There has been much debate on what equipment Boards of Canada uses to get their unique sound. Due to their reclusive nature and lack of touring, not much is known for certain, but there is much speculation.

Secret Weapon

BoC themselves have, in multiple interviews, mentioned the use of a "secret weapon" they use to generate their unique sound. As the name implied, they have declined to provide any specific information on what this "weapon" might be, but most expect it to be some sort of old analog synth.

Many believe the Yamaha CS-80, used by Vangelis, to be this weapon. In the WATMM thread "ATTN BOC-sessives, CS-80 on eBay, however, jbible refutes this, saying

"The synth used by BOC often mistaken for a CS80 is a Crumar with a BOC emblem covering the name of the synth on the back."

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Since jbible has seen BoC live (and is the source of the Live @ ATP bootleg), his comments hold some weight.

Native Instruments

In a 2001(?) interview with Mate Galic of Native Instruments, Boards of Canada is listed as one of the artists using NI products (but not details on which ones). [1]

Tape decks =

BoC have talked about their love of analog tape (and analog equipment in general) in a number of interviews. Their 2002 Remix magazine interview goes into particular detail about some of the decks they use:

I'm convinced I can hear the difference between modeled and real analog in music. We drop a lot of our music down onto a Tascam 4-track that has a great saturating effect on the sound. We have five or six samplers, but my favorite by far is still the [http://www.vintagesynth.com/akai/s1000.shtml Akai S1000. It's an old tank now, and the screen has faded so that I almost can't read it, but I know it inside out. It's the most spontaneous thing for making up little tunes. It adds something to the sound — maybe the lower bit depth has something to do with that.