Analog equipment, including classic Roland gear like the TB303, TR808, and SH101, has experienced a resurgence in popularity with rave, techno and other current forms of electronic music.

Chaos Control: Why do you think people are going back to using this old equipment?

Richard Kirk:Part of it is due to the house music and techno music scene that started up in the middle to late 80s. That kind of popularized analog equipment again. And people like something that has actually got knobs on it, that you can turn rather than programming something. It's more of a physical thing. I think that those synthesizers have got quite a good depth and a warmth that you might not get with digital synths.

CC: But why didn't people use them as extensively back in the early 80s, when they were originally introduced?

RK:It's difficult to say. Perhaps it was because people in the musical arena maybe didn't think they were sophisticated enough. I mean, they were quite crude, the initial synths.

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