Top 5Has said they use
Roland
TR-909 Rhythm Composer“I can't even tell you how many tracks I've made with a 909 and they don't all sound the same.”
Photo: Basic Sounds (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Jeff Mills. Every item links to its public source.
8 items · Last checked What's in Jeff Mills' studio?
Jeff Mills has said the Roland TR-909 is the machine he has made countless tracks with, alongside the TB-303, TR-707 and TR-727. In 2024 he said he mostly works with Korg Mono/Polys and old Moogs, and that he made The Bells on a Yamaha DX7.
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Top 5
Where to start with Jeff Mills's gear.
01
02
Top 5Has said they use
Roland
TB-303 Bass Line“There's no sound like it.”
03
Top 5Has said they use
Roland
TR-707“It was the Akai R-15, and I moved to a TR-707 next.”
04
Top 5Has said they use
Roland
TR-727“they then brought out the 303, the 707, the 727 and you just collect them and they became the foundation of my music.”
05
Top 5Has said they use
Korg
Mono/Poly“Just the standard sort of Korg Mono/Polys and old Moogs with that crisp, heavy sound”
What drum machines Jeff Mills uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Studio
Has said they use
Roland
TR-909 Rhythm Composer“I can't even tell you how many tracks I've made with a 909 and they don't all sound the same.”
Has said they use
Roland
TB-303 Bass Line“There's no sound like it.”
Has said they use
Roland
TR-707“It was the Akai R-15, and I moved to a TR-707 next.”
Has said they use
Roland
TR-727“they then brought out the 303, the 707, the 727 and you just collect them and they became the foundation of my music.”
Has said they use
Korg
Mono/Poly“Just the standard sort of Korg Mono/Polys and old Moogs with that crisp, heavy sound”
Moog
Vintage analog synthesizers
Has said they use
Said in Jeff Mills: I'm waiting for instrument makers to make that simple piece of gear that does that one thing brilliantly (MusicRadar), March 2024
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Has said they use
Yamaha
DX7“I made The Bells on the DX7!”
Stage
Roland
TR-909 as a live instrument
Has said they use
“Quickly, very quickly, I began to look at the machine differently, because I was playing with musicians”
Said in Jeff Mills on the 909: I began to look at the machine differently (MusicTech), December 2022
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Questions
About Jeff Mills's gear.
What drum machine does Jeff Mills use?
Jeff Mills is known for the Roland TR-909, which he has said he plays as an instrument as well as programs. He has also named the TR-707 and TR-727 among the machines that became the foundation of his music.
What synth does Jeff Mills use?
In 2024 he told MusicRadar he mostly works with Korg Mono/Polys and old Moogs, plus the Roland TB-303. He has said he made The Bells on a Yamaha DX7.
What synth was The Bells made on?
Jeff Mills told MusicRadar in 2024 that he made The Bells on a Yamaha DX7, a synth he said everybody in Detroit had at the time.
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Jeff Mills
About this guide · Last checked
Jeff Mills is the Detroit techno pioneer, Underground Resistance co-founder and Axis Records founder, known for playing the Roland TR-909 as a live instrument. This guide covers the drum machines and synths he has named in interviews.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Jeff Mills didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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