UDO Audio’s Super 8: Patchwork Pursuits with The Knife’s ‘Heartbeats’

The video opens with Hazel Mills setting out a familiar challenge: can the UDO Super 8 convincingly recreate the bass synth from The Knife’s ‘Heartbeats’? This isn’t just a nostalgia trip—it’s a practical test of the Super 8’s versatility and sonic character. UDO Audio, known for their hybrid approach and hands-on interface, put their flagship polysynth under the microscope, focusing on how it handles iconic, movement-rich sounds.

Hazel’s approach is methodical and rooted in classic synthesis. She immediately identifies the original’s timbre as being square or pulse-based, and sets up the Super 8’s oscillators accordingly. The process is less about copying presets and more about understanding the architecture—oscillator waveforms, pulse width, and subtle detuning all come into play. This sets the stage for a deep dive into the Super 8’s modulation capabilities and its suitability for both faithful emulation and creative reinterpretation.

Hazel’s first tactic is pulse width modulation (PWM), a staple for adding life to static waveforms. By assigning DDS 1 to a square wave and DDS 2 to a pulse wave, she explores how changing the pulse width imparts that signature movement heard in ‘Heartbeats’. The Super 8’s modulation matrix allows for slow, evolving PWM, and Hazel notes that even without much envelope shaping, the sound is already close to the original. Adding a touch of detune and pitch modulation via aftertouch further thickens the texture, demonstrating the synth’s ability to respond dynamically to performance gestures.

Switching gears, Hazel tries a hard sync approach—forcing one oscillator to reset in phase with another, then modulating the pitch of the slave oscillator. This yields a different flavour of movement, less bright but rich in harmonic complexity. She experiments with removing binaural mode to centralise the sound and tweaks modulation sources, weighing up LFOs versus envelopes for pitch movement. The process is iterative, with Hazel comparing the results to her earlier PWM patch, highlighting the Super 8’s flexibility in achieving similar ends through different means.

The finale is pure synth excess: Hazel combines both techniques, stacking PWM and hard sync for a massive, almost unruly sound. The Super 8 doesn’t flinch, handling the layered modulation with ease and delivering a wall of tone that’s as playful as it is powerful. While it may be a bit over the top for a faithful cover, the point is clear—this synth invites experimentation, and its architecture rewards those willing to push it. For patchers who like to pile on the complexity, the Super 8 proves itself more than capable.