Sequential Circuits Evolver (2002)
The Evolver is the model that outlived the company. Dave Smith originally designed it in 2002, and it was released under the Sequential name even as the business was winding down and becoming Dave Smith Instruments. Depending on which source you trust, it's either a Sequential Circuits product or a DSI product with Sequential's badge on it. The truth is probably a bit of both. It was the last design to carry the Sequential Circuits badge into the world.
The Evolver is a hybrid. Each voice has four oscillators: two analog (sawtooth and square with PWM) and two digital wavetable. Those feed a pair of analog filters in series, configurable between 2-pole and 4-pole slopes. Around that core sit three envelope generators, three LFOs, a feedback loop that can route the audio output back into the filter, an analog distortion circuit, and delay-based effects. There's also a step sequencer, an audio input for processing external signals, and CV/Gate I/O for patching into modular gear. The front panel is knob-per-function, with an LCD for the deeper pages. Sound on Sound (March 2006, p.40) traced the Evolver's lineage back through Smith's earlier work, noting that it began life as a mono desktop unit before growing into polyphonic and keyboard versions.
The original price was $600. Used units now sell for roughly twice that, around $1,100. Collectors seek it out for the hybrid analog/digital design and its reputation for blending analog warmth with digital complexity. It's praised for its flexibility and depth of sound design, though some users find the menu structure complex. The record on this model is thin in places. Production years are given as 2002 by some sources and 2003-2008 by others, and detailed specs like oscillator frequency ranges, patch memory count, and MIDI implementation details aren't consistently documented.
Known specs, as documented:
- 2 analog oscillators (saw/square with PWM) + 2 digital wavetable oscillators
- 2 analog filters in series, 2-pole and 4-pole configurations
- 3 envelope generators, 3 LFOs
- Feedback loop, analog distortion, delay-based effects
- Step sequencer, MIDI CC, CV/Gate I/O, external audio input
- Knob-per-function control surface with LCD
- Monophonic
- Original price: $600
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