Hydrasynth

[bmanic]

.. and I bought a used cheap Hydrasynth Explorer for controlling VSTi plugins. It's by far the best small keyboard controller out there for plugins.

The Hydrasynth synthesis engine itself is rather "meh.." in my opinion. Doesn't sound all that good in m opinion and the interface is infuriating when it comes to dialing in the actual values. It could be a LOT better overall with some careful tweaks to the software side of it.

Still, it's unique sounding for sure and that's always a win in my book.

[zerocrossing]

.. and I bought a used cheap Hydrasynth Explorer for controlling VSTi plugins. It's by far the best small keyboard controller out there for plugins.

The Hydrasynth synthesis engine itself is rather "meh.." in my opinion. Doesn't sound all that good in m opinion and the interface is infuriating when it comes to dialing in the actual values. It could be a LOT better overall with some careful tweaks to the software side of it.

Still, it's unique sounding for sure and that's always a win in my book.

Here's my take on it. Forget that it's a synth from 2021. Think of it as a synth from 1991. Specifically, a synth by Ensoniq, which they're obviously inspired by. Part of it being an Ensoniq from 1991 is not having things like the Mutators, which let's face it, sound terrible. (please don't gas light me and say they're characterful. They just sound harsh) If you think of it as 3 oscillator wavemorphing synth with a whole lot of modulation abilities, it's awesome, and can sound very good. I've relegated the Mutators to "lo-fi effect" duties, and make sure I don't turn the filter drive past 12 o'clock. Oh, also the effects are straight out of 1991 as well. It's NOS vintage!

But yeah, I'm not entirely sure I'll give it two inputs on my interface. Not when I've got a plugin folder full of instruments that can do the old Ensoniq thing and others that will give me a modern high quality version of what it can do. It is nice having a 73 key controller, though, with polyphonic aftertouch. That's really the main reason I got it.

[Liero]

Hot take: Outside of analog, hardware digital synthesizers are mostly quite far behind their software counterparts in terms of sound and effects quality. This is coming from an ex dawless enthusiast who bought a bunch of them and started actually comparing to the newest on the software side. Hydrasynth is (imo) overrated and overhyped. So is modal engineering. So is KORG and Roland in the 2020's for that matter.

An exception from my experience: The Elektron Digitone is a truly unique FM synth that can't be replicated in native software (I tried like hell, their synth algorithm is just not your usual FM, esp. the feedback).

[bmanic]

Well, as zerocrossing asked for it, I wont gaslight him but I do really think Hydrasynth sounds unique. And I really do like the fact that it has 32 mod matrix slots. Got plenty of presets done now that use up all of them.

My biggest issue with the "sound quality" is with the filters. There's some weird saturation/distortion that happens in the low-mids even if drive is set to zero, when you have a modest amount of resonance going. But yeah, people trying to sell it as a "do it all" kind of thing that can emulate accurately anything from analogue to any digital are smoking some weed I'd like to get hold of. It does it's own thing and that's good enough for me.

But as a controller for VSTi plugins, it is 100% unmatched. You can actually use ALL the button + knob combinations properly. It's an amazing interface. Want to tweak the 1st filters ADSR of a VSTi? Simply hit Filter1 button and tweak away. The amp env? Simply hit the AMP button and tweak away. Every single button + knob combo sends it's own CC messages. It is genius! This is how a MIDI controller should be done. No need for a bunch of random knobs and sliders. Give us this kind of system, all the basics (filters 1-3, 5 envelopes, 5 LFOs) with a bunch of additional custom buttons and some extra knobs/sliders to assign, then make sure every button transforms every knob and slider on the synth to it's own CC values.

For the price of a used Hydrasynth Explorer keyboard there are no other options on the market this powerful. Not even remotely close. Even the keybed is adequate in my opinion (only slightly annoying thing is the aftertouch travel on the black keys is a wee bit short).

[CoolColJ]

Well, as zerocrossing asked for it, I wont gaslight him but I do really think Hydrasynth sounds unique. And I really do like the fact that it has 32 mod matrix slots. Got plenty of presets done now that use up all of them.

My biggest issue with the "sound quality" is with the filters. There's some weird saturation/distortion that happens in the low-mids even if drive is set to zero, when you have a modest amount of resonance going. But yeah, people trying to sell it as a "do it all" kind of thing that can emulate accurately anything from analogue to any digital are smoking some weed I'd like to get hold of. It does it's own thing and that's good enough for me.

But as a controller for VSTi plugins, it is 100% unmatched. You can actually use ALL the button + knob combinations properly. It's an amazing interface. Want to tweak the 1st filters ADSR of a VSTi? Simply hit Filter1 button and tweak away. The amp env? Simply hit the AMP button and tweak away. Every single button + knob combo sends it's own CC messages. It is genius! This is how a MIDI controller should be done. No need for a bunch of random knobs and sliders. Give us this kind of system, all the basics (filters 1-3, 5 envelopes, 5 LFOs) with a bunch of additional custom buttons and some extra knobs/sliders to assign, then make sure every button transforms every knob and slider on the synth to it's own CC values.

For the price of a used Hydrasynth Explorer keyboard there are no other options on the market this powerful. Not even remotely close. Even the keybed is adequate in my opinion (only slightly annoying thing is the aftertouch travel on the black keys is a wee bit short).

The Electra One is more flexible than a Hydrasynth Explorer for those duties, for around the same cost, and useful for sysex hardware synths. You have the touchscreen and 12 knobs, plus 6 buttons for paging, and the knobs are touch sensitive so they highlight the controller parameter on the screen or even switch pages upon touch or combo of touches

I'm going to combine one with my Hydrasynth Explorer, and incoming Sound Force SFC-8
Should pretty much get a nice combo of features, immediacy and tactile feel with that trio

[McLilith]

well its not multitimbral which makes in such case something like Virus Ti Desktop 2 still more atractive even after 10 years. Or better Virus Ti Snow if you can find it for 400-600 eu

It's multitimbral if you buy more than one of them!

[zerocrossing]

Hot take: Outside of analog, hardware digital synthesizers are mostly quite far behind their software counterparts in terms of sound and effects quality. This is coming from an ex dawless enthusiast who bought a bunch of them and started actually comparing to the newest on the software side. Hydrasynth is (imo) overrated and overhyped. So is modal engineering. So is KORG and Roland in the 2020's for that matter.

An exception from my experience: The Elektron Digitone is a truly unique FM synth that can't be replicated in native software (I tried like hell, their synth algorithm is just not your usual FM, esp. the feedback).

Funny, I was GASing hard for a Digitone when it first launched and I started watching all the demos to see if I could mirror what was happening using software. Digitone’s is a subset of Native Instruments’s FM8, so that’s what I used. I was able to get nearly identical results from it, though I was able to go places the Digitone couldn’t. My GAS for the Digitone was instantly extinguished.

[zerocrossing]

Well, as zerocrossing asked for it, I wont gaslight him but I do really think Hydrasynth sounds unique. And I really do like the fact that it has 32 mod matrix slots. Got plenty of presets done now that use up all of them.

My biggest issue with the "sound quality" is with the filters. There's some weird saturation/distortion that happens in the low-mids even if drive is set to zero, when you have a modest amount of resonance going. But yeah, people trying to sell it as a "do it all" kind of thing that can emulate accurately anything from analogue to any digital are smoking some weed I'd like to get hold of. It does it's own thing and that's good enough for me.

But as a controller for VSTi plugins, it is 100% unmatched. You can actually use ALL the button + knob combinations properly. It's an amazing interface. Want to tweak the 1st filters ADSR of a VSTi? Simply hit Filter1 button and tweak away. The amp env? Simply hit the AMP button and tweak away. Every single button + knob combo sends it's own CC messages. It is genius! This is how a MIDI controller should be done. No need for a bunch of random knobs and sliders. Give us this kind of system, all the basics (filters 1-3, 5 envelopes, 5 LFOs) with a bunch of additional custom buttons and some extra knobs/sliders to assign, then make sure every button transforms every knob and slider on the synth to it's own CC values.

For the price of a used Hydrasynth Explorer keyboard there are no other options on the market this powerful. Not even remotely close. Even the keybed is adequate in my opinion (only slightly annoying thing is the aftertouch travel on the black keys is a wee bit short).

Why think that you are gaslighting me? I totally agree with you. Maybe the only place our opinions diverge is that I think it’s ultimately a cool sounding synth in a retro digital way. Like a Fizmo. I’d never buy it for that, though, but having it is pretty cool. I should see how it sounds through PSP’s N2O effects plugin with TAL DAC after it. Poor man’s Fizmo.

[zerocrossing]

well its not multitimbral which makes in such case something like Virus Ti Desktop 2 still more atractive even after 10 years. Or better Virus Ti Snow if you can find it for 400-600 eu

It's multitimbral if you buy more than one of them!

The Deluxe is multitimbral, but I do see the point. In a lot of ways, it he Virus engine smokes the Hydrasynth. Not all ways, though. I actually think I prefer the character of the Hydrasynth’s filters more than the Virus. Plus, you can get the Virus C as a free plugin now.

[simmo75]

well its not multitimbral which makes in such case something like Virus Ti Desktop 2 still more atractive even after 10 years. Or better Virus Ti Snow if you can find it for 400-600 eu

It's multitimbral if you buy more than one of them!

The Deluxe is multitimbral, but I do see the point. In a lot of ways, it he Virus engine smokes the Hydrasynth. Not all ways, though. I actually think I prefer the character of the Hydrasynth’s filters more than the Virus. Plus, you can get the Virus C as a free plugin now.

How many parts is it? I had no idea it was multi-timbral.

[zerocrossing]

well its not multitimbral which makes in such case something like Virus Ti Desktop 2 still more atractive even after 10 years. Or better Virus Ti Snow if you can find it for 400-600 eu

It's multitimbral if you buy more than one of them!

The Deluxe is multitimbral, but I do see the point. In a lot of ways, it he Virus engine smokes the Hydrasynth. Not all ways, though. I actually think I prefer the character of the Hydrasynth’s filters more than the Virus. Plus, you can get the Virus C as a free plugin now.

How many parts is it? I had no idea it was multi-timbral.

I've not used it that way, but I believe it is two part.

[zerocrossing]

Has anyone used the Sigabort MIDISynth editor on the Deluxe? I want an editor and I wasn't able to get the Edisyn one to work at all. I'll pay, but I want to confirm that it works and is pretty stable.

It really sucks that ASM just doesn't provide an editor. I know it's got a great interface, but I like to be able to use an editor too, especially a plugin so I can do automation from the DAW in an easy way.

[WatchTheGuitar]

Has anyone used the Sigabort MIDISynth editor on the Deluxe? I want an editor and I wasn't able to get the Edisyn one to work at all. I'll pay, but I want to confirm that it works and is pretty stable.

It really sucks that ASM just doesn't provide an editor. I know it's got a great interface, but I like to be able to use an editor too, especially a plugin so I can do automation from the DAW in an easy way.

Not used that. I tried one a couple of years ago, can’t remember the name but it wasn’t a good experience. This is one area ASM is lagging miles behind Modal, IK and Korg. Even Behringer offer the (admittedly a bit buggy) powerful Deepmind control software for free.

Would be a gamechanger if simple to use FM and sequencing controls were available as they’re a bit painful to use via the Hydrasynth screen.

[zerocrossing]

To me, a software editor is a must. Why? Even if you don’t use your mouse at all to edit a patch, it’s super nice to be able to see every parameter all laid out in front of you, with its current value. Especially on a synth like the Hydrasynth, where there’s no 1:1 knob/function interface and all you can really see 8 parameters the screen is currently set for.

[apoclypse]

I like the Hydrasynth quite a bit. I basically been replicating some of my Massive patches and they sound pretty great. That being said those same reproduced patches sound phenomenal in say Vital or Serum compared to the Hydrasynth but as a standalone, not bad. I think ASM needs to rethink mutators a bit, they don’t sound particularly good. Very harsh or noisy imo. I use them minimally as it just sounds awful sometimes.