Jan's Equipment

[Ell.a]

Synthesizers:


Memorymoog by Moog (pronounced with long "o" like "rogue")

This synth is Miami Vice as it gets. Listen to the last few seconds of "New York Theme". That recurring melody is the epitome of why this synth IS Miami Vice. It also makes great soft sounds, like in the first minute or so of "Gina". These go for anywhere from $2000-$4000 on ebay in the US these days.
 

 

Roland Jupiter-8 (that just sounds cool)

And cool it is! Listen to "Crockett's Theme" or the score from "Buddies" to get a feel for what this synth does. Also, when you hear a phrase that has a hundred notes in one second (think of tubbs storming into Mendez's hotel with the shotgun in "Hit List") the Jupiter-8 is responsible. This is the most beautiful synth ever. Just look at it! It sells on ebay for about the same prices as Memorymoogs.

 

Yamaha DX7

Jan used this synth for a lot of "clean" sounds. Think of guitar-like sounds in "Night Talk" and "Lombard Trial". This synth was used almost as much as the Memorymoog. It is probably the most successful synthesizer ever in terms of sales. If you've heard one synthesizer in your life on an 80s song, it was probably this one. You can get a nice one on ebay for around $500. They are pretty easy to find. I own a later version of it (DX7IIFD) and I love it!

 

Fairlight CMI (Series IIx)

This was the first big sampling synthesizer. They cost as much as a Ferrari in the 80s. Jan used it mainly to arrange his songs. He also had tons of drums samples in it. The first sound I think of with this synth is the "ahhh" sound that can be heard throughout the entire series. This sound can be heard strongly during the "Yankee Dollar" opening credits when Crockett is at the hospital. Once you identify it, you'll recognize it in countless episodes. Also, another famous sound from this unit is the tom drum sounds fromt the MV theme (opening montage: lady walks by with the close-up on her boobs). In fact, just about everything you hear in the Original Theme is from the Fairlight in some way or another.

Thanks to nofretz for this information.