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Eraldo Bernocchi: Bridging Emotions and Technology through Sound

We had the privilege of connecting with Eraldo Bernocchi, a true creative force that always seems to be creating something new. He has collaborated on Polyend factory patches and some of our favorite sample packs from our Palettes collection. Find out more about Eraldo's music, inspirations, and plans for the future. Download all-new Synth Scenes designed by Eraldo at the end of this interview.

Polyend: What inspires you when you’re making music?
Eraldo Bernocchi: I am mostly inspired by emotions, images, movies, books I read, stories I hear, and people I meet. I need to be moved in some way—not necessarily negatively, as it can also be positive. About 90% of my music is linked to emotions or images. My profession also involves scoring music for adverts, documentaries, films, and museum installations, so its often tied closely to visual elements and I live since more than 30 years with a visual artist, so even if I wanted to, I couldn’t avoid being surrounded by images.

Polyend: What kind of musical projects are you involved in?
Eraldo Bernocchi: Sigillum S, my longest-standing project, started in 1985 and is still going on. We’ve just finished a new album, set to release in 2025 through SubSound Records. It’s probably my most creatively liberating project.

Phonolab, a duo with Gaudi, the Grammy-nominated dub producer. We have an album coming out soon with some amazing collaborations.

A duo with Iggor Cavalera (of Sepultura and Petbrick fame). It’s a high-energy, distorted, beat-oriented project that we really enjoy to blast. We are finishing our first album. Can’t wait to bring it on stage.

On a completely different note, a duo with Rita Marcotulli, one of the biggest contemporary jazz pianists. I play electronics, and our performances are mostly improvised, meaning every concert is a unique experience.

There are more projects in the works, but I can’t reveal them just yet—stay tuned for updates.

Polyend: Now, let’s talk about Synth! What sound or feature do you like the most in this instrument?
Eraldo Bernocchi: It’s hard to choose just one feature because I love everything about this machine! For someone like me, who often improvises live, it’s an incredible tool. The ability to use multiple synth sources and import custom samples into the GRAIN engine is a major highlight. Plus, the effects—especially the reverb—are outstanding. It’s so well-designed that you can use it at many levels, from instant gratification in playing to in-depth parameter tweaking, which can keep you exploring for days. The synths are all sounding so good.

Polyend: How do you think the instrument may benefit other artists?
Eraldo Bernocchi: This instrument can truly transform how artists think and approach electronic music. In a way, it certainly changed my mindset, having three different synths, one after the other to play.

Polyend: Is there a specific need or use case you find the Synth meeting?
Eraldo Bernocchi: Improvisation. I recently used Synth live in Bratislava for my solo project, SIMM. It was my first time using it on stage, and while I was initially a bit nervous, it worked perfectly. Having such a versatile palette of sounds accessible in seconds was invaluable. I also enjoy using it as a power noise machine—engines like WTFM and GRAIN, with lots of FM feedback, it creates incredible modulating noise walls. I experiment with LFOs to craft violent evolving textures. The sequencer is another standout feature, great also for programming ambient sequences at super slow tempos. I always use odd divisions in sequences to ensure they evolve constantly, which keeps everything dynamic, maintaining the emotional state of things. If the sequencer could “tie” notes it would just be perfect.

Polyend: You offered to share some of your scenes with us. Could you give us a little background info on your scenes?
Eraldo Bernocchi: I see my scenes as starting points for finished tracks. I hope they inspire users to dive deeper into the machine and start creating immediately. The aim is to spark new ideas. It’s a process I apply also to myself. Curiously, Synth pushed me to create things I’d never thought about. For instance, having the same synth preset on all engines and creating different sequences with odd timings to play. The result is a polyrhythm moving in space and time. I like it when I create something that I can listen to as music by itself. I trigger the three synth sequences and listen to what happens. The machine becomes a detached entity I relate with up to a certain point.

I use a similar technique with the Tracker+, km always using odd step jump and chances on top of a firm backbone. It works magically on percussions and melodies.

Abandoned: each synth has. Sequence recorded. Shift-press the lower root note and let things flow. Play with the delay feedback and filter frequency, let it self-oscillate. Obviously, it can be played without any sequence.

Brick Corn: Synth 1 is a metallic arpeggiating preset, Synth 2 can be used as a solo (but let it arpeggiate), and Synth 3 its a sort of “tribal” kick.

Hypersonic: Synth one is a baseline, Synth 2 a solo arpeggio. Use it with the arpeggio or without it. Synth 3 uses an arpeggio with the PMD engine to create a sort of percussion. This is a scene that asks to be played in real-time.

Ward X: an excursion into suspension. Synth 1 is a low chord sequence, very slow.

Synth 2: a metallic lead sequence, again super slow and long; Synth 3 is a lead that needs to be played live, but I also programmed a sequence in case you just want to listen or use it in and out. You can play in a sad mood or in a very dark one. The scene uses a Hungarian scale; try to change it and see what happens. Again, play with delay feedback and use it as a fourth synth, letting it self oscillate.

Polyend: How do you use them or see others using them?
Eraldo Bernocchi: I’m constantly working on new scenes. Since I started programming the factory content for Synth, I haven’t had a single day without exploring its possibilities. Now I have over 60 scenes and countless presets. Headphones, power-pack and Synth. Perfect. I imagine them as launching pads for new compositions, and I hope they inspire the same creative energy in others. I’ll share more in the future.

Download Eraldo’s Scenes