Top 5SponsoredHas said they use
Novation
AFX StationSaid in Novation AFX Station: our modern classic monosynth, remixed by Aphex Twin (Novation), October 2020
Photo: lenore* · CC BY-SA 2.0
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Aphex Twin. Every item links to its public source.
35 items · Last checked What's in Aphex Twin's studio?
Aphex Twin has named Korg's monologue, volca sample and volca fm, a Sequentix Cirklon sequencer, a Rhodes Chroma running his own microtuning chips and Calrec mixers in his studio. In 1993 he named three Korg MS-20s and a modded Roland SH-101. Waldorf calls him a long-term Iridium Desktop user.
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Top 5
Where to start with Aphex Twin's gear.
01
02
Top 5Uses
Waldorf
Iridium DesktopSaid in Iridium Desktop MK2: Per-Note-Parameter-Locks (ft. Aphex Twin) (Waldorf Music), March 2026
03
Top 5Has said they use
Korg
monologue“I think the monologue is very nice looking, small, very cute and very capable.”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
04
Top 5Has said they use
Korg
Volca FM“Great fun being able to take a DX7 in your pocket, love it, ultimate walkman in a way.”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
05
Top 5Has said they use
Korg
minilogue“Also I've got to say again many thanks for that lovely MIDI tuning box you made me for the minilogue!”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
What studio gear Aphex Twin uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Synths
SponsoredHas said they use
Novation
AFX StationSaid in Novation AFX Station: our modern classic monosynth, remixed by Aphex Twin (Novation), October 2020
Uses
Waldorf
Iridium DesktopSaid in Iridium Desktop MK2: Per-Note-Parameter-Locks (ft. Aphex Twin) (Waldorf Music), March 2026
Has said they use
Korg
monologue“I think the monologue is very nice looking, small, very cute and very capable.”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
Has said they use
Korg
Volca FM“Great fun being able to take a DX7 in your pocket, love it, ultimate walkman in a way.”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
Has said they use
Korg
minilogue“Also I've got to say again many thanks for that lovely MIDI tuning box you made me for the minilogue!”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
Has said they use
Korg
Volca KeysSaid in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), korg funk 5 gear list, July 2017
Also at
Korg
Poly-61M
Has said they use
Has said they use
Korg
MS-20“The only keyboard I haven't changed is the Korg MS-20; I've got three of those”
Said in Classic interview: Aphex Twin (Future Music issue 6, 1993, via MusicRadar), July 2021
Has said they use
Roland
SH-101 (modded)“It doesn't look like a 101 anymore - I use the sliders, but for different things”
Said in Classic interview: Aphex Twin (Future Music issue 6, 1993, via MusicRadar), July 2021
Has said they use
Yamaha
DX100“my early noodlings on a Yamaha DX100, one of the first synths I saved up for”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
Has said they use
“I burned my own custom O.S. Eproms for the Chroma, which enables full micro tuning and editing”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
Has said they use
Yamaha
DX7Said in Classic interview: Aphex Twin (Future Music issue 6, 1993, via MusicRadar), July 2021
Has said they use
Drum machines and samplers
Has said they use
Roland
TR-808 Rhythm Composer“I've used modified [Roland TR-]808 sounds on Ambient Works”
Said in Classic interview: Aphex Twin (Future Music issue 6, 1993, via MusicRadar), July 2021
Has said they use
Korg
volca beats“The Volca beats I used, I did the snare mod but used the mix output”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
Has said they use
Korg
volca sample“It's such a great little idea, I really love it, way more intuitive.”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
Casio
FZ-10M (with custom filters)
Has said they use
Said in Classic interview: Aphex Twin (Future Music issue 6, 1993, via MusicRadar), July 2021
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Akai Professional
S950Said in Aphex Twin's Syro Gear List (Attack Magazine), September 2014
Yamaha
TX16W
Has said they use
Yamaha
TX16WSaid in Aphex Twin's Syro Gear List (Attack Magazine), September 2014
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Ensoniq
ASR-10Said in Aphex Twin's Syro Gear List (Attack Magazine), September 2014
Sequencing
Has said they use
Sequentix
Cirklon sequencer“I've started doing it this way on the Cirklon now sometimes.”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
Roland
MC-4 MicroComposer
Has said they use
Roland
MC-4 MicroComposer“Most of it was sequenced on an MC4 and other analogue sequencers.”
Said in Aphex Twin Interview (Clash), May 2006
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Atari
Atari ST“I write something on the ST, then transfer the data down to my sequencer for live work.”
Said in Classic interview: Aphex Twin (Future Music issue 6, 1993, via MusicRadar), July 2021
Find it on
Early gear
Has said they use
Sinclair
ZX Spectrum“I used to write my own sequencing programs on the [Sinclair] Spectrum, believe it or not.”
Said in Classic interview: Aphex Twin (Future Music issue 6, 1993, via MusicRadar), July 2021
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Roland
System-100M“I bought a Roland 100M monosynth when I was 13”
Said in Classic interview: Aphex Twin (Future Music issue 6, 1993, via MusicRadar), July 2021
Studio
Has said they use
Yamaha
Disklavier“Then there's Disklavier computer-controlled pianos, MIDI pipe organs, stuff like that”
Said in Aphex Twin on New 'Syro' LP (Rolling Stone), September 2014
Calrec
Minimixer
Has said they use
Calrec
Minimixer“these Calrec mixers I use are like that also, the faders are backwards.”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Skibbe
736-5 mic preamp“volca beats > Skibbe 736-5 mic pre [nice low mid sound]”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
No store page for this one.
RTZ Professional Audio
PEQ 1549 EQ
Has said they use
RTZ Professional Audio
PEQ 1549 EQ“this is based on my fave eq, I've got some Calrec originals as well”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
No store page for this one.
Blonder Tongue
Blonder Tongue EQ
Has said they use
Blonder Tongue
Blonder Tongue EQ“i love these eq's, hardly anyone has heard of them”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Sound Devices
722 recorder“I just recorded that down to the Sound Devices 722.”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
No store page for this one.
Software
Has said they use
Huygens-Fokker Foundation
Scala tuning software“Scala is deep, very deep, but some things are very quick and easy to get going.”
Said in Richard D. James speaks to Tatsuya Takahashi (Warp), July 2017
Has said they use
U&I Software
MetaSynthSaid in MetaSynth: users include Richard David James (Aphex Twin) (U&I Software), September 2026
Records and listening
BBC
BBC sci-fi sound effects records
Has said they love
“a lot of the BBC sci-fi sounds effects records are wicked”
Said in Classic interview: Aphex Twin (Future Music issue 6, 1993, via MusicRadar), July 2021
No store page for this one.
Daily tech
Shazam
Shazam
Has said they love
Shazam
Shazam“the brilliant Shazam had recently launched”
Said in Aphex Twin and Dave Griffiths release free sound design software, Samplebrain (Resident Advisor), September 2022
Questions
About Aphex Twin's gear.
What synth does Aphex Twin use?
He has named the Korg monologue, volca fm and minilogue, a Rhodes Chroma with custom microtuning chips and a Yamaha DX100 (Warp, 2017), plus three Korg MS-20s and a modded SH-101 (Future Music, 1993). Waldorf calls him a long-term Iridium Desktop user (2026).
What drum machine does Aphex Twin use?
He said he used modified Roland TR-808 sounds on Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (Future Music, 1993). For korg funk 5 he ran a snare-modded Korg volca beats through a Skibbe preamp, an RTZ EQ and a Calrec minimixer (Warp, 2017).
What sampler does Aphex Twin use?
Future Music reported in 1993 that a Casio FZ-10 with custom filters was on about 80% of his tracks. The Syro track title s950tx16wasr10 points to an Akai S950, Yamaha TX16W and Ensoniq ASR-10, and in 2017 he praised the Korg volca sample.
What sequencer does Aphex Twin use?
He has said he sequences on a Sequentix Cirklon, and korg funk 5 was sequenced on it in one take (Warp, 2017). He said most of the Analord series was sequenced on a Roland MC-4 (Clash, 2006).
What software does Aphex Twin use?
U&I Software lists Richard D. James among MetaSynth users. He has said he builds tunings in Scala and then tweaks them on hardware (Warp, 2017). In 1993 he said he wrote parts on an Atari ST before sending them to his own sequencer.
Does Aphex Twin have a signature synth?
Yes. Novation's AFX Station (2020) is a limited edition Bass Station II made with Richard D. James, with his AFX Mode built in, which gives every key on the synth its own patch.
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Named in this guide
AT
Aphex Twin
About this guide · Last checked
Aphex Twin is Richard D. James, the Cornish electronic producer behind Selected Ambient Works 85-92, Drukqs and Syro. This guide covers the synths, samplers, sequencers and studio gear he has named in his own interviews, plus his brand collaborations and a couple of things he loves.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Aphex Twin didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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