Review: Diva Ex Machina soundset by The Unfinished

Matt Bowdler is one of my favorite sound designers. As The Unfinished, Matt has established himself in the genre of film scoring with many top quality sounds for synths like Zebra, Omnisphere, Massive, Virus TI, and more.

I’m always excited to see a new title, and especially when it’s for one of my favorite plug-ins, like u-he’s Diva virtual analog synthesizer.

The Ex Machina soundset features a full bank of 128 sounds for Diva. The focus is on analogue type electronic sounds, suitable for film scoring and electronica.

Ex Machina is something of a special synth soundset as it includes all the patches I designed for the composer Nathan Furst to use in his score for Need For Speed. I have to thank Nathan and DreamWorks for very kindly giving me permission to share the sounds I designed for Nathan. Also in this soundset are a number of other sounds inspired by the work I was doing for Nathan.

The collection features a plethora of warm, punchy basses; ethereal, drifting pads; gentle, old skool sequences; deep, dynamic basslines; classic, spacey leads; and sinister, evocative soundscapes. All programmed with a little musical, kinetic energy in the modwheel, as you would expect.

As with many of Matt’s other soundsets, there’s a lovely walkthrough video showcasing the sounds in Diva Ex Machina. Check it out below to get an idea of what’s included in this set.

So what do I think?

Well, I can be fairly short here. Absolutely. Stunning. Sounds.

There is such a high level of quality in these sounds, and they are so full of character, I deeply enjoy playing each and every one of them.
That said, the leads and pads are definitely my favorites. Some of these mesmerizing sounds just keep me noodling. So inspirational.
Also, I should mention the soundscapes are amazing. Hold a note and sit back. I know we’ll be hearing some of these sounds on the screen.

Anyway, I said I was going to be short, so just get this pack, it’s simply brilliant.

There are some more audio demos on The Unfinished website and you can download a free demo pack with 15 presets for this set so you can check it out for yourself.

More information: The Unfinished / Ex Machina

Hey there, I'm Ronnie and I run Rekkerd.org. I'm a bedroom music producer and guitar player, and I love chicken vindaloo & all things glitch.