Dan Donovan

"When writing, I like to randomly do stuff and see how it sounds. I've got a QX1, and sometimes I just type in a load of notes, play it backwards or whatever and transpose it to see how it sounds. If I think of an idea I'd rather play it myself than try to figure it out on a sequencer and make it really complicated. I always try to make things really simple."

Donovan started his musical life on the piano, and still prefers piano keyboards to those on any synthesiser he has played. Throughout the time he was learning piano, he looked forward to the day he would acquire his first synthesiser. That was a Roland JX3P and it was quickly followed by a Yamaha DX7. In retrospect he sees these two purchases as the best investments of his life - six months later and he was recruited into the band. However, neither synth is retained in his current line-up.

Donovan started his musical life on the piano, and still prefers piano keyboards to those on any synthesiser he has played. Throughout the time he was learning piano, he looked forward to the day he would acquire his first synthesiser. That was a Roland JX3P and it was quickly followed by a Yamaha DX7. In retrospect he sees these two purchases as the best investments of his life - six months later and he was recruited into the band. However, neither synth is retained in his current line-up.

"I've got the old bog-standard Akai S900, a Prophet VS which I think is a very under-rated keyboard, a Mirage and an Oberheim Matrix 6", he reveals. "The VS has got some great sounds, although the keyboard tends to be a bit mushy. There's a great function on it where you can make random waveforms and random sounds ad infinitum. It just comes up with some fantastic Dr Who 'dalek sounds' and all kinds of weird stuff. Having said that, I like sampling myself. I like sounds that are real. I never got into programming, I was never very good at that."

"I've got the old bog-standard Akai S900, a Prophet VS which I think is a very under-rated keyboard, a Mirage and an Oberheim Matrix 6", he reveals. "The VS has got some great sounds, although the keyboard tends to be a bit mushy. There's a great function on it where you can make random waveforms and random sounds ad infinitum. It just comes up with some fantastic Dr Who 'dalek sounds' and all kinds of weird stuff. Having said that, I like sampling myself. I like sounds that are real. I never got into programming, I was never very good at that."

"I've got the old bog-standard Akai S900, a Prophet VS which I think is a very under-rated keyboard, a Mirage and an Oberheim Matrix 6", he reveals. "The VS has got some great sounds, although the keyboard tends to be a bit mushy. There's a great function on it where you can make random waveforms and random sounds ad infinitum. It just comes up with some fantastic Dr Who 'dalek sounds' and all kinds of weird stuff. Having said that, I like sampling myself. I like sounds that are real. I never got into programming, I was never very good at that."

"I've got the old bog-standard Akai S900, a Prophet VS which I think is a very under-rated keyboard, a Mirage and an Oberheim Matrix 6", he reveals. "The VS has got some great sounds, although the keyboard tends to be a bit mushy. There's a great function on it where you can make random waveforms and random sounds ad infinitum. It just comes up with some fantastic Dr Who 'dalek sounds' and all kinds of weird stuff. Having said that, I like sampling myself. I like sounds that are real. I never got into programming, I was never very good at that."

Mick was delayed with other business and thus it was Dan who had started things rolling. As keyboard player and MD he uses a Roland JX3P synth, a Yamaha DX-7, an Ensoniq Mirage sampling synth and a Roland MSQ-700 sequencer.