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Hydrasynth


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Prophet X also has 8 voice polyphony - when using stereo samples - and from what I recall, is bi-timbral at most. The much steeper price makes it a harder sell.

 

The Prophet X"s cost is partly rooted in the hybrid design, and partly in the absurd amount of storage for samples. Thankfully SSD prices are dropping rapidly so that can and does change over time. The polyphony limits are due to the sixteen analog filters. I"m willing to cut hybrid instruments more slack in the polyphony department for this reason, presuming their filters speak to me (and even there you have some flexibility - in sixteen voice mode with only one filter per voice you can maintain the stereo image for a sample by bypassing the filter, and in thirty-two voice mode a single pair of filters is used paraphonically.) There was always something special about taking samples and running them through a good filter which is an itch that instrument scratches nicely for me. Obviously everyone"s needs, tastes, and budget will lead them to what works best for them.

 

Fair enough.

 

I think if ASM put 8 analog filters, you're not looking at a $700 desktop/$1300 keyboard Hydrasynth anymore. Novation Peak (a desktop) goes for $1300, so maybe it'd be a $600 price increase for the customer?

 

Hydrasynth has 11 filter types to choose from, so I would assume going w/ analog filters over digital would compromise that flexibility as well.

 

On Elektronauts, one of the very first response on the Hydrasynth thread was "I"ve concluded the price tag is fair compared to what I would have to pay for a mouser cart of components; designing, testing and minting my own pcbs; custom steel case; all that DSP programming, assembly and GUI OS." Perhaps that is what Theo is thinking about - implementing a softsynth on regular PC then porting it to custom hardware. He could probably do it if it's strictly a box just to run the software - no keybed, no ribbon controller no knobs, etc. However if he wants to add a keybed, knobs, display, etc. I think it would be difficult, if not impossible, for him to build his own Hydrasynth, complete with polyphonic aftertouch keyboard, while keeping the cost as low as ASM has managed, thanks to the practically in-house access to keybeds, chip fabricators, etc.

 

Blows my mind ASM did the firmware in assembly language.

 

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Hydrasynth has 11 filter types to choose from, so I would assume going w/ analog filters over digital would compromise that flexibility as well.

 

There"s still something special about a carefully tuned analog filter design that can contribute a unique character, but no question it comes at a cost from both a financial and flexibility standpoint. There will come a time when the digital models are so good that it makes no sense to do anything else, but we"re not there yet. The Hydrasynth is an astonishing value for the money but it"s more something that I have been excited thinking about than actually listening to ... so far.

 

What keeps me coming back for another listen is the poly aftertouch keyboard, primarily.

 

Blows my mind ASM did the firmware in assembly language.

 

Parts of it, almost certainly, but I would be shocked and dismayed if everything was written in assembly. In the quote you provided I"m sure 'assembly' was referring to the labor involved in physically assembling the hardware.

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Hydrasynth has 11 filter types to choose from, so I would assume going w/ analog filters over digital would compromise that flexibility as well.

 

There"s still something special about a carefully tuned analog filter design that can contribute a unique character, but no question it comes at a cost from both a financial and flexibility standpoint. There will come a time when the digital models are so good that it makes no sense to do anything else, but we"re not there yet. The Hydrasynth is an astonishing value for the money but it"s more something that I have been excited thinking about than actually listening to ... so far.

 

What keeps me coming back for another listen is the poly aftertouch keyboard, primarily.

 

Blows my mind ASM did the firmware in assembly language.

 

Parts of it, almost certainly, but I would be shocked and dismayed if everything was written in assembly. In the quote you provided I"m sure 'assembly' was referring to the labor involved in physically assembling the hardware.

 

I agree about a great analog filter design. I actually like the Prophet X's. I also keep being drawn to the Matriarch even though I keep trying to convince myself I don't need it.

 

Before this thing was announced, I was looking at the Minilogue XD. Post-announcement, I've got some thinking to do. Both of these budget synths sound good enough for my personal taste.

 

Hydrasynth has CV I/O, which reflects Darcey's ongoing personal interest in Eurorack modular stuff. The CV I/O should allow the user to patch in a Eurorack analog filter, if desired, although I've no doubt users will think of more creative cross-patching ideas. An external analog filter would impose a paraphonic limitation, but that may not be an issue for some folks.

 

In the Glen Darcey interview posted from SonicState, he does say that assembly language was used to program the synth. But... he didn't say if it was assembly language generated from a C compiler or something like that.

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Just watched Nic"s review. The LFO structures are crazy. This looks like a wild synth.

 

The macro interface is cool. I don"t need this but it looks really cool.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
.... The Hydrasynth is an astonishing value for the money but it"s more something that I have been excited thinking about than actually listening to ... so far.

 

I'm just not hearing it with this instrument. Yes, the idea of polyphonic aftertouch is very alluring along with all the other fascinating bells and whistles, but I've yet to hear anything played on the Hydrasynth that I found the slightest bit interesting or inspiring. It all sounds like lame FM patches to my ears. I'm going to go watch a few more Summit demos, those make me melt.

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I went to a demo of the Hydrasynth this morning. I'm very, very impressed. The keybed feels amazing for a synth action (made in house by ASM, it's not "that certain Italian company") and the response of the polyphonic aftertouch is well calibrated. It's possible to finesse it in the system menus. The waveshaping and wavetable creation possibilities make up for the fact that you cannot import your own samples/waves... yet. The filters sound great, the UI is more or less intuitive, and the range it covers from sound design madness to classic synth necessities is pretty incredible. Daniel Fisher gets a sound in the Sweetwater video that is essentially perfect for "Funeral for a Friend," and I played a string patch today that I couldn't believe was only two oscillators.

 

The one downside for me is that it's a 12V DC wallwart and not an internal power supply. Other than that, I think it gives DSI, Korg and Novation something to be seriously worried about.

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The Hydrasynth sounds much to Digital for my taste, but it depends on what you want to hear. Comparisons to the Novation Summit is not a good comparison, Novation uses over clocked digital Oscillators and an excellent analog Filter. My ears tell me they are not at all similar, That said, players that are OK with the sounds, will certainly like the price,

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  • 7 months later...

Hiya, everyone. Thought I'd resurrect this topic for the moment. What I'd like to do is discuss the Hydrasynth in much greater detail for those of us who do own one (and perhaps for those still on the fence they can participate as well) and want to share tips, patch design info, actual patches, get feedback, ideas, etc., and I think that a new topic for this is probably the way forward. But maybe it's not... Dunno. So, just a quick post for consideration. I'm also unsure how many people here own one and whether there's any interest in doing this. Unfortunately, the main user group for the Hydrasynth is on Facebook, which sux for those of us who aren't on Facebook. I just want a place to call home for my Hydra. Maybe there are other forums that I'm unaware of...? If so, please drop a note here with a link. Otherwise, I'll start up a new topic in a day or two.

 

Thanks everyone! :)

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Hiya - have you seen the MPN Gear Lab thread on the Hydrasynth here?

 

LINK

 

 

Yes, I posted there last night. Based on the reply I got there, I felt doing a topic in KC would be better. Should I instead use that topic? Just trying to find a good solution here... :)

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Hiya - have you seen the MPN Gear Lab thread on the Hydrasynth here?

 

LINK

 

 

Yes, I posted there last night. Based on the reply I got there, I felt doing a topic in KC would be better. Should I instead use that topic?

Sorry if my reply in the Gearlab thread wasn't clear....but I wasn't sure what you were looking for. :idk:

 

Based on your further comments, the Gearlab review thread does appear to be the better place you wanna be posting on this subject. It's more focused - the GearLab's purpose in life is to have dissect and discuss gear on a very deep level.

 

Either way though, MPN isn't that regimented...and if a thread does end up being better suited someplace other than where it was started, it gets moved. No worries...

 

Sorry for the confusion. :wave:

 

dB

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:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

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