New poly synth/synth company - ASM Hydrasynth

[raft]

what about contender Modal Electronics ARGON8 ? 1 oled vs hydra 5 headed oled.

[hawkfuzz]

Anyone know when these shall return to stock?

Finally sold my synth to fund this purchase.

I imagine the virus is effecting this but curious if they've publicly made ETA.

[nuttymad]

I believe perfect circuit has the desktop version in stock.

[hawkfuzz]

Looking for the keys, but may just get the desktop. I've been using the Roland Sh01a for awhile and am tired of modules.

[RedLab]

On Thomann it says In stock within 4-5 weeks if that's any indication

[galanter2]

Out of nowhere Alto Music had 5 keyboards, and all were snapped up in just a few days. A special allocation for a new dealer? Not sure. But mine arrives on Friday!

[hawkfuzz]

Damn I'm going to sign up for notifications of replenished stock. I assumed scouring would get me the bounty.

Congrats. Dibs on the flip.

[galanter2]

My expectations were pretty high, and after spending a day playing and patching…it beats my expectations. Everything is mechanically very solid. The user interface presents a lot of complexity with a very shallow interface. Reminds me a bit of my old Matrix-12 in that respect (sold long ago). The presets are a mix…which is really what a company wants out on the music store floor. I read some complain about a "harsh" sound and "ear fatigue" but I'm not hearing it. Wavetable morphing and the broad choices of so called pulse width modulations are going to create lots of high frequency activity, but it's totally controllable. Also a lot of the presets have 100% filter tracking which allows upper harmonics of high pitches to be more strident than what you typically find in nature. For those I find setting filter tracking to 75% to yield something more natural sounding.

The keyboard, especially the poly-aftertouch, and the ribbon controller, make for a very expressive musical instrument. The voltage interface has allowed me to make the Hydrasynth mine main controller for my eurorack system. Between those two and a couple sampled string libraries from Spitfire I feel like I'll not be buying more gear for quite a while. I'm in this for recording songs, and the Hydrasynth and modular system alone offer more options than I could possible use. If anything I now have *too many* options.

[galanter2]

OK, I've found my first "This isn't a matter of taste. It's just plain wrong." problem.

It's small, but real.

The lowest setting of mod wheel vibrato (ie set to 1) has way too much vibrato signal coming through. I like subtle vibrato, and even set down to 1 I can only use 1/3 of the mod wheel range, and it's difficult to not over or undershoot the desired vibrato depth.

One fix to the interface would be to allow a depth of .50 or .25. (That's Superficially like, but obviously different than, various ratio parameters.)

(But in terms of internal representation and Sys Ex format there may be no room for additional values.)

Anyway, there it is. Need to dial back the mod wheel vibrato. 1 is too much, and 0 is off.

[mmp]

I am pretty sure you could fix this with some creative mod patching.

[galanter2]

I am pretty sure you could fix this with some creative mod patching.

One can definitely patch vibrato with the mod wheel. But it's still a design flaw on their part. So far the only one I can find, and if this is the worst of it, they've done an remarkably good job.

(The vibrato source is, however, a "free" very basic sixth LFO. Using one of the 5 regular LFOs for vibrato as a fix is a grumble.)

[lessmudmorepunch]

I wish they released just the controller part of this synth

[hawkfuzz]

I have a feeling they will...or maybe the Synthonovo Pan will eventually be released as well as the keys as promised.

[SteeVtheRipper]

For me the only issue I’ve had is that that Pitch Bend wheel has dead zones on the top and bottom of its travel. I emailed ASM and they told me it’s not a bug, not a software thing, but a hardware decision. Not sure why they’d choose a wheel that you can only use a fraction of. It doesn’t really affect my playing, but when I notice it it’s annoying. Aside from that it’s an incredible synth I foresee enjoying for the rest of my life.

[hawkfuzz]

Can you elaborate on the dead zones. Not gonna deter me, just curious.

Do you reach the max/min bend and still have some travel after or does the center point have some travel before bending?

[SteeVtheRipper]

To elaborate...if you bend the pitch wheel all the way to either the top or the bottom, when you start to release it back to the center there are dead zones at each end before any change in pitch occurs, about a 1/4 inch on the bottom and maybe a little less on top.

[Red Electric Rainbow]

just pulled the trigger on the desktop version. was debating the keys version for a) the keys and b) the ribbon. im usually pretty stern when it comes to having keys, but the RGB pads will suffice at this price point. the ribbon on the other hand is a toss up. as cool as it is, im not sure I would take enough advantage of it to justify paying the extra cash. either way, feeling super fortunate right now.

[hawkfuzz]

I've been debating the desktop but I want the poly AT keybed. I wish there was a cheap controller that could do it.

[Red Electric Rainbow]

I've been debating the desktop but I want the poly AT keybed. I wish there was a cheap controller that could do it.

there are novation control pads that are compatible.

[hawkfuzz]

I'm looking for keys. What Novation does this though? I see the SL Mk3 pads have the capability.

[Red Electric Rainbow]

I'm looking for keys. What Novation does this though? I see the SL Mk3 pads have the capability.

The Launchpad Pro MK3

[galanter2]

My suggestion is that if you want the keyboard, wait for the keyboard. I have one and it's fabulous. They developed it themselves, and the feel is fantastic. Just the right amount of resistance, and the poly-aftertouch is actually usable. I can hold a 3 or 4 note chord and arpeggiate emphasis among them. The ribbon controller is actually usable. Theremin mode can be quantized or not. That sliding part in Good Vibrations? No problem.

And if you have a Eurorack, this thing just interfaces right in.

Worth waiting for.

[hawkfuzz]

That's my conclusion as well. I played a Moog Grandmother and loved the keybed compared to my Sub37. The keys felt better and I hope these feel like those.

[abandonist]

Are these in stock anywhere in the US? I’m ready to pull the trigger.

[gearhead61]

Desktop version in stock at Perfect Circuit - got mine from there last week.

On their site now - still shows available...