Alesis Fusion Synthesizer | Demo | Hollow Sun #1 Soundset (Pads/Strings/FX/Choir & Misc) 2023

video upload by Kosmokatze

"Quick Demo of the first Soundbank from Hollow Sun"

Oberheim OB-8 – Custom Sounds & Factory Presets-use

video upload by Andy Whitmore

"Oberheim OB-8 – Custom Sounds & Factory Presets

The Oberheim OB-8 is a subtractive analog synthesizer launched by Oberheim in early 1983 and discontinued in 1985. As the fourth product in the OB-series of polyphonic compact synthesizers, the OB-8 was the successor to the OB-Xa. The number of production was about 3,000 units.

The OB-8 features eight-voice polyphony, two-part multi-timbrality, a 61-note processor-controlled piano keyboard, sophisticated programmable LFO and envelope modulation, two-pole and four-pole filters, arpeggiator, external cassette storage, MIDI capability and 120 memory patches, 24 bi-timbral patches, and used the Z80 CPU. The musician's interface also consists of two pages of front panel programmable controls, left panel performance controls and a set of foot pedals and switches."

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Moby's Drum Machines For Sale

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

You can find them on Reverb here.

Don't miss the video here.

Update: some pics and details captured. I made the mistake of trying to capture them all and then realized how many were listed. :) I ended up switching to the more esoteric models. Quite a few have never been featured here on MATRIXSYNTH before. What's a little bit interesting, is only two new labels were needed, one for Domino and one for Side-Kick-Er. All other brands have been featured before. See the labels at the bottom of this post. Side note: Blogger limits the number of characters to 200 for labels, so I wasn't able to capture them all for this post. You can always search for the brand names featured for more. I assume most do this anyway. The labels are more for maintenance and for finding posts that may not feature brand names in descriptions.

Pictured:

Realistic Concertmate Electronic Accompanist-Metronome

"Fully analog rhythmic companion utilizing 5 beat buttons to combine how you wish. Features metronome, speaker and line out, and tempo control.

Serial: 42-2103. Works with no issue."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Happy New Year From MATRIXSYNTH! - A Look Back at 2014

Happy New Year everyone!

I want to start by thanking everyone that comes to MATRIXSYNTH and helps make it what it is - the readers, the supporters, and of course all the sponsors on the right.

THANK YOU and have a GREAT 2015!!!

This site is a labor of love and a ton of work. This site is ultimately meant to be an testament to everything synth in the making. We have over nine years of daily synth history captured here, 119,983 published posts. I can't wait to see what the future brings us in 2015!

That said, here are a few interesting bits from 2014 in the longest post of the year. ;)

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Vangelis Blade Runner synth cover CS-80 VS MOOG SLIM PHATTY

Published on Jul 12, 2013 BOB ''T'' --------------

"With a Moog Slim Phatty I recreate (emulate) the sound of the Yamaha CS-80. (Monophonic). The Yamaha SY-77 do the metallic harp sound. Roland MKS-7 (raw noise) plug into the Moog Slim Phatty (unfortunately the SP doesn't have a noise source) does the rocket noise sound. Hollow Sun VP330 does the string sound. These are all my custom preset sound. I had a MKS-80 rev 5 synthesizer and did the same sound with it was really good but not as good as with the Moog. That synth is very versatile and the sound quality is incredible but you need to plug a noise source and a cv control for more flexibility. Analog synth and FM is a wonderful duo. More video are coming. I also have a Korg Monotron modified that I can plug into the SP for a third oscillator craziness. If you like you can check out our new album (New age electro 80's style) Google : ITUNE, AMAZON OR CD BABY : EIOS Conquête Du Nord. Thanks for watching ! Cover of that song"

"A Sad Day for Sound" - Tribute to Hollow Sun's Steve Howell by Richard London

via Richard Londonsoundlab on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

Featuring: "the shell, the novachord, newtron bomb 3 (the mellotron), and i think some cathotron"

"(C) Richard London, 2014

Remembering Steve Howell of Hollow Sun, a sound connoisseur's sound designer. In the modern world, where we can have any sound imaginable at our fingers, few sound designers stand out. My music changed when I discovered the world of quality virtual instruments. One of my first experiences was with Hollow Sun. Thank you Steve for doing the impossible and putting a Novachord at my fingertips.

www.hollowsun.com

Steve Howell's sound design has inspired me countless times, and though I never knew him, I will sincerely miss receiving news in my inbox from him with the latest treasures from Hollow Sun."

RIP Stephen Howell of Hollow Sun

We lost another. Some sad news in via Atomic Shadow:

"I learned this morning of the passing of my best friend, Stephen Howell. Many of you know of his work as Hollow Sun. He was a well respected sound designer who had worked for Peter Gabriel and many others. He was a long time fixture at Akai Professional where he designed the UI for many of their top products as well as producing the sample content.

Stephen was my mentor and gave me the nudge to take my music in to a totally abstract direction. Without him there would have been no Atomic Shadow project. I plan to write a bit more about him when I can think more clearly. I am closing down yesterday's world of tomorrow, at least for now.

We only produced one piece of music together. I always tried to get him to do more of his own music, but he said that making music did not pay the bills. He was correct of course. I cut together a video to go with it at the time. Please enjoy it and share it with anyone that you know who may have known Stephen, or had their musical experience made more alive by using one of his instruments."


Mid Century Electronica from Atomic Shadow on Vimeo.

"A short piece featuring my vintage, tube HP sine wave generators, tape loops and ring modulators with a photographic homage to the early pioneers of electronica.... Daphne Oram in twin set, the impish Delia Derbyshire of the early BBC Radiophonic Workshop, several tweedy boffins in their music labs, Karlheinz Stockhausen and so many others. A different age when innovation and ingenuity triumphed over the many technical limitations of the age.

Abstract music soundtrack re-mixed and produced by Stephen Howell of Hollow Sun using traditional techniques in a digital age."

You can find an interview with Stephen Howell on SoundBytes here.

"I was always huge fan of early electronica and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop (Dr Who, Delia Derbyshire and all that as a six-year-old), Louis and Bebe Barron (who did the ‘electronic tonalities’ for the classic sci-fi movie ‘Forbidden Planet’) and loved the weird old gear they used to make/use, so Mario and I were able to design and create, using Kontakt, weird and wonderful things that flew in the face of, shall we say, more ‘conventional’ modern synths and sampler instruments..."

Indeed. Click here for all posts featuring Hollow Sun on MATRIXSYNTH. Each post is a tribute to his spirit. He will be sorely missed.

Update: Failed Muso has set up a condolence page here.

And on KVR here.

Update2:


Stephen Howell and the Subharchord from Ina Pillat on Vimeo.

"December 2011 at the Museum of Technology (Deutsches Technikmuseum) in Berlin. Stephen Howell takes recordings of the instrument. Per Platou, founder and leader of www.pnek.org, has invited him to create a sound library and helps him with the recordings. Inventor Gerd Steinke in conversation with Stephen Howell.

Photography: Jenny Barth
Sound: Johannes Schmelzer-Ziringer
Director: Ina Pillat
Production: Norwegian Arts Council // Per Platou, Ina Pillat"

Layers Pt I: Serein (ft. DSI Tempest & Elektron Analog Four)

Published on Mar 18, 2014 Ace Waters·78 videos

MORE MUSIC: http://motivemakesaman.com
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/motivemakesaman
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/motivemakesaman

"se·rein - a fine rain falling from a sky in which no clouds are visible.

This is the first video in a six part series titled layers. Everything in this series was created using layers, thus the title. Ace and Kyle would trade the song back and forth, layering new tracks on top of each other, until the full song came to be. The first tracks, or the theme of the song, was inspired by a short story concept that Ace thought up. Then, once each song was complete, Ace would listen to the song and write that part of the story, allowing the story to inspire the song, which then inspires the story. Everything, coming together in Layers. Each song title is based on a really cool word.

Layers Pt. 1: Serein
One evening, as the sun was setting over the horizon of the open sea, I found myself standing on the edge of the shore. My feet slowly sank into the sand, My eyes, transfixed on the sunset. I could not remember how I arrived at this spot. I knew not of what travels led me to this moment. I knew not of what plans I had for what would come next. All I had was this moment, even that felt hollow without context or cause. The world painted its extravagant artwork around me, and I could not feel one emotion stir within me.

It wasn't until my clothes soaked through that I noticed the gentle rain falling from the cloudless sky. In a different situation, this light mist would seem heavenly, set against this all-together lovely backdrop of a sunset. In a different situation, I would be equally puzzled and amazed by the clear, cloudless sky letting free such a delicate rain. In a different situation, this moment would define who I was to become. It would shape and mold me into a better person. I would leave this place with a passion to seek forgiveness and give in abundance. In a different situation, this moment would be my salvation.

But now, I was merely empty, devoid of all emotions the scene demanded and unable to grasp the mystery of the slow falling deluge that now forced my soaked clothes to stick to my skin. I was but a shell of a man: vacant, sodden, and growing increasingly cold as the sun fell behind the edge of the sea."

Hollow Sun's HEXXON

via Hollow Sun:

"Not so long ago, a spacecraft from a distant galaxy crash landed just outside Lympley Stoke, a small town not far from Bath, England. Given the significance of the event, the military moved in (as they do) and instructed to move the wreckage to Area 51 for extra terrestrial examination. However, owing to the typical ineptness of the British civil service, it was actually sent to Area 51 in Basingstoke, a tattoo and piercing parlour of some reknown in the area.

The owner wasn't quite sure what to make of it all and could get no sense from the the delivery chap ... he tried refusing delivery only to be greeted with "Sorry mate - more than my job's worth. Sign here, mate". So he was lumbered with it but knowing of our fondness for oddness, the owner contacted us and we hot footed it to the place where we retrieved one of the panels...

The rest of the wreckage was taken away by the local council by burly lads in hi-viz tabards, goggles and hard hats to satisfy Health & Safety regulations. Quite what the re-cycling department made of the harder than diamond metal is anyone's guess.

It took us a while to figure out the panel and recreate it but we managed it eventually.

It uses hex-cells for controls which are colour coded and the brighter they are, the higher the parameter value. At the core of the instrument are 64 waveforms that are derived from a variety of sources. Some are basic sawooths, squares, sines, PWMs, etc., from the Dotcom; others are long and textural and come from a variety of sources but fed through the Dotcom's ladder (Moog) filter, multimode (state variable) filter, Suit&Tie guy's 'Sea Devil' VCS3 filter clone and Dotcom's clipper, rectifier and fixed frequency filter...

There's a 64-wave oscillator with its own pitch env and LFO. This passes to a lo-fi processor and saturation unit before passing to a multi-mode LP/BP/HP filter with variable slopes. Not just that, the filter types aren't switched but continuously variable allowing a lot of tonal flexibility. And all this passes to the output with its own ADSR and LFOs for amplitude and pan modulation ... which then passes to a multi effects chain with flanger, phaser, echo and convolving reverb with a wide range of custom impulses.

The result is that Hexxon is capable of a wide range of textures. It's perferctly capable of 'traditional' synth noises but textural soundscapes is more its forté..."

This one in via Atomic Shadow.

General Zod - Juno 60 and Moog Voyager Old School

Published on May 27, 2013 DouglasHurdGymnast·2 videos

"Gear: Juno 60, Moog Voyager Old School, Omnisphere, a few pedals and Hollow Sun Drumbox. Quick improv for fun.

Think the Moog needs calibrating. Bloody analogs eh!

Factoid: An Englishman must always finish his tea before employing an LFO."

General Zod - Juno 60 and Moog Voyager Old School

Published on May 27, 2013

"Gear: Juno 60, Moog Voyager Old School, Omnisphere, a few pedals and Hollow Sun Drumbox. Quick improv for fun.

Think the Moog needs calibrating. Bloody analogs eh!

Factoid: An Englishman must always finish his tea before employing an LFO."

Ehrbody Duzzit

Published on Jul 7, 2013 davidryle·115 videos

"A short clip of a live session in the studio. Endless questionable noodling but fun for me anyway.

All sounds are the modular synth except the keyboard part. The keyboard sound was comprised of a Waldorf MicroWaveXT, MicroQ, FM8 and Hollow Sun's VP330 vst. The keyboard looper was a Korg Kaoss 3 Pad.

The video features a few of Ian Fritz' and Douglas Slocum's (Synthetic Sound Labs) module designs such as the Double Deka Ultrasonic VCO, A Teezer Thru Zero Oscillator and a pair of 5 Pulser wave shapers.

The DDVCO was used as a two channel step sequencer and sync'd to the Q960. The vco's were Q106's and filtered through a Q107 in band pass mode.

The first bass line was the STG Voltage Mini Store sequencer with a pair of Q106's into a Q150 Transistor Ladder Filter. A Trigger Mini Store handled the timing.

The secondary mid-bass line was a pair of vco's (Q106 and SSL1200) through the pair of 5 Pulsers and an Analog XOR. Several LFO's and an SSL 1520 Segwencer IV module permitted various timbral enhancements to the sounds. All the blending was done using a YuSynth Mixer.

The Q960 and Q119 Sequencers and quantizers managed most of the other melodic pitch stuff along with Moon Modular trigger and divider duties. A CGS Master Divider split the long division duties for voices coming and going.

The drone sound is a single Q106 into the Strymon Blue Sky reverb and through an Oakley Deep Equinoxe phaser.

A pair of pulse clicks were a Sputnik WCRS into a Polivoks Filter and the second was the Fritz Teezer vco and a CGS BiNTic filter. The envelopes were all Q109's.

A groaning formant sound was WCRS into a Sputnik VCS, through a FFB and SSL Digital Delay, then a Grove PM Resonator.

A final harmonized sequence was a Q106 to an Oakley Diode Ladder Filter."

New Hollow Sun Optomotron & NewTron Bomb Update

via Hollow Sun

"It's been a busy time here at 'The Towers' of late with no less than TWO new products on the go ... well, one new product and a major update to an existing one plus a special package.

Our new product is 'Optomotron' and uses multi-samples from the rare Vako Orchestron which used optical disks to make lo-fi and crunchy sounds...

You can layer sounds, tune, balance and shape sounds and there are switches to add some gunk to the sounds - wow and flutter, distorted cab and 'honky' EQ and all this passes to a comprehensive effects section with chorus, phaser, echo and convolution reverb with custom impulses from springs to vintage plates, room, halls and massive ambiences.

One nice touch is that we have not just the scratchy, wobbly stuff recorded directly from the old optical disks but also the original master tape recordings which you can mix freely using the WORN switches.

We've also inluded our usual random patch generator..."



"Our other offering is an update to our popular NewTron Bomb...

We've taken the original and inspired by what we did with Optomotron, brought it up to date with layering where two 'Tron sounds can be combined, tuned, mixed, shaped, etc., before passing on to the echo and convolution reverb effects. We've also added the rare 1/2 speed playback option that some Tronsters of old had done to their instruments. There are also switches to add wow and flutter, velocity (which should be off for authenticity, of course!) and random sample start (as on the real thing when tapes didn't quite return to zero).

It's available now for just £20 (less than the original Newtron) and believe me, as an ex-Tron owner myself, it sounds magnificent - layering 1/2 speed choir with normal speed strings, whatever, is just gusset moistening!! I shall try and make some new audio demos soon ... or get someone talented to make some!

But we've not stopped there...

As an introductory offer, given the technical and sonic similarities between the two (one generating 'real' sounds off tape, the other off optical disk), we're making them both available for a mere £30 in a special package. You can look at that as £15 each or Newtron III for a £tenner - either way, a decent enough saving.

If it appeals to you, until such time as I get a webpage together, you can buy it here directly..."

These in via Atomic Shadow who recently released The Panoramic Wave Generator.

ZapZorn Elements

ZapZorn Elements Trailer from ZapZorn Composer Tools on Vimeo.

"Welcome to the world of ZapZorn Elements - a multi-layered sound design tool powered by Kontakt that takes the elements of Glass, Metal, Plastic, and Wood and lets you create new sounds that are all you own. With over 200 patches and 30 multi's to get you started, the sound design world is at your feet. With a feature packed Arpeggiator, 24 channel fully automatable group mixer and a massive Trigger FX section complete with a dynamic Convolution Reverb with custom IR samples - You can created thousands even millions of options. Check out more at zapzorn.com."

You might remember ZapZorn teaming with Hollow Sun from this post.

New Hollow Sun SOTU

A new instrument from Hollow Sun

"If you have even the vaguest interest in anything cosmological, you will no doubt be aware that NASA and other international space agencies have been sending probes out into the deepest recesses of our solar system and, with the aid of telescopes as well, have been recording the radio waves emitted by our universe and converting them to audio. The music of the spheres as was once referred to in the middle ages ... or the Sounds Of The Universe ... or SOTU.

It's intriguing and beguiling stuff - long evolving soundscapes that rumble and warble and bleep and phase and swirl, the kind of thing you might expect from an exquisite album of abstract electronica or 'chill out' music. I did contact NASA to license these recordings but they weren't keen. Well... bollocks to them because...

It's all a con, a cunning ruse - there's a race of impish aliens out there who have a machine that generates these sounds which they broadcast around the cosmos to confuse us earthlings ...

And we have laid our hands on it and recreated it for Kontakt 4..."

This one in via Atomic Shadow

DANKBARKEIZ CHANTRA 2012

Published on Dec 31, 2012 GeisterFahrei·80 videos

"The New Years Eve s soundtrack from Trautonia and Matthias!
Music composed and performed by Trautonia using the 13 tone system of the Maya!"

"In time before the new year the new annual video!

Happy New Year,,,,,, as long as the world is still turning,,,,

Trautonia and Matthias"

PPG 300 Modular system,
Jupiter 6 Synthesizer
Moog Theremin,
Waterphone,
Tibetan Bells,
E IV Sampler
Hollow Sun Laboratory Instruments

Also see BAL PARE - Rockstars

♪♫ ♯♩♪♫♬ ► Experiment with Alesis Fusion : RDV 5 (JM Jarre)

Published on Dec 5, 2012 by tlnet37
"Here, another experiment with 4 tracks re-recorded in live :4 programs of the Alesis Fusion 8hd (Hollow Sun banks and presets). Many mistakes in tempo and keys ... this is a human playing by ear ; no sequencer, no midi file."

Hollow Sun Pulstar / ZapZorn Elements Pre-Sale Promotion

Hollow Sun Pulstar / ZapZorn Elements Pre-Sale Promotion from ZapZorn Composer Tools on Vimeo.
"From November 30th to December 3rd, ZapZorn Composer Tools and Hollow Sun are joining together to promote their two new products ZapZorn Elements and Hollow Sun Pulstar. This Pre-Sale offers ZapZorn Elements at a special rate of $119 for Elements (regularly $139) to Hollow Sun users."

via Atomic Shadow

Alesis Fusion Covering Tears for Fears Shout

the power of Alesis Fusion playing a midi file by tlnet37

Published on Nov 8, 2012 by tlnet37

"no live here, only a midi file with internal programs of the Fusion (presets and Hollow Sun bank too) ... I like Shredder Axe at the end ...."

Self Erecting Structures by Atomic Shadow

via Atomic Shadow
"After I decided to retire the man in the lab coat it dawned on me that I had made quite a few videos featuring that personae. Why not compile an album from those tracks and make them all available to commemorate the end of an era? So here is the result. All of the videos are viewable at my Vimeo site.

Tracks 8 and 9 were demos of Hollow Sun's Cognopshere instrument for Kontakt and Wolfgang Palm's PPG WaveGenerator app for iOS respectively.

Track 13 is one that was done for another project and was lost while backing up to an external drive. It recently resurfaced while I was looking for something else. I took this as a sign and included it here.

This is a 'pay what you want" download and I have several empty spots in the racks of my Command Center that are painfully aggravating my OCD so please consider helping out with a purchase. Or buying some of these raw sounds for your own use at my Pond 5 site.

You can subscribe to my blog at www.atomicshadow.com where I post on the rare occasion that I have anything new or interesting to report.

credits
released 01 November 2012
Thanks to..,
Mrs. Shadow for understanding my condition.
Stephen Howell at Hollow Sun for collaboration and support.
All of the wonderful people who have listened and watched."

Self Erecting Structures