a Sequential – it sits well in the mix with every situation. So nice to see a sine wave as an oscillator option. Effects section is pretty robust. I use this all the time at practice and gigging and it has been rock solid. I do want to address a couple of comments about the synth drifting out of tune. The first unit I rec'd had that issue – it would constantly drift a half or whole step. I kept detailed notes of its behavior and Sweetwater was helpful, as they always are, and sent me a new unit which I've only had to calibrate once when I first got it – had it for over a year. This synth is a little beast!

The sound quality of this instrument compared to the VI's and samples I've been using for years is like a tractor trailer idling outside my house compared to a recording of the same. The mids aren't as thick as the lows, but I think of it as part of its sound signature. Basic modulation is super easy, there's lots of it, and you can be happy without digging into the menu. This keyboard is laid out very logically and flows right to left nicely. There are complaints about the effects section, but you have the basics--compared to nothing--and you can always run outboard if you're finicky. The knobs feel good, the build quality is reassuring, the compact size is surprisingly nice to have, 44 keys is good. The action is solid. Velocity turns right on and off easily, which is great since some patches are fantastic with velocity, but lots of synth patches want no velocity. The pitch and mod above the keybed is problematic with the lack of end cheeks for those who like to solo with the left palm resting below the wheels, but I'll sacrifice that for the smaller size. Having IEC for power in my view is what defines a pro keyboard-thank you. I haven't always held onto the keyboards I wish I had through the years, but I can tell already I won't be selling this one. Thanks to Jacob Evans, wish we could jam.

This was my second polyphonic synth purchase (after the MiniFreak), and immediately it clicked with me. No nonsense controls, little menu diving, sounds amazing, excellent keybed and the effects are great. The octave split keyboard feature is awesome, I wish manufacturers would do this in all compact synths. This is still the synth I find myself playing more than the others. Ton of preset banks available to download and numerous tutorial videos. The mod matrix is intuitive and much easier to figure out for a beginner compared to the MiniFreak or Hydrasynth. Within the hour of purchase, I was making my own patches that actually sound good. If you want something immediate to jump into and make beautiful sounds, this is it. If I had to take one of my synths and leave all others, this would be the one.

I love the sounds and features on my Take5 synth, but it keeps jumping out of tune, intermittently. I've performed both wheel calibration and oscillator calibration multiple times. If I jiggle the pitch wheel even slightly, it returns to tune, suggesting it's an issue with the wheels. I sent it off to Sweetwater who sent it to Sequential, who deemed it working correctly. If I set the pitch wheel range to zero both up and down, it behaves fine and stays in tune. Of course, this renders the pitch wheel useless, so it's not a solution. I got it back from Sequential and the problem recurs. I even cleared the calibration tables and started over. Again, the problem persists.

I've just submitted a new ticket with Sequential, but I spent about $ mailing and insuring it already, only to have it declared functioning perfectly, so I don't have much faith in the support process.

It's really making me think I made a bad purchase decision.

I love the Take 5. It is my 5 voice synth, mono station and eurorack all rolled into one.
The standouts features are a gnarly 4 pole filter (from the prophet 5) and highly customizable mod matrix. With its mod matrix, I think of this as a polysynth that is also a eurorack in the sense that you can patch almost any source into any destination (19 sources and 54 destinations!) It even features poly modulation which is applied to each voice individually (say, from key velocity). If I want a fat mono lead, I switch on unison mode, and I can layer 10 VCOs at once, which, coupled with the filter, sounds mean and perfect.

Price considerations aside, I think it's also an ideal beginner synth because it's simple to use with knob-per-function operation, but you can truly grow with it. I upgraded from my first synth, a Minilogue XD, which is not slouch with a better digital effects section, CV connections and a built-in oscilloscope. But the Take 5 adds an extra voice, full second envelope, modulation matrix, unison mode with customizable number of voices, mod and pitch wheels, 64 step sequencer, full size Fatar keys and aftertouch.

This is the best analog synth out there today. Highly recommend!

The presets are atrocious! What the heck were they thinking? Where are all the cool vintage analog sounding presets. Really hoping an update is coming soon. Otherwise a great synth.

Been having fun with this one. Ton of sound options.

Sweetwater Crew is amazing!! Don't Loose your time with Guitar Center and about the Take 5, it's simply my favorite synth today! It has character, body and the new 2.0 update will drive you crazy!! Im ready to make a single only with this thing. XOXO

I have a large collection of synths and now with the Take Five and my Toriaz AS-1 I have 2 synths with Dave Smith souls.
Perfect size for my crowded area. Sounds so good layered with that extra voice from the AS-1.

For the price point, the Take 5 is undoubtedly the best East Coast poly synth. It won't replace your prophet 5, but that's because the Take 5 is its own instrument. The take 5 is definitely for people who love modulation, and sound exploration, I can't recommend it enough.

I bought this from another retailer only because it was out of stock here. I am actually a guitar player but wanted to get into synthesizers. After looking at many models and watching a million YouTube videos I chose this one. The deal makers were the compact size, brand reputation, quick access to patches, easy routing, sequencer and arpeggiator, analog sound and filters plus the onboard effects.
After a few days of playing with it I did NOT love it right away. I am new to sound design so making my own sounds wasn't going to happen just yet. I relied on the factory presets and honestly didn't like most of them. There were too many blips and Swishes and crazy sound effects with not enough musical instruments. It seemed like a waste of precious memory space to have patches that just do sound effects. I want pads and bass and leads and soft Eps, sounds of the 70s and 80s. So I was a bit disappointed and felt over my head with a necessity to figure out how to make my own sounds.
After a week I bought a preset pack from a content creator and it changed my whole experience. it's a small investment and you can get hundreds of new sounds from people experienced in sound design. The hardest part was figuring out how to import and export Sysex files. After that I was a happy guy. this really is a perfect synthesizer for a multi instrumentalist with its small format and huge features. Not to mention great sound!! If my main instrument was keyboards I'd probably want something full-sized but as this is a supplemental instrument to songwriting for a guitarist, it's perfect!

I was born in '77 so the soundtrack of my childhood was flush with analog synthesizers. Those iconic timbres made their way into every facet of life in the 80s and I was in love with electronic "keyboards" (as I called them). Axel F was on the radio when I was 7 and I asked my parents to get me a "keyboard" for my birthday. My parents decided it was better to buy an old school piano than a synthesizer and explained how the piano was more wholesome, and would outlast the fad of electronic instruments. My dad got many years of use from the piano, but it never connected with me.

Many years later as a grownup my passion for synthesizers has only increased. In recent years I researched the gear that was used to create the songs of my youth and the Sequential Prophet 5 showed up everywhere. And so began my quest to acquire one of these highly coveted vintage machines. The prospects were grim for a Prophet 5 in decent condition. Unknown was the cost of maintenance that would be ongoing. I sat in limbo debating the risk/reward of ownership.

And then Sequential announced the return of the Prophet 5 and Prophet 10. I was ecstatic - finally a chance to own one of these glorious machines without the worry of vintage electronics maintenance!
As is often the case in life, great things come to those who wait. The Sequential TAKE 5 is proof. Let me be clear - I've never owned or played a hardware Sequential Prophet 5 or 10. My assessment of their capability is based solely on what I've heard coming through speakers and headphones and my emotional response to those sounds. I couldn't begin to tally the number of Youtube hours spent listening to every demo or patch bank sampler available for both vintage and modern Prophet 5/10 - several more than once. I'm very familiar with what the essence of these machines is. I know how these machines move me.

Ultimate Patches has a fantastic sound bank of 333 patches for the TAKE 5 and it was their preview video that sold me on the TAKE 5 over a Prophet 5/10. It is undeniable that the TAKE 5 captures the essence of the much larger Prophets and does so in a very lightweight, very portable package. I didn't fully grasp why they named it "TAKE 5" until I heard these patches. It's a Prophet 5 that you can "take" with you and it's less than half the price!

I've had the TAKE 5 since the beginning of February 2022 and it continues to amaze me. The first time I took it to band practice I melted everyone's face! We now have an extended jam during every practice that revolves around the "Tangeriner" patch. I run the TAKE 5 through a pair of QSC K10.2s and the stereo spread is unreal. The sound is HUGE! For some patches I kick in a Neunaber Reverberator MKII for extra rocket sauce. My lifetime search for an instrument that captures the excitement of my youth is over. I can faithfully reproduce those warm classic timbres… and then blast off into unexplored galaxies!

If you've read this far then you're probably also sitting on the Prophet/TAKE 5 fence. If you want the full vintage experience with all the knobs, 61 keys, and walnut wood, then definitely buy the Prophet 5. If you're looking for an easily transportable synthesizer that takes the beefy analog power of the Prophet 5 and brings it into the modern era with full stereo spread and a sequencer, then look no further.

(The photo attached is from my living room where the TAKE 5 is parked next to the couch. I can drop this thing in my lap and shred in headphones 24/7. I love walnut wood and 61 keys, but I'll gladly trade those in for an equally robust machine that is lap friendly!)

This analog synth sounds fat, looks and sounds modern, is just the right size for small studios, and has lots of knobs to adjust parameters on the fly during live performance or while tracking in the studio. I love it. Very cool sounds from retro 80s to present-day synth pop/techno/electronica.

only had my Take 5 a few weeks, but so far loving it - I do not profess to be an expert programmer (more a player of presets here LOL) - but the Take 5 is so intuitive and fun to morph presets and create sounds .... (I have a deep mind 6 which is a good board, but just not as easily approached as the Take 5) - I am sure I will love this Take 5 even more over time. =- as always Sweetwater is my go to for any musical need !!!

Bought this and upgraded the patches to the Ultimate Patches sounds, and this synth now reminds me of the Prophet 5 - that classic vintage sound that can do modern as well. Versatile. Killer price for what you get.

I've had my hands on this for a couple weeks. The only con is the effect section, as it's pretty basic and the effect algorithms aren't spectacular. The hands on/knob per function is exactly what I wanted. I love programming semi complex synth patches on this. The process of programming is much more enjoyable with knobs instead of pots like on my REV2. I use this to compliment a Juno 106 and a Sub 37.

The Take 5 is a beast! It sounds great, is knob per function, fun to play, portable, plays well with others, and will be a future classic. Ignore the haters. Having owned a Rev2, Moog Sub 37, Hydrasynth, Korg Prologue, etc. this synth can hold its own. It can veer into classic Prophet 5 territory, a bit into Korg Prologue and Oberheim regions, and of course makes sounds all its own. The closest competition would be the Korg Prologue 8 in cost, modulations, build quality, etc. Either would make an excellent choice.

The Take 5 beats the Korg Prologue for modulation and portability but the Korg beats the Take 5 with more keys, user multi engine, double the amount of presets, and those prized wooden cheeks. As noted, they are close so either is a great choice for gigs or studio. The Take 5 shines with making bread and butter sounds, prophet like sounds, the arp is fun to play, and the sequencer although limited at 64 steps, is also a blast to modulate.

I imagine the Take 5 will become a future classic. It has all the makings of an awesome synth. If you are new to synths, this is a perfect intro to analog poly synths. If you are a veteran, but don't have a Sequential, I would consider this. Besides the AS-1 which is basically a Prophet 6 mono synth, this is the cheapest entry into Sequential Circuits sounds aside from buying older used synths. This is a thumbs up review and highly recommend.