Q for the synth'/ keyboard pros

[Rickenbacker]

I think the 1st 50-odd seconds of this is gorgeous. Any idea what synths are being used? Moog has to be one, if not the only.

[Progbear]

Here’s a picture of Tim Blake’s synth rig. Not sure the date, but I believe it’s later than Angel’s Egg, on account of the CS-80:

Image7.jpg

The page where I found this image identifies the instruments as (clockwise from top left):

Moog Modular
2 EMS Synthi-A’s
Yamaha CS-80
Mini-Moog
Elka Rhapsody-610 (not pictured)

It’s rather beside the point, as the first 50 seconds of this is clearly Hillage’s guitar run through an Echoplex, not synth at all.

[Rickenbacker]

Ahhhhhh.. thank you

[GuitarGeek]

Here’s a picture of Tim Blake’s synth rig. Not sure the date, but I believe it’s later than Angel’s Egg, on account of the CS-80:

Image7.jpg

The page where I found this image identifies the instruments as (clockwise from top left):

Moog Modular
2 EMS Synthi-A’s
Yamaha CS-80
Mini-Moog
Elka Rhapsody-610 (not pictured)

It’s rather beside the point, as the first 50 seconds of this is clearly Hillage’s guitar run through an Echoplex, not synth at all.

I believe that's the Crystal Machine, the keyboard rig he used on his late 70's solo gigs and with Hawkwind circa 79-80. And yes, those are the synths pictured.

With Gong, I think he mostly used a Minimoog (melodies and solos) and Synthi AKS (sequences and "bubbles"). He certainly wouldn't have had a CS-80 during the Gong era, since it didn't exist yet.

And yes, the beginning is all Hillage. That's actually a track called Castle In The Clouds, and it's all guitars. I don't think there's any synth until the very end, during the fade out. He's more likely to have used a Binson Echorec or a WEM Copycat than an Echoplex, though.

On Flying Teapot there's a track called Octave Doctors & The Crystal Machine, which is indeed all synth, one pass on the Minimoog through a delay unit, from the likes of thing, with possibly a second synth producing the filtered noise that comes in at the end of the track.

But I'm curious, why did you think it had to be a Moog?

[Zeuhlmate]

Its a guitar as GuitarGeeek writes. He uses echoe, the volume knob, and tampers with the speed with the tape afterwords (I guess).

The CS-80 was produced from 1976 and Angels Egg is from 1973, so the synths you hear must be something else. Probably Moogs for solo, EMS for background rythm stuff.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_CS-80
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel's_Egg_%28album%29

[GuitarGeek]

The CS-80 was produced from 1976 and Angels Egg is from 1973, so the synths you hear must be something else. Probably Moogs for solo, EMS for background rythm stuff.

Pretty much correct. As I said in my post, I've read that Tim used a Minimoog and a Synthi AKS for sequences and sound effects.

[GuitarGeek]

Just for the record, I asked Tim, via Facebook, about what gear he used on Angel's Egg, and this was his response:

"EMS 'A', EMS 'Aks', can't remember if I used the Minimoog or not (!)- Did borrow a Wurlitzer piano, though !"

Edit: Synth tech Keith Kniveton, who apparently knows more about Tim Blake's Gong era rig than Tim himself, says Tim didn't start using the Minimoog until You. Angel's Egg and Flying Teapot are both just the Synthi A and Synthi AKS.