James Blake

Used for Blake's piano on Beyoncé's "Forward", as stated by producer Stuart White in this this September 24, 2016 AudioTechnology interview.

In the case of James Blake, White recorded him at Conway Studios. White: “He came in, heard the track (Forward), walked up to Bey’s Elam 251 with the same vocal chain (Avalon 737 into Tube Tech CL1B) and sang his vocal pretty much right off the bat. Then he tried some chords on the piano and I recorded him soon after using two older Schoeps W-221 [sic] small diaphragm microphones going into Neve 1073 mic pres."

This Billboard feature dated Oct 7, 2021, calls out the Five12 Vector Sequencer (the hardware product, NOT Numerology, Five12's flagship software product) as a key ingredient of his new album:

“The Five12 is a numeric sequencer," says Blake, "so it works differently from a lot of other sequencers. With this, I can select notes as well as the octave of those notes. You can also select probabilities, like, there’s a probability that it will skip the next note entirely or that it will jump the octave next time that note comes around. Basically, it’s fun to mess around with for me. You can set the parameters and let it play until you find something you like from it as it randomizes.

"I used this to make the introduction to ‘I’m So Blessed You’re Mine.’ Then I made the chorus section of the song too...

In this Billboard feature, dated Oct 7, 2021, the Moog DFAM is cited as a key ingredient of James' new album:

“I used this one to create the kick drums on ‘Show Me,’" says Blake. "I also used it on a couple other songs on the record for percussion. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a synth drum sound like the DFAM. It’s really weird. Once I got my hands on this, I knew there was nothing else like it. The only way I could get this sound is by buying this. You could really knock out any kick drum you’ll ever use on this thing. You can make anything on it. This is my first record using it. I actually bought two of them while I was in New York. I thought it was great to experiment with, so we just jammed for hours, many days in a row on this thing.”

Per this Billboard feature, dated Oct 7, 2021:

Arturia Stage-73 V (Rhodes)

“This is one of the great moments on the record," Blake says of the track “Coming Back.” "I use the Arturia Rhodes as the main percussion when the beat comes in. I turned the percussive sounds of the Rhodes up super high, and it makes this crazy sound. That’s a tip for anyone who wants to make a strange sound with one of these -- turn up the sound of the mallet all the way and that becomes its own strange thing.”

In the minute 4:39 James Talks about how he used the massive plugin in his first album

In this screenshot of a livestream on YouTube. You can see James Blake singing into what looks to be a Shure SM7B.

UDO Audio Super 6 is in front of him in this video.

In this podcast called Tape Notes - "TN:122 James Blake", James Blake mentions running the song "Life Around Here" though the "Thermionic Culture Fat Bustard MKII" at 00:14:10

Worth mentioning is that the correct version of this gear is a green limited edition version called Thermionic Culture Fat Bustard II LE.

In this podcast called Tape Notes, TN:122 James Blake, James mentions learning about how to use the "Make Noise Maths" at 00:20:06

Around 1:50, James mentioned the Pulsar 23 as being one of his favorite drum machines.

This photo is from a Hypebeast article, James Blake: Instruments of Control.

The article talks about this being James Blake's studio, where on the left a Tiptop Audio Mantis 2 x 104 HP Eurorack Modular Synthesizer Case (Black) can be seen. The article is regarding his 2026 album release, Trying Times:

Tucked away in the basement of a studio in Central London’s Soho neighborhood is a 10 by 20 room where big ideas escape its small confines. Wires snake across the floor. Synths and keyboards are stacked one on top of another like books in a messy study. At the center of it all is dubstep innovator turned Grammy-winning producer and vocalist James Blake: tall, thoughtful, and quietly in command. Four keyboards surround him in a semicircle, with two more resting nearby.

This photo is from a Hypebeast article, James Blake: Instruments of Control.

The article talks about this being James Blake's studio, and on top of the piano his PreSonus HP4 Discrete 4-Channel Headphone Amp can be seen. The article is regarding his 2026 album release, Trying Times:

Tucked away in the basement of a studio in Central London’s Soho neighborhood is a 10 by 20 room where big ideas escape its small confines. Wires snake across the floor. Synths and keyboards are stacked one on top of another like books in a messy study. At the center of it all is dubstep innovator turned Grammy-winning producer and vocalist James Blake: tall, thoughtful, and quietly in command. Four keyboards surround him in a semicircle, with two more resting nearby.

In a post on Vault.fm titled "James Blake - Alpha base/pulsar, https://vault.fm/jamesblake/drop/alpha-basepulsar" James Blake is documented working in the studio with a Jomox Alpha Base drum machine.

In this Vault.fm post (https://vault.fm/jamesblake/drop/alpha-basepulsar), James Blake can be seen using a Chase Bliss Lossy pedal. The pedal’s distinctive pink enclosure with metallic knobs and mini-switches matches the Chase Bliss Lossy model. It appears positioned next to his other gear and is likely used for degraded ambience and texture processing during the session.

In this Vault.fm studio post (https://vault.fm/jamesblake/drop/alpha-basepulsar), James Blake can be seen using a Chase Bliss MOOD MKII pedal. The distinctive purple enclosure with pink knobs clearly matches the MOOD MKII design. It appears to be used for micro-looping, ambience, and experimental texture processing during the session.

In this Vault.fm studio post (https://vault.fm/jamesblake/drop/alpha-basepulsar), James Blake can be seen using a Chase Bliss Onward pedal. The unit is identifiable by its dark blue enclosure and the distinctive printed graphic/artwork on the faceplate, along with the metallic knobs and top-mounted mini-switches typical of Chase Bliss pedals. It appears to be used for ambient and degraded texture processing during the session.

In this Vault.fm post (https://vault.fm/jamesblake/drop/just-a-little-higher), James Blake is seen using an Elektron Analog Rytm MKII drum machine and sampler. The unit’s distinctive layout with pads, knobs, and screen matches the Analog Rytm MKII design

In this Vault.fm post (https://vault.fm/jamesblake/drop/baby-rose-musical-note-rose-soon), James Blake is seen using a Moog Matriarch Dark synthesizer throughout the video. The instrument is clearly identifiable by its dark/black color scheme, large semi-modular layout, and distinctive red buttons on the front panel, all matching the Matriarch Dark design.

In the video "Structuring Robots Into Heaven," James Blake can be seen using the Make Noise RxMx Eurorack module, as evidenced by the footage provided in the YouTube video authored by James Blake.

James Blake can be seen using the Make Noise FXDf Module in the video "Structuring Robots Into Heaven," as part of his creative process for the album "Playing Robots Into Heaven," directed by The Reids and presented by Bowers & Wilkins.

The Eurorack modules can be seen in the video Structuring Robots Into Heaven

The Xaoc Batumi Eurorack module used by James Blake can be seen in the video "Structuring Robots Into Heaven," presented by Bowers & Wilkins on YouTube.

In the video "Structuring Robots Into Heaven," James Blake is shown using the Verbos Electronics Complex Oscillator, providing visual confirmation of his use of this Eurorack module.

In the video "Structuring Robots Into Heaven," James Blake can be seen using the Mannequins Three Sisters Eurorack module, as documented by James Blake on YouTube.

In the video "Structuring Robots Into Heaven" by James Blake, the 4ms Dual Looping Delay (DLD) Eurorack module is visibly used.

In the video "Structuring Robots Into Heaven" by James Blake, the Verbos Electronics Foundation Oscillator can be clearly seen, confirming its use by the artist.

James Blake is confirmed to use the Mannequins MANGROVE Eurorack module, as it can be seen in his video "Structuring Robots Into Heaven," which is part of a series presented by Bowers & Wilkins, detailing the making of his album "Playing Robots Into Heaven."

In the video titled "Structuring Robots Into Heaven," James Blake can be seen using the Intellijel Quad VCA module as part of his Eurorack setup. This video is part of a series presented by Bowers & Wilkins that visualizes the making of his project "Playing Robots Into Heaven."

In the video "Structuring Robots Into Heaven" by James Blake, Mutable Instruments Rings can be seen among the Eurorack modules used by the artist. This short film provides a visual documentation of the making of his album "Playing Robots Into Heaven," as presented by Bowers & Wilkins.

In the video "Structuring Robots Into Heaven," James Blake can be seen using the Make Noise Optomix Eurorack module. This video is part of a short film series presented by Bowers & Wilkins, visualizing the making of his album "Playing Robots Into Heaven."