Studio Essentials: Reset Robot

Portsmouth-based DJ, producer, and label boss Reset Robot has been one of the most consistent names in UK techno since launching the project back in 2009.

In the time between then and now, his tracks have landed on renowned imprints like Drumcode, Hotflush, and Mobilee, and he has also picked up some experience running labels with his Whistleblower Records.

Next up on the Brits release schedule is his all-new I Wish You’d Never EP, which brings four original productions to Adam Beyer’s Truesoul label.

We welcome him to our Studio Essentials just in time for the release, where he shares his most important pieces of gear, including bits from Moog, UAD, and Korg.

Moog Matriarch

I saw a video of Moog introducing this synth and knew I had to have it. I went online and put a pre-order in immediately. It has such a full sound and with the four oscillators, you get some incredible harmonics. When I use the arpeggiator, I love putting it into 4 voice paraphony and having it in round robin mode which means each note on the arp cycles through each of the oscillators. Melodic textures galore! It’s also been a great introduction into the modular world as it is a semi modular synth.

Korg MS 2000

A not so classic synth, but one I really love. It has an unusual sound to it, but is always easy to slot into the mix. My dad bought me it for my 18th birthday and I remember getting it home and being totally out of my depth, but feeling very excited about the sounds. I love using the MS2000 for pads and modulating the filter. The filter is very sensitive and quite harsh sometimes, but it’s great for building some intensity into a track.

UAD Apollo 8 Duo

I switched to my UAD a few years back and I can honestly say I will never buy another brand of interface. They are amazing. The sound quality is top class and the plugins are brilliant too. I would say it’s the hub of my studio. All my gear runs directly into the Apollo bypassing the usual patch bay scenario. I also have a bunch of pedals that run on the ins and outs so I can use them as send FX.

Moogerfooger MF-104 Analog Delay

This was at the top of my list for a long time and I eventually stumped up the cash to get one. I wasn’t disappointed. You can almost use it as an instrument on its own by slamming the feedback all the way up and by using the LFO to modulate the time. I have this set up as mentioned above so I can use it as a send effect in Reason.

Reason

Last but not least is the wonderful Reason. I have used Reason since v1, it’s been amazing to see how it’s grown and changed over the years. I get very excited whenever there is a new update or addition to the rack. Within Reason there are so many instruments and FX, but my pick of the bunch is probably Thor. It has become my go-to soft synth and I can normally get what I’m looking for from it. More recently they added a granular sample-based synth which I have been loving.

Reset Robot’s I Wish You’d Never EP drops April 9th on Truesoul.