Sequential Circuits Prophet-5

The Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, introduced in 1978, was the first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer — meaning it could save patches to memory and recall them reliably. Before the Prophet-5, synthesizer sounds could not be reliably recreated. It changed the way keyboards were used in the studio and on stage, and became one of the defining instruments of the late 1970s and 1980s. Greg Hawkes of The Cars used the Prophet-5 on hits including "Let's Go" and "Shake It Up." Kraftwerk, Peter Gabriel, and ABBA were among its other notable users.