“But looking at Logic is like I’m not looking at anything.”

Photo: Julio Enriquez · CC BY 2.0
What DAW does Jamie xx use?
Jamie xx uses Logic Pro as his DAW, with stock Logic instruments like the ES2 plus Soundtoys Crystallizer, XLN Audio XO, Xfer Serum and Output Thermal. His drums run through an Isla S2400, an Akai MPC1000 and a Roland TR-808, and an Oberheim Eight Voice plays his chords.
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What studio gear Jamie xx uses: a sourced gear guide
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Studio
“But looking at Logic is like I’m not looking at anything.”
“It’s like my favorite synth ever because you can tune every oscillator”
“The Korg Delta that I got in Japan, which is another weird synth”
“I have drums at home and I have a Tascam 8-track reel to reel to record the drums in”
“And it will EQ the speakers so that it sounds a bit tighter.”
Plugins
“The ES 2 synth, I think, is probably the best one.”
“I use the Crystallizer without the pitching quite a lot now because it has a very widening delay.”
“it’s a really fun way of finding sounds because it’s got this galaxy looking thing of all the drum sounds.”
“this is the verse bass line, which is just using sort of a regular serum, very used bass plugin.”
“it’s just like a bunch of sort of wideners and affect things that sometimes I use.”
Drum machines
“Or I’ll just play stuff in live using MPC or the Isla, so that it has a more live, slightly off-kilter feel”
“they just have like an extra little oomph that I don’t know what it is.”
“I had this 808 through a guitar distortion pedal.”
“I’ve been using that a lot, I really like that”
Effects
“And then I ran it through the Space Echo over there, which just adds that spring reverb.”
Stage
“We used it when we did the shows at the Armory.”
“Yeah, we still use that as well.”
Records that shaped me
“My two favourite records in the world are Radiohead’s In Rainbows and The Avalanches’ Since I Left You.”
“They’re so dense, but so spacious.”
“it was one of the first electronic albums that inspired me. I must have been about 10 when I got it.”
“It’s a record that reminds me of a certain time and it was something that I hadn’t heard before.”
DJ booth
About Jamie xx's gear.
What DAW does Jamie xx use?
Jamie xx uses Logic Pro. In a 2025 Tape Notes episode he said he learned on GarageBand and Logic, still works with the old stock Logic instruments and named the ES2 synth as the one he reaches for.
What plugins does Jamie xx use?
He uses Soundtoys Crystallizer for a wide delay, Zynaptiq MORPH, XLN Audio XO for finding drum sounds, Xfer Serum for the verse bass on Life, Output Thermal, and Sonarworks SoundID Reference to tune his speakers to the room.
What synth does Jamie xx use?
Jamie xx uses an Oberheim Eight Voice for the chords on Breather and Gosh and a Korg Delta he bought in Japan, alongside the ES2 software synth inside Logic Pro.
What drum machine does Jamie xx use?
Mostly an Isla S2400 and an Akai MPC1000, plus a Roland TR-808 run through a guitar distortion pedal. In a Roland interview he named a CR-78, TR-909 and AIRA TR-8, and The xx's live rigs have shown Akai MPC500 and MPC2000 units.
What DJ mixer does Jamie xx use?
Mixdown's 2018 rundown of The xx's live rig spotted an E&S DJR 400 rotary mixer next to two Pioneer CDJs, two Akai MPC500s and a Roland JX-03, and Mixdown has named him among DJs who favour the DJR 400.
What records does Jamie xx love?
He has said Radiohead's In Rainbows and The Avalanches' Since I Left You are the two records he rates above all others, and that Portishead's Dummy was one of the first electronic albums that inspired him.
Jamie xx is the London producer, DJ and member of The xx behind the albums In Colour and In Waves. This guide covers the studio gear, plugins, drum machines and synths he has talked about or been seen with, from The xx's early MPC500 live rig to his In Waves studio, plus his DJ mixer and the records he says shaped him.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Jamie xx didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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