Sequential Circuits Prophet-5

The Prophet-5 synthesizer is a polyphonic 5-voice synthesizer released in 1978 by Sequential Circuits. It was one of the most popular synths of the late 70s and early 80s, known for its ability to store and recall sounds, a feature which many synthesizers before it had lacked. It was used by the likes of Peter Gabriel, XTC, Phil Collins, Hall & Oates, Larry Fast, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, Madonna, INXS, Jean-Michel Jarre, Talking Heads, Wally Badarou, Eurythmics and many more.

Andy Summers himself owned a Prophet-5, probably a Rev 2, which he bought in the early 80s. When recording with The Police, he'd use the Prophet-5 to blend with guitar lines to develop unique sounds for embellishments on particular songs. For instance, on "Spirits In The Material World", Andy developed the sound of an 'oriental-sounding instrument' by combining a Prophet-5 preset with guitar 'played up very high and plucked dry' - this sound is the melody that plays throughout the third verse. Other examples of this include "King Of Pain" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" from Synchronicity.

Live, Andy toured with the Prophet once during the Summer 1982 leg of the Ghost In The Machine world tour - he's seen with it in footage of the Gateshead concert on 31 July 1982, for example. It replaced the Minimoog, but he eventually switched back to the Minimoog for subsequent tours with The Police. Presumably because the Prophet-5 had a bigger share of problems with maintaining.