Gotye, whose real name is Wouter De Backer, was born in Bruges, Belgium on May 21, 1980, although he is currently based in Melbourne, Australia. His musical style is considered Indie rock and his song “Somebody That I Used to Know” was a number one hit in the US, and he has won five ARIA awards. Gotye is a tenor, and his musical styles have often been compared to that of Somebody That I Used to Know.

Although Gotye is a multi-instrumentalist, most of his music comes from synthesizers, virtual instruments, and effects. To replicate Gotye’s sound, one will need a lot of equipment, and a strong technical knowledge in recording and synthesizer playing. For synthesizers, Gotye uses a Suzuki Omnichord System 200M, a Roland HS-60, a Yamaha DX-7, and a Kawai FS-680. For editing software, he uses Ableton Live 8 and Dididesign Pro Tools 8.

Gotye’s virtual instruments include IK Multimedia SampleMoog, IK Multimedia SampleTron, a Native Instruments Elektrik piano, and a G-Force Nostalgia collection. For effects, Gotye uses an Audio Damage Rough Rider compressor, AudioEase speakerphone, AudioEase Altiverb, and TAL-Togu Audio Line plugins. Recording hardware that Gotye uses includes a Neumann M-147 tube condenser microphone, a Teac A-2340 4-track reel-to-reel tape machine, and an Apple MacBook Pro laptop.

This is an extensive list of equipment, and not all need be purchased to replicate Gotye’s sound; however, having several keyboards, organs, and synthesizers on hand will be key, as well as sound recording equipment and effects. That said, if you’re looking to play a Goyte song on the guitar, there are tons of tabs & chord diagrams our there which will help you create your own covered of your favorite of his tunes!

Keep rockin’!!!
Gotye by eastscene taken on March 30, 2012
Gotye by eastscene taken on March 30, 2012