The French touch sound: four essential studio tools
E-MU SP-1200
The SP-1200 and earlier SP-12 are sought-after classics now, but in the mid-’90s they were easier to find for sensible money. With its distinctively gritty, crunchy sound, the SP-1200 provided the basis for Alan Braxe and Fred Falke’s Intro. Isla Instruments are set to release the SP-2400, a new sampler inspired by the E-MU classic, soon. In the software world, NI’s Maschine offers an SP-1200-inspired ‘vintage mode’ that gives a similar sound.
Roland Juno-106
The Juno is a staple of countless dance sub-genres thanks to its ability to sound good pretty much no matter what. It’s equally adept at big, bold basslines as it is at silky analogue strings and dreamy pads. A vintage original in good condition will set you back somewhere in the region of £1,000, but beware that voice chips are prone to fail. Roland’s own Boutique JU-06 hardware synth module is a modern digital emulation of the analogue classic. We also love TAL’s U-NO-LX plugin, which is based on the earlier Juno-60 model.
Roland TR-909
Namechecked in the title of Daft Punk’s Revolution 909, Roland’s ’80s drum machine is a firm favourite of house and techno producers for good reason. It’s now one of the most imitated instruments ever made, so finding a version of the sounds shouldn’t be hard, whether it’s an original unit (typically £3,000+), one of Roland’s virtual analogue hardware units, an emulation plugin like D16’s Drumazon, or one of the hundreds of 909 sample packs on the market (Goldbaby’s excellent Tape909 is one of our favourites).
Alesis 3630/3632
The 3630 is in most ways a cheap and nasty compressor. But sometimes that’s exactly what you need. In a time before DAWs and compressor plugins, the 3630 handled compression duties for many aspiring producers, contributing its unpolished sound to early Daft Punk and Stardust among others. The 3632, released in 2012, fixes most of the weaknesses of the original, with an improved power supply, cleaner circuitry and better matching between stereo channels. Some may say that misses the point, but you can pick up the original for as little as £20.