Jean Michel Jarre

"I really love the new Prophet Rev2 from Dave Smith. I think it’s probably the best polyphonic synthesizer out there, ever. "

I used a lot of pedals like the Electro–Harmonix Small Stone phase shifter to create the modulations and delays, and for the remake I had a pair of Revox B77s for tape delays. Actually, I would say that 40 or 50 percent of the music is coming from the Revox machines, because I was quite extreme, by having a signal direct on one side and delay on the other, almost at the same percentage.

The pedal was later gifted to Matt Berry, who references the pedal in 2020 Sound on Sound interview.

He is also an avid pedal collector; the Small Stone Phase on the upper tier of his pedalboard was a gift from Jean‑Michel Jarre, who used it on his seminal Oxygène album.

In 2018 podcast Bonus Episode: The Sounds of Oxygene, Jarre explained the use of Small Stone.

What I did was I used some pedals from the guy from Electro-Harmonix. He created some fantastic pedals, such as Electric Mistress or Small Stone. You have different versions of Small Stone, which is interesting in the electronic music. (...) The number two has a story. The real sound of "Oxygen" is when the 9V battery is slightly used. When you go down to 9 volts, it has this silky, kind of phasy sound that makes it so soft. You can hear the battery when it is totally new, then it sounds a bit harsh.

“Digital spent 15 to 20 years trying to compete with the warmth and sound of analogue, but only in the last five years with plug-ins like Diva, Dune, Monarch, Omnisphere and the Native Instruments ones, is there a real new way of competing with the analogue Moog, Memorymoog or ARP 2600.”

In the YouTube video titled "Jean Michel Jarre - Equinoxe 4 - Place de la Concorde, Paris 1979," Jean Michel Jarre can be seen using the Eko ComputeRhythm drum machine.

"One of the most unusual synths in Jarre’s collection is the RMI Harmonic Synthesizer, an early additive synth. On top of it is an even rarer device: the Digisequencer matrix sequencer custom–built by Michel Geiss to Jarre’s specification."

Quote and image copied from soundonsound article at https://www.soundonsound.com/people/jean-michel-jarre

"I use Logic Pro a lot. Everything is integrated, there’s no external interface, it’s fantastic. I use it as a large sequencer, it’s like the nerve centre of the recording process. I also have it installed on my MacBook Pro. I’ll be going on tour soon and I’ll be able to continue working on my next album. I use GarageBand too, particularly as a notepad to write down all my musical ideas."

Although in this live all the marks on the keyboards are covered you can easly spot the XP-80 as main keyboard in Jean's rig, under the JV-90

"Making sure my Fairlight is still working...". Jean Michel Jarre use this sampler on the album Zoolook [1984].

at 2:55 , we can see a session of Ableton live for his collaboration with 3D (Massive Attack) for the track "watching you".

Jean Michel Jarre highlights the Arturia V Collection Classics, stating, "What we have here is the perfect mastering of modern technologies, to serve the talent of Mr. Robert Moog. The Minimoog is part of my equipment and is always on my personal desktop." This insight is shared by Arturia, emphasizing Jarre's integration of these synth plugins into his creative process.

Jean Michel Jarre includes the Teenage Engineering OP-1 Portable Synthesizer among his favorite synthesizers, as featured in the Red Bull Music Academy article.

Jean Michel Jarre is listed as a user of the Korg MicroKORG Synthesizer/Vocoder on Vintage Synth Explorer.

JMJ can be seen Very often using the Memorymoog as main keyboard live and also in this video

Although it has its mark covered whit black tape, the JV-90 is on center of Jean's rig over the XP-80. He use it pratically for every lead sound.

At the back of the album cover of the Rendez-vous album by Jean-Michel Jarre is a list of used instruments. In short:

Seiko DS 250, Synthex, Moog, Roland JX 8P, ARP 2600, Fairlight, Emulator II, Eminent, AKS, Lynn 9000, Memory Moog, Drumulator, Laser Harp, RMI, Seiko DS 320, OBX, DX 100, Matrisequencer, TR 808, Prophet, Casio CZ 5000, Baby Korg personal keyboard.

On this video, Jarre promote the MC-808 Groovebox from Roland and explain that he use it to make rythmic and bass sound. Can be seen at kl 2:27 and 1:15.

In this Video the Nord Lead 2 can be seen atop of the roland JD-800 just right the memorymoog

"Jean-Michel’s plan was to follow as closely as possible the original recording process, using the same synths and effects wherever possible, but replacing the Scully eight–track with a Mac–based Pro Tools HD3 system, recording at 24–bit, 96KHz via a Summit Audio TPA 200B Dual Tube preamp and Neve and API processors. “I put almost everything through the Summit,” he says, “and I got this good, fat, analogue sound."

Albums which use ROLAND TR-909 : • Chronologie

At the back of the album cover of the Rendez-vous album by Jean-Michel Jarre is a list of used instruments. In short:

Seiko DS 250, Synthex, Moog, Roland JX 8P, ARP 2600, Fairlight, Emulator II, Eminent, AKS, Lynn 9000, Memory Moog, Drumulator, Laser Harp, RMI, Seiko DS 320, OBX, DX 100, Matrisequencer, TR 808, Prophet, Casio CZ 5000, Baby Korg personal keyboard.

Quote from album "Oxygene 7-13" by Jean-Michel Jarre (1997 release):

"Jean Michel Jarre played the following Instruments: 2600 ARP Synthesizer, VCS3 synthesizer, AKS, Eminent, Mellotron, Theremin, CS80, Quasimidi Raven, Digisequencer, Logic Audio, Akai MPC3000, Nordlead, JV 90, K2000, RMI, Prophecy, TR808, DJ70."

Quote from album "Oxygene 7-13" by Jean-Michel Jarre (1997 release):

"Jean Michel Jarre played the following Instruments: 2600 ARP Synthesizer, VCS3 synthesizer, AKS, Eminent, Mellotron, Theremin, CS80, Quasimidi Raven, Digisequencer, Logic Audio, Akai MPC3000, Nordlead, JV 90, K2000, RMI, Prophecy, TR808, DJ70."

There is a list of the used instruments on the "Revolutions" album by Jean-Michel Jarre. Its inside the front cover. The text contains the following instruments (and two choirs): "Roland D50, Roland D550, Fairlight CMI II, Fairlight CMI III, Synthex, AKS, Oscar, EMS Vocoder, Dynacord ADDI, Cristal Baschet, AKAI MPC-60, Emulator, Ensoniq ESQ1, ARP 2600, Kawai K5, Geiss Matrisequencer, Cavagnolo MIDY 20, Elka, AMK 800, Drums, Simmons SDX, Bass, Trumpet, Megaphone, Guitar, Choir." Cd cover can bee seen at http://www.45worlds.com/cdalbum/cd/8370982

On this picture, Jarre talk about "My [*his] 808" and seems to use it on his studio.

A Farfisa Professional was used during the recording of "Oxygene 2007." The organ can be seen to the right on top of a Mellotron.

At 21:50 in this video Jean using tape recorder.

Jean Michel Jarre includes the RMI Electra-piano and Harpsichord (300-Series) among his favorite synthesizers, as noted by Red Bull Music Academy.

at minute 5:19 you see him with two Genelec studio monitors

“Digital spent 15 to 20 years trying to compete with the warmth and sound of analogue, but only in the last five years with plug-ins like Diva, Dune, Monarch, Omnisphere and the Native Instruments ones, is there a real new way of competing with the analogue Moog, Memorymoog or ARP 2600.”

Notes from Chronologie CD booklet: Notes from booklet:

"Keyboards and synthesizers / Claviers et synthétiseurs : Jean Michel Jarre Instruments / Instruments : Digisequencer, Kurzweil K2000, Mini Moog, ARP 2600, Akai MPC-60, Akai S 1000, AKS, JD 800, Korg 01, TR 909, DR 660, Synthex, Eminent, JP 8, DJ 70, Vocalist, Fairlight.