Adam Berenson

Adam Berenson is a composer/pianist of chamber, solo, and orchestral works, based in the suburbs of Philadelphia. He has released more than 90 albums of improvisational and concert works—with various ensembles and as a solo pianist. Three of his previous recordings were released by Mighty Quinn Productions (now inactive as a label for his work), and nearly all of his catalog is now available on his own label, Dream Play. In 2025, NEOS, the German label for contemporary avant-garde classical music, released a double CD of his music titled Everything That No One Ever Saw.

Berenson has received grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the American Composers Forum. His work has been highly praised by internationally renowned composers such as Matthias Pintscher, Milton Babbitt, and Valentin Silvestrov, as well as prominent critics and scholars including Alex Ross of The New Yorker and David Dubal of the Juilliard School.

Berenson studied with Paul Bley, Lee Hyla, John Heiss, Cecil McBee, and Robert Ceely at the New England Conservatory, where he received a master’s in music. His earlier studies include a BFA in film production from NYU, as well as a classical piano scholarship at Syracuse University.

Mr. Berenson is currently a faculty member of the Settlement Music School in South Philadelphia, where he teaches piano, jazz piano, and theory.

We chatted with Adam on how Sequential instruments are used in his music:

You’ve used the Prophet Rev2, Prophet XL, Pro 3 and OB-6 in your music – why did you choose these, and how are you using them?

I chose the Rev 2 as my first proper analog synthesizer because I grew up listening to the Prophet-5—extensively on Genesis and Pat Metheny Group albums—and I had always wanted a Prophet. Finally, in 2019, I had both a practical need for a first-rate polyphonic analog synthesizer and the means to purchase one. One reason I could afford it is that I still believe the Rev2 is easily the best deal extant in the world of synthesizers. You’re effectively buying a 16-voice, stereo Oberheim Xpander, with fine onboard effects and an exquisite 5-octave Fatar keybed. That fifth octave is very significant; without it, I might have considered the module and a separate MIDI controller. In my opinion, the Rev2 feels more like the Prophet-5 I imagined than the Prophet-5 itself does—and it’s in stereo, with modulation possibilities the original could never dream of. The sound itself can only be that of a Prophet. For me, analog filters and oscillators are what matter, and of course the Rev2 has them. Only the tuning function is digital—but tuning stability is only audible when it fails, and the Rev2’s digital tuning ensures it never does. And there’s always the ‘slop’ function to dial in old-fashioned instability if desired.

I chose the Prophet XL because I recognized how—once again—ahead of its time it (and Dave Smith) was. I wanted something that could function as a controller, an endless source of superb and usable samples, and then there are all the things no other instrument can do—most of which I haven’t even scratched the surface of yet.

I chose the Pro 3 because I recognized it as the Rolls-Royce of mono synths. Of course, with its paraphonic capability, it wears the moniker “monophonic” with charming humility. Now I can effectively have Oberheim, Moog, and Prophet filters in one box. Its sequencer is second to none, and although I don’t really require one, I’ve created pieces that use it, just because it’s so extraordinary.

I chose the OB-6 for a silly reason. I’ve craved the Oberheim sound ever since being introduced to Lyle Mays and Joe Zawinul in middle school. But I bought it because the OB-X8 was taking so long to materialize that I simply couldn’t wait any longer. As a result, I bought what would soon become my desert-island synthesizer. Clearly, you’re getting the very best of Oberheim and Sequential in one box—and so much more. Knowing that the minds of Tom Oberheim and Dave Smith are materially and spiritually within the instrument gives it a magical energy. I bought the module because it was less expensive, but also—significantly for me—because four octaves is simply not enough range for a polyphonic synthesizer. That would be my only complaint. That 4-octave limit—combined with voice count—has paused my consideration of the Trigon-6 and Prophet-10. With the OB-6, you also get emulations of the inventions that introduced Tom Oberheim to the world: his wonderful phaser and ring modulator.

All of these instruments have been used on some 60+ albums of mine, to a greater or lesser degree. Each one is wholly unique: if I want what each synthesizer does—which is essentially unnameable and defies language—no other substitution is permissible. No other instrument can be a Rev2, OB-6, XL, or Pro 3. They are each “alive” in their own way; they each breathe and sing uniquely. And yes: the factory presets on the latest Sequential and Oberheim synthesizers are overwhelmingly rich, complex, and musical—and in my case, have been used endlessly in my recorded work.

“Intermission Memory” features every instrument mentioned above: