Trent Reznor

Trent Reznor is confirmed to have used the Quasimidi Rave-o-Lution 309 during the recording of "The Fragile," as it is listed in the equipment section of the Fragility Tour program, according to the source nin.wiki.

Trent Reznor is confirmed to use the Studio Electronics Midimini synthesizer, as listed in the Fragility Tour program, which includes a partial list of equipment used to record "The Fragile." This information is sourced from nin.wiki.

Trent Reznor is confirmed to have used the Akai MPC 2000, as detailed in the Fragility Tour program, which lists the equipment employed during the recording of "The Fragile." This information is sourced from nin.wiki.

Trent Reznor is confirmed to use the Akai MPC 3000 as part of the equipment list for recording "The Fragile," as documented in the Fragility Tour program. This information is sourced from nin.wiki.

Trent Reznor is confirmed to use the Oberheim SEM-1 Synthesizer Expander Module, as it is listed among the equipment used to record The Fragile in the Fragility Tour program. This information is supported by the source provided by nin.wiki.

According to the Fragility Tour program, Trent Reznor used the DigiTech 2112 Studio Guitar System as part of the equipment for recording "The Fragile," as documented on nin.wiki.

Trent Reznor, along with other members of Nine Inch Nails such as Danny and Robin, is confirmed to have used the E-Mu Emax II Rack during live performances. This information is corroborated by a 1995 interview in Keyboard Magazine with touring keyboardist James Woolley, who noted, "Everybody else is triggering Emax IIs, so we're all backed up on each other's drive." Additionally, Woolley's offstage rack setup included an E-mu Emax II among other equipment, indicating its significant role in NIN's live stage setup.

In this YouTube video, Trent Reznor can be seen using Sony MDR-7506 headphones while playing piano and singing.

At 1:05 in the music video for "Head Like A Hole" by Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor can be seen using a Shure SM57 microphone. This video is provided by NineInchNailsVEVO on YouTube.

At 1:52, Chris Vrenna explains that he first met Trent to buy his Linndrum

In the video provided by Nine Inch Nails on YouTube, Trent Reznor is seen using the Monome Grid 256 MIDI controller in the studio, which is connected to a piano (timestamp 30:5).

In the video titled "Nine Inch Nails - Happiness In Slavery - October 26, 2018 - Aragon Ballroom, Chicago," at the timestamp 4:40, you can see Trent Reznor using an Akai MPD232 MIDI pad controller to trigger samples. This performance, part of the band's 2018 tour "Cold and Black and Infinite," was documented by Serfi on YouTube.

Trent Reznor's use of the Akai LPK-25 Wireless can be confirmed through an image of his setup on the B stage during the Peel It Back tour.

In this YouTube video taken at a Nine Inch Nails show in 2025, at the very beginning the Ableton Push 3 is seen from the back, sitting directly in front of Trent Reznor on top of his piano (seen clearly at 0:57 as the camera steadies and comes more into focus). You can see the connections on the back of the Push unit with the Ableton logo, which matches the configuration of Push 3.

In plenty of other videos from the same tour (2025-2026 Peel It Back tour) you can see the front, and it appears that he is using it to trigger scenes using the scene buttons. (see 8:30 here: https://youtu.be/fhhNyPkKibI?si=J7E6hkm58KWP09Ye&t=510 )

It's impossible to know if this is the standalone or tethered configuration based on the videos, but in this one you can see that there are two cables connected to the back: one is the AC power connection, and the other is the USB-C connection. Since he is using the AC power it is safe to say he is not running it off USB-C bus power, so it is likely that the USB-C connection is being used either to control a computer or transmit audio.

Trent is on record in an interview with Synth History as recently as 2023 saying he has switched to Ableton:

https://www.synthhistory.com/post/interview-with-trent-reznor

"The last few years I've written exclusively on Ableton rather than Pro Tools, I fucking hate Pro Tools, but I like the way [Ableton] makes me think."

It is unclear if he uses the Push as exclusively a live tool or if he also uses it to produce and compose, but as the above quote illustrates via the word "written", it is entirely plausible/likely that Push is part of his studio process.

Trent Reznor was observed using the Soma Laboratory SOMA Flux during a live Nine Inch Nails performance. The usage of this synthesizer is supported by a post from the official Instagram account of Soma Synths, which features a photo from the February 13 show in Boston. The post mentions, "So, apparently our FLUX made it onto the @nineinchnails stage," confirming its presence on stage.

Trent Reznor can be seen using the Lexicon PCM-41 on a rack alongside a PCM-42 and Eventide harmonizers, as depicted in the provided image.

At 1:37 in this video tour of Le Pig studios, you can see a blue striped black Oberheim synth, most likely and OB-8 or OB-XA