Top 5Has said they use
Roland
TR-909 Rhythm Composer“We bought the 909 in 1984, the year it came out, and I've been using it ever since”
Said in Roland Artist Interview: Underworld (Roland Australia), July 2020
Photo: Torrensmike · CC BY-SA 4.0
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Underworld. Every item links to its public source.
53 items · Last checked What DAW does Underworld use?
Rick Smith has said Underworld build their records on a Roland TR-909, with a VP-330 vocoder on most tracks, a Juno-106 and a Yamaha DX7. He has said he sequenced with an Akai MPC2000 and Logic Audio, and that an SSL L500 console sits at the heart of their show.
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02
Top 5Has said they use
Roland
VP-330 Vocoder Plus“I love the way it interacts with Karl's voice.”
Said in Roland Artist Interview: Underworld (Roland Australia), July 2020
No store page for this one.
03
Top 5Has said they use
Roland
Juno-106“a supreme piece of kit”
Said in Roland Artist Interview: Underworld (Roland Australia), July 2020
04
Top 5Has said they use
Roland
V-Synth XT“it's a lovely instrument to program, it solves a lot of problems”
Said in Roland Artist Interview: Underworld (Roland Australia), July 2020
05
Top 5Has said they use
Akai Professional
MPC2000Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
What studio gear Underworld uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Rick Smith's studio
Has said they use
Roland
TR-909 Rhythm Composer“We bought the 909 in 1984, the year it came out, and I've been using it ever since”
Said in Roland Artist Interview: Underworld (Roland Australia), July 2020
Has said they use
Roland
VP-330 Vocoder Plus“I love the way it interacts with Karl's voice.”
Said in Roland Artist Interview: Underworld (Roland Australia), July 2020
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Roland
Juno-106“a supreme piece of kit”
Said in Roland Artist Interview: Underworld (Roland Australia), July 2020
Has said they use
Akai Professional
MPC2000Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
Akai Professional
S3200XL sampler
Has said they use
Akai Professional
S3200XL sampler“I use this a lot. Very important.”
Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Yamaha
DX7“I have a set of sounds that I've programmed and that seem to work consistently.”
Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
ARP
2600 modular synth
Has said they use
Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Casio
FZ-1“Our oldest sampler. It goes on once a year.”
Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
Has said they use
Nord
Nord LeadSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
Has said they use
Quasimidi
Technox sound module“It's great when you have something cooking along, and you quickly want some pad or bass sounds.”
Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Peavey
PC6100X MIDI Command Station
Has said they use
“Handy. It sends MIDI info from the faders and buttons so you can control the faders in the computer, instead of using a mouse.”
Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Emagic
Logic Audio
Has said they use
Emagic
Logic AudioSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
Has said they use
Reason Studios
ReCycleSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
Has said they use
TL Audio
VTC valve console“I like the valve sound.”
Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
“The most wonderful, beautiful compressor.”
Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
TC Electronic
Finalizer Plus“We put whole mixes through this”
Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Focusrite
ISA115HD EQ
Has said they use
Focusrite
ISA115HD EQSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Has said they use
Yamaha
SPX90 multi-effectsSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Rick Smith live rig
Has said they use
Roland
V-Synth XT“it's a lovely instrument to program, it solves a lot of problems”
Said in Roland Artist Interview: Underworld (Roland Australia), July 2020
Solid State Logic
L500 live console
Has said they use
Solid State Logic
L500 live console“It's absolutely an instrument right at the heart of the stage.”
Said in Underworld Chooses SSL L500 Console for Touring (Mix), November 2015
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Akai Professional
S6000Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Nord
Nord RackSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
Find it on
Has said they use
Novation
BassStation RackSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Emagic
Unitor 8 MIDI interfaceSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Mixing
Has said they use
Avid
Pro ToolsSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
Karl Hyde's live rack
Has said they use
Mesa/Boogie
Triaxis guitar preampSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
TC Electronic
FireworxSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Roland
GR-1 guitar synthesizerSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
Has said they use
Roland
GK-2A divided pickupSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Roland
GR-50 guitar synthesizer“I have a Roland GR50 chopped up in a slim box behind my guitar.”
Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Drawmer
DS201 dual gate“The Drawmer gate is the last in the chain before it goes to Rick's desk.”
Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
AlphaTheta / Pioneer DJ
CDJ-502
Has said they use
AlphaTheta / Pioneer DJ
CDJ-502“I use the Pioneer CDJ502 compact disc player for text input and occasional sound effects”
Said in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Karl Hyde's studio
Has said they use
Access Music
VirusSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
Find it on
Has said they use
Waldorf
Microwave XTSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Sherman
FilterbankSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
Has said they use
Joemeek
VC1 voice channelSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Has said they use
Novation
Drum StationSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
Spirit by Soundcraft
Absolute 4P monitors
Has said they use
Spirit by Soundcraft
Absolute 4P monitorsSaid in UNDERWORLD: The Making Of Everything, Everything (Sound On Sound), December 2000
No store page for this one.
Records that shaped Karl Hyde
Has said they love
James Blake
James Blake“I just love the way he deconstructs songs.”
Said in Another Wardrobe In My Head: Karl Hyde's Favourite Albums (The Quietus), April 2013
Buy
Has said they love
Efterklang
Tripper“This is a very important album for me.”
Said in Another Wardrobe In My Head: Karl Hyde's Favourite Albums (The Quietus), April 2013
Buy
Has said they love
Burial
Untrue“it just has this dusty, beautifully dirty quality”
Said in Another Wardrobe In My Head: Karl Hyde's Favourite Albums (The Quietus), April 2013
Has said they love
John Martyn
Inside Out“This is his most processed album.”
Said in Another Wardrobe In My Head: Karl Hyde's Favourite Albums (The Quietus), April 2013
Buy
Has said they love
Nina Nastasia
On LeavingSaid in Another Wardrobe In My Head: Karl Hyde's Favourite Albums (The Quietus), April 2013
Buy
Has said they love
The Last Poets
The Last Poets“The thing I love about The Last Poets is that they are very direct, they pull no punches”
Said in Another Wardrobe In My Head: Karl Hyde's Favourite Albums (The Quietus), April 2013
Buy
Has said they love
Tangerine Dream
RubyconSaid in Another Wardrobe In My Head: Karl Hyde's Favourite Albums (The Quietus), April 2013
Buy
Has said they love
Various Artists
2001: A Space Odyssey soundtrack“It blew me away and changed my life.”
Said in Another Wardrobe In My Head: Karl Hyde's Favourite Albums (The Quietus), April 2013
No store page for this one.
Has said they love
Tinariwen
The Radio Tisdas SessionsSaid in Another Wardrobe In My Head: Karl Hyde's Favourite Albums (The Quietus), April 2013
Buy
Has said they love
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)Said in Another Wardrobe In My Head: Karl Hyde's Favourite Albums (The Quietus), April 2013
Has said they love
Miles Davis
Kind of Blue“It had such a tone to it.”
Said in Another Wardrobe In My Head: Karl Hyde's Favourite Albums (The Quietus), April 2013
Listen
Has said they love
Talk Talk
Spirit of EdenSaid in Another Wardrobe In My Head: Karl Hyde's Favourite Albums (The Quietus), April 2013
Buy
Has said they love
David Bowie
LowSaid in Another Wardrobe In My Head: Karl Hyde's Favourite Albums (The Quietus), April 2013
Buy
Questions
About Underworld's gear.
What drum machine does Underworld use?
Rick Smith has said he bought a Roland TR-909 in 1984 and has used it ever since, and that the first three Underworld albums were built around it. He has also named a Korg ER-1 and a Novation DrumStation in the studio.
What synth does Underworld use?
Rick Smith has said a Roland VP-330 vocoder appears on most Underworld records. He has also named a Juno-106 (the Born Slippy chords), a Yamaha DX7, an ARP 2600, a Nord Lead and a Roland V-Synth XT. Karl Hyde has named an Access Virus and a Waldorf Microwave XT.
What DAW does Underworld use?
In a 2000 Sound On Sound interview Rick Smith said he ran Logic Audio 4.5 and ReCycle on an Apple Mac G4, and moved to a Pro Tools system to mix the Everything, Everything live recordings.
What mixing console does Underworld use live?
Rick Smith has said Underworld chose a Solid State Logic L500 console for touring from 2015, calling it an instrument at the heart of the stage.
What studio monitors does Underworld use?
Sound On Sound listed Spirit Absolute 4P monitors in Karl Hyde's studio room in 2000.
What records does Karl Hyde love?
Karl Hyde has said he loves James Blake's debut album, Burial's Untrue, John Martyn's Inside Out, Tangerine Dream's Rubycon, Miles Davis's Kind Of Blue, Talk Talk's Spirit Of Eden and David Bowie's Low.
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U
Underworld
About this guide · Last checked
Underworld are the English electronic duo of Rick Smith and Karl Hyde, the band behind Born Slippy and dubnobasswithmyheadman. This guide covers the synths, samplers and consoles they have named in interviews, plus the records Karl Hyde has said shaped him.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Underworld didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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