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Synth Icons
🎹 Synth Icons is the podcast where legendary keyboards come back to life. Hosted by producer and synth expert Andy Whitmore, each episode dives into the world’s most iconic synthesizers — from the lush analog power of the Yamaha CS-80, to the digital sparkle of the DX7, to the unmistakable sounds of the Korg M1.
Andy recreates famous riffs, compares hardware to modern software emulations, and reveals the stories, sounds, and production secrets behind the instruments that shaped pop, film, and electronic music.
If you're a synth enthusiast, a producer, or just love classic hits, Synth Icons lets you hear the legends for yourself.
👉 Follow for more synth deep-dives, blind tests, and studio stories.
🎧 Watch the full video versions on YouTube → @AndyWhitmore
Synth Icons
Genesis: Tony Banks’ JD-800 Live Patches Recreated (90s Tour Sounds)
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Watcher • Carpet Crawlers • Invisible Touch • Mama • Follow You Follow Me • I Can’t Dance — live-style JD-800 patch recreations + parts
Tony Banks used the Roland JD-800 throughout Genesis’ 1990s tours—here are my closest recreations of his live patches, with the parts transcribed and played in Tony’s live style across six iconic songs.
Tony Banks’ Genesis JD-800 live tour patches recreated (1990s).
In this episode, I recreate Tony Banks’ Roland JD-800 live patches as heard on Genesis’ big 90s tours—then I play the parts the way Tony performed them on stage.
A lot of these lines began life in the studio on totally different instruments (Mellotron, Prophet-10, ARP 2600), but the live JD-800 versions have their own character: big, authoritative pads, punchy stabs, and that unmistakable 90s touring sheen.
Technical note: I’m playing the parts on my JD-800, but what you’re hearing here is the Roland Cloud JD-800 plug-in. Also, my hardware JD-800 buttons aren’t behaving, so I can’t reliably save patches—everything you hear is my best “get it right in the moment” recreation.
If you’re into Genesis keys, Tony Banks parts, and classic synth textures, you’ll enjoy this one.
Tell me your favourite patch/part, and what Genesis/Tony Banks sound I should tackle next (song + section if possible).
Chapters / Timestamps
Intro
Watcher of the Skies — Main string pad (studio origin: Mellotron)
Carpet Crawlers — Main string pad (studio origin: Mellotron layer)
Invisible Touch — Stabby keyboard (studio origin: Prophet-10)
Mama — Main pad (studio origin: Prophet-10)
Follow You Follow Me — Chorus lead riff (studio origin: ARP 2600)
I Can’t Dance — “Bruiser Tines”
Summary / What should I recreate next?
Note on authenticity: Live rigs aren’t always about perfectly matching the studio source—they’re about making the part translate through a PA, night after night. This episode focuses specifically on the live JD-800 vibe.
🎧 More Synth Icons episodes:
· Hohner Clavinet D6 – Famous Riffs You Instantly Know
· Roland Jupiter-4 – Famous Riffs You Know (But Didn’t Realise Were Jupiter-4)
· Korg M1 – Famous Riffs You Know (But Didn’t Realise Were M1)
🔧 Work with Andy
· Production, mixing & mastering: https://www.andywhitmore.com/
· Studio: https://greystokestudio.com/
📲 Connect with Andy
· YouTube: @AndyWhitmore
· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andywhitmore2014/
· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndyWhitmoreMusic
· TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andywhitmore9583