Trent Reznor Has an Atari 2600 Synth
Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor is known as being a fan of video games and musical hardware, but this is the first time the two worlds have collided. Created by Love Hultén, an audiovisual artist and woodworker (or really, mad scientist) based in Gothenburg, Sweden, the synth incorporates a variety of musical bits and pieces, plus an actual working Atari 2600+.
It includes a miniature keyboard with 25 black and orange keys, with a 2600 joystick and game controller button on opposite sides. The wood-finish body houses a miniature monitor, cartridge slot, an Erica Synths and Ninja Tune Zen Delay, Analogue Solutions Ample synthesizer, and an Industrialectric RM-1N reverb pedal. The joystick can be used to control a game, but also sound generated by the machine.
Hultén posted the image and details on his Instagram recently. “Atari 2600 themed sound station for Trent Reznor incl Ample synth, Zen Delay, RM-1N rev and an Atari 2600+.”
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Love The Work That You Do
Hultén typically takes around 10 – 15 high-end commissions a year, and previous clients have included other musicians such as Danger Mouse and A$AP Rocky. Although he’s no stranger to custom synths and custom video game tech, as the majority of his work involves one or the other, this is the first time Hultén has merged the two.
His previous work runs the gamut from custom arcade cabinets to house a NEOGEO, through to a replica of the 1977 Commodore PET, and the R – K A I D – R. This is a portable arcade console in solid wood, which appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show and there are only 50 in existence, of which Eminem has one.
Instrument-wise, Hultén has created synths and tape players that look like deranged inventions from the 1950s, such as the gigantic M O R – 9 for Swedish indie pop band Miike Snow, borderline terrifying N O S T R X 2, and T H E S I N G E R, which incorporates sewing machines.
Hultén also plays in bands himself, from hardcore punk to art-rock, so it’s no wonder his creative vision is trusted by renowned artists. His other most recent commission was a chunky collection of old synths built for Lifehouse, the American rock band behind hits like Hanging by a Moment and You And Me.
Reznor And Video Games
Trent Reznor is also no stranger to video games, having scored Quake in 1996, as well as having multiple tracks appear in the likes of Rock Band, Midnight Club, and Need For Speed. Reznor and frequent collaborator Atticus Ross have also been tapped to soundtrack the upcoming Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, by Naughty Dog. Their latest soundtrack is for the video game-influenced movie, Tron: Ares, which is set to hit theaters in October this year.
