“I remember when I first heard it. Big deal for me – I loved it immediately. It’s all over Rosanna, all over Africa”: Toto’s Steve Porcaro names his Top 5 synths

Steve Porcaro was Toto’s resident synth-head - the guy who, as he puts it, spent his time “noodling around with weird noises”.

It should come as no surprise, then, that when MusicRadar asked him to name his top 5 synths, he chose some stone-cold classics.

We’ll bring you our full interview with Porcaro soon - his new album, The Very Day, is released via Green Hill Music on Friday (3 October) - but, in the meantime, here’s his list of favourites.

Steve Porcaro's Top 5 Synths

1. Moog Minimoog

“Even today, it’s hard to beat the sound of that filter and the analogue grit. I got one when they first came out and I’m told there are some YouTube clips out there of me showing what it can do in 19-something or other. Check out my hair. Still its original colour!”

2. Yamaha CS-80

“I remember when I first heard it. Big deal for me – I loved it immediately. Used on the very first song we recorded for the very first Toto album. It’s all over Rosanna, all over Africa. The famous bahm-bom-bom-b-bom-bom-bahm... that’s the CS-80. Use the Brass presets. There’s Brass 1, 2 and 3, but you can have 1 and 2 on at the same time. Then, take the brilliance knob and push it right back. You’ll recognise it immediately.”

3. Oberheim OB-8 with the DSX sequencer

“God, I used the DSX like a separate instrument... playing in sequences on the fly. In the pre-VST/computer days, that was what we called hi-tech!”

4. Polyfusion Modular stuff

“Can"t forget that. I actually had it restored by Ron Folkman [the original designer] recently. Still sounds great, still sounds unique. How much is it worth? Ha! Don’t even ask!”

5. ARP 2600

“You need to spend a little time with this one, but you won"t be disappointed.”