Has anyone tried the ASM Hydrasynth?

[Philip OKeefe]

I ran across this while surfing the web the other day, and it looks pretty interesting... 

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Hydrasynth--asm-hydrasynth-49-key-polyphonic-wave-morphing-synthesizer

 

I often prefer modules over keyboards for the sake of space, but I particularly like the idea of the keyboard version with poly aftertouch. So few keyboards have that, it's nice to see it appearing on something new. 

 

Has anyone tried one of these out yet? Thoughts? 

[Doerfler]

I have owned one for a year now. dB owns one, Dr. Mike Metlay owns one.

 

Dr Mike did an entire video series

 

 

[marino]

Here's my Hydrasynth video.
(if you want these sounds, you can get them right here in the Download section)

 

 

[GovernorSilver]

Tried the Deluxe a couple of weeks ago.  Felt great to play and the polyphonic aftertouch was smooth and responsive.  And most importantly I liked the sounds.

[MAJUSCULE]

Many threads about this puppy... Check this one out, for instance. Definitely a popular model, big bang for the buck.

[miden]

is this one similar to the "big brother" - ASM Digital Wave Morphing Keyboard Synth (49 note) ? It's just the hydra only comes in 61...

 

EDIT: Seems they are the same, the Hydra big unit is 73 note, the smaller is 49...pictures seem to show the smaller one also has smaller keys but that could be an optical illusion...near double the price of the Blofeld down here, but it DOES sound nice!!!

[MAJUSCULE]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the 49-key is the original model, released alongside the module. They've since added the Deluxe (73-key) and the Explorer (37 slim keys).

[Dave Bryce]

I love mine.  Heck, it’s worth it just for the Poly AT. 😎

 

As brother Doerfler mentioned earlier, Dr. Metlay’s interactive review in our Gearlab will be helpful..

 

dB

[AnotherScott]

I'm curious about how people will compare this to the Osmose, once it actually ships. The ASM is cheaper and with more real-time synth control, but to the extent that a lot of its appeal is in the expressivity of the poly-AT, the Osmose would seem to one-up it. Sound-wise, I've no clue about the relative flexibility or sonic characters of the actual synth engines (Osmose uses Haken).

[CyberGene]

I have owned a Hydrasynth for more than a year and I love it! When I bought it I knew nothing about synth programming. But it’s so intuitive I quickly learned how to make anything I imagine in my head! ❤️
 

Here’s a pad I’m really proud of and I did it in maybe 5 minutes just screwing around with the synth:

 

 

[niacin]

I bought one and learnt that my interest in poly aftertouch is limited and instead satisfied my desire for more control over sounds with an Enhancia Neova midi ring, but this is a pretty good showcase for the Hydrasynth:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUnrwTMW08Y&t=0s

 

[ProfD]

13 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

I'm curious about how people will compare this to the Osmose, once it actually ships. The ASM is cheaper and with more real-time synth control, but to the extent that a lot of its appeal is in the expressivity of the poly-AT, the Osmose would seem to one-up it. Sound-wise, I've no clue about the relative flexibility or sonic characters of the actual synth engines (Osmose uses Haken).

See, that's just it...the ASM Hydrasynth is actually available and in the hands of folks who are having a blast with it.

 

OTOH, the Osmose is either a unicorn or as the name suggests....🤣😎

[miden]

Yes, the ASM is firmly on my radar now!

[GovernorSilver]

I have an Osmose on preorder.   Some sort of review/observation in relation to the Deluxe Hydrasynth's great-feeling (to me) poly AT keyboard will be forthcoming.

[Jason Fry]

Has anyone been able to closely compare the feel of the keyboards between the Original (49 note) and the Deluxe?

I heard from a professional who I admire that the feel of the Deluxe is inferior to the original. I also heard from a salesman (bias?) who said that they are different, but that the Deluxe is better. Some may say that the feel of keyboards is a little subjective, but I think 9/10 of us would agree if we were comparing keybeds.

 

Many thanks,

- Jason

[Al Coda]

48 minutes ago, Jason Fry said:

Has anyone been able to closely compare the feel of the keyboards between the Original (49 note) and the Deluxe?

I heard from a professional who I admire that the feel of the Deluxe is inferior to the original. I also heard from a salesman (bias?) who said that they are different, but that the Deluxe is better. Some may say that the feel of keyboards is a little subjective, but I think 9/10 of us would agree if we were comparing keybeds.

 

Many thanks,

- Jason

 

I can imagine actions feel at least different because of PolyAT being added.

Most likely an all new designed action,- no ?

And don´t forget both actions are Medelli.

 

A.C.

 

[Tusker]

On 4/6/2022 at 1:15 AM, CyberGene said:

I have owned a Hydrasynth for more than a year and I love it! When I bought it I knew nothing about synth programming. But it’s so intuitive I quickly learned how to make anything I imagine in my head! ❤️
 

Here’s a pad I’m really proud of and I did it in maybe 5 minutes just screwing around with the synth:

 

Your chords are tasty!! I know you were just showing what the synth could do, but you did it so well. You took me to this incredibly warm place, where Lyle Mays and many of my other heroes live. 

 

And now I have serious gas. And it's your fault. 😝 😁

[Jason Fry]

30 minutes ago, Al Coda said:

 

I can imagine actions feel at least different because of PolyAT being added.

 

 

I believe they both have Poly After-Touch.

[CyberGene]

24 minutes ago, Tusker said:

Your chords are tasty!! I know you were just showing what the synth could do, but you did it so well. You took me to this incredibly warm place, where Lyle Mays and many of my other heroes live. 

 

And now I have serious gas. And it's your fault. 😝 😁

 

Ha, that was unexpected and surprising but thanks a lot! I love Lyle Mays! (It's getting ridiculous already but in a recent Brad Mehldau thread I said I used his name on a few forums but now I admit I also used "Lyle Mays" 😀 I'm serious! Looking back, I realize it was silly to use another musician's name for a nickname on a forum...). I hope some of Lyle's vibe has sneaked into my synth playing and programming.

[ProfD]

On 4/6/2022 at 1:15 AM, CyberGene said:

I have owned a Hydrasynth for more than a year and I love it! When I bought it I knew nothing about synth programming. But it’s so intuitive I quickly learned how to make anything I imagine in my head! ❤️
 

Here’s a pad I’m really proud of and I did it in maybe 5 minutes just screwing around with the synth:

 

@Tusker mentioned Lyle Mays in hearing that tasty pad work...definitely fair. 

 

Personally, I heard  someone who was probably Mays' influence and that is none other than my favrorite synth player...Joe Zawinul.

 

@CyberGene that was an excellent display of using a synth in real-time musically.  👍🏿😎

[Al Coda]

4 hours ago, Jason Fry said:

I believe they both have Poly After-Touch.

 

Ooops, sorry, I thought only the Deluxe version has.

[RABid]

I like everything but the sounds. To me it sounds thing and digital. I keep hoping they will release an update, upscaled version that processes audio at a higher rate and sounds smoother.

[Doerfler]

it definitely sounds digital, well, because, it's digital

[RABid]

18 minutes ago, Doerfler said:

it definitely sounds digital, well, because, it's digital

Yes, it is. But so is the Jupiter Xm and it does not sound that thin or digital.

[AnotherScott]

Well, there are digital synths that are exactly that, and there are digital synths that are specifically designed to try to emulate analog synths as best they can... different design goals.

[ProfD]

56 minutes ago, RABid said:

To me it sounds thin and digital. 

Please clarify if that's DX7 thin and digital or something else. There's different flavors.😁😎

[GovernorSilver]

9 hours ago, Jason Fry said:

Has anyone been able to closely compare the feel of the keyboards between the Original (49 note) and the Deluxe?

 

It would have been interesting to try the keybeds of the two versions.

 

The store had the Deluxe side by side with the Prophet 5.   I did not feel the Deluxe had an inferior feel to its keybed in an painfully obvious way compared to the P5.

 

That said, direct experience with the keybeds is superior to relying on 2nd/3rd hand reports.  The guy who preferred the OG to the Deluxe may genuinely feel its keybed is better.   The person who preferred the Deluxe may be just as honest.  I have been in a room with several keyboard players, who all tried the same keyboard, and who all reported different impressions of its action, the key-to-ear connection, etc.

 

Deluxe and Explorer have Note Off/Key Off Velocity while the OG does not.  Unfortunately, it did not occur to me to test this feature on the Deluxe when I had my hands on it.   Loopop's video touches on this.   

 

 

[JoeToGo]

I tested out a friend's Hydrasynth, as he was not convinced it was something he really wanted to keep. My goal wasn't to find out how deep it could be programmed, but

1. to hear how musically useful it could be, and

2. how useful the poly AT might be in performance.

 

The result is essentially a series of mini song ideas. I was only interested in seeing how useful a given sound might be, so no patch is used for more than a couple minutes. Occasionally I lingered on a final note to alter the aftertouch, and hear how it might be used.

 

My process was simply to scroll through presets, press a key, and follow what ideas were suggested by what I heard. Sometimes the name of the preset gave me some direction. Sometimes my fingers stumbled to find the next note. Most of it -- all of it, probably -- is pretty languid, because that's what the sounds seemed to want.

 

 

 

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Edit: well, never mind I guess; this page will not let me attach a 10MB mp3.

 

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[zephonic]

I had the Deluxe for about a month, really wanted to love it as it ticked a lot of boxes for me. But in the end I didn't really connect with it, so I returned it.