Orbital

Orbital's Paul Hartnoll talks about his experience with the Bass Station II synth:

"…having spent years using Novation stuff, I know the quality of it. But with all these modular synths that I’ve got, big polysynths and things like that, I tend to think, really what’s another little mono synth gonna do for me? I have to say I was incredibly surprised when I started playing with it, and it has sat here and it’s helped me finish my album. I used it the 1st time and thought ‘Oh, thats good.’ I got a baseline out of it which was just what I needed at the time, instead of turning to the System 100 M (which is what I’ve been going to recently). It really did nail the job. And I’ve been going to it ever since for bass and lead, actually. It’s been pretty amazing! It’s got a really nice bouncy sort of sound - rubbery kind of sound. Some synths you find you have to really push them into a mix. But this, just kind of sits in there. The overdrive before the filter is amazing. I’ve been finding that just gives you that extra punch. It’s been really good for basslines, bass sounds. It’s instantly got that bit of velocity to it as well if you want it. For me the first thing I noticed about it - apart from helping me troubleshoot the last few tracks of my album - I found this has been doing nearly all the basslines in that job. Not ALL the baselines in the album, but all the ones that are broken that need fixing. I haven't had to go out to the modulars yet, which is saying a lot!"

Wavestation keyboard is included in equipment list.

In this Roland Users Group article, the Hartnoll brothers are asked about "What Roland gear made it onto The Blue Album?" They reply, "God almighty. The 303, the 808, the 909, the Jupiter-6, the SH-09, which is still a personal favorite of mine... The Jupiter-6 has also been a favorite. It was semi-customized with two outputs before I bought it. That synth was our workhorse. All of our early albums just thrived on the Jupiter-6. I remember doing things for TV, and people would come up and try to put gaffer tape over the logo. I’d say, ‘What are you doing?’ I can honestly say that I’m not the kind of person who likes to display corporate logos and things like that, but I’ve always felt quite proud of the word Roland across my gear."

can be seen on the left hand side of table, being used for bubbly acid line from controller toward the end.

Orbital includes the Novation Bass Station Keyboard in their equipment list, as documented by Hyperreal.

In an article where Orbital talks about the gear they used on The Blue Album, they talk about the Roland SH-09. Paul Hartnoll says it's "...still a personal favorite of mine. I know there are so many bigger-sounding synths out there, but we always go back to the SH-09 for bass lines. It just has this direct, head-first sort of feel about it. I even pitted it against an Andromeda to get the bass line, and I ended up conceding and had to use the SH-09."

In the YouTube video by Novation, Paul Hartnoll of Orbital discusses using the rare EDP Wasp synthesizer, seen at the 0:22 mark.

seen at 0:50 of his live performance in kcrw studio

Orbital uses the MFB Dominion X as a substitute for their larger MacBeth M5N synthesizer, as shown in the "Orbital Shows Off Their Synths & Other Onstage Gear at Moogfest" video by Nightgeist Media on YouTube.

You can clearly see a TB-303 in Orbital's live setup in this 2019 interview.

Orbital lists the E-Mu Emax II Turbo Keyboard in their gear inventory, as documented by Hyperreal.

Included in equipment list

In the Spitfire Audio video "Creative Cribs - Paul Hartnoll (Orbital)," Paul Hartnoll is shown using the Elektron Analog Keys synthesizer at the 12:29 mark.

In a YouTube video by 180 Fact, Orbital's Paul Hartnoll demonstrates the use of the Arturia MatrixBrute Analog Synthesizer, illustrating its role in maintaining the classic rave sound.

synth shown in video

In the video by 180 Fact, Orbital's Paul Hartnoll demonstrates the use of the Dave Smith Instruments Sequential Prophet X, showcasing how it contributes to their classic rave sound.

In the YouTube video by 180 Fact, Paul Hartnoll of Orbital demonstrates the Access Virus TI2 Desktop Synthesizer, showcasing how it contributes to their classic rave sound.

synth shown in video

In this interview, Paul Hartnoll from Orbital says that Orbital used the Novation Supernova II during the recording of "The altogheter" and that it is his favorite. Magazine - Making Music - Issue 181 - May 2001

In this interview, Paul Hartnoll from Orbital says that Orbital used one kawai K5000 in the recording of "The altogheter". Magazine - Making Music - Issue 181 - May 2001

In this video at 6:34, Paul Hartnoll show the synth with other gear in the Orbital studio used for recording the album "Monster exist". FACTmagazine, Dec 2018.

In this video at 10:48, Paul Hartnoll show the Macbeth M5N in the Orbital studio and at the top it is possible to see an Korg MS-20. FACTmagazine, Dec 2018.

In a video shared on their official Facebook page, Orbital features the Moog Sub Phatty in their studio setup.

At the 0:19 mark of this video of Paul Hartnoll in his studio, you can see his ARP 2600 Modular Synthesizer (with an Orbital sticker on the casing for good measure).

a system 100 from roland time 0.19

Wavestation A/D is included in equipment list.

Included in equipment list

Included in equipment list

Included in equipment list

Included in equipment list