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

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.

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.

Hollow Sun TECHTRON

via Hollow Sun
"* Advanced Retro Synthesis Engine
-- Two 'iSaw' Oscillators
-- Two LFOs
-- Multi-mode 2-pole/4-pole filter
-- Two envelope shapers
-- Pitch envelope
-- Poly and mono play modes
-- EQ, distortion, chorus, phaser, rotary and echo multi-FX
-- Convolved reverb featuring vintage spring reverbs

With two 'super' oscillators featuring thick, detuned sawtooths (which we call 'iSaw' here at HS Towers and come courtesy of HS chum, BeMuso) through a multimode, dual slope filter, two envelopes, two LFOs, a pitch EG, mono and poly playback modes with glide, etc., Techtron offers instant 'techno' sounds that are powerful, wide, bright, brash, fizzy and anthemic and yet also capable of chunky basses, spiky arpeggios, thick leadlines and lush, luxuriously smooth pads plus dark, broody and moody textures.

There is also a powerful arpeggiator with a wide variety of patterns and variable velocity curve.

Add to this 'factory' and user presets and a comprehensive multi-effects chain comprising EQ, distortion, cab simulation, chorus, phaser, rotary cabinet, echo and convolved reverb offering everything from tight rooms to spacious halls and massive ambient washes plus classic vintage spring reverb impulses, Techtron complements the Music Laboratory Machines perfectly with a very different and contrasting soundset.


It even comes with documentation we found attached to the unit..."

via Steve Howell on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

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

Soniccouture Novachord Sample Set

via Soniccouture (videos here)
"It is a little known fact, but the worlds first commercially available synthesizer was designed by the Hammond Organ Company in 1938 and put into full production from 1938 to 1942. The Novachord is a gargantuan, entirely tube based, 72 note polyphonic synthesizer with oscillators, filters, VCAs, envelope generators and even frequency dividers.

The first instrument was delivered to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Jan. 30, 1940 as a birthday present, but despite this auspicious start, the 500 lb instrument struggled commercially...

We sampled every one of the 72 notes on this beast - 50 times over. As well as full patches, we also separately sampled each Novachord 'tone' - the stops, or filter channels - so that we could model a 'Virtual Novachord' in Kontakt.

This comprehensive core sample library is used to maximum effect in creating two separate instrument concepts - The Dual layer NovaSynth and the 1939 / 2039 NovaSynth."

via Gregtronic. According to Greg, this sample set is from Phil Cirocco's Novachord while Hollow Sun's is from another Novachord in the UK.

Also see the Novachord label below for more. Note Hollow Sun also has a sample set and there is a Novachord instrument for Kontakt.

Hollow Sun ADVANCED NOISE GENERATOR

via Hollow Sun

"Sometimes, you just can't have enough noise. For special effects, sound design, atmos, drum and percussion sounds, sweeps, etc., noise is such an invaluable tool.

Sadly, these days, noise is something of an afterthought on many synths with just one paltry selection and with today's software based synths generating it digitally, it's just not the same as true analogue noise, it's pseudo-random noise based on mathematical algorithms.

True analogue noise is created using a zener diode which is biased into breakdown to produce truly random noise. Another method is to use a transistor wired so that its emitter-base junction is reverse biased which does much the same as a zener diode.

It seems daft but analogue noise does have an appreciably 'weightier' quality to it than virtual analogue noise, even though they may 'look' essentially the same on a 'scope or in a wave editor.

The Advanced Noise Generator provides all this and more..."

Hollow Sun Music Laboratory Machines - Broken

YouTube Uploaded by nuswolloh on Apr 22, 2011

"A quick demo of Hollow Sun's new addition to the Music Laboratory Machines series. 'Broken' is a Kontakt 4 instrument plays the sounds of valve audio machinery in pain and on the threshold of dying.

http://www.hollowsun.com/HS2/sli/broken"

Hollow Sun - Akai AX80 and AX60 for the Alesis Fusion

click here for the free downloads as well as good overviews of the two synths on Hollow Sun.

via Gwenhwyfaer in the comments of this post.

Hollow Sun OSCILLOSINE and ORGANA Now Available!

via Atomic Shadow, who's HP oscillators are featured in OSCILLOSINE (see Hollowsun label below for prior posts including video) via the Hollow Sun newsletter: "OSCILLOSINE and ORGANA now available....

Well... they are!!

There has been considerable excitement in the blogosphere about these two intriguing looking Kontakt instruments ... and not without good reason as they represent a new direction in Kontakt soundware and a new direction for HS products.

Best of all, however, is the price ... a mere $8 for 'Oscillosine'!!! That's about £5 in real money and €5.70 for my friends across the channel in Europeland (roughly ... depending on exchange rates obviously).

'Organa' will sell for just $4! You do the maths!

Hollow Sun Hammond Novachord Sample Set Now Available

on Hollow Sun

"Back in the 1930s, there was a man called Laurens Hammond, an electronics engineer, inventor and innovator.

At the age of 14, he had designed an automatic transmission mechanism for motor cars (which was rejected by Renault!) and later would invent, in 1922, a 3D movie playback system as well as a clock motor.

However, he is best known for the patent he took out in 1934 for a tonewheel organ which was to become, of course, the B3 and C3 and various other models.

In 1939, however, Hammond released something altogether different - the world's first polyphonic synthesiser.

Yes - you read that correctly ... a fully polyphonic synthesiser ... in 1939!!"

Hollow Sun Cognosphere Demo

YouTube Uploaded by nuswolloh on Nov 24, 2011

"A demo of Hollow Sun's new 'Cognosphere' Music Laboratory Machine. Click on the cog to generate new sounds at random.

Not great video quality, sorry, but you get the gist."

Music Laboratory Machines Compilation

Music Laboratory Machines Compilation by Hollow Sun
"A moody compilation of several pieces created by Hollow Sun customers using nothing other than the Music Laboratory Machines ... pieces by Atomic Shadow, Boele Gerkes, Bobbotov, Shadoe42 and some self-penned compositions merged and blended into one long segue of retro electronic abstract goodness.

My thanks to all contributors.

http://www.hollowsun.com"

via The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

Fingerwolf Studio Pics

A few studio pics in via Fingerwolf who has a new release out on Hollow Sun Records titled "HERE BE WOLVES". Click through to check it out.

Pictured:
Emu Proteus
Yamaha SY22
MFOS Weird Sound Generator

Click the pics for the full size shots.

Other gear used: "I use Kontakt (Hollow Sun Novachord library is excellent!) and Abysnth as well as the Reason synths. Various other bits of kit have come and gone, but pop up on various of the tracks on Here Be Wolves: Blofeld, Monomachine, Machinedrum, Roland SH-201, Nord Lead 2, a Spector bass, and a Roland v-drum kit."

Hollow Sun VP330 Vocoder+ Sample Library

YouTube via nuswolloh | June 27, 2010 | 1:28

"A short video clip of the new Hollow Sun VP330 Vocoder+ sample library in action. Nothing spectacular - a quick low-rez screen capture - but should give an idea of how close this is to having the real thing in front of you with the interactive panel. Long multi-samples captured in stereo which authentically re-create this classic vintage keyboard. Thanks for watching!"

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"

Inside a Hammond Novachord

You'll find more images including close-ups at the Hollow Sun blog.

In case you missed this post and this post featuring demos, Hollow Sun is coming out with a sample set of the Novachord.

Hollow Sun's Electrapiano

via Hollow Sun where you'll find sample and full details.

snip:
"The RMI Electrapiano from US manufacturer, Rocky Mount Instruments, was a popular electric piano/harpsichord in certain musical genres of the '70s.

To be accurate, the Electrapiano was actually an electronic piano - whereas other electric pianos at the time were electro-magnetic using tines hit by hammers that were amplified using pickups, the Electrapiano's sound was generated electronically.

It is thoroughly unrealistic and sounds very little like a real piano (or even an electric piano!) but it is a pleasant and distinctive sound nonetheless sounding somewhere between a harpsichord and a guitar... being charitable, let's just say that it has a piano or harpsichord 'quality'!...

FEATURES
* Authentic front panel; combine piano, harpsichord & lute
* 'Accenter' separately switchable
* 44kHz/24-bit samples for each note
* Presets plus user preset function
* Distortion, cab sim, chorus, phase shifter and echo multiFX
* Convolved reverb including springs, rooms, halls, etc.


via Steve Howell on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

Hollow Sun Oscillosine ... rough demo

YouTube Uploaded by nuswolloh on Mar 16, 2011

"This is a rough run through of the presets in Hollow Sun's new 'Oscillosine' retro tube synthesiser for Kontakt 4 and part of the 'Music Laboratory Machines' series. Basically, it's just me going through the presets of this weird and wonderfully eccentric noise making device.

More info here : http://www.hollowsun.com/HS2/sli"

Hollow Sun Novachord Sample Library

Rod Mitchell wrote in to let me know Hollow Sun has a trailer up featuring audio from the Novachord. You can check it out here. Hollowsun of course specializes in sample libraries, so we are looking at a Novachord sample coming soon. The MP3 of the trailer can be found here. Be sure to see the Novachord label below for more posts.

Update via MPS in the comments: "Link to demo of the first preset patch using samples from the Novachord..."

Update: http://www.hollowsun.com/shop/novachord/