Vaughn Oliver – one half of the iconic production duo Oliver – is giving fans a peek inside the studio where the magic happens, showing off his synth collection and the gear he swears by.
Known for crafting genre-blending sounds that often fuse disco, funk, and electronic music, the Canadian producer, DJ and mix engineer has worked with the likes of Chromeo, Nicki Minaj, Latto, Khalid, Usher, Kim Petras, Katy Perry and Megan Thee Stallion and has produced official remixes for artists like Foster the People and Beck.
He’s also the mastermind behind the Power Tools sample packs on Splice, one of the platform’s most downloaded series, used by producers behind hits from Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, SZA, The Weeknd, and Adele. So yeah, his studio is probably a goldmine for synth nerds and production heads alike.
Kicking things off with what he calls his “favourite” piece in the room, Oliver introduces a Roland SH-5 from 1976: ”This is like the oldest synth I have, probably my favourite one,” he says. “It doesn’t actually have MIDI on it but I use this Kenton thing here for like CC to MIDI so I can still run MIDI from Ableton to this.”
Describing the instrument as “very badass”, Oliver says he loves it “‘cause I kind of never know what I’m going to get out of it. ”
“It’s not a go-to if I’m like ‘Oh I want a nice clean bass patch’ or something. I just turn it on and kind of do what I just did there for like half an hour and then I have all kinds of crazy stuff to choose from.”
From there, he runs through a stacked collection of analogue classics, including the Roland Jupiter 8 (“one of the most coveted synths of all time… This one has a MIDI mod”) and the Juno 106, which he says he uses more than anything else because “it’s hard to make it sound bad”.
“I probably have [the Juno’s Chorus effect] on more records than anything else,” the producer notes.
The Sequential Prophet 10 and Jupiter 6 also make an appearance, with Oliver noting he might like the 6 “equally if not better” than the 8. And then there’s his new Rhodes MK8, which he bought “as a reward”.
“Some people get like a new car or a Rolex,” he jokes. “I was like, I want the new Rhodes, please.”
“It’s just cool to have something in the studio I can turn on and make sound,” Oliver adds. “I know that sounds crazy, but a lot of studios you go into and you’re like, ‘Wait, what key is this in?’ There’s nothing to just hit to make sound.”
While most of his production still happens “in the box,” Oliver says these synths are “fun” to have around for their character, and sometimes unpredictability.
“I use them for the more unexpected things that happen,” he says of the Roland SH-5 and Jupiter 8 in particular.
As for what’s next on his gear wish list? The producer admits the only thing he wants right now is a “a bad workstation synth.”
“By bad I mean like a Triton or Motif. I love those sounds – like an M1 or something.”
Check out the full studio tour below.
