Hydrasynth vs Argon8

[KBSoundSmith]

Hmm, strange issue with one key now making an almost kalimba like sound when pressed and released. It's as if something has gotten lose under the keybed. Any thoughts on how to fix this?

Huh, sorry to hear that's happening. I'm not sure what may have happened myself, but I'm pretty sure if you ask that question on Gearspace, you'll get more eyes on it faster -- plus I know there are threads there dedicated to keybeds, so you'll definitely find someone there who can tell you what's going on.

As for the Argon8, I believe it uses the Fatar TP/9S keybed, so that should help zero in on any technical questions.

FWIW, even though the keyboard has aftertouch and so on, I do like to use an expression pedal instead; if anything gets worn down, it's an inexpensive and separately available piece to replace, rather than the synth board itself. Call me paranoid, but I generally hate the feeling of aftertouch, it always makes me feel like I'm going to break something. Who knows how rough the previous owner of your Argon8 was with the keyboard.

[KBSoundSmith]

^Thanks mate. So much info- really appreciate you taking the time to write that and link to those resources And that patch volume upgrade is perfect, basically removes the main complaint I had.

Haven't made many leads yet, but really nice pads seem to just fall from this synth. Would probably do nice snappy psybass although VST covers that a bit better. Can do a decent squelch and the phase mod sounds great, although breaks up a bit in extreme settings. It's just such a fun synth to noodle with, so intuitive. I had played with a Blofeld some years ago and would say Argon8 sounds much better and is easier to use. Hard to gauge whether Modal are going to keep updating Argon8- I would dearly love to import some of my own wavetables...

I've never had the chance to play with a Blofeld, so it's interesting to hear how the Argon8 compares from someone who has tried both.

As for programming sounds, I feel like the strengths of the synth are best expressed by overdubbing multiple simple patches to collectively make a more complex result. So a lead might be two or three overdubbed patches rather than trying to cram it all into one patch. As for sounds, I do find that I can get some good percussion patches, but overall maybe not the ideal synth for percussion; I think the parameter ranges on things like the Mod Envelope are a bit too conservative. But if you don't try to push it too hard, you can still get workable percussive sounds. Agreed on the rest, definitely an intuitive, easy synth to program.

[swilow11]

Hmm, strange issue with one key now making an almost kalimba like sound when pressed and released. It's as if something has gotten lose under the keybed. Any thoughts on how to fix this?

Huh, sorry to hear that's happening. I'm not sure what may have happened myself, but I'm pretty sure if you ask that question on Gearspace, you'll get more eyes on it faster -- plus I know there are threads there dedicated to keybeds, so you'll definitely find someone there who can tell you what's going on.

As for the Argon8, I believe it uses the Fatar TP/9S keybed, so that should help zero in on any technical questions.

FWIW, even though the keyboard has aftertouch and so on, I do like to use an expression pedal instead; if anything gets worn down, it's an inexpensive and separately available piece to replace, rather than the synth board itself. Call me paranoid, but I generally hate the feeling of aftertouch, it always makes me feel like I'm going to break something. Who knows how rough the previous owner of your Argon8 was with the keyboard.

Actually purchased Argon8 new and in general love the keybed. I think it's the same as my NI Komplete A49, feels nice and lifelike. But yeah, the aftertouch thing feels like it's potentially going to damage the keys, it's not particularly responsive and so I'm pressing harder than feels wise to generate aftertouch values. Buts it's a nice option, although I may not really use it for much besides cutoff modulation.

Re: the wonky key. I actually "fixed" it last night, pressed the key and released it very quickly (trying to demonstrate the problem to my wife who to her credit didn't appear completely disinterested and bored) and whatever had come lose isn't any more. Strange. Bit concerning but I'll take the win.

Re: expression pedal- I've actually never used one before, any suggestions for something good quality but not too expensive?

[swilow11]

And thanks again for answering my vague newbie questions. Really appreciate it.

Made a lovely sine bell pad last night, very simple and elegant. Am running out of mod slots pretty quickly but actually really appreciating the limitations- with something like Synthmaster 3 or Falcon, I find myself endlessly tweaking patches, adding more movement/expression because why not? Argon8 is pushing me to be more economical with my choices and it's been wonderful. Of course, I can use Bitwigs modulation system to give me a bit more movement if necessary but so far not really needing it.

[KBSoundSmith]

Hmm, strange issue with one key now making an almost kalimba like sound when pressed and released. It's as if something has gotten lose under the keybed. Any thoughts on how to fix this?

Huh, sorry to hear that's happening. I'm not sure what may have happened myself, but I'm pretty sure if you ask that question on Gearspace, you'll get more eyes on it faster -- plus I know there are threads there dedicated to keybeds, so you'll definitely find someone there who can tell you what's going on.

As for the Argon8, I believe it uses the Fatar TP/9S keybed, so that should help zero in on any technical questions.

FWIW, even though the keyboard has aftertouch and so on, I do like to use an expression pedal instead; if anything gets worn down, it's an inexpensive and separately available piece to replace, rather than the synth board itself. Call me paranoid, but I generally hate the feeling of aftertouch, it always makes me feel like I'm going to break something. Who knows how rough the previous owner of your Argon8 was with the keyboard.

Actually purchased Argon8 new and in general love the keybed. I think it's the same as my NI Komplete A49, feels nice and lifelike. But yeah, the aftertouch thing feels like it's potentially going to damage the keys, it's not particularly responsive and so I'm pressing harder than feels wise to generate aftertouch values. Buts it's a nice option, although I may not really use it for much besides cutoff modulation.

Re: the wonky key. I actually "fixed" it last night, pressed the key and released it very quickly (trying to demonstrate the problem to my wife who to her credit didn't appear completely disinterested and bored) and whatever had come lose isn't any more. Strange. Bit concerning but I'll take the win.

Re: expression pedal- I've actually never used one before, any suggestions for something good quality but not too expensive?

It really is how I feel about aftertouch on pretty much all keyboards -- conceptually I love it, when it actually comes to pressing down on the keys I get nervous. Nice to have, but I use it as a last resort.

Strange about the key suddenly "fixing" itself. Since you bought it new, it may not hurt to shoot Modal a support email to ask about it -- you should have it under warranty.

As for an expression pedal, I picked up a Nektar NX-P. Since I'm not gigging and getting adrenaline rushes while playing, I didn't care that it's a plastic piece -- if you don't hit it hard, it should last a good long time, I haven't had any cause for concern with it. And if it doesn't last, well it's about $20 on Amazon at the moment If you want something you wouldn't worry about at a gig, then asking in the 2024: A Year in Gear thread will probably get someone to point you in the right direction pretty quickly as to what is reliable.

[KBSoundSmith]

And thanks again for answering my vague newbie questions. Really appreciate it.

Made a lovely sine bell pad last night, very simple and elegant. Am running out of mod slots pretty quickly but actually really appreciating the limitations- with something like Synthmaster 3 or Falcon, I find myself endlessly tweaking patches, adding more movement/expression because why not? Argon8 is pushing me to be more economical with my choices and it's been wonderful. Of course, I can use Bitwigs modulation system to give me a bit more movement if necessary but so far not really needing it.

Haha, we seem to be having similar experiences. I definitely am attracted to complicated synths (like Zebra, Bazille, etc) and I have found it's easy to make interesting but unusable patches when lots of options are available. Having a simple synth which forces economical decisions really helps to keep me grounded. Then you can go back to the complicated synth with more discipline and milk more out of them.

[Korg Supporter]

Listen to what Jexus did with them and the Modwave, and then make a decision.

[swilow11]

Hmm, strange issue with one key now making an almost kalimba like sound when pressed and released. It's as if something has gotten lose under the keybed. Any thoughts on how to fix this?

Huh, sorry to hear that's happening. I'm not sure what may have happened myself, but I'm pretty sure if you ask that question on Gearspace, you'll get more eyes on it faster -- plus I know there are threads there dedicated to keybeds, so you'll definitely find someone there who can tell you what's going on.

As for the Argon8, I believe it uses the Fatar TP/9S keybed, so that should help zero in on any technical questions.

FWIW, even though the keyboard has aftertouch and so on, I do like to use an expression pedal instead; if anything gets worn down, it's an inexpensive and separately available piece to replace, rather than the synth board itself. Call me paranoid, but I generally hate the feeling of aftertouch, it always makes me feel like I'm going to break something. Who knows how rough the previous owner of your Argon8 was with the keyboard.

Actually purchased Argon8 new and in general love the keybed. I think it's the same as my NI Komplete A49, feels nice and lifelike. But yeah, the aftertouch thing feels like it's potentially going to damage the keys, it's not particularly responsive and so I'm pressing harder than feels wise to generate aftertouch values. Buts it's a nice option, although I may not really use it for much besides cutoff modulation.

Re: the wonky key. I actually "fixed" it last night, pressed the key and released it very quickly (trying to demonstrate the problem to my wife who to her credit didn't appear completely disinterested and bored) and whatever had come lose isn't any more. Strange. Bit concerning but I'll take the win.

Re: expression pedal- I've actually never used one before, any suggestions for something good quality but not too expensive?

It really is how I feel about aftertouch on pretty much all keyboards -- conceptually I love it, when it actually comes to pressing down on the keys I get nervous. Nice to have, but I use it as a last resort.

Strange about the key suddenly "fixing" itself. Since you bought it new, it may not hurt to shoot Modal a support email to ask about it -- you should have it under warranty.

As for an expression pedal, I picked up a Nektar NX-P. Since I'm not gigging and getting adrenaline rushes while playing, I didn't care that it's a plastic piece -- if you don't hit it hard, it should last a good long time, I haven't had any cause for concern with it. And if it doesn't last, well it's about $20 on Amazon at the moment If you want something you wouldn't worry about at a gig, then asking in the 2024: A Year in Gear thread will probably get someone to point you in the right direction pretty quickly as to what is reliable.

Nice advice again- cheers mate I sent a video to Modal via the onseller, Modal thought it was part of a patch. Asked me whether the synth was powered on or not. That level of question is just insulting. Either way, they've offered a replacement or repair but I'll have to bear the costs if they get the unit back and cannot replicate the problem. So I feel a bit stuck. I think I'll juat keep the unit but having lodged my concern with the company may work out benefically in the future if the problem re-emerges.