Top 5Uses
Avid
Pro Tools“We still have folders full of Akai S2000 and S5000 samples on my Mac, and they have a particular sound, but now I'm using Pro Tools.”
Photo: Raph_PH (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY 2.0
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by The Avalanches. Every item links to its public source.
25 items · Last checked What DAW does The Avalanches use?
The Avalanches' Robbie Chater uses Pro Tools on a Mac, recording straight from a turntable, and Andy Szekeres uses Ableton Live. They have said their earlier records were built on Akai S900, S2000 and S5000 samplers with Opcode Studio Vision, Technics and Rega turntables and Roland controller keyboards.
Top 5
Where to start with The Avalanches's gear.
01
02
Top 5Has said they use
Akai Professional
S5000 samplerSaid in Avalanches: Wildflower (Sound On Sound), October 2016
03
Top 5Has said they use
Akai Professional
S900“We had a couple of Akai S900s which ended up buttonless and black from unnatural amounts of use.”
Said in The Avalanches (Sound On Sound), November 2002
04
Top 5Has said they use
Akai Professional
MPC 2000XLSaid in The Avalanches (Sound On Sound), November 2002
05
Top 5Has said they use
Technics
SL-1200 turntablesSaid in The Avalanches (Sound On Sound), November 2002
What studio gear The Avalanches uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Studio
Uses
Avid
Pro Tools“We still have folders full of Akai S2000 and S5000 samples on my Mac, and they have a particular sound, but now I'm using Pro Tools.”
Ableton
Live (Andy Szekeres)Said in The Avalanches on clearing samples and swapping hardware samplers for Pro Tools (MusicRadar), October 2026
No store page for this one.
Apple
Mac
Uses
Apple
MacSaid in The Avalanches on clearing samples and swapping hardware samplers for Pro Tools (MusicRadar), October 2026
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Akai Professional
S5000 samplerSaid in Avalanches: Wildflower (Sound On Sound), October 2016
Akai Professional
S2000 sampler
Has said they use
Akai Professional
S2000 sampler“we had a very basic version of Opcode's Studio Vision sequencing software and a similarly modest beige G3 and S2000 sampler”
Said in The Avalanches (Sound On Sound), November 2002
Has said they use
Akai Professional
S900“We had a couple of Akai S900s which ended up buttonless and black from unnatural amounts of use.”
Said in The Avalanches (Sound On Sound), November 2002
Opcode
StudioVision
Has said they use
Opcode
StudioVisionSaid in The Avalanches on Carl Sagan's influence and their retro modern sampling approach (MusicTech), December 2020
No store page for this one.
Apple
Power Mac G3
Has said they use
Apple
Power Mac G3Said in Avalanches: Wildflower (Sound On Sound), October 2016
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Technics
SL-1200 turntablesSaid in The Avalanches (Sound On Sound), November 2002
Rega
Planar 25 turntable
Has said they use
“We're really happy with the Rega Planar 25s, but they are so detailed that we resort back to the Technics for scruffy vinyl.”
Said in The Avalanches (Sound On Sound), November 2002
No store page for this one.
Yamaha
01V digital mixer
Has said they use
Yamaha
01V digital mixerSaid in The Avalanches (Sound On Sound), November 2002
No store page for this one.
Yamaha
Promix 01 mixer
Has said they use
Yamaha
Promix 01 mixerSaid in The Avalanches (Sound On Sound), November 2002
No store page for this one.
Digidesign
001 interface
Has said they use
Digidesign
001 interfaceSaid in The Avalanches (Sound On Sound), November 2002
No store page for this one.
Roland
PC160 and PC200 MkII controller keyboards
Has said they use
Said in The Avalanches (Sound On Sound), November 2002
No store page for this one.
Shure
KSM44 mic
Has said they use
API
API/DeMedio console at Sunset Sound
Has said they use
Said in The Avalanches on Carl Sagan's influence and their retro modern sampling approach (MusicTech), December 2020
No store page for this one.
Apple
iPhone (sharing ideas)
Has said they use
Said in The Avalanches on Carl Sagan's influence and their retro modern sampling approach (MusicTech), December 2020
No store page for this one.
Live
Has said they use
Akai Professional
MPC 2000XLSaid in The Avalanches (Sound On Sound), November 2002
Shure
Beta 58A mics
Has said they use
Gibson
SG (Robbie Chater)
Seen using
Gibson
SG (Robbie Chater)Seen in The Avalanches on Carl Sagan's influence and their retro modern sampling approach (MusicTech), December 2020
No store page for this one.
Keys and instruments
Yamaha
Electone and YC-series organs
Has said they use
Said in The Avalanches (Sound On Sound), November 2002
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Fender
Rhodes electric pianoSaid in Avalanches: Wildflower (Sound On Sound), October 2016
Has said they use
Hammond
Hammond organSaid in Avalanches: Wildflower (Sound On Sound), October 2016
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Has said they use
Roland
SH-101Said in Avalanches: Wildflower (Sound On Sound), October 2016
Questions
About The Avalanches's gear.
What DAW does The Avalanches use?
Robbie Chater uses Pro Tools and records from the turntable directly into it, and Andy Szekeres uses Ableton Live. Earlier records were sequenced in Opcode's Studio Vision.
What sampler does The Avalanches use?
They have said they made their early records on Akai S900 and S2000 samplers, then upgraded to the Akai S5000, which was the workhorse for Wildflower. Live they ran an Akai MPC2000XL.
What MIDI keyboard does The Avalanches use?
Sound On Sound's 2002 gear list named Roland PC160, PC160A and PC200 MkII controller keyboards.
What turntables does The Avalanches use?
They have said they sample from Technics 1200s and Rega Planar 25 turntables, going back to the Technics for scruffy vinyl.
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TA
The Avalanches
About this guide · Last checked
The Avalanches are the Australian sample collage group of Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi, known for Since I Left You and Wildflower. This guide covers their DAWs, Akai samplers, turntables and keys, from MusicRadar, MusicTech and Sound On Sound.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. The Avalanches didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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