Synthesizers & keyboards
The instruments my music is made on.
1996Roland XP‑80Free patches, original MIDI songs, an illustrated guide to the synth engine, hidden features and demo recordings.1997Roland JV‑2080The XP-80’s rack-mount sibling, with more effects, expansion slots and outputs. Specs and Roland’s ROM demo songs.2000Roland XV‑5080Detailed specs, operating-system history, SRX piano patches and expansion-board demos.2003Roland V‑SynthVC-2 card patch demos and V-Synth Patch Composer, a Mac patch editor.2004Roland Fantom‑X8Free patches with audio demos, factory sound demos and MIDI implementation documents.2017Kawai MP11SEAn 88-key stage piano with a wooden-key grand piano action.2022Yamaha MODX6+A 61-key synthesizer combining Yamaha’s AWM2 sample and FM-X engines.2023Behringer PRO‑800An 8-voice analog polysynth based on the Sequential Prophet-600, in a desktop or Eurorack case.2023Roland S‑1A pocket-sized, battery-powered four-voice synth modelled on the SH-101.
Guitars & strings
Acoustic, electric and 12-string guitars, and a lap dulcimer.
1996Carvin DC135CA neck-through, double-cutaway electric guitar with a coil-split humbucker, two single coils and a Floyd Rose-licensed tremolo.2010Lap dulcimerA four-string fretted dulcimer, played across the lap.2013Takamine EG523SC‑12A jumbo cutaway 12-string acoustic-electric with a solid spruce top and flamed maple body.Esteban AL‑100A dreadnought steel-string acoustic-electric from Esteban’s American Legacy line.
Software instruments & recording
Virtual instruments and other music software.
2004Apple Logic ProApple’s Mac recording studio, with a large library of built-in instruments and effects.2006Native Instruments FM8An eight-operator FM synthesizer, and the successor to NI’s DX7-inspired FM7.2015Native Instruments Una CordaA sampled upright piano with a single string per key, built by David Klavins.2019Native Instruments NoireA Yamaha CFX concert grand chosen by Nils Frahm, sampled both pure and with felt.
Audio equipment
Mixing and effects.
MIDI & control
Routing MIDI between everything, and hands-on control of the computer.