About Axel

Axel Hartmann has been go-to designer in the music industry for over 30 years. He is responsible for the design and ergonomics of an unparalleled number of notable products that includes some of the most remarkable electronic musical instruments of modern times.

Axel has been an active musician since his early youth, and his enthusiasm for music electronics led him to working with Waldorf upon completing his design studies. Straight away he made his mark there with the legendary Wave ‘über synth’ — still sought after today. This rightly received the Red Dot Design Award, a German international design prize awarded by Red Dot GmbH & Co. KG, in 1992.

Waldorf’s Wave was not destined to remain the only synthesizer — super-sized or otherwise — to benefit from Axel’s distinctive design touch. The Alesis Andromeda, Access Virus Pølar, Moog Voyager, Arturia Origin, no-expense-spared Schmidt Eightvoice Analog Synthesizer, and, more recently, Moog One, UDO SUPER 6, Waldorf Quantum, plus Roland’s latest generation of flagship Fantom workstations, to name but a notable few, make for a highly-impressive list after a highly-impressive start.

Since releasing his namesake Hartmann Neuron synthesizer at the turn of the new millennium, Axel’s notable name is associated with an exclusive circle of innovative synthesizer manufacturers. Though the Neuron itself was far ahead of its time being based on neural networks, it inspired Hollywood film-scoring A-listers like Hans Zimmer, who appreciated the instrument in question not only for its unquestionably-strong cinematic sound characteristics but also for for its imaginative, intuitive operational attributes.

Projects

2-box: drumit three | 20: Corporate Identity / 20 SynthesizerAccess: Virus Polar  | Adam Audio: S-Control Software GUI |Alesis: Andromeda | Antares: Autotune, G2 bis G7, Autotune EVO / Fiter l/ Autotune Guitar Footpedal / Kantos / AVP 1 Vocal Processor | Arturia: Mini Freak / Micro Freak / Micro Brute / Spark / Audiofuse Studio / Audiofuse 8Pre / Minibrute 1 / MiniBrute 2 / Minibrute 2S / Rackbrute 3U & 6U / Keystep Pro / Keystep 37 / Origin KB & DT / Drumbrute / Drumbrute Impact / Minilab MKII / Microlab / Audiofuse Control Software / Matrixbrute / Keylab line / Keylab MkII line  / Keylab Essential line /  PolybruteAudiomidi.com: Logo / Corporate Design | Bluguitar: Amp 1 + Remote / Amp X | Cakewalk: Momentum GUI | Creamware: Logo / Corporate Design / Noah | EMU: USB 0404/ Xboard Series / Shortboard Controller Line / 1616M Interface | Frodebeats: Oscillotron GUI | G66: Logo / Corporate Identity | Gibson Brands: Les Paul speakers / KRK Rokit g3 & g4 | Hartmann: Corporate Identity / Neuron / Neuron VS Hard- & Software | Hohner: Adam / Musiprof | Izotope: Spire | Moog: Minimoog Voyager + Voyager Goldie / Voyager OS / Voyager XL / Little Phatty / Little Patty Rack / Multipedal / Taurus 2 / Subphatty Hardware & Software Editor / Sub37 / Series 500 Delay and Filter / Minitaur / Theremini / One | Neo Instruments: Ventilator | Novation: Impulse | Orchestral Tools: Sine Player GUI | Playtime Engineering: BlipBlox Kids Synthesizer / BlipBlox After Dark | Ravensburger Spiele: Kids Electric Xylophone | Rhodes: Rhodes MK8 |Roland: Fantom 2019Sennheiser: MKE 440 Mic / Esfera Hardware & Remote Software GUI / Ambeo Software GUI | Schmidt: The Schmidt Synthesizer / Schmidt Luca Anzilotti Special | SPL: Package Design | Steinberg: Hypersonic 1 / Midex / Houston / N-Sync / Avalon 16 DA Converter / SMP-24 - SMPTE/MIDI processor / MIDEX-8 - USB MIDI interface | Studiologic: Numa Controller Line / Numa Organ / Sledge / SL Line / SL Mixface | Stylophone: Theremin | Tascam: US Audio Interface Line | Tronical: Package Design | TSI: Logo / Corporate Design | U.D.O.: Super GeminiSuper 6 / Super 6 Desktop | Universal Audio: Fatso / Massive Passive / Studer / 1176 collection / Teletronix / Pultec / Apollo Control / Shape | Waldorf: Logo / Corporate Identity / Kyra / Quantum / PPG-wave-3.v / STVC / Attack hardware + VST / Wave / Rocket / Streichfett / 2 Pole / Eurorack Modules Line / KB37 / Waldorf Edition 2 / Blofeld desktop + keyboard / 4-Pole / EQ27 / Gekko / Arpeggiator / Microwave 1 + 2 + XT / Q / Micro Q / MidiBay / Pulse / X-Pole / Pulse 2 / Nave (iOS & VST) / iOS Attack / Largo / Lector / Iridium | Wizoo: Logo / Corporate Design / Orbiter | Zarenbourg: Corporate Identity / Zarenbourg Piano & Editor / Module | Zynaptiq: Pitchmap