“Suddenly, you’re in a Vangelis type world”: Hans Zimmer on why the expanded, 6-oscillator Minimoog emulation he created with Synapse Audio gives you “something that you’ve never had before”

How do you improve on a synth classic? ‘Get Hans Zimmer involved’ would seem to be Synapse Audio's answer to that, as it recently confirmed that the supreme cinematic composer has helped it to create The Legend HZ, a supercharged version of the company's already excellent software Minimoog emulation.

This fresh take on Bob Moog’s iconic synth is said to be “uniquely positioned for use in modern film scoring and music production applications”. It’s a bigger beast than the standard version of The Legend in several respects: there are an additional three oscillators, bringing the total to six; a new polyphony setting; a modulation matrix; a 32-step sequencer; an MSEG for additional modulation controls; and an expanded effects section.

So, as well as being “so close” to the sound of a real Minimoog, according to Zimmer, it can also stray into expanded sonic territories.

“The six oscillators suddenly give you something that you’ve never had before,” says the composer. “Suddenly, you’re sort of in a Vangelis type world,” he says as he flexes the new instrument’s expanded muscles, before firing off a sequencer and reminding us that “of course, you should never leave the Berlin school behind.”

Other enhancements include a fixed filter bank that was modelled on Zimmer’s personal Vintage 914 setup, and 200 additional factory presets that he designed in collaboration with Kevin Schroeder. There’s MPE support, too.

You can find out more about The Legend HZ on the Synapse Audio website (a demo will be available soon). It’s available now priced at $179 and runs in VST/AU/AAX formats on PC and Mac. An upgrade from the standard version of The Legend costs $79.

Image 1 of 2