Hologram Microcosm: Make anything sound cinematic
In this video, I explore the Microcosm, an effects pedal by @HologramElectronics . It's an experimental delay and reverb processor that can turn almost any sound into a beautiful, ambient cinematic pad.
This video was very much intended as "first look" rather than a deep dive. More info about the Microcosm can be found here: www.hologramelectronics.com/m...
Patrons can download the sample library I made in this video here: / patron-exclusive-71324991
Support what I do on Patreon: / dhilowitz
Find my FILM & INSTRUMENTAL music here: davidhilowitz.bandcamp.com
Find my ROCK MUSIC here: manwomanchild.bandcamp.com
Пікірлер: 1 100
Record the sound, put it into arpeggiator with 2-3 octaves range, short gate, 1/16 speed finish by adding some cool reverb/delay like Valhalla Supermassive = same result free.
@unduloid
Жыл бұрын
I an whip out a Bitwig Grid device doing the same thing within 30 minutes or so.
@MultiMam12345
Жыл бұрын
All True , but not so great for intuitive improv live looping performance scenarios. Switching a signal flow fx chain with one switch vs wasting 30 min staring at a screen while eye tracking the mouse cursor. Pretty sure that if you only read the manual it will make you a better music maker. All for free. Its all a matter of priorities. Your comment is true but its adds nothing. This device shows a perfect balance between engineering, programming and creative expression . It tells a lot about the creators. Look i bought a new car. Well if you walk. Its free.
@AlxndrJG
Жыл бұрын
@@MultiMam12345 I think op's comment was informative, and could help a lot of creators out there. Many people these days have gotten their workflow super fast within their daw, so this might be new information to some of them. - it's really not up to anybody to tell anyone how they should pursue their improv or creativity. Midi control freaks can make magic happen within a daw! that being said, im a wire, knobs and spaceship kinda guy, and definitely getting one of these! Sounds amazing
@vladrileynavilys
Жыл бұрын
Yeah of course it sounds good, but a bit too much of a "magic black box" effect for me. Sounds like anyone can do cool ambient music with it, which is nice in a way but.... also kind of a pre chewed creativity device.
@silly8395
Жыл бұрын
leave them in the black with their little "analog" devices and no recall
One of the keys with this pedal is you don’t need to turn the mix up more than even 20% most times. It’s meant to be used subtlety - otherwise it certainly can sound samey. Then again most classic effects are also samey - but they shine when used in moderation with good input!
@Panacea9
Жыл бұрын
Yeah I get it..the whole story is already outlandish. Want to try an uncensored version and non.
@gigagoatt
Жыл бұрын
What I always wonder is; are these just rehashed versions of Ocean’s 12 and the such, with a new-face, and the word “Algorithm” thrown in for shock factor!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@macrocosm4442
Жыл бұрын
Imdeed❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Your balance between informative, calming, and practical use is really just perfect.
As a sound designer for games, I feel like this one could do a lot of weird and awesome happy accidents to my productions
@ApolloSuns
Жыл бұрын
What games have you done? Would love to check it out
Жыл бұрын
@@ApolloSuns I have mostly done slot games these past 6-7 years. Did everything for ELK studios and nowadays I work at a company called Nolimit City
@loveit8602
Жыл бұрын
That is so cool that you did slot game music! I'm always wondering who writes those tunes
Жыл бұрын
@@loveit8602 hehe I am :) woop woop
Жыл бұрын
@Jakob Nielsen Sorry dude, no need for help over here. But depending on where you live etc you should check with various gaming companies to see if they need help with sounds/music.
What an incredible artist and storyteller you are. I’m deeply amazed , intrigued , and inspired by your videos. It’s actually 2 AM here and it’s the 7th video I’m watching in a raw!! THANK YOU, keep going!
Even though I'm not in the music production industry, the explanation in semi layman's terms was really helpful for understanding at a rudimentary level! Really cool stuff!!
Wow. Turning that reverb knob for the first time was just so FULL. Felt so nice!
David, this is so amazing, and thank you so much for this sample pack!
Hold shift and turn the reverb knob. There are actually 4 different reverbs inside.
LOVE THIS!!!!! Dave you’re crushing these videos. Congratulations mate
I very much appreciate how useful you made this video. You didn’t waste our time with a bunch of preamble, you just showed the pedal and I get it. Thank you!
What a beautiful experience this was to wander through the world of Microcosm with you, dude. It felt like grown-up story time and also made me want to order my own!
@notaspectator
6 ай бұрын
If you do, may I suggest to share it with a stranger creator once in a while :)
This is so mesmerising and beautiful, Thank you for making this video.
The Microcosm is a reworking of the popular effect made by Ursa Major, their Space Station. Circa 1978. (They were short-lived, AKG bought them in 1986) Plugin versions are available today.
@broederharry2534
Жыл бұрын
Could you name a few plugins?
@supernovastudioandlabel
6 ай бұрын
@@broederharry2534 Audiority GrainSpace does the job !
@slapdisgaem6601
29 күн бұрын
Neural DSP has something like this built in with the delay and reverb section.
This pedal is absolutely wondrous. I really want to have a play. 😍🤩
This pedal has been on my wish list for ages. It's amazing. This demo confirms that I need to get it!
It also does great glitch sounds (more aggressive) and has a nice filter. The looper is awesome, like better than most dedicated models. And it's got presets and stereo in-out. IMO it far exceeds the competition in the glitch/granular hardware world.
@mcharbo8726
Жыл бұрын
Compared to CB Habit?
I always get so fascinated by your work. Thanks you so much for giving us a plethora of great-sounding sampled instruments. This pedal sounds so cool. Keep up the good work. Love from India😄
@DavidHilowitzMusic
Жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoy it!
I also feel like this works so well because of the incredible loop in general, it's so nice...
I never seen this device before and now I want to explore it in detail. Thank you for this FANTASTIC overview!!
Got the Microcosm since 3 week now and for me it is a great versatile effect processor for new inspiration sound. Also, love your work David on this channel about sharing your creativity, now it give me the taste of making sample instrument, many thanks!
That design is so refreshing!
@DavidHilowitzMusic
Жыл бұрын
I think so too!
@navigator8222
Жыл бұрын
That’s something a shopper would say.
I was waiting for your video on this pedal! Love this video, thanks!
Fantastic first look - this thing can be daunting, but this was a helpful intro. Excited to see what else you do with it!
This is really gorgeous! I wish I had a use for it in my life so I could dink around with it, but alas I'll live vicariously through you and others lol
This video and the voice and the device is so magical! Thank you David, it was 6 minutes and 14 seconds of Joy.
This is perhaps the best KZread video review of a guitar pedal, thank you!! Exceptional.
Great video! I can't wait to try out the sample library!
This is so cool. I’ve been thinking about getting back into electric fiddle after too many years off, and you may have just pushed me over the edge.
@cjlewis79
Жыл бұрын
this would be amazing to use with the fiddle!
Easily becoming one of my favorite musicians KZreadrs. Love your outlook and approach to creativity.
I like the sound quality and production on your channel - your videos sound great and inspire in just a quick watch/listen.
Lovely unit! Well done, Hologram Electronics
Best Microcosm demo I’ve seen so far, great breakdown of what it is and what it does. I have one of these pedals, and it is truly magical. Amazing video thanks!
I like it! It has magical sounds. The kind of sounds that take you to a different world. Thanks for doing a review! ☺️
Short, and sweet. These are the channels I dig. Love your content, thank you for this fantastic demo of this magical device. See you again soon, David. 🙂
Amazing textures. Thanks for the video :)
This should be called microgasm. Make super immersive soundscapes from anything with a few knobs
@bmxt939
Жыл бұрын
I honestly read it like that until looked closely.
i love how just that little synth and the pedal can instantly sound like a full interlude or intro on a 1975 album lol! Very musical, but I am sure hard to understand and tame!
@sub-jec-tiv
Жыл бұрын
It’s not too bad if you read the manual. It really shines if you listen and collaborate with what the pedal is doing. That’s what it’s meant for.
Love this synthesizer! Very awesome and modular
You are right, so cinematic, it's mesmerising!
I preordered the MC before it was released in a moment of weakness, but it’s an impulse purchase I’ve never regretted. There’s one major problem with the MC you didn’t mention in the video: after you get one, everything else seems really disappointing by comparison. 😄
@austonsmith536
Жыл бұрын
so far everything I've heard coming out of it... I've heard regularly coming out of my DAW for the past few years. A few of my favorite plugins can do these and hundreds of variations. Valhalla DSP has a lot of plugins, even free ones that can get these sounds with a few clicks of my mouse. You just have to know the proper terminology of the effects. Shimmer, Verb, Lo-Fi, Flanger, Delay, Echo.... all these terms put into any search engine, any daw will lead you to these sounds you hear on the video... throw the term vintage in the mix and people will look at you like you know what you're doing. When you have no earthly idea... if anyone actually throws money at this marketing scheme... they simply haven't read enough books growing up and I blame their parents for being complete dolts. :( but hey, that's what makes consumerism great... where would we be without all the stupid running around here? You know?
@samecoff2788
Жыл бұрын
@@austonsmith536 We all have our favorite tools. I'm happy for you that you've found excellent tools that work well for you. What I find interesting is that different tools lead us to different workflows, and this produces creative results that we might not otherwise have thought of. For example, although I have several marimba sample libraries which are really excellent, I find the experience of playing a physical marimba leads me to be creative in different ways than playing a marimba sample from a keyboard. I believe that one can turn out great music both ways, but we are all very privileged to live in a time when there are so many excellent choices for creative expression. I also feel exceedingly grateful that I have a career that allows me to occasionally splurge on things like the Microcosm (or an actual marimba), because it certainly leads me to different creative results than I might otherwise achieve.
@LoVeAmBiEnT
Жыл бұрын
@@austonsmith536 yeah but using a DAW is boring as shit in my opinion got sick of that crap after 15 years of making music in the box I don’t ever wanna touch a mouse… if I don’t have to click a mouse then that’s a good thing. I want to plug in my guitars and synths right into the box and have at it not even comparable to plug-ins there is something so much more satisfying having the pedal right in front of you. Also my little modular rig just absolutely destroys any type of VST on the market not even comparable but it’s just my opinion though I’m not knocking your opinion at all if that’s what you like than hell yeah go make some music
@autistichead8137
Жыл бұрын
Absolutely. Calling it a “pedal” is an understatement. It’s another instrument.
@sooperheep
Жыл бұрын
Smug twat says whaaaa?
I know so little about music but you made it look so easy I kinda wanna get one now to make my own music for my videos hahah
@bonzo230
Жыл бұрын
Do it! It's easier than you think. Scoring your own content gives it a more authentic vibe IMO.
@giancassa9340
Жыл бұрын
Thought the same thing instantly 😂
This is becoming my favorite channel ever. Your voice is so soothing and relaxing and this music and your descriptions are quite magnificent. Very entertaining and addictive!
That is the most awesome pedal I've ever seen!
Literally the sound of synesthezia! love it
wow, i was like revisiting my first feeling while listening Mass Effect game soundtrack for the first time !! so magical and ambiant and spacefull
Been loving your channel, thank you so much. 💕💕💕
the best video on the hologram ive seen. look forward to a deeper look on all the other stuff it has to offer
I like how he filmed it in 24fps. The standard for cinematic scenes.
@shaheerrahman87
Жыл бұрын
I think it should be somewhere around 20 - 22fps, giving it the stop motion effect.
@matthew1550
Жыл бұрын
It's not filmed in 24 fps. Instead, I assume that this was originally filmed at 60 fps or some other high framerate and the excess frames were cut out afterwards in order to give it that feel of a lower framerate, hence removing the motion blur as another reply pointed out.
@rioforce
Жыл бұрын
@@matthew1550 that would me more related to the shutter speed then frame rate
@matthew1550
Жыл бұрын
@@rioforce Oh that actually makes a lot more sense. My bad.
@DiodeMcRoy
Жыл бұрын
Nothing to to with the frame rate but more with the shutter speed. For a a 25fps video, a standard shutter should be at 1/50. Here it’s probably around 1/100. Gives that "Saving private Ryan beach sequence" effect.
Ngl I was hoping for one big "make me cinematic" button
Great heads up, very cool! Thx David
Instantly subscribed. Excited for what's to come!
@samecoff2788
Жыл бұрын
It's definitely worth going back and watching Dave's other videos. I have learned so much about sampling and using Kontakt from this channel. It is time really well spent, IMHO.
wow this sounds like Depeche Mode and Erasure stuff … love the ambiance
Sounds like the granulated. A free plugin from Ablelton that I used for my electronic music. Always wanted a hardware version of it
Amazing video! Thank you as always
nah bruh i await ur videos more than anything thanks for the delivery ily
The looper is amazing in fact that is my favorite part of this pedal to be honest. You can just keep layering and then crank the pitch on it way down. That's where the real magic starts to happen.
@LoVeAmBiEnT
Жыл бұрын
Exactly I mentioned the same thing people that complain about this pedal are obviously just lacking talent and creativity unfortunately you know new gear is not gonna solve the problem
@GuitarUniverse2013
Жыл бұрын
Pedal Looper? I must’ve missed that he didn’t talk about that did he?
@djpuzzleofficial
Жыл бұрын
@@GuitarUniverse2013 sadly a lot of reviews skip that feature.
@simonyricools
Жыл бұрын
@@GuitarUniverse2013 He did at the end, briefly.
Don’t have one (wish I did) but it seems to have a lot of features and sound character of reason studios “grain” sampler, wich I love. Only thing with these sounds if you use more than 2 sounds at once it’s instant ambient (wich can be good or bad depending on what style you want to make)
It is amazing and magical! I love it!
Beautiful
makes me think of the animated series “hilda” on netflix ! the whole soundtrack sounds like this & that’s why i love it so much
@DavidHilowitzMusic
Жыл бұрын
I loved Hilda so much! And yes, I loved the soundtrack too.
Still need to see more of this pedal on drums with the glitching
an absolutely ambient beast Great demo and explanation!
wow!!!!! thank you for this!!!!!!
i'm not much of a music person. I do not have the music vocabulary. But, this reminds me of Her (2013). It's light and playful.
I want to pick up a small synth like a cz-101 or something and this pedal and go crazy
Possibly the best video for it.
what a lovely and beautiful sound
That thing is gorgeous sounding. And probably ridiculously expensive
@0x7d69
Жыл бұрын
$459 USD, About what I would expect!
@Merlincat007
Жыл бұрын
I got one used for $380 shipped which isn't exactly common but I think they're overall coming down in price a bit on the used market.
@iliatilev
Жыл бұрын
I've been in love with that thing for quite a while but yeah not only is it expensive but even if i had the money it's not available in my country :D
@0x7d69
Жыл бұрын
@@iliatilev Probably can get it used off ebay for cheaper and in your country
@ingreynelg
Жыл бұрын
@@iliatilev you can buy it directly from Hologram Electronics and they will include shipping and import duties in the final price, that way you only have to order and wait for it to get to you.
Yup - Knew that wasn't going to be cheap. At $460 it's forgotten it's still a delay and reverb FX pedal, however velvety and pretty it is.
@jimbailey1122
Жыл бұрын
Yep with its pastels and button-driven interface.
@Problembeing
Жыл бұрын
@@jimbailey1122 can probably buy a chunk of fx pedals that will produce the same effect for a fraction of the price. But it is one pretty little box.
Awesome. How beautiful and interesting sound it is!
As someone with zero music production knowledge, I want this product. This is how fun and easy you made this look.
Great vid.👍❤, cool but pricey device! I think this, and other similar experimental styled pedals (Chase Bliss Habit, etc.) would probably sell many more units at a price point closer to $300 U.S. than the nosebleed near $500 U.S. sticker. I love it, but not enough to drop half a grand on another audio toy.
@jimbailey1122
Жыл бұрын
good thinking. Plus HE does not accept returns. And there are other choices out there that do if it's not your game.
Would be interesting to hear what this would sound like on a guitar
Excelent video! I love your content and your libraries!
That's a cool little machine, makes some real dreamy sounds!
"They sent this to me but didn't want me to make a video about it" What's been their intention then? :D
@Merlincat007
Жыл бұрын
I think he's just not required to make a video. But yeah, it's definitely their hope!
@DavidHilowitzMusic
Жыл бұрын
Oh, they definitely wanted me to, they just didn’t explicitly ask. ;)
Honestly, you can do the same thing, even more with an invested library and plugins. There’s really no need for pedals like this unless you are doing something live. But even then, you can perform with your laptop and midi controller.
I just saw this video of yours, then eventually I've fallen into a rabbit hole. Love your content
That Violin+Effects sounds AMAZING!.
Get a Zoom MS50G, it has a bunch of excellent delays, reverbs, and other stuff that comes close to this and it's more affordable.
@ingreynelg
Жыл бұрын
The problem is that everything is very convoluted, very small knobs to tweak so many parameters. On the positive side it can add dirt to your sounds, but other than some nice pingpong delays or some frozen reverbs there is not much you can consider exclusive, whereas microcosm IS just microcosm, in my experience no other pedal does what the microcosm does.
I owned this pedal for a good amount of time before I even realized you can tab the mode selection knob and it reverses everything
@alexanderlane
Жыл бұрын
wait... what? like plays it back reversed? gonna have to do some manual reading haha. I've had it for almost a year and didn't know that. I knew you could reverse the looper playback, but not like live effects!
@surrealchemist
Жыл бұрын
@@alexanderlane Yeah, I see now its on the pedal above the knob it says forward/reverse
@alexanderlane
Жыл бұрын
@@surrealchemist Holy cow, I feel dumb. For some reason I always interpreted that as like related to the order it scrolled through the algorithms or something..
glorious sound
Wow, the violin sounds magical! 🎶
Interesting device. Seems very specific and expensive for what it does. I could do this in reaper with some free plugins in a few minutes. I'm sure someone more familiar than me with ableton could do it even easier.
Minecraft music generator
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing
This hologram sounds so great, very fascinating. I've been subscribe for quite a while now, and i really appreciate your videos. ever since I was a kid I've always been intrigued with music but i couldn't because in my country i can't easily buy any musical gadgets/instruments cause the price are too expensive and there are lot of limitations here (some elders back in my days discourage kids playing any instrument because of "beliefs" - it's weird i know haha). now im older, i was able to a get hobby in playing the piano by borrowing (electric piano still expensive - i'm saving up to get one, one day maybe) and i'm trying to explore more on music (especially on other instruments), and it's always great to see this kinds of videos cause i'm learning new things. sorry for my bad English! looking forward for more of your works and looking forward to learning more. love from the Philippines!
Any recommendations for VST plugins that could produce similar effects?
@Hartweizengriesspudding
Жыл бұрын
check out Ina GRM Plug-ins. especially Freezer does similar Processings
This is possibly my dream pedal - if I have such a thing - but it's prohibitively expensive to get over here in Poland (I could get a Moog synth for about the same price). So it's out of my league. I am considering a 'Particle 2' by Red Panda, at half the price of the Microcosm; has anyone tried it in a similar way that David uses the Microcosm in this video? Or does anyone know of a decent VST that could do the same sorta things?
@trashbag8443
Жыл бұрын
There are lots of great affordable vsts which do this kind of thing! Audiority GrainSpace and Arturia Fragments are both very inspiring
@NoyaD9
Жыл бұрын
Try a free vst called "deelay"
@RogerWarszawa
Жыл бұрын
@@trashbag8443 Thanks for your suggestion, GrainSpace in particular does indeed look interesting, it's definitely one to consider.
@RogerWarszawa
Жыл бұрын
@@NoyaD9 I checked-out Deelay after your suggestion and I thought it seemed cool, but perhaps not amazing. Since then I've recently seen it featured in a Venus Theory 'Free VST round-up' video from a couple of months ago and it far outdid my expectations. I'm absolutely going to download it. Thanks for your suggestion.
Thanks for sharing this!
So beautiful
Like others have said on here. I think I also could achieve the same kinda vibe using Ableton max4live plug-ins. Not that difficult to achieve nowadays.
@Sorcerers_Apprentice_11
Жыл бұрын
But then you wouldn’t have it for easy hipster likes in your videos
@carlix8035
Жыл бұрын
@@Sorcerers_Apprentice_11 I don’t have any videos atm. And… I don’t see myself as a hipster bion. I need glasses because I have poor eye sight. I’ve lost most of my hair on top and grew a beard to compensate the hair loss. It’s just coincidence that my aesthetic is similar to that of a hipster.
@Sorcerers_Apprentice_11
Жыл бұрын
@@carlix8035 wasn’t referring to you directly just the notion of having a device like this that draws in the hipsters.
Just like how AI can now create art I would assume that soon we will see AI music.
@geraldfriend256
Жыл бұрын
They have it. Some is impressive.
absolutely unreal tech. so cool.
It’s called reverb. This pedal didn’t stay with me long. Found it to be a hyped reverb pedal is all. Nothing magic. For magic you gotta go with a Chase Bliss Mood. Just my opinion
This one trick pony of a pedal is the shimmer effect of the 2020's and is already a tiring sound due to overuse. Every synth kiddy has bought a Microcosm for their Mother32 and declared themselves a KZread ambient star. It's a popular box because it shrouds the sounds the artist is making in a layer of glitz, repeats, and sheen.
@smoli
Жыл бұрын
That's exactly what I want my pedal to do though
@project-95
Жыл бұрын
Sold 😂
@valley_robot
Жыл бұрын
Behringer reverb machine sounds a lot like this , it’s 30 quid
@station2station544
Жыл бұрын
@@smoli Then you can start begging for patreon like the rest of them!
A theremin through this seems like it could be a lot of fun.
this brings peace to my mind 😌
I use it on every track! It's such an amazing pedal.