Sequential Circuits Prophet-5

Dave Smith's Prophet-5 was the first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer — five voices with patch memory, meaning you could save and recall sounds for the first time ever. Before 1978, every synth performance required manually setting every knob. The Prophet-5 changed that overnight. John Carpenter used it to score horror films. Talking Heads, Radiohead, Dr. Dre, and MGMT all leaned on its thick, creamy analog polyphony. It also helped create MIDI — Dave Smith co-invented the standard.