NINE INCH NAILS - Head Like a Hole (Sequential PRO 3 & Elektron DIgitakt 2)

video upload by nicola neeco

"Playing the bassline and drums from Nine Inch Nails’ Head Like a Hole (Pretty Hate Machine).

Synth Bass: Sequential Pro 3 (my own sound design)
Drums: Elektron Digitakt 2, using samples from the Roland R8 drum machine

All performed and programmed by hand.

#nineinchnails #trentreznor #nin #sequentialpro3 #prettyhatemachine"

NINE INCH NAILS - Closer (Sequential PRO 3 & Elektron Digitakt)

video upload by nicola neeco

"After listening the Nine Inch Noize version of Closer, I wanted to recreate one of my favorite sounds from the original track.
On the Sequential Pro 3, I designed a synth stab patch inspired by the iconic riff of this track from The Downward Spiral.
For the drums, I used the Elektron Digitakt, building a similar industrial groove using samples from my own drum library."

NINE INCH NAILS - The Becoming (Sequential PRO 3 & Elektron Syntakt)

video upload by nicola neeco

"I recreated one of my favorite basslines from The Becoming by Nine Inch Nails, from The Downward Spiral. For this version, I used the Sequential Pro 3 for the bassline and the Elektron Syntakt for the drums (no samples, just synthesis)
I wanted to capture that raw, tense, mechanical energy while keeping the whole thing fully hands-on and hardware-driven.

#nineinchnails #trentreznor #sequentialpro3 #syntakt #downwardspiral"

BOARDS OF CANADA - 1986 Summer Fire (COVER - Prophet REV2)

video upload by nicola neeco

"1986 Summer Fire: the last track of Boards of Canada’s Twoism EP.

For this cover I used only my Sequential Prophet Rev2, trying to get as close as possible to that warm, slightly worn-out synth tone from the original.

I’m a huge fan of Boards’ short tracks and interludes, the ones that sit between the “proper” songs. To me, some of their real gems are hidden there: small sketches that say more in 30 seconds than whole albums do.

This is my little tribute to one of those moments."

BOARDS OF CANADA - Sherbert Heat (COVER -Prophet REV2, Analog Heat+FX, OP-1 field)

video upload by nicola neeco

"Here’s my interpretation of Sherbert Head by Boards of Canada, from The Campfire Headphase album.
It’s a relatively underrated piece, but still one of the most beautiful short tracks they’ve ever made.

I used the Prophet Rev2, Elektron Analog Heat +FX, and Teenage Engineering OP-1 Field.
The Analog Heat was key in shaping the noise, saturation, and lo-fi texture that I wanted to bring into this version."

APHEX TWIN - #8 (COVER - Prophet REV2, Elektron Syntakt & OP-1field)

video upload by nicola neeco

"I made a cover of #8, also known as 'Blur,' by Aphex Twin, from the iconic album Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Warp Records 1994)

One of the darkest and most hypnotic tracks on the album, Blur has a unique atmosphere that I tried to reinterpret using a small setup of 3 hardware instruments.

I recorded the entire performance in a single take, using:
• Sequential Prophet Rev2 for the main synth parts (with Valhalla Vintageverb reverb)
• Elektron Syntakt for the drums and rhythmic elements (no samples)
• Teenage Engineering OP-1 Field for the string sound

A special thanks to my friend Lorri for lending me his OP-1 Field for this performance.

#aphextwin #selectedambientworks #prophetrev2 #syntakt #op1field"

BOARDS OF CANADA - Introit (Prophet REV2 & Elektron Analog Heat+FX COVER)

video upload by nicola neeco

"My reinterpretation of “Introit” from Boards of Canada’s latest album Inferno, built entirely with hardware and analog processing.
Two Prophet Rev2 patches:
– Patch 1: the arpeggiated line, created with the synth’s internal melodic sequencer (at the start of the video I record the notes directly into the sequencer).
– Patch 2: a brass-like sound for the melody
All distortion, saturation, filtering and noise come from the Elektron Analog Heat+FX."

BOARDS OF CANADA - Father And Son (COVER - Elektron Syntakt & Prophet REV2)

video upload by nicola neeco

"It immediately stood out to me as one of the most interesting tracks on the record, so I wanted to explore it in my own way rather than recreate it exactly.

I didn’t use the vocal samples, both because they’re difficult to replicate and because I was more interested in focusing on the rhythm and groove created by the synth, drums, and bass working together.

For the sound, I used the Prophet Rev2 for the keys and the Elektron Syntakt for the drums, bass and a pad-like sound.
All the patches and programming were done by me from scratch."

NINE INCH NAILS - A Warm Place (Cover - Prophet REV2 & Elektron Analog Heat+FX)

video upload by nicola neeco

"This is my reinterpretation of A Warm Place by Nine Inch Nails, originally from The Downward Spiral album.

Instead of recreating the dense layering of the original, I approached the piece with a more minimal setup, using the Sequential Prophet Rev2, routed into the Elektron Analog Heat+FX (for saturation, compression, eq & filter)

The sound of the synth comes from a complex patch I recently designed, actually built as two separate patches, one for each hand (split mode).
There’s a certain tonal character in this patch that reminds me of Lorn’s work: dark, emotional, and slightly detuned. That influence naturally found its way into this version.

This is less about replication and more about translation: trying to preserve the emotional core of the original while reshaping its sonic identity through a different instrument and perspective."

BOARDS OF CANADA - Sundown (Synth Cover - Sequential Prophet REV2)

video upload by nicola neeco

"This is my cover of Sundown by Boards of Canada, from Tomorrow’s Harvest (Warp Records, 2013).

This piece has always felt deeply emotional to me. Before studying it, I assumed it would be quite complex, but it turns out the core idea is surprisingly simple and elegant.
The key lies in the tuning of the oscillators: setting them in a perfect fifth interval (for example, Osc 1: C, Osc 2: G) creates that characteristic BOC sound.

For the sound design, I started from a patch I originally built for Corsair. The two tracks share a similar foundation, especially in how the dual oscillators interact through that fifth interval tuning.
The patch is played on the Sequential Prophet Rev2, with (a lot of) Valhalla VintageVerb and Delay"

BOARDS OF CANADA - Under the coke sign (COVER - Prophet REV2 & Elektron Analog Heat+FX)

video upload by nicola neeco

"Gear & Setup
Recreating Boards of Canada’s 'Under the Coke Sign' using the Sequential Prophet Rev2 and Elektron Analog Heat+FX. (Patches made from scratch)
Two custom patches on the Prophet: left hand for the bass line; right hand leverages the chord memory function: hold desired notes and hit unison to trigger full chords with a single finger.

Processing & Sound
The Analog Heat+FX provides warm saturation, EQ shaping, and the warble module, which introduces the characteristic background tape noise heard throughout."

AUTECHRE - Yulquen (COVER - Nord Lead 2X)

video upload by nicola neeco

"I recreated 'Yulquen' by Autechre as faithfully as possible, using only a Nord Lead 2X and performing everything in a single take.

My goal was to get as close as I could to the original sound and feel, while staying fully committed to one instrument and one live performance.

This wasn’t about making a perfect copy: it was about studying the details, the movement, and the character of the track, then trying to bring that language to life through synthesis alone.

While I tried to stay as faithful as possible to the original sound world, I also gave myself the freedom to bend the harmony slightly, adding a few extra notes in the bass and letting the low end speak a little more. It’s still the same DNA, but with a small twist in the shadows.

Now I’m curious to know what you think: did the changes feel natural, or did they pull the track away from the original spirit?

Drop a comment and tell me if you like the new harmonic hints in the bass, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Gear used:
Nord Lead 2X
Valhalla Vintageverb plugin
Valhalla Delay plugin

(I made these patches from scratch)"

APHEX TWIN - Pulsewidth COVER (Elektron Digitakt2, Roland SH01a, Prophet REV2)

video upload by nicola neeco

"Recreating Aphex Twin’s “Pulsewidth” using modern hardware synths: the Elektron Digitakt II, Roland SH-01A, and Sequential Prophet Rev2.

This is my cover version of one of the most iconic tracks from Selected Ambient Works 85–92, carefully crafted to capture its hypnotic pulse and raw analog character.

To rebuild the drum section true to the original, I used Roland R-8 drum samples (the same machine Aphex Twin used) loaded into the Digitakt II, and programmed its sequencer for the rhythmic patterns.
And for the iconic melody the same sample Aphex used: the first seconds of the track Butterfly Holocaust by Neutron 9000."

DANIEL AVERY - Ultra Truth (Prophet REV2 synth cover)

video upload by nicola neeco

"This Daniel Avery's track is one of my favorites in these last months. so I tried to recreate this beautiful melody with my Prophet REV2.
To make this patch I started from the factory patch Sitcom Piano (F1 P38) which I modified a bit

Gear used:
Sequential Prophet REV2
Soundtoys Echoboy Delay
Valhalla Vintageverb"

BOARDS OF CANADA - Kaini Industries (Roland SH-01A Synth Cover)

video upload by nicola neeco

"I've been playing this synth a lot lately, so I said to myself: why not do a version of kaini industries with it? Even though I already did a version with the Prophet REV2 [below]
Which one do you prefer between the two? 😉

(I made this patch from scratch)

Gear used:
Roland SH-01A
Valhalla Vintageverb"

BOARDS OF CANADA - Kaini Industries (Prophet REV2 Synth Cover)
video upload by nicola neeco

"I re-created one of my favorite BOC tunes, from the album Music Has the Right to Children (1998, Warp Records & Skam records)

gear used:
Sequential Prophet REV2 (8-voice version)
Valhalla VintageVerb
u-he Satin tape machine plugin"

BOARDS OF CANADA - Davie Addison (Roland SH-01A Synth Cover)

video upload by nicola neeco

"I love these short BOC's tracks

(I made this patch from scratch)

Gear used:
Roland SH-01A
Valhalla Vintageverb"

Novation 49SL MkII

BOARDS OF CANADA - Carcan (Prophet REV2 Synth Cover)

video upload by nicola neeco

"Here's my version of BOC's Carcan from BOC Maxima (1996).
For this cover, I used this patch I made a few days ago because I like it 😉 even if it's not the same as the original, but I think it has a similar 'BOC vibe'.
As a final touch I used the Wavesfactory Cassette plugin, which is my favorite for re-creating the sound of tape cassette

(I made this patch from scratch)

Gear used:
Sequential Prophet REV2 (8 voices)
Wavesfactory Cassette plugin
Valhalla Vintageverb plugin

Instagram: / nicolaneeco"

BOARDS OF CANADA - Beware the Friendly Stranger (Prophet REV2 Cover)

video upload by nicola neeco

"I love BOC’s short tracks & interludes: they’re little gems, always full of details just like the complete tracks.

I made this cover slower than the original and without the crackling background noise so you can fully appreciate this beautiful melody.

This track is also featured in Salad Fingers, the British animated web series created by ‪@davidfirth‬ in 2004 (a series with a very good foley and sound design, in my opinion)

(I made this patch from scratch)

gear used:
Sequential Prophet REV2 (8 voices)

follow me on Instagram: / nicolaneeco

Beware the Friendly Stranger, from Geogaddi (Warp Records, 2002)"

APHEX TWIN - Z Twig (#17) (Prophet REV2 Synth Cover)

video upload by nicola neeco

"One of my favorites from the Selected Ambient Works vol.2 album (1994 Warp Records).
For this cover I used the Prophet onboard bbd delay, then I added some reverb (my usual Vintageberb).
The patch it's quite simple: a single oscillator, square wave.


(I made these patch from scratch)

Gear used:
Sequential Prophet REV2 (8 Voices)
Valhalla Vintageverb"

APHEX TWIN - Tha (Elektron Syntakt & Sequential Prophet REV2 Cover)

video upload by nicola neeco

"my version of another Richard D. James classic: Tha from Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (R&S Records, 1992). for the occasion here's a new combo: the Prophet REV2 with my new Elektron Syntakt (I love it 🔥) I programmed the Syntakt, and in the video it plays in song mode.

(I made these patches from scratch)

Gear used:
Sequential Prophet REV2
Elektron Syntakt
Valhalla Vintageverb"