HALF-ALIVE - A Halloween Ghost Story from City 53

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

One more AI horror below.

"Welcome to City 53, where humanity lives under a mysterious occupation, artificial intelligence speaks with a reassuring voice, and resistance survives in the most unexpected places.

HAL 9000 meets GLaDOS meets a dystopian Vienna (City 53). And somewhere in the alleys, The Free Man still has his crowbar.

HALF-ALIVE is an experimental AI-generated Halloween film, inspired by the Half-Life universe, classic science fiction and the increasingly blurred boundaries between human creativity and artificial intelligence. It's also a story about power, control and responsibility. Machines may execute the instructions, but humans decide what they're built to do.

The visuals were created using generative AI, animated and assembled into a cinematic world, with original sound design, music and my trusted modular synthesizers. It took me two full weeks to co-create the designs which is like one giant puzzle of images, image-to-video attempts, trying to maintain some kind of continuity, keeping faithful to the Half-Life canon while adding my own 'blood in the paint', sound design, dialogs, etc.

I can't even remember how it started, I wasn't even playing Half-Life. I think I wanted to make a dystopian city for some halloween project and make scary music for it. Then I wanted a city with classical elements like Paris. I chose Vienna. It reminded me of City 17. I remember taking a doomscroll, wondering if people who lost their jobs because of AI were making videos and sharing their real life stories. Some were heartbreaking. So it wasn't a small leap from a dystopian future to real life. But then I found different perspectives on companies re-hiring real people to clean up the technical debt left by unmanaged AI coding. It felt like a 'resistance' rising from the ashes of AI slop. The whole Ghost in the Machine story was made today, October 31st, 2026. So yeah, you can do a lot of work with some help from the Machine Ghost. But a prompt doesn't magically make a story. I defined the premise of creators trying to make an AI more human by giving it mortality, fear, pain, love, regrets and a moral conscience. At Halloween, these stories never end well.

This is a tribute to Valve, Half-Life and the wonderfully unsettling ghosts in the machines of science fiction. It's an independent, unofficial fan film / music video. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Valve. The IBM logo is used because - if you know your classics - the HAL 9000 super intelligence from the 1960's sci-fi classic 2001, A Apace Odyssee is one character away from turning H.A.L. into I.B.M. In the classic movie, HAL turned against us. In this Halloween Ghost Story, the intelligence was shoved into selfpreservation - similar to testing on animals.

#halflife2 #halloween #hal9000

00:00 A Halloween Ghost Story
09:32 ALIVE - Welcome To City 53 Music Video"

ALL'SWELL | Artificial Intellijel SWELLS | Episode 01

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"I am not sure how long I had Intellijel Swells lying around. As you may know I am a reverb addict, and I didn't have to think twice to order Swells. But when I got it, I got discouraged by the sheer option space, the modes, the alt modes and the countless little difference of module operation between modes, the different forms of LO-FI, the different bursts, it's almost like having nine different modules in one module. So I froze. While using a bit of AI to plough through the options I got the idea of making a video where ChatGPT would guide me into making it self-oscillate, still unaware of the fact that it's not really designed to do so called 'runaway' trails of endless decay."

Intellijel Spooky Sound Design Patch | Multigrain, Springray, Planar, Swells & more

video upload by Intellijel

"In this special paranormal patch, we explore some creepy sound design to create a haunted soundscape.

Happy Halloween! 🎃

Chapters:
00:00 - Infernal Intro
00:20 - Haunted Bell Tower (Putrid Plonk)
02:40 - Ominous Drone (Abominable Atlantix)
04:53 - Dungeon Droplets (Frightful Flurry & Spooky Springray)
06:56 - Thumping Heartbeat (Devilish Dixie & Tangrams of Terror)
10:18 - Modular Incantations (Morbid MEMS & Menacing Multigrain)
15:01 - Cursed-verb (Sinister Swells)
17:46 - The bitter end

#modular #halloween #intellijel #eurorack #sounddesign #sfx #spooky"

Intellijel Cascadia Minimal Techno Patch Walkthrough

video upload by Intellijel

"Sometimes, all you need is a drum machine, an FX pedal, and synth... Intellijel Cascadia

In this video, Matt works on patching together Cascadia's various analog tools to create the different elements in a Minimal Techno jam. This includes utilizing Cascadia's secret weapon - the "Entropic Sequence Generator", and using CV to control feedback on the delay pedal via the expression input.

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:23 - MIDI Sequenced Bass
02:01 - Entropic Sequence Generator
05:15 - Adding the Wavefolder
06:03 - Bring in the FX
06:51 - Patching some more modulation
08:08 - Sample and hold on an LFO
09:47 - Experimenting and jamming with the patch
11:58 - Patch summary and some features we missed"

Exploring the dark side of the Ohmforce Bohm - Does it doom?

video upload by Abre Ojos

"There are lots of techno focussed demos of the Bohm but not a lot exploring big kick atmospheres. This is the video I wanted to see before taking a chance and buying it.

The custom black and gold panels are from https://audioparasites.com/

00:00 Intro ramble
02:15 The rest of the set up & Lapus Os
06:31 The Neuzeit Warp
08:26 The VHIKK-X into the Ghost
09:39 Into the Bohm Zone
14:58 The Groove - Playing with different clocks
19:41 Different snapshots & models
20:44 FM2X Model
22:23 HPN Model
23:00 HZ-1 Model
24:39 OLP4 Model
25:34 SP-6 Model
26:12 VXT Model & End Jam"

Assay - PsyDoom Technoise - Elektron Tonverk & Eurorack

video upload by Abre Ojos

"‪@WeAreElektron‬ Tonverk
‪@ohmforceofficial‬ Bohm, Groove & Performer with Audio Parasites panels
Neuzeit Warp
Knit
VHIKK-X
‪@Endorphines‬ Ghost & Sqwk Dirty to Me
‪@NoiseEngineering‬ Lapus Os
‪@busycircuits‬ Pams New Workout
‪@DivKid‬ DivSkip
‪@intellijel‬ Multigrain
‪@1010music‬ Bluebox

Video:
Live visuals using The Astral Factor (1972) from Archive.org played through cracked ancient iPad and processed through:
Video microscope
iPhone camera
Roland V1-HD
@entropyandsons Recursion Studio
Resolume Avenue
Recorded with Rodecaster Video"

What did you say?

video upload by Brennan Fowler

"‪@bastlinstruments‬ Kastle Bloop ⁨with ​⁠the ‪@3dwaves814‬ case and ‪@intellijel‬ 1u LPG"

Atmospheric Techno Patch Walkthrough | Multigrain, Swells, Atlantix, Metropolix and more

video upload by Intellijel

"This patch combines a fast, hypnotic bass and kick combo (Atlantix), with an ambient layer of pads, reverb and noise with random sequencing and no clock (Multigrain & Swells). Plus, a layer of percussion from Plonk and some glitched out delays from Sealegs. Lots of tricks and ideas in this walkthrough, we hope you find it useful!

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:26 - Ambient Layer - Multigrain, Swells, Flurry
07:21 - Bass and Kick - Atlantix, Metropolix, Quadrax
12:08 - Additional Percussion and Glitch FX - Plonk, Polaris, Sealegs
17:48 - Final Patch and Outro Jam"

Droning with Data Bender by Qu-Bit

video upload by Nathan Plante Synths

"This is the first video in a new series all about trying to get music gear to do things it wasn't designed to do. In this video I play with the Data Bender by ‪@QuBitElectronix‬ and try and get some some dark and crunchy drones going.

00:00 Intro
00:39 Setup
01:10 First Drone
05:59 Second Drone

Pod Case by ‪@noisyfruitslab‬

https://www.subvert.fm/nathan-plante
https://nathanplante.bandcamp.com/"

Dub-Inspired Patch | Atlantix, Metropolix, Sealegs, Multigrain & more

video upload by Intellijel

"This patch walkthrough with Matt brings together dub-inspired elements using Intellijel modules - a subby bassline (Atlantix), minimal drums (Plonk), chord stabs (Multigrain) into a big tape echo (Sealegs), and even a dub siren (Flurry & FSR). All mixed in the case through Aux Mix 1U.

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:16 - Bass - Atlantix, Metropolix, Tangrams
02:52 - Drums - Plonk, Metropolix, Swells
08:09 - Chords & Dub Echo - Multigrain, Sealegs
16:53 - Dub Siren - Flurry, Quadrax, Amps, FSR
20:00- Patch Idea 1: Aging the tape - Tangrams, Sealegs
22:36 - Patch Idea 2: Reverb Dropout - FSR, Swells
24:05 - The end result"

Ambient Modular Patch Walkthrough | Intellijel Atlantix, Swells, Multigrain, Metropolix & more

video upload by Intellijel

"☁︎ Time to chill with an ambient patch ☁︎

This patch explores ways to expand on Atlantix' outputs using Shifty, creating evolving sequences with Metropolix, and modulating effects for some trippy textures - plus some other ideas, tips and tricks.

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro and FX Chain
00:31 - Setting up a 'Round Robin' with Shifty & Atlantix
03:04 - Sequencing with Metropolix
06:37 - Distributing CV Modulation with Shifty
10:31 - Adding Texture with Live Sounds on Multigrain
14:10 - What should we do with Tangrams?
17:15 - Introducing random modulation with Noise Tools 1U
18:29 - Triggering Reverse on Swells and Freeze on Sealegs
20:55 - The completed patch"

Torso Live Session #8: Nene H

video upload by torso electronics and Nene H

"torso electronics presents a live session recorded at ikii, an intimate listening space for sound and art in Berlin.

In this episode, Nene H performs with the modular system at the centre of her current live and studio practice. The set moves through raw, buzzing, glassy textures, uneasy rhythmic patterns, and moments of melancholia.

Her live setup is entirely hardware-based, with no computer, timecode, or pre-recorded material. Its voices include a Make Noise DPO, Synthesis Technology Cloud Terrarium, Erica Synths Bass VCO, and Noise Engineering Basimilus, summed through an Intellijel Mixup.

Sequencing comes from the T1 and Make Noise René 2. René moves around a grid rather than following a conventional line from beginning to end, allowing patterns to appear in orders that would be difficult to write by hand.

Rather than following a fixed structure, Nene H records the system, samples it, and plays the material again. Sounds move continuously between synthesis, recording, sampling, and performance, allowing the set to find its shape in real time.

The result is raw, restless, and emotionally charged, shaped by Nene H’s close relationship with a system that has developed its own personality over time.

About Nene H
Nene H is a Turkish-Azerbaijani producer, DJ, and live artist based in Berlin. A conservatory-trained pianist, her work moves between club music, improvisation, composition, and collaborative performance.

Her catalog spans Standard Deviation, Intrepid Skin, Live From Earth, Incienso, and UMAY. Her albums include Ali علي and Second Skin. Her forthcoming EP, Seltsame Fabeln, arrives October 16, 2026 on UMAY."

disting NT - Little Spacey

video upload by Expert Sleepers

"Demo of the 'Little Spacey' bucket-brigade delay effect, added to the disting NT in firmware v1.16."

Metropolix: New Mod Gate + Mod Trig Options | 1.6.2.3 Beta Firmware Update

video upload by Intellijel

"Get the latest firmware here: https://intellijel.github.io/firmware/
(Don't forget to check the 'Show Betas' box to access this update)

Metropolix 1.6.2.3 beta firmware update allows you to derive triggers or gates from the 8 Mod Lanes - adding some extra sequencing power to this already jam packed sequencer. These can be output from the A & B Mod Outputs, the Gx (or Qx) Expander Module, or via MIDI.

In this video, we explain how to set this up, followed by a patching demo of how you might want to use those extra trigs or gates.

Chapters
00:00 - New Firmware Features Explained
01:21 - Patch Demo Setup
02:54 - FX Chain (Sealegs, Swells & X-Fade 1U)
04:24 - Atlantix - Beefy Kick
05:06 - Plonk - Switching percussion sounds
07:18 - Flurry - Morphing Noise
09:52 - Multigrain - GATE & NEXT sequencing
11:25 - Bifold - Wavefolding Bass
15:20 - The final patch
16:28 - Outro Jam"

Destiny+ Double Q Euro // ER-301 Stolmine + Habitat // Sealegs

video upload by Lesjamusic

"'I like to keep it on manual control for a while'

‪@kirkis9000‬ made a limited edition Double Q Eurorack version, and I plugged it into ER-301 running the (fairly) new Stolmine firmware with the Habitat packages. It's fun. Given the huge number of CV outs on Double Q, and the huge corresponding inputs on ER-301, I can see these two spending a lot of time together 🤘🫠🤘"

Making a Techno Rumble (and beat) | Plonk, Sealegs, Swells + More

video upload by Intellijel

"Here's our version of a techno rumble patch - using Plonk as our kick, Sealegs for saturation & delay, and Swells as our 'rumble' reverb. SWELL modulation comes in handy here for ducking the effects against the kick. We also explore some more elements afterwards to create a full techno patch, so stick around till the end.

Chapters
00:00 - Setting up the patch
01:44 - Creating the 'Rumble'
03:59 - Multigrain chord stabs
05:06 - Flurry hi-hats
06:03 - Bifold Bassline from the Kick
08:01 - FSR Drop Macro
09:32 - Outro"

SCJS#110 - THORNY WEATHER

video upload by FL3SHB4CK

"Small Case Jam Sessions #110

NLC Hypster, Intellijel Flurry, Ritual Electronics AMNIS, SHAKMAT Battering Ram, nanoRings, GEHIRN Noiswasp, XODES AHH & µGR2

Make some noise!"

Creating Loops with Granular Sounds | Intellijel Multigrain, Sealegs and Swells

video upload by Intellijel

"With some simple patching, you can create loops and rhythms with Multigrain to accompany your beats - ranging from MPC-style chops to time-stretched samples. This video explores some of the possibilities at a simple level, which have the potential for developing into more complex patches.

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction and patch
00:53 - Setting up a looping Sound
03:18 - Modulating START
05:02 - Switching out Samples
05:59 - Modulating PITCH
08:06 - Using SYNC
09:31 - Summary"

Ambient cascades | Novation Circuit Monostation, Stylophone Gen X-2 and S-1, Vongon pedals, eurorack

video upload by Jay Hosking

"Please support my work on Patreon: / jayhosking
A live synthesizer jam performed entirely on hardware.

I enjoyed having the Vongon Solarfaze and Polyphrase on the table for my last jam and left them there on a whim. That was the starting point. Next, I needed to run a synth through them, so I chose the Novation Circuit Monostation. I borrowed the CMS from a friend and had been looking to make some music with it; my opinion is that it's an extremely underrated synth that can do way more than people recognized at the time. And once I had its sequencer running and a bassline queued up, I could hear more of what was needed.

I also recently got a couple of Stylophones, because they are extremely affordable—the S-1 was something like $60 Canadian—and because I like the sound of them. Using the CMS's CV outputs, I sent a second set of sequences to the Gen X-2, which has CV input. I also took advantage of the Gen X-2's beautiful internal delay for cascading performances. The S-1 ended up my improv melody device for the last third of the song.

At this point, I needed reverb but didn't want to add multiple reverb boxes, so I added the Jellymix to act as stereo send to all the synths. For reverb, I chose the Swells, because I currently have it in a case with the Fieldtone Weaver and Qu-Bit Stardust, which can add a lot to a mix through stereo sample mangling. The Stardust is playing something that came from the CMS into Weaver; the Weaver is playing a snippet of my voice.

By this point, I could hear the full song, and it was just a matter of adding a couple of sequences and performing the whole thing. Pretty fun to see how wanting to explore a bit of hardware can lead to a finished song.

Performed and recorded live to a stereo output from the Jellymix, with EQ, compression, and limiting on the master.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Cyma Forma RND Synth - Ein Knopf Synthesizer mit SSF Drums - Melodic Techno

video upload by Daniel Rohr

"Melodic-Techno

1 melodisches Zufallspattern mit dem RND 'One Button' Synthesizer das nie mehr kommen wird.
Es ist eines aus 4,3 Milliarden sounds (4 294 967 296) das zufällig bei jedem Knopfdruck ausgewählt wird.

Drums mit modular Synthesizer SSF Steady State Fate

Direkt aufgenommen auf Zoom Recorder F8n Pro

Effekte:
Mutable Instruments Ripples (Filter)
Squarp Rample (Voices)
Intellijel Sealegs - (Delay)
Universe Zen Voskhod-2M (Reverb)"

"Game Over"

Modular "Groovebox" Patch | Intellijel Atlantix, Metropolix Swells, Sealegs, Flurry + more

video upload by Intellijel

"The aim: to build a modular 'groovebox' patch, complete with drums, melodies, FX, macro controls and more. Atlantix is the foundation of this patch, and we tried to use it for as many voices as possible here.

Matt highlights some different patching ideas, tips, tricks and module features along the way.

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:10 - Setup - Clock, Reset
00:54 - Kick Drum
02:22 - Snare / Tom Drum
03:49 - Hi-hat
05:19 - Bass / Wavefolded Tones
06:36 - Modulating Quadrax (with Tangrams)
08:45 - Adding Pitch Sequence
09:45 - FX Chain - Drive, Delay, Reverb
11:04 - Bonus Flurry Sounds
13:09 - Planar Macro Controller
15:00 - Summary"

b ~ day - Happy Birthday Ebotronix!

video upload by Ebotronix

Happy birthday Ebo!!! 🥳 😎 The first post to feature Ebotronix here on MATRIXSYNTH was Moon Odyssey back on June 28, 2011.

"Intellijel Designs,
2x ,Dubmix with Expander, Azimuth 2 , Quadrax,Tetrapad,Tete,
Shapeshifter , 2x Amps , 4x Planar 2 , 4x Polaris Multi Mode Filter,
5x Dixie II +, 2x Plonk , 2x Multi FX 1u, 2x Mixup, 2x Tangrams,
2x Quadratt 1u, 2x passive LPG, Dr. Octature 1 & 2, Steppy,
Scales, Bifold, Flurry , Quad VCA,Metropolix Solo,
Sealegs, Quad Inverter, µMod V1 , ADSR,2x Swells,Multigrain,
2x 104 ~ 7 U Case,2x 104 ~ 4U Case,
Cylonix - Cyclebox II, with expander,
2x Ornament and Crime, Harmonic Minor Scale,
Temps Utile,
ARC Serge TKB,
4ms Peg,
Mutable Instruments Shades, Veils,
XAOC Batumi,
29.07.2026
video# 2660"

2660 videos and still going!