Paul Robb

Included in his studio are synthesizers such as the Roland MKS-70, two MKS-50s, a MKS-80 and D-50; Yamaha TX-81Z; four Oberheim Matrix 1000s, E-mu Orbit and Morpheus, and a Casio VZ-10M. Sample players include Kurzweil 1000AX+, Roland U-110, Oberheim DPX-1, E-mu Proformance Piano and Proteus (as well as the Proteus 2 and 3), Alesis NanoBass and samplers, including a Casio FZ-10M, two Akai S-1000s and three Akai CD-3000s. He also turns to E-mu Procussion, Roland R-8M, Alesis DM-5, Roland BD-1 and a Roland SPD-11 for drum sounds.

Included in his studio are synthesizers such as the Roland MKS-70, two MKS-50s, a MKS-80 and D-50; Yamaha TX-81Z; four Oberheim Matrix 1000s, E-mu Orbit and Morpheus, and a Casio VZ-10M. Sample players include Kurzweil 1000AX+, Roland U-110, Oberheim DPX-1, E-mu Proformance Piano and Proteus (as well as the Proteus 2 and 3), Alesis NanoBass and samplers, including a Casio FZ-10M, two Akai S-1000s and three Akai CD-3000s. He also turns to E-mu Procussion, Roland R-8M, Alesis DM-5, Roland BD-1 and a Roland SPD-11 for drum sounds.

Opcode 128X MIDI interface. "I wasn't crazy about getting into the world of MIDI interfaces, because up until only last year, I used the Yamaha C1, which has built‑in 8‑port MIDI as well as SMPTE read and write. I was using 8‑port MIDI when people didn't even know what a MIDI port was! It was just rock solid, nothing ever went wrong."

List of effects at Paul Robb's studio:

Aphex Type C2 Exciter. BBE 462 Sonic Maximiser enhancer. Drawmer DL241 dual compressor. "I generally strap this across the stereo buss. At some point I'd like to get a better compressor, though." Boss SE50. Boss SE70. "I primarily use these for distortion." Digitech VFX Valve FX. "This is an awesome distortion box. It's so bright it will rip your head off." Ensoniq DP/2. "I also use this primarily for distortion. All four of my distortion boxes [Digitech Valve FX, Roland SE50 and SE70, Ensoniq DP2] are absolutely critical to me. They're indispensable. I rarely use synthesizers anymore without running them through a guitar box." Eventide H3000 multi‑effects. FMR Audio RNC1773 Really Nice Compressor (x3). "These are my new favourite boxes. They make them in Texas, and they're incredibly cheap — 179 dollars, I think it was. But they're great, and on a par with the Drawmer compressor." Focusrite Red 2 Dual EQ. "It's mostly just gorgeous looking! Everyone who comes in here notices it. It looks like a piece of candy, you just want to bite on it. The thing is, it's so intimidating to look at, you really can't tell if it's any good or not — it doesn't need to be any good! I like it, though it's not quite good enough to strap across the whole mix: the EQ3D is on a par, even though it's half the price." Focusrite Red 7 Voice Channel. "This has a mic pre, a compressor, an enhancer and a de‑esser in it, which we use for recording vocals." Lexicon MPX1 multi‑effects. Lexicon PCM70 multi‑effects. Nightpro EQ3D filter. Peavey Analog Filter. "I actually very rarely use this. I've run some loops through it to make them sound crunchy and lo‑fi and it works OK. These techno people use outboard filters all the time — it's just that this one isn't a particularly good one, and I can't justify spending a grand on something like the Waldorf DPole or the Mutator." Roland SDE1000. "I just use this for simple delays." Roland SRV2000 reverb. SPL Vitalizer. "I think this is a lot more popular in Britain than it is here. I like it, but it has so much background hiss that I can only use it in loud noisy music. The great thing about it is the way it spreads the stereo fields, it's got some kind of phase." TC Electronic M2000 multi‑effects. Yamaha SPX90 multi‑effects. "This was the first effects box I ever bought and it's totally on its last legs. I keep it for its stereo split program, because it sounds so grainy and nice."

List of effects at Paul Robb's studio:

Aphex Type C2 Exciter. BBE 462 Sonic Maximiser enhancer. Drawmer DL241 dual compressor. "I generally strap this across the stereo buss. At some point I'd like to get a better compressor, though." Boss SE50. Boss SE70. "I primarily use these for distortion." Digitech VFX Valve FX. "This is an awesome distortion box. It's so bright it will rip your head off." Ensoniq DP/2. "I also use this primarily for distortion. All four of my distortion boxes [Digitech Valve FX, Roland SE50 and SE70, Ensoniq DP2] are absolutely critical to me. They're indispensable. I rarely use synthesizers anymore without running them through a guitar box." Eventide H3000 multi‑effects. FMR Audio RNC1773 Really Nice Compressor (x3). "These are my new favourite boxes. They make them in Texas, and they're incredibly cheap — 179 dollars, I think it was. But they're great, and on a par with the Drawmer compressor." Focusrite Red 2 Dual EQ. "It's mostly just gorgeous looking! Everyone who comes in here notices it. It looks like a piece of candy, you just want to bite on it. The thing is, it's so intimidating to look at, you really can't tell if it's any good or not — it doesn't need to be any good! I like it, though it's not quite good enough to strap across the whole mix: the EQ3D is on a par, even though it's half the price." Focusrite Red 7 Voice Channel. "This has a mic pre, a compressor, an enhancer and a de‑esser in it, which we use for recording vocals." Lexicon MPX1 multi‑effects. Lexicon PCM70 multi‑effects. Nightpro EQ3D filter. Peavey Analog Filter. "I actually very rarely use this. I've run some loops through it to make them sound crunchy and lo‑fi and it works OK. These techno people use outboard filters all the time — it's just that this one isn't a particularly good one, and I can't justify spending a grand on something like the Waldorf DPole or the Mutator." Roland SDE1000. "I just use this for simple delays." Roland SRV2000 reverb. SPL Vitalizer. "I think this is a lot more popular in Britain than it is here. I like it, but it has so much background hiss that I can only use it in loud noisy music. The great thing about it is the way it spreads the stereo fields, it's got some kind of phase." TC Electronic M2000 multi‑effects. Yamaha SPX90 multi‑effects. "This was the first effects box I ever bought and it's totally on its last legs. I keep it for its stereo split program, because it sounds so grainy and nice."

List of effects at Paul Robb's studio:

Aphex Type C2 Exciter. BBE 462 Sonic Maximiser enhancer. Drawmer DL241 dual compressor. "I generally strap this across the stereo buss. At some point I'd like to get a better compressor, though." Boss SE50. Boss SE70. "I primarily use these for distortion." Digitech VFX Valve FX. "This is an awesome distortion box. It's so bright it will rip your head off." Ensoniq DP/2. "I also use this primarily for distortion. All four of my distortion boxes [Digitech Valve FX, Roland SE50 and SE70, Ensoniq DP2] are absolutely critical to me. They're indispensable. I rarely use synthesizers anymore without running them through a guitar box." Eventide H3000 multi‑effects. FMR Audio RNC1773 Really Nice Compressor (x3). "These are my new favourite boxes. They make them in Texas, and they're incredibly cheap — 179 dollars, I think it was. But they're great, and on a par with the Drawmer compressor." Focusrite Red 2 Dual EQ. "It's mostly just gorgeous looking! Everyone who comes in here notices it. It looks like a piece of candy, you just want to bite on it. The thing is, it's so intimidating to look at, you really can't tell if it's any good or not — it doesn't need to be any good! I like it, though it's not quite good enough to strap across the whole mix: the EQ3D is on a par, even though it's half the price." Focusrite Red 7 Voice Channel. "This has a mic pre, a compressor, an enhancer and a de‑esser in it, which we use for recording vocals." Lexicon MPX1 multi‑effects. Lexicon PCM70 multi‑effects. Nightpro EQ3D filter. Peavey Analog Filter. "I actually very rarely use this. I've run some loops through it to make them sound crunchy and lo‑fi and it works OK. These techno people use outboard filters all the time — it's just that this one isn't a particularly good one, and I can't justify spending a grand on something like the Waldorf DPole or the Mutator." Roland SDE1000. "I just use this for simple delays." Roland SRV2000 reverb. SPL Vitalizer. "I think this is a lot more popular in Britain than it is here. I like it, but it has so much background hiss that I can only use it in loud noisy music. The great thing about it is the way it spreads the stereo fields, it's got some kind of phase." TC Electronic M2000 multi‑effects. Yamaha SPX90 multi‑effects. "This was the first effects box I ever bought and it's totally on its last legs. I keep it for its stereo split program, because it sounds so grainy and nice."

List of effects at Paul Robb's studio:

Aphex Type C2 Exciter. BBE 462 Sonic Maximiser enhancer. Drawmer DL241 dual compressor. "I generally strap this across the stereo buss. At some point I'd like to get a better compressor, though." Boss SE50. Boss SE70. "I primarily use these for distortion." Digitech VFX Valve FX. "This is an awesome distortion box. It's so bright it will rip your head off." Ensoniq DP/2. "I also use this primarily for distortion. All four of my distortion boxes [Digitech Valve FX, Roland SE50 and SE70, Ensoniq DP2] are absolutely critical to me. They're indispensable. I rarely use synthesizers anymore without running them through a guitar box." Eventide H3000 multi‑effects. FMR Audio RNC1773 Really Nice Compressor (x3). "These are my new favourite boxes. They make them in Texas, and they're incredibly cheap — 179 dollars, I think it was. But they're great, and on a par with the Drawmer compressor." Focusrite Red 2 Dual EQ. "It's mostly just gorgeous looking! Everyone who comes in here notices it. It looks like a piece of candy, you just want to bite on it. The thing is, it's so intimidating to look at, you really can't tell if it's any good or not — it doesn't need to be any good! I like it, though it's not quite good enough to strap across the whole mix: the EQ3D is on a par, even though it's half the price." Focusrite Red 7 Voice Channel. "This has a mic pre, a compressor, an enhancer and a de‑esser in it, which we use for recording vocals." Lexicon MPX1 multi‑effects. Lexicon PCM70 multi‑effects. Nightpro EQ3D filter. Peavey Analog Filter. "I actually very rarely use this. I've run some loops through it to make them sound crunchy and lo‑fi and it works OK. These techno people use outboard filters all the time — it's just that this one isn't a particularly good one, and I can't justify spending a grand on something like the Waldorf DPole or the Mutator." Roland SDE1000. "I just use this for simple delays." Roland SRV2000 reverb. SPL Vitalizer. "I think this is a lot more popular in Britain than it is here. I like it, but it has so much background hiss that I can only use it in loud noisy music. The great thing about it is the way it spreads the stereo fields, it's got some kind of phase." TC Electronic M2000 multi‑effects. Yamaha SPX90 multi‑effects. "This was the first effects box I ever bought and it's totally on its last legs. I keep it for its stereo split program, because it sounds so grainy and nice."

List of effects at Paul Robb's studio:

Aphex Type C2 Exciter. BBE 462 Sonic Maximiser enhancer. Drawmer DL241 dual compressor. "I generally strap this across the stereo buss. At some point I'd like to get a better compressor, though." Boss SE50. Boss SE70. "I primarily use these for distortion." Digitech VFX Valve FX. "This is an awesome distortion box. It's so bright it will rip your head off." Ensoniq DP/2. "I also use this primarily for distortion. All four of my distortion boxes [Digitech Valve FX, Roland SE50 and SE70, Ensoniq DP2] are absolutely critical to me. They're indispensable. I rarely use synthesizers anymore without running them through a guitar box." Eventide H3000 multi‑effects. FMR Audio RNC1773 Really Nice Compressor (x3). "These are my new favourite boxes. They make them in Texas, and they're incredibly cheap — 179 dollars, I think it was. But they're great, and on a par with the Drawmer compressor." Focusrite Red 2 Dual EQ. "It's mostly just gorgeous looking! Everyone who comes in here notices it. It looks like a piece of candy, you just want to bite on it. The thing is, it's so intimidating to look at, you really can't tell if it's any good or not — it doesn't need to be any good! I like it, though it's not quite good enough to strap across the whole mix: the EQ3D is on a par, even though it's half the price." Focusrite Red 7 Voice Channel. "This has a mic pre, a compressor, an enhancer and a de‑esser in it, which we use for recording vocals." Lexicon MPX1 multi‑effects. Lexicon PCM70 multi‑effects. Nightpro EQ3D filter. Peavey Analog Filter. "I actually very rarely use this. I've run some loops through it to make them sound crunchy and lo‑fi and it works OK. These techno people use outboard filters all the time — it's just that this one isn't a particularly good one, and I can't justify spending a grand on something like the Waldorf DPole or the Mutator." Roland SDE1000. "I just use this for simple delays." Roland SRV2000 reverb. SPL Vitalizer. "I think this is a lot more popular in Britain than it is here. I like it, but it has so much background hiss that I can only use it in loud noisy music. The great thing about it is the way it spreads the stereo fields, it's got some kind of phase." TC Electronic M2000 multi‑effects. Yamaha SPX90 multi‑effects. "This was the first effects box I ever bought and it's totally on its last legs. I keep it for its stereo split program, because it sounds so grainy and nice."

List of effects at Paul Robb's studio:

Aphex Type C2 Exciter. BBE 462 Sonic Maximiser enhancer. Drawmer DL241 dual compressor. "I generally strap this across the stereo buss. At some point I'd like to get a better compressor, though." Boss SE50. Boss SE70. "I primarily use these for distortion." Digitech VFX Valve FX. "This is an awesome distortion box. It's so bright it will rip your head off." Ensoniq DP/2. "I also use this primarily for distortion. All four of my distortion boxes [Digitech Valve FX, Roland SE50 and SE70, Ensoniq DP2] are absolutely critical to me. They're indispensable. I rarely use synthesizers anymore without running them through a guitar box." Eventide H3000 multi‑effects. FMR Audio RNC1773 Really Nice Compressor (x3). "These are my new favourite boxes. They make them in Texas, and they're incredibly cheap — 179 dollars, I think it was. But they're great, and on a par with the Drawmer compressor." Focusrite Red 2 Dual EQ. "It's mostly just gorgeous looking! Everyone who comes in here notices it. It looks like a piece of candy, you just want to bite on it. The thing is, it's so intimidating to look at, you really can't tell if it's any good or not — it doesn't need to be any good! I like it, though it's not quite good enough to strap across the whole mix: the EQ3D is on a par, even though it's half the price." Focusrite Red 7 Voice Channel. "This has a mic pre, a compressor, an enhancer and a de‑esser in it, which we use for recording vocals." Lexicon MPX1 multi‑effects. Lexicon PCM70 multi‑effects. Nightpro EQ3D filter. Peavey Analog Filter. "I actually very rarely use this. I've run some loops through it to make them sound crunchy and lo‑fi and it works OK. These techno people use outboard filters all the time — it's just that this one isn't a particularly good one, and I can't justify spending a grand on something like the Waldorf DPole or the Mutator." Roland SDE1000. "I just use this for simple delays." Roland SRV2000 reverb. SPL Vitalizer. "I think this is a lot more popular in Britain than it is here. I like it, but it has so much background hiss that I can only use it in loud noisy music. The great thing about it is the way it spreads the stereo fields, it's got some kind of phase." TC Electronic M2000 multi‑effects. Yamaha SPX90 multi‑effects. "This was the first effects box I ever bought and it's totally on its last legs. I keep it for its stereo split program, because it sounds so grainy and nice."

List of effects at Paul Robb's studio:

Aphex Type C2 Exciter. BBE 462 Sonic Maximiser enhancer. Drawmer DL241 dual compressor. "I generally strap this across the stereo buss. At some point I'd like to get a better compressor, though." Boss SE50. Boss SE70. "I primarily use these for distortion." Digitech VFX Valve FX. "This is an awesome distortion box. It's so bright it will rip your head off." Ensoniq DP/2. "I also use this primarily for distortion. All four of my distortion boxes [Digitech Valve FX, Roland SE50 and SE70, Ensoniq DP2] are absolutely critical to me. They're indispensable. I rarely use synthesizers anymore without running them through a guitar box." Eventide H3000 multi‑effects. FMR Audio RNC1773 Really Nice Compressor (x3). "These are my new favourite boxes. They make them in Texas, and they're incredibly cheap — 179 dollars, I think it was. But they're great, and on a par with the Drawmer compressor." Focusrite Red 2 Dual EQ. "It's mostly just gorgeous looking! Everyone who comes in here notices it. It looks like a piece of candy, you just want to bite on it. The thing is, it's so intimidating to look at, you really can't tell if it's any good or not — it doesn't need to be any good! I like it, though it's not quite good enough to strap across the whole mix: the EQ3D is on a par, even though it's half the price." Focusrite Red 7 Voice Channel. "This has a mic pre, a compressor, an enhancer and a de‑esser in it, which we use for recording vocals." Lexicon MPX1 multi‑effects. Lexicon PCM70 multi‑effects. Nightpro EQ3D filter. Peavey Analog Filter. "I actually very rarely use this. I've run some loops through it to make them sound crunchy and lo‑fi and it works OK. These techno people use outboard filters all the time — it's just that this one isn't a particularly good one, and I can't justify spending a grand on something like the Waldorf DPole or the Mutator." Roland SDE1000. "I just use this for simple delays." Roland SRV2000 reverb. SPL Vitalizer. "I think this is a lot more popular in Britain than it is here. I like it, but it has so much background hiss that I can only use it in loud noisy music. The great thing about it is the way it spreads the stereo fields, it's got some kind of phase." TC Electronic M2000 multi‑effects. Yamaha SPX90 multi‑effects. "This was the first effects box I ever bought and it's totally on its last legs. I keep it for its stereo split program, because it sounds so grainy and nice."

List of effects at Paul Robb's studio:

Aphex Type C2 Exciter. BBE 462 Sonic Maximiser enhancer. Drawmer DL241 dual compressor. "I generally strap this across the stereo buss. At some point I'd like to get a better compressor, though." Boss SE50. Boss SE70. "I primarily use these for distortion." Digitech VFX Valve FX. "This is an awesome distortion box. It's so bright it will rip your head off." Ensoniq DP/2. "I also use this primarily for distortion. All four of my distortion boxes [Digitech Valve FX, Roland SE50 and SE70, Ensoniq DP2] are absolutely critical to me. They're indispensable. I rarely use synthesizers anymore without running them through a guitar box." Eventide H3000 multi‑effects. FMR Audio RNC1773 Really Nice Compressor (x3). "These are my new favourite boxes. They make them in Texas, and they're incredibly cheap — 179 dollars, I think it was. But they're great, and on a par with the Drawmer compressor." Focusrite Red 2 Dual EQ. "It's mostly just gorgeous looking! Everyone who comes in here notices it. It looks like a piece of candy, you just want to bite on it. The thing is, it's so intimidating to look at, you really can't tell if it's any good or not — it doesn't need to be any good! I like it, though it's not quite good enough to strap across the whole mix: the EQ3D is on a par, even though it's half the price." Focusrite Red 7 Voice Channel. "This has a mic pre, a compressor, an enhancer and a de‑esser in it, which we use for recording vocals." Lexicon MPX1 multi‑effects. Lexicon PCM70 multi‑effects. Nightpro EQ3D filter. Peavey Analog Filter. "I actually very rarely use this. I've run some loops through it to make them sound crunchy and lo‑fi and it works OK. These techno people use outboard filters all the time — it's just that this one isn't a particularly good one, and I can't justify spending a grand on something like the Waldorf DPole or the Mutator." Roland SDE1000. "I just use this for simple delays." Roland SRV2000 reverb. SPL Vitalizer. "I think this is a lot more popular in Britain than it is here. I like it, but it has so much background hiss that I can only use it in loud noisy music. The great thing about it is the way it spreads the stereo fields, it's got some kind of phase." TC Electronic M2000 multi‑effects. Yamaha SPX90 multi‑effects. "This was the first effects box I ever bought and it's totally on its last legs. I keep it for its stereo split program, because it sounds so grainy and nice."

List of effects at Paul Robb's studio:

Aphex Type C2 Exciter. BBE 462 Sonic Maximiser enhancer. Drawmer DL241 dual compressor. "I generally strap this across the stereo buss. At some point I'd like to get a better compressor, though." Boss SE50. Boss SE70. "I primarily use these for distortion." Digitech VFX Valve FX. "This is an awesome distortion box. It's so bright it will rip your head off." Ensoniq DP/2. "I also use this primarily for distortion. All four of my distortion boxes [Digitech Valve FX, Roland SE50 and SE70, Ensoniq DP2] are absolutely critical to me. They're indispensable. I rarely use synthesizers anymore without running them through a guitar box." Eventide H3000 multi‑effects. FMR Audio RNC1773 Really Nice Compressor (x3). "These are my new favourite boxes. They make them in Texas, and they're incredibly cheap — 179 dollars, I think it was. But they're great, and on a par with the Drawmer compressor." Focusrite Red 2 Dual EQ. "It's mostly just gorgeous looking! Everyone who comes in here notices it. It looks like a piece of candy, you just want to bite on it. The thing is, it's so intimidating to look at, you really can't tell if it's any good or not — it doesn't need to be any good! I like it, though it's not quite good enough to strap across the whole mix: the EQ3D is on a par, even though it's half the price." Focusrite Red 7 Voice Channel. "This has a mic pre, a compressor, an enhancer and a de‑esser in it, which we use for recording vocals." Lexicon MPX1 multi‑effects. Lexicon PCM70 multi‑effects. Nightpro EQ3D filter. Peavey Analog Filter. "I actually very rarely use this. I've run some loops through it to make them sound crunchy and lo‑fi and it works OK. These techno people use outboard filters all the time — it's just that this one isn't a particularly good one, and I can't justify spending a grand on something like the Waldorf DPole or the Mutator." Roland SDE1000. "I just use this for simple delays." Roland SRV2000 reverb. SPL Vitalizer. "I think this is a lot more popular in Britain than it is here. I like it, but it has so much background hiss that I can only use it in loud noisy music. The great thing about it is the way it spreads the stereo fields, it's got some kind of phase." TC Electronic M2000 multi‑effects. Yamaha SPX90 multi‑effects. "This was the first effects box I ever bought and it's totally on its last legs. I keep it for its stereo split program, because it sounds so grainy and nice."

List of effects at Paul Robb's studio:

Aphex Type C2 Exciter. BBE 462 Sonic Maximiser enhancer. Drawmer DL241 dual compressor. "I generally strap this across the stereo buss. At some point I'd like to get a better compressor, though." Boss SE50. Boss SE70. "I primarily use these for distortion." Digitech VFX Valve FX. "This is an awesome distortion box. It's so bright it will rip your head off." Ensoniq DP/2. "I also use this primarily for distortion. All four of my distortion boxes [Digitech Valve FX, Roland SE50 and SE70, Ensoniq DP2] are absolutely critical to me. They're indispensable. I rarely use synthesizers anymore without running them through a guitar box." Eventide H3000 multi‑effects. FMR Audio RNC1773 Really Nice Compressor (x3). "These are my new favourite boxes. They make them in Texas, and they're incredibly cheap — 179 dollars, I think it was. But they're great, and on a par with the Drawmer compressor." Focusrite Red 2 Dual EQ. "It's mostly just gorgeous looking! Everyone who comes in here notices it. It looks like a piece of candy, you just want to bite on it. The thing is, it's so intimidating to look at, you really can't tell if it's any good or not — it doesn't need to be any good! I like it, though it's not quite good enough to strap across the whole mix: the EQ3D is on a par, even though it's half the price." Focusrite Red 7 Voice Channel. "This has a mic pre, a compressor, an enhancer and a de‑esser in it, which we use for recording vocals." Lexicon MPX1 multi‑effects. Lexicon PCM70 multi‑effects. Nightpro EQ3D filter. Peavey Analog Filter. "I actually very rarely use this. I've run some loops through it to make them sound crunchy and lo‑fi and it works OK. These techno people use outboard filters all the time — it's just that this one isn't a particularly good one, and I can't justify spending a grand on something like the Waldorf DPole or the Mutator." Roland SDE1000. "I just use this for simple delays." Roland SRV2000 reverb. SPL Vitalizer. "I think this is a lot more popular in Britain than it is here. I like it, but it has so much background hiss that I can only use it in loud noisy music. The great thing about it is the way it spreads the stereo fields, it's got some kind of phase." TC Electronic M2000 multi‑effects. Yamaha SPX90 multi‑effects. "This was the first effects box I ever bought and it's totally on its last legs. I keep it for its stereo split program, because it sounds so grainy and nice."

List of effects at Paul Robb's studio:

Aphex Type C2 Exciter. BBE 462 Sonic Maximiser enhancer. Drawmer DL241 dual compressor. "I generally strap this across the stereo buss. At some point I'd like to get a better compressor, though." Boss SE50. Boss SE70. "I primarily use these for distortion." Digitech VFX Valve FX. "This is an awesome distortion box. It's so bright it will rip your head off." Ensoniq DP/2. "I also use this primarily for distortion. All four of my distortion boxes [Digitech Valve FX, Roland SE50 and SE70, Ensoniq DP2] are absolutely critical to me. They're indispensable. I rarely use synthesizers anymore without running them through a guitar box." Eventide H3000 multi‑effects. FMR Audio RNC1773 Really Nice Compressor (x3). "These are my new favourite boxes. They make them in Texas, and they're incredibly cheap — 179 dollars, I think it was. But they're great, and on a par with the Drawmer compressor." Focusrite Red 2 Dual EQ. "It's mostly just gorgeous looking! Everyone who comes in here notices it. It looks like a piece of candy, you just want to bite on it. The thing is, it's so intimidating to look at, you really can't tell if it's any good or not — it doesn't need to be any good! I like it, though it's not quite good enough to strap across the whole mix: the EQ3D is on a par, even though it's half the price." Focusrite Red 7 Voice Channel. "This has a mic pre, a compressor, an enhancer and a de‑esser in it, which we use for recording vocals." Lexicon MPX1 multi‑effects. Lexicon PCM70 multi‑effects. Nightpro EQ3D filter. Peavey Analog Filter. "I actually very rarely use this. I've run some loops through it to make them sound crunchy and lo‑fi and it works OK. These techno people use outboard filters all the time — it's just that this one isn't a particularly good one, and I can't justify spending a grand on something like the Waldorf DPole or the Mutator." Roland SDE1000. "I just use this for simple delays." Roland SRV2000 reverb. SPL Vitalizer. "I think this is a lot more popular in Britain than it is here. I like it, but it has so much background hiss that I can only use it in loud noisy music. The great thing about it is the way it spreads the stereo fields, it's got some kind of phase." TC Electronic M2000 multi‑effects. Yamaha SPX90 multi‑effects. "This was the first effects box I ever bought and it's totally on its last legs. I keep it for its stereo split program, because it sounds so grainy and nice."

List of effects at Paul Robb's studio:

Aphex Type C2 Exciter. BBE 462 Sonic Maximiser enhancer. Drawmer DL241 dual compressor. "I generally strap this across the stereo buss. At some point I'd like to get a better compressor, though." Boss SE50. Boss SE70. "I primarily use these for distortion." Digitech VFX Valve FX. "This is an awesome distortion box. It's so bright it will rip your head off." Ensoniq DP/2. "I also use this primarily for distortion. All four of my distortion boxes [Digitech Valve FX, Roland SE50 and SE70, Ensoniq DP2] are absolutely critical to me. They're indispensable. I rarely use synthesizers anymore without running them through a guitar box." Eventide H3000 multi‑effects. FMR Audio RNC1773 Really Nice Compressor (x3). "These are my new favourite boxes. They make them in Texas, and they're incredibly cheap — 179 dollars, I think it was. But they're great, and on a par with the Drawmer compressor." Focusrite Red 2 Dual EQ. "It's mostly just gorgeous looking! Everyone who comes in here notices it. It looks like a piece of candy, you just want to bite on it. The thing is, it's so intimidating to look at, you really can't tell if it's any good or not — it doesn't need to be any good! I like it, though it's not quite good enough to strap across the whole mix: the EQ3D is on a par, even though it's half the price." Focusrite Red 7 Voice Channel. "This has a mic pre, a compressor, an enhancer and a de‑esser in it, which we use for recording vocals." Lexicon MPX1 multi‑effects. Lexicon PCM70 multi‑effects. Nightpro EQ3D filter. Peavey Analog Filter. "I actually very rarely use this. I've run some loops through it to make them sound crunchy and lo‑fi and it works OK. These techno people use outboard filters all the time — it's just that this one isn't a particularly good one, and I can't justify spending a grand on something like the Waldorf DPole or the Mutator." Roland SDE1000. "I just use this for simple delays." Roland SRV2000 reverb. SPL Vitalizer. "I think this is a lot more popular in Britain than it is here. I like it, but it has so much background hiss that I can only use it in loud noisy music. The great thing about it is the way it spreads the stereo fields, it's got some kind of phase." TC Electronic M2000 multi‑effects. Yamaha SPX90 multi‑effects. "This was the first effects box I ever bought and it's totally on its last legs. I keep it for its stereo split program, because it sounds so grainy and nice."

List of effects at Paul Robb's studio:

Aphex Type C2 Exciter. BBE 462 Sonic Maximiser enhancer. Drawmer DL241 dual compressor. "I generally strap this across the stereo buss. At some point I'd like to get a better compressor, though." Boss SE50. Boss SE70. "I primarily use these for distortion." Digitech VFX Valve FX. "This is an awesome distortion box. It's so bright it will rip your head off." Ensoniq DP/2. "I also use this primarily for distortion. All four of my distortion boxes [Digitech Valve FX, Roland SE50 and SE70, Ensoniq DP2] are absolutely critical to me. They're indispensable. I rarely use synthesizers anymore without running them through a guitar box." Eventide H3000 multi‑effects. FMR Audio RNC1773 Really Nice Compressor (x3). "These are my new favourite boxes. They make them in Texas, and they're incredibly cheap — 179 dollars, I think it was. But they're great, and on a par with the Drawmer compressor." Focusrite Red 2 Dual EQ. "It's mostly just gorgeous looking! Everyone who comes in here notices it. It looks like a piece of candy, you just want to bite on it. The thing is, it's so intimidating to look at, you really can't tell if it's any good or not — it doesn't need to be any good! I like it, though it's not quite good enough to strap across the whole mix: the EQ3D is on a par, even though it's half the price." Focusrite Red 7 Voice Channel. "This has a mic pre, a compressor, an enhancer and a de‑esser in it, which we use for recording vocals." Lexicon MPX1 multi‑effects. Lexicon PCM70 multi‑effects. Nightpro EQ3D filter. Peavey Analog Filter. "I actually very rarely use this. I've run some loops through it to make them sound crunchy and lo‑fi and it works OK. These techno people use outboard filters all the time — it's just that this one isn't a particularly good one, and I can't justify spending a grand on something like the Waldorf DPole or the Mutator." Roland SDE1000. "I just use this for simple delays." Roland SRV2000 reverb. SPL Vitalizer. "I think this is a lot more popular in Britain than it is here. I like it, but it has so much background hiss that I can only use it in loud noisy music. The great thing about it is the way it spreads the stereo fields, it's got some kind of phase." TC Electronic M2000 multi‑effects. Yamaha SPX90 multi‑effects. "This was the first effects box I ever bought and it's totally on its last legs. I keep it for its stereo split program, because it sounds so grainy and nice."

List of recording gear at Paul Robb's studio:

Mackie 32:8 mixing desk. Tascam DA88 digital multitrack (x3). Sony VO5800 3/4‑inch video deck. Sony DAT. Panasonic SV3800 DAT. Genelec monitors. HHB CD recorder. "This is my most important piece in the whole place. Everyone loves it because now I send out my work on CD instead of cassette."

List of recording gear at Paul Robb's studio:

Mackie 32:8 mixing desk. Tascam DA88 digital multitrack (x3). Sony VO5800 3/4‑inch video deck. Sony DAT. Panasonic SV3800 DAT. Genelec monitors. HHB CD recorder. "This is my most important piece in the whole place. Everyone loves it because now I send out my work on CD instead of cassette."

"There are some parts that are standard faux orchestral‑style film score — for which I made extensive use of the Peter Siedlaczek orchestra disks and the older ProSonus orchestra library — but other parts were a little less conventional," explains Robb. "There was a disco scene, for example, which I actually used a Think Tank track for, and a few techno sections where I was free to use more of my synth arsenal. The worst part was that some of the cues were supposed to sound deliberately cheesy, which isn't easy when you fancy yourself as a composer, to take that sort of direction. I'd be saying 'Yeah — but I don't want people to think that I actually compose like that!'"