Sometimes there are synths that feel like they’ve been around for a long time and somehow I’ve not released a soundset for them. At the top of that list for some time has been u-he’s Hive. I mean, it’s even Hive 2 now!

The lack of a Hive soundset has not been due to a lack of intent or purpose. There are, after all, a handful of sound in Hive Helix that come from a couple of older programming projects. The first, dates back to when it was still the first iteration of Hive. A composer enquired about some electronic rhythmic patches made with Hive for a potential game score that, ultimately, went in a different sonic direction.

The other project (which I mention in the walkthrough video) was a music project of my own. I was invited to put together music for a worldwide gaming tournament involving Apex Legends. There were to be live heats all across the globe, in every continent, and I was given the opportunity to create the music for it – inspired by the wonderful original music by my good friend, Stephen Barton.

Sadly, this was just before covid hit and the global lockdown made the tournament impossible. What could have been.

Nonetheless, both projects showcased to me Hive’s excellent sequencing abilities. The result is that almost two thirds of the 180 patches in Helix are tempo-synced (arpeggios, basslines, drumloops, sequences), providing a thrilling, electronic drive for any music project you may be working on. I think it’s particularly geared (if you’ll pardon the pun!) towards any hi-octane music, such as movie car chases or motor racing game soundtracks, as well as having plenty of vibe for sci-fi and EDM.

Hive delivers a pristine, low CPU sound, which means you can chuck lots of Helix patches at any cue. It’s a great synth to have in your sonic arsenal and hopefully Helix is a great soundset to have too!

I’m hoping you enjoy it, as I’d love to make more sounds with Hive in the future. Perhaps Helix is the first step towards a future The Unfinished Hive bundle?