Spotted instruments
Vangelis' studio setup has been evolving over the years. This makes it impossible to provide a complete list of the gear he has been using. All the more a challenge for synth spotters to maintain a list with the instruments and equipment that have so far been positively identified.
The picture to the right shows part of Vangelis' Epsilon studio in Paris, 1992. Also take a look at an older picture of Vangelis surrounded by his gear, playing his favorite, the Yamaha CS80. Also have a look at the gallery by clicking on the red image below, currently showing pictures from the Nemo studio.
If you have spotted any gear that is not listed here, please feel free to email it
to us. State the name of the synth and the source (e.g. which photograph, which video, which gear list, interview,
live sighting, etc.) and email it to
elsew.com@gmail.com
Also see the: 
Studio Photo Gallery
List of spotted instruments
Analogue synthesizers
| Model | Spotted at.... |
|---|---|
| ARP 2500 | One cabinet in the Musical Express broadcast. |
| Arp Odyssey | Superstar LP ("Earth" re-release, photo around '80) |
| Arp Pro Soloist | Photo |
| Elka Rhapsody 610 | Sound on Sound "Recording Vangelis" equipment list |
| Farfisa Synthorchestra | Sound on Sound "Recording Vangelis" equipment list |
| Korg 700 monophonic | Interview Keyboard '84 |
| Korg 800DV "Maxi Korg" | inside cover of Heaven and Hell LP |
| Korg Poly 800 | Sound on Sound "Recording Vangelis" equipment list |
| Korg Polyphonic Ensemble | Japanese LP pressing |
| Korg PS-3300 | Spotted in a video interview |
| Moog Minimoog | keyboard interview'81 |
| Moog Modular System | Booklet of 3LP box |
| Moog Satelite | Sound on Sound "Recording Vangelis" equipment list |
| Oberheim 2 Voice | Odes LP |
| Oberheim Matrix 12 | Photo (in Keyboard?) |
| Roland Juno 106 | There are two of them on the "Sound Studios" photographs in the "Direct" booklet |
| Roland Jupiter 4 (JP-4) | Sound on Sound "Recording Vangelis" equipment list |
| Roland Jupiter 6 (JP-6) | Seen on Herrod Atticus concert photographs |
| Roland JX8P | Spotted in Nemo studios on photographs |
| Roland MKS 70 | French Musicien magazine |
| Roland MKS 80 Super Jupiter | Photo in "Direct" booklet |
| Roland ProMars Compuphonic | Photo in "Superstar LP" (Earth) |
| Roland SH-3A | Sound on Sound "Recording Vangelis" equipment list |
| Roland SH-1000 | Sound on Sound "Recording Vangelis" equipment list |
| Roland SH-101 | Spotted in Antarctica DVD extra feature |
| Roland System 100 | French "guitarre et Clavier" magazine |
| Roland System 700 modular | Pictures in booklet of 3LP box |
| RSF Kobol | Keyboard USA interview |
| Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 | Keyboard interview '81 |
| Sequential Circuits Prophet 10 | Photo in "Direct" booklet |
| Yamaha CS-40M | Keyboard interview '81 |
| Yamaha CS-80 | Keyboard interview '81 |
Digital synthesizers
| Model | Spotted at.... |
|---|---|
| Clavia Nord stage | Spotted in TV footage |
| Emu Proteus/2 | Gear at the Mythodea concert, 2001 |
| Ensoniq VFX-SD | ET1 TV interview 1990 |
| Korg 01W/FD | Recognized preset sound in "1492" |
| Korg DW-8000 | mentioned on "List of Instruments", nemostudios.co.uk |
| Korg i3 | Spotted at Athletics opening ceremony '97 |
| Korg Karma | Preset rhythm: Ending of World Cup Anthem Synth version |
| Korg Kronos 61 | Photographs of Vangelis' setup at the Qatar concert |
| Korg M1 | French Musicien magazine |
| Korg M1R Module (or M1REX) | Gear at the Mythodea concert, 2001 |
| Korg M3 | Youtube documentary excerpt (deleted) |
| Korg Oasys | Spotted in TV footage |
| Korg Prophecy | Spotted in TV footage |
| Korg Symphony | French Musicien magazine |
| Korg T1 | Eureka concert (TV) |
| Korg T2 | "Antigone de Sophocle" extract in Musiques au coeur (TV) |
| Korg T3 | "Musiques au Coeur" (TV) |
| Korg Trinity | Preset sounds in Oceanic |
| Korg Triton | Preset sound in Mythodea Introduction |
| Korg x3 | Spotted at Athletics opening ceremony '97 |
| Korg Wavestation | Spotted in repairshop in Paris |
| Kurzweil 250 | French Musicien magazine |
| Kurzweil 250 RMX | photo in Direct booklet and photographs from '87 Acropolis concerts |
| Kurzweil K1200 | Spotted at Athletics opening ceremony '97 |
| Kurzweil K2000 | "Musiques au Coeur" (TV) |
| Roland D50 | French "Musicien magazine" |
| Roland JD800 | Eureka concert (TV) |
| Roland JD-990 (Super JD-990) | Gear at the Mythodea concert, 2001 |
| Roland JV1080 or XP-50 or XP-80? | Preset sounds in Ask the Mountains/Gear at the Mythodea concert, 2001 |
| Roland JV80 | Keyboard Review interview '92 |
| Roland MKS 20 | French Musicien magazine |
| Roland U110 | French Musicien magazine |
| Sequential Circuits Prophet VS (rackmount) | Photo in "Direct" booklet |
| Waldorf Microwave | Keyboard Review interview '92 |
| Yamaha DX7 | Photo in "Direct"-booklet |
| Yamaha TX7 | On pictures from inside Nemo studios |
| Yamaha DX7 II | Photo in "Direct"-booklet |
| Yamaha DX21 | Seen on TV news item in mid eighties |
| Yamaha GS-1 | Photo in SOS interview , Dec 84 |
| Yamaha GS-2 | Keyboard interview '82 (This is disputed, could be his GS-1 mistaken for a GS-2.) |
| Yamaha SY77 | Photo in The City booklet |
| Yamaha SY99 | Sounds heard on Voices (chimes in Prelude) |
| Yamaha Tyros (1? 2? 3?) | Spotted in TV footage |
| Yamaha VL1 | Patches recognized on Voices and Oceanic |
Electric pianos
| Model | Spotted at.... |
|---|---|
| Fender Rhodes 88 | Oor '76 article |
| Yamaha CP-80 | Sound on Sound "Recording Vangelis" equipment list |
| Crumar Compac Piano | Electronic piano imitation, Oor '76 article |
Organs
| Model | Spotted at.... |
|---|---|
| Hammond B3 | Oor '76 article |
| Elka Tornado IV Reed organ | Oor '76 article and nemostudios.co.uk |
Acoustic instruments
| Model | Spotted at.... |
|---|---|
| Bösendorfer Imperial Grand Piano | Midified in the 1980s, nemostudios.co.uk |
| Steinway & Sons Concert Grand Piano | mentioned on "List of Instruments", nemostudios.co.uk |
Samplers
| Model | Spotted at.... |
|---|---|
| Akai S900 | Photo in "Direct"-booklet |
| Akai S1000 | "S.O.S." July 1990 (UK) |
| Akai S1100 | Keyboard Review interview, dec '92 (UK) |
| Akai Z4 | Photographs of Vangelis' setup at the Qatar concert |
| Akai Z8 | Photographs of Vangelis' setup at the Qatar concert |
| Emu E4X Sampler | Amonst Vangelis' gear at the Mythodea concert, 2001 |
| Emu Emulator 1 | Photo in "Superstar" |
| Emu Emulator 2 | Photo in "Direct"-booklet |
| Ensoniq Mirage | Seen on pictures of Nemo studio |
| Korg DSM1 | "S.O.S." July 1990 (UK) |
| Korg S1 | Spotted in the Conquest of Paradise music video |
| Roland S-50 | French Musicien magazine |
| Roland S-760 | Gear at the Mythodea concert, 2001 |
| Roland S-770 | Keyboard Review interview '92 |
Sequencers
| Model | Spotted at.... |
|---|---|
| ARP Sequencer | various photographs (nemostudios.co.uk) |
| Oberheim DS-2 | nemostudios.co.uk "Portrait of a recording studio" article |
| Roland CSQ-100 | Sound On Sound article |
| Roland CSQ-600 | mentioned on "List of Instruments", nemostudios.co.uk |
| Roland MSQ-700 | mentioned on "List of Instruments", nemostudios.co.uk |
| Roland System 104 | various photographs (nemostudios.co.uk) |
| Zyklus Midi Performance System | Sequencer used on albums like Direct, inspired the custom "Direct box" |
Effects units
| Model | Spotted at.... |
|---|---|
| AKG BX25 spring reverb | Sound on Sound "Recording Vangelis" equipment list |
| Roland RE-201 Space Echo | Sound on Sound "Recording Vangelis" equipment list |
| Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb | Serial number 0002, according to Raphael Preston |
| Lexicon 224X Digital Reverb | Mythodea concert 2001 gear setup (pictures) |
| Lexicon 480L | nemostudios.co.uk "Portrait of a recording studio" article |
| Boss Chorus Ensemble pedal | SoundOnSound article: voice on Spiral's "Ballad" |
| Quantec QRS reverb | nemostudios.co.uk "Portrait of a recording studio" article |
| Yamaha Rev-7 | nemostudios.co.uk "Portrait of a recording studio" article |
| Yamaha SPX-90 | nemostudios.co.uk "Portrait of a recording studio" article |
| Yamaha Rev-5 | nemostudios.co.uk "Portrait of a recording studio" article |
| Dytronics CS-5 Tri-Stereo Chorus | nemostudios.co.uk "Portrait of a recording studio" article |
| Dytronics FS-1 Cyclosonic Panner | nemostudios.co.uk "Portrait of a recording studio" article |
Vocoders
| Model | Spotted at.... |
|---|---|
| EMS 1000 Vocoder | Superstar LP ("Earth") |
| Korg DVP1 | Photo in "Direct"-booklet |
| Roland Vocoder Plus VP-330 Mark 1 | Picture in "Electronics and Music Maker" magazine |
| Roland Vocoder Plus VP-330 Mark 2 | Pictures from Nemo studios on web-site |
Drum computers / modules
| Model | Spotted at.... |
|---|---|
| Alesis SR-16 | Seen on picture of Vangelis at his keys at the Vangelis Odyssey website. |
| Emu Emulator SP-12 | mentioned on "List of Instruments", nemostudios.co.uk |
| Korg KR-55 | mentioned on "List of Instruments", nemostudios.co.uk |
| Korg Mini Pops 120 | nemostudios.co.uk "Portrait of a recording studio" article |
| Linn LM-1 | Keyboard interview '81 |
| LinnDrum | Guitare & Claviers 84 |
| Roland CR-5000 | Keyboard interview '81 |
| Roland TR-626 | Sound on Sound "Recording Vangelis" equipment list |
| Simmons SDSV | Keyboard interview '81 |
| Yamaha RX5 | Rev. cymbals in Sidestreets, and on "Direct" photo under papers |
Anything else
| Model | Spotted at.... |
|---|---|
| Akai DD1000 | Digital mastering equipment, Keyboard Review interview, dec '92 (UK) |
| Akai MG1212 12-track portable recorder | nemostudios.co.uk "Portrait of a recording studio" article |
| Ampex ATR-100 master tape machine | Various photographs at Nemo Studios |
| Custom-made MIDI routers | nemostudios.co.uk "Portrait of a recording studio" article |
| Hohner Clavinet | Oor '76 article |
| Lyrec TR-532 multitrack machine | Listed at nemostudios.co.uk (and not the TR-55 24-track as mentioned by others) |
| Mackie 32•8 mixing desk | Photographs of Vangelis' setup at the Qatar concert |
| Novation MM10 (Midi keyboard) | Photographs of Vangelis' setup at the Qatar concert |
| Roland SR-JV80-04 "Vintage Synths" Expansion Board card | Additional patches for JV synths, recognized patch in opening of "Echoes" on "Voices". |
| Roland SR-JV80-02 "Orchestral" Expansion Board card "" | Patch "Major Stab" heard in BBC interview and photographed on display |
| Kurzweil Orchestral ROM Soundblock for K2000 | Source of cymbals patch in Bitter Moon, Bon Voyage, etc... |
| Roland MKB-1000 (Midi master keyboard) | Photographs from sound studio setup for the Direct album. |
| Roland MPG 80 | Programmer for MKS 80, Nemo studio photographs |
| Scully master/multitrack tape machine (customized) | Listed at nemostudios.co.uk |
| Stylophone 350s | Mentioned in Oor Feb '76 article |
| Theremin | Radio interview "Walhalla" |
| Yamaha EMT100 | French Musicien magazine. What is it? An error? |
| Roland E-500 OR (Oriental) | Probably not Vangelis' owned, but spotted on photgraphs taken at the Qatar concert. A local machine replacing a Vangelis synth that broke during rehearsals? |
elsew.com /
Spotted instruments
