_After I bought Techtron I've been eyeing Hollow Sun very closely - especially their Music Laboratory Machines series which is a synthesizer built upon Native Instruments Kontakt engine.

While Techtron was constructed around two oscillators with the same waveform - Cognosphere is an entirely different animal: six oscillators - one noise generator - with sounds sampled from vintage test oscillators from the 40s and the 50s.

_Just by looking at the specification you might get the impression that Cognosphere could be of the most lofi of lofi-synthesizers - but it's not. If I should describe Cognosphere I would say it's some kind of ambient sound generator with a penchant for the soft and spooky - rather than the big and nasty. Until you start working with the effects that is - especially the distortion. In this respect Cognosphere is quite interesting. Initially I didn't really find its sound that appealing. It got that The Orb-ish mystery vibe and when listening to the sounds from the raw oscillators, and I directly started to think about electronic toys for children.

"But when you turn on the distortion is like stepping into a horror movie. The mystic sounds is instantly replaced by sinister atmospheres".

But when you turn on the distortion is like stepping into a horror movie. The mystic sounds is instantly replaced by sinister atmospheres.

_Working with Cognosphere is both a bit fiddly and creative at the same time. As with all Music Laboratory Machines the design is absolutely gorgeous. It sets the atmosphere just right. But designing sounds from scratch is... not difficult, but more like a journey. It's almost like a mix between a traditional subtractive synthesizer and a synthesizer using additive synthesis.

One very cool feature is the instant randomization feature. Every time you click the big cogwheel a new sound is generated. The sounds generated with this span from the this-is-ok to this-is-great. In other words, it's quite usable compared with many other randomizers.

CONCLUSION
While Techtron covers the supersaw base - Cognosphere covers the ambient, mystic and sinister. It's way more of a one-trick pony than Techtron is, but in a world where almost all products are aimed for everybody - I consider this to be a good thing. The highlights of the plug is definitely the instant randomization feature, and in combination with the effects you can quickly create some quite bone-chilling sounds and atmospheres.

Hollow Sun Cognosphere
Web: www.hollowsun.com.
Price: 10 pounds.
Good: Fantastic for odd ambient sounds and dark sinister soundscapes.
Bad: Nothing really. It is what it is and it does it well.

Review copy: bought from Hollow Sun.

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