Ryuichi Sakamoto

In the late 1980s to early 1990s, Ryuichi Sakamoto utilized the Kurzweil Midiboard, as evidenced in the YouTube video titled "??YMO???????."

On his performance in Media Bahn Live in 1986.

"When I was trying out the Yamaha AW4416, S80 and S30, I kept thinking to myself, "Wow, musical equipment has sure come a long way in the last 10 years". But when you stop and think about it, you realize that it's not only the equipment that has changed, but also the environment surrounding the music."

In a live performance of "Tong Poo" by Yellow Magic Orchestra, as seen in the video by Cillgod on YouTube, Ryuichi Sakamoto uses the Roland RE-201 Space Echo.

Ryuichi used a Roland MC-8 on his "Thousand Knives" album, according to the liner notes.

Ryuichi used a Korg SQ-10 on his "Thousand Knives" album, according to the liner notes.

Ryuichi used Syn-Drums on his "Thousand Knives" album, according to the liner notes.

"I use the DX7 a lot, for which I have a programming package which I can run on the NEC, and I usually bring in a whole lot of CDs, records and a Sony PCM F1 recorder to sample with."

Ryuichi Sakamoto is pictured with a Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer alongside Miu Sakamoto in a 1981 photo.

Can be seen starting 0:29.

Sakamoto had used this to collect field recordings for his 2017 album "async". (5:15)

Sakamoto uses the MC-4 circa 1982.

Sakamoto/Yellow Magic Orchestra relies on this analog delay in the late 70s to early 80s.

Recorded on an Apple Mac G4 running Digidesign Pro Tools and MOTU Digital Performer with Steinberg Cubase VST and Cycling '74 Pluggo, Chasm includes guest appearances by Arto Lindsay, David Sylvian and various Thai monks, as well as YMO's Hosono and Takahashi (now known as Sketch Show).

In a July 1992 article from Muzines titled "News Of The World," Ryuichi Sakamoto is listed as using the Roland S770 audio sampler.

At his home in Tokyo he works only with that NEC computer, running an eight-track sequencing package called Come On Music, with the DX7 as his only MIDI keyboard, a small mixing console, and a Yamaha SPX90 effects rack - the last moving him to one of his only spontaneous remarks about equipment: "It is very good, the SPX."

"I used a Yamaha O2R as my main front console on my world tour, but it looks like even the AW4416 will do the job for the piano-based music of my next tour. It might be interesting to record my concert on hard disk using the AW4416, burn a CD right on stage, and then throw it into the audience."

"There was a long list of synthesisers that needed to be sourced in the UK for the sessions. ‘We used an Emulator 2, Fairlight 3 with Fairlight 1 sounds disc, Prophet 5 with MIDI, AKAI S-900 and Yamaha DX7-2.’"

in the second page of this instagram post, the Oto Machines Bam can be seen under the ARP

As listed in this 1992 interview on the Music Magazine Archive

Leaving aside the subtleties of music and culture, we begin by establishing Sakamoto's current equipment line-up. It transpires that he uses three racks which he takes almost everywhere with him. These contain the nucleus of the hardware. On top of these, he favours a Macintosh IIfx running Mark of the Unicorn and Opcode sequencing software in conjunction with Opcode's Studio 5 synchroniser/MIDI patchbay.

Akai S1000 is included in the equipment list.

1176LN Is visible in the image

In an article by The Vinyl Factory, a photo shows Ryuichi Sakamoto with an Akai Rhythm Wolf drum machine in the background, highlighting his use of this gear.

in the second page of this instagram post, the Dreadbox Hypnosis can be seen under the ARP

in the first page of this instagram post, the Knas Ekdahl Moisturizer can be seen in the background by Ryuichi

the RI 176 can be seen in the image

the Retro Revolver can be seen in the image

the EQP-1A can be seen in the image

the API 2500 can be seen in the image