Electronic music has to be about the music (or it would never work on a CD). But the equipment used to create electronic music does hold a certain fascination. We know; before we got up onto the stage we were peering out of the audience trying to work out what was being used to make the sounds.

So, to help satisfy that interest, here's some information about the instruments we've used.

This page has been posted a bit prematurely so that the links from the live pages do not break. There are still many holes in the information, and probably inacurracies in the retired dates, etc. Links to further information (manufacturer or fan sites) will be added too.

Synthesizers
Casio CZ101	A	Retired by Adrian 199?
Casio VZ1	A J	A nice keyboard, but it weighs a ton and is a pig to program. Had this been released by Roland or Korg it would have rightly been considered a rival to the Yamaha DX series, but because of the lack of street credibility in the Casio name it has been largely overlooked. Retired by Adrian 1999, still used occasionaly as a controller keyboard by John
Clavia Nord Modular	A P J	The most flexible synth ever? The modular is a software emulation of a modular analog synthesizer. A PC/Mac editor allows modules to be added and patched together. It's hard to imagine a machine more suited to Airsculpture, except maybe the inevitable Nord Modular 2 (please, Clavia!).
EMU ESi	A P
Kawai K1r	A
Kawai K5000s	A
Korg Prophecy	A J	One of the first physical modelling synths, the Proph is capable of a wide range of analog synth or acoustic sounds. It features a huge amount of modulation sources and wildly free patching. And most of all, it is uniquely playable with a vast array of gadgetry to fiddle with under the left hand.
Korg Z1	P
Moog Opus 3	A
Oxford OSCar	P
Roland D110	J	A rather basic synth, but it offered multi-timbrality when little else did. A source of stock sequence and FX sounds in the early days. There's still something quite appealing about the raw-ish sounds now everything is trying to sound polished. Retired 1999
Roland MC202	J	Not part of the usual rig, the tiny 202 came in handy for the "Truth or Dare" launch as it could be dropped easily into the luggage. It is a suprisingly usable synth, a couple of tricks being to keep the resonance near to self-osciallation, which thickens the sound, and (for sound effects) using the built in sequencer as an extra modulation source.
Roland MKS70	J	Retired 1997?
Roland JD800	P J	A welcome return to knobs and sliders after the data slider desert of the 1980s. While the JD does not have a huge Mooglike presence, this can be considered a plus as the later developments focussed heavily on that sound. The JD has a restrained, delicate sound which (if anything) recalls the Yamaha CS80. It also has a very playable keyboard.
Roland JD990	P J	Used to provide extra JD voices, the 990s turned out to be rather more than a JD800 in a box, with a capable of more edgy sounds as well as the sweet 800 tones.
Waldorf Pulse	J	A powerul analog synth in a tiny package. Not quite a Minimoog, but pretty damn close given the price (maybe 15-20% of a second hand mini).
Waldorf Microwave	P J	The Microwave (as used by Pete) is an updated version of the classic PPG Wave synth as used heavily by TD in the early 80s. It is capable of massively powerful traditional analog sounds as well as the trademark clangs. The MW II (as used by John and Pete) is an all digital version which trades a little of the edge for a more flexible sound and a very accesible user interface.
Yamaha TX81z	A
Samplers
EMU ESi	A P
Korg Electribe S	A P
Streetly Mellotron	A	One of the touchstone instruments of the Berlin school revival, as well as the original 1970's electronic artists. The 'tron is a proto-sampler with a tape under each key which plays as that key is pressed. The sound is fabulous, partly as a result of the quirky soundset and partly due to the imperfections of the instrument. Adrian brought his to our second Jodrell gig, only to have it go wildly out of tune in a couple of seconds. Digital samplers may not be the same, but they're a hell of a lot more reliable!
Drum Machines
Cheetah MD	A
Korg Electribe R	J	A box of fun. The R has a very restricted number of drum sounds, but four of them are modelled synthesizer sounds which are completely programmable with dedicated knobs. As always, anything with hands-on realtime control appeals! Plus it has some great flashy lights, which is the most important thing in the world! Links: Official (Korg US) site, Official (Korg UK) site
Effects
Alesis Q2	J
Boss SE-50	J
Boss SE-70	A P
Boss VF-1	P J
Lexicon MPX-1	J	The final addition of a stereo reverb onto the final mix seems to draw all three players into the same sound space, so we always do this. And, if possible, it has to be a Lex for the magical sweetening it brings to the sound. We've used mid-range Lex units as part of the final production of the earlier albums, either in studios or by hiring them in. When the MPX-1 brought down the entry point for this treatment, it was a must-buy. The sound is maybe not quite as sweet as a PCM series box, but it's close enough! When we're recording (on stage or in the studio) the Lex is generally found reverberating John's main stereo output.
Lexicon MPX-100	A P
Computers/Sequencers
Compaq Concerto	P J	We've used many computers, both desktop and laptop machines, but the Concerto deserves a special mention. This is a pen-based portable PC which was a perfect match for Improvision. The sight of Pete and John poking at the glowing screens became a bit of a trademark. Sadly the machines crumbled a little, and pen based computers fell out of favour, so there was nothing which would serve as a direct replacement. The new generation of tablet PCs may fulfil this role in future.
Improvision	P J	John's custom written sequencer software which emulates a bank of analogue sequencers, and adds a few tricks of its own. This was the main source of sequences up until the point where the Nord Modulars took over the primary sequencing duties. Development was almost totally frozen when changes between Windows 3.1 and 95 caused timing to go totally haywire. While not spending enough time on it, John's keen on bringing it up to date and reintroducing it, although it is likely to be used together with the Nords and Electribes rather than replacing them.
Steinberg Cubase	A	Wanting to be able to add drum patterns into the mix, Adrian solidly stuck with Cubase for his sequencing work, until the point where the Nord took over. As it is very much studio software not intended for live tweaking this must go down as one of the craziest decisions in EM history!
Recording
Tascam DA-88	P	This tape based 8 track digital recorder has allowed us to make full length recordings of every rehearsal and concert. In our very early days (until Attrition System) we recorded to VHS-HiFi or DAT which meant it was impossible to correct mistakes made by one person, or even just balance levels. Given some of the dodgy monitoring we've had to put up with, that was not good enough! We initally used an Alesis ADAT hired along with the rehearsal room at the Running Frog, which was a good start, but the extended recording length of the DA allows us to record entire sessions or concerts without worrying about running out of recording time.