Damon Albarn

Can be seen in the studio at 0:31

Regarding Gorillaz album, "The Fall," Albarn says, "I've made it on an iPad – I hope I'll be making the first record on an iPad," he said. "I fell in love with my iPad as soon as I got it, so I've made a completely different kind of record."

Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/gorillaz/53816#cSS5pC5XTiQM5OoR.99

Visible in this photo of recording engineer Stephen Sedgwick in 13 Studios, taken from this October 21, 2014 interview by the The Polymath Perspective.

As far as studio processing goes, there presence of six Empirical Labs Distressors in the racks clearly shows that the product is a firm studio favourite. "The Distressors are great compressors and very versatile,” agrees Steve. "They are good on drums and vocals and for general recording."

The EL8 was used for Albarn's vocals on Gorillaz's "Charger", as mentioned by Sedgwick in this July 2017 Sound on Sound interview about the production of Humanz.

"I usually compress vocals with outboard, either using Empirical Labs Distressors or sometimes the Summit TLA 100A or Tube-Tech CL1B compressor." (...) "I recorded Damon’s rough vocals with a Neumann KMS105 condenser, which sounds pretty good and doesn’t pick up a lot of sound from the room, so it works great if there are other people around and he quickly wants to lay down some ideas. But when it came to recording his final vocal takes I used the Flea 47, which is a really great-sounding Neumann U47 clone. I usually recorded it via a Chandler LTD1 mic pre, and then either a Distressor or a Tube-Tech CL1B compressor."

The 3630 is listed in the inventory of Albarn's 13 Studio.

According to this article, Damon owns the massive TL Audio VTC desk.

Located in Albarn's 13 Studios and used to mix Gorillaz's Humanz, as mentioned by recording engineer and frequent collaborator Stephen Sedgwick in this July 2017 Sound on Sound interview about Humanz's production.

Another essential cog in the Humanz-making machine was engineer and mixer Stephen Sedgwick. The vast majority of the work on Humanz was done with just Albarn, The Twilite Tone, Kabaka, Sedgwick and his assistant Samuel Egglenton present in the control room of Studio 13, which sports a 72-channel Neve VR desk and tons of outboard. (...) Sedgwick conducted the final mixes on the Neve VR, making ample use of the outboard at Studio 13. “I do mixes sometimes almost entirely in the box, because of the nature of the project, and I get results that I am happy with, particularly as I will still run these mixes through my regular outboard mix bus chain. But something like the Gorillaz project is different. I knew that at the end I’d be mixing, and for me, that’s the time I can be creative with it. Because I have been there for the entire writing and recording process it’s easy for me to remain sympathetic to the vibe, and I get to turn things up loud here in the room and I have fun with the material."

The Rhythm Ace is listed in the inventory of Albarn's 13 Studio.

In a photograph from Polymathperspective, Damon Albarn is shown with a Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo on his shelf, indicating its presence in his studio setup.

In a photo from Polymathperspective, Damon Albarn's Roland RE-201 Space Echo is visible on top of a stack, positioned next to the Prodigy gear.

Used for Albarn's vocals on Gorillaz's "Charger", as mentioned by recording engineer Stephen Sedgwick in this July 2017 Sound on Sound interview about the production of Humanz.

“I recorded Damon’s rough vocals with a Neumann KMS105 condenser, which sounds pretty good and doesn’t pick up a lot of sound from the room, so it works great if there are other people around and he quickly wants to lay down some ideas. But when it came to recording his final vocal takes I used the Flea 47, which is a really great-sounding Neumann U47 clone. I usually recorded it via a Chandler LTD1 mic pre, and then either a Distressor or a Tube-Tech CL1B compressor."

Used for Albarn's vocals on Gorillaz's "Charger", as mentioned by recording engineer Stephen Sedgwick in this July 2017 Sound on Sound interview about the production of Humanz.

“I recorded Damon’s rough vocals with a Neumann KMS105 condenser, which sounds pretty good and doesn’t pick up a lot of sound from the room, so it works great if there are other people around and he quickly wants to lay down some ideas. But when it came to recording his final vocal takes I used the Flea 47, which is a really great-sounding Neumann U47 clone. I usually recorded it via a Chandler LTD1 mic pre, and then either a Distressor or a Tube-Tech CL1B compressor."

Can be seen in the studio at 0:31

In a photo from Studio 13's website, Damon Albarn is shown using the Crane Song HEDD 192, highlighting its role in his studio setup.

In this YouTube video at 1:08:36, you can see Damon Albarn using the wurlitzer Sideman in this recording session for The Now Now

In this YouTube clip of the 808 documentary he talks about his use of the 808.

According to this article, Damon uses this in his recording studio.

You can see it next to a Korg MS-10.

Used for Albarn's vocals on Gorillaz's "Charger", as mentioned by recording engineer and frequent collaborator Stephen Sedgwick in this July 2017 Sound on Sound interview about the production of Humanz.

“The vocals start at track 42, with Damon’s lead vocal. The main lo-fi telephone-like effect is the typical 2-D sound, because this is a 2-D song. I can’t tell you what it is, but it’s done with hardware. The plug-ins on the inserts are a Waves Renaissance De-esser and RVox, and the Waves Kramer PIE [compressor], which I use a lot on vocals. Below are two tracks of lead vocals with delays.

While recording, I often use the SoundToys EchoBoy for delays, but I replace that with hardware delays to get more character. In this case these two tracks are prints of me running Damon’s vocals through a Roland SDE 2000. I was having fun with that, doing fast delays and delays with modulation. Then there are some Damon harmonies, and the yellow tracks are him singing the chorus, and some of these are pitched down an octave with the Little AlterBoy. I usually compress vocals with outboard, either using Empirical Labs Distressors or sometimes the Summit TLA 100A or Tube-Tech CL1B compressor. If want to impose a lot of character I’ll engage an old Collins broadcast limiter. For reverbs on the vocals I often use the studio’s EMT 140 plate.

Used for Albarn's vocals on Gorillaz's "Clint Eastwood", as mentioned by producer Tom Girling in the September 2001 Sound on Sound article "Recording 'Clint Eastwood'".

''We used the Neumann TLM170 for Damon's vocal, and we hired some gear when we went to Jamaica, so I think he probably went through an 1176 as well, or perhaps a Distressor," explains Tom. "We used a Neve 1073, which is an EQ with a mic amp on as well, so the mic was plugged straight into that, and then after that I think it was the 1176 and straight into Logic."

Used for Albarn’s vocals on the Escape to Plastic Beach Tour, as stated by Albarn’s longtime FOH engineer Matt Butcher in this July 15, 2019 article by Entec Sound and Light.

“There are quite a few echo and delay cues, especially on Damon’s voice. I have an outboard rack with a TC D2 and a couple of Lexicon PCM81s in it, plus I’m using some of the internal effects for reverbs and delay for snare drums.

“When I was using a Midas Heritage on the first shows we did, I’d mess around with the tone generator and echo, along with guitar pedals to get some weird lo-fi effects. It was all very analogue and suited what we were doing and I’ve tried it with the D5, but I don’t really have as much time to play with these days!”

Used for Albarn’s vocals on the Escape to Plastic Beach Tour, as stated by Albarn’s longtime FOH engineer Matt Butcher in this July 15, 2019 article by Entec Sound and Light.

“There are quite a few echo and delay cues, especially on Damon’s voice. I have an outboard rack with a TC D2 and a couple of Lexicon PCM81s in it, plus I’m using some of the internal effects for reverbs and delay for snare drums.

“When I was using a Midas Heritage on the first shows we did, I’d mess around with the tone generator and echo, along with guitar pedals to get some weird lo-fi effects. It was all very analogue and suited what we were doing and I’ve tried it with the D5, but I don’t really have as much time to play with these days!”

In this Youtube video, the Ace Tone Rhythm Ace FR-2L can be seen at Damon Albarn studio 40:28 - 40:38 (top right corner), during the Demon Days recording session.

Also in this picture, the Ace Tone Rhythm Ace FR-2L is seen at Damon Albarn studio (top left corner).

The Cha-Cha rhythm of the Ace Tone Rhythm Ace FR-2L was used in the Gorillaz song Last Living Souls.

In this article from Select – August 1995, it i mentions Damon Albarn using the Yamaha QY10 «On tour in America in late 1993, Damon had bought a second-hand portable sequencer – a Yamaha QY 10 – for $100 in San Francisco. That night, at the city’s Phoenix Hotel, he roped a terribly hungover Dave Rowntree to teach him how to program it.». It was used for the song "London Loves" on Parklife. In this interview: https://youtu.be/EDX6l9_58RA at 7:43 Damon Albarn is seen with the Yamaha QY10 talking about the song "Connection" by Elastica.