Three Questions With Sparks - Ron Mael

Ron Mael of the legendary duo Sparks was kind enough to answer 3Qs for Synth History! Below, he talks about his first synth, favorite memories recording, and more.

Sparks is currently on tour and I highly suggest heading to a show! More info.

Fri. Sept. 19 - Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest

Sat. Sept. 20 - St. Paul, MN @ Fitzgerald Theater

Tue. Sept. 23 - Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre

Wed. Sept. 24 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre

Fri. Sept. 26 - Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall

Sat. Sept. 27 - San Francisco, CA @ Golden Gate Theatre

Mon. Sept. 29 - El Cajon, CA @ The Magnolia

Tue. Sept. 30 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre

As part of Issue Five, November 2025.

Synth History: Do you remember your first synth and do you still have it?

Ron: Roland Juno-106.

On the Kimono My House album which we recorded in London, I used an RMI electric keyboard. I thought it sounded so bad that I used an Echoplex tape delay box to give the sound some character. It ended up having a really distinct character that really colored the sound of all those 70s UK recorded albums. I still own both the RMI and the Echoplex unit. Somehow they survived being transplanted to Los Angeles.

Synth History: How has your process changed throughout the years? And do you think advancements in technology help or hinder the process of making art, i.e. too many options?

Ron: More options means more choices for creativity. We now have a lot of options. We’re not purists in the argument that analog sounds are better. We have massive amounts of sound libraries that cannot only faithfully recreate any synth but also produce real orchestral sounds or anything else you can dream up.

All in a laptop. Not to say that real orchestras aren’t great. Or drummers or guitar players. The important thing is how any technology is used. It’s not the technology itself.

Sparks + Giorgio Moroder.

Synth History: What is one of your most favorite memories you can recall either in the studio writing/ recording a song, playing live, or both?

Ron: It’s all a long continuum. We’re excited by what we achieved in the past as well as what we’re currently doing. It’s about always being proud of the past but curious and looking to the future.

Going into a complete synth studio with Giorgio Moroder in Los Angeles in 1978 and recording the groundbreaking Number One In Heaven album.

We learned tons about electronics working with Giorgio, being the first ‘band’ he ever collaborated with. And Giorgio was excited to work with Sparks as it was a different mindset than he was used to. Massive banks of modular Moog synthesizers greeted us daily in the study. And ironically, with all the electronic options that were at our disposal in the studio, the entire album had real drums on it, masterfully played by Keith Forsey who played on many of Giorgio’s Donna Summer albums.

Synth History Exclusive.

Interview conducted by Danz.

Photos courtesy of Sparks.