Hydrasynth Desktop

Product Information

There is the standard MIDI and USB/MIDI interfaces on the synth, but we go deeper and allow the use of CV/GATE interfaces for connecting to the modular world. While it's possible to use the current presets in such a way to some extent, this also often requires stripping a way a lot of other stuff to make it work, when a relatively bare template (ie: FM sweep, Sync sweep, etc.

So Acreil, as the resident expert on all things vintage digital, why is it that the vintage FM sounds 'like' the voices are mixing in the analog domain? And while the third oscillator lacks the scanning functionality, it can still select any waveform and you can modulate the selection too. The Chord Function and the programmable Arpeggiator, provide 2x very powerful creative tools to work out your ideas on stage and in the studio. Not only is this is an excellent synth for connecting to external controllers and sequencers; it’s an all-encompassing controllable instrument in its own right.

I have no idea why you would purposely not read any complicated machine’s manual unless you intended to not to like the machine you’re using. I mean you bought this proudly deep and digital synth, end up disappointed that it doesn't perform that well doing mostly basic VA stuff in terms of UI and sounds, and not only do you feel this is something reviewers should have warned you about, it's something the manufacturer should try and address. I've never used pads for much, and eventually hooked the unit up to my midi controller for a traditional playing experience. Polyphonic aftertouch, or poly pressure, allows the player to modulate notes individually from within a range already held down.

This belief is cemented by the fact that nowhere in the documentation is internal bitrate or sample rate mentioned. In full eight voice mode, the analog and digital filters could be run in series or parallel for 8 voice mono (but into stereo fx), OR, digital and analog filter panned left and right for 8 voice stereo (into stereo fx). It's a credit limit that's attached to your PayPal account which you can use for your online purchases. In a sense, it's good - it just means that the ball is back in the artist's court to make mindblowing stuff. Wavetables are, of course, its bread and butter, but with FM and even analogue modelling on the menu, consider yourself covered for almost anything you need to be done.

And while you're unlikely to mistake the MS20 filters for the real thing, they offer worthy alternate responses. As with oscillator sync, Ratio sets how many times the process occurs within a single cycle, leading to mad wave-folding flavours if you depart from the standard ratio of 1. Using multiple pad layout modes as well as quick to access scale modes, the Hydrasynth Desktop / Rack is easy to make music on.

If it had a premium keybed and a more powerful internal DSP that allowed them to fix most of the issues, it would have started much more expensive than it did. As Darcey explained, “(Product Manager) Dominic (Au) and I come out of modular backgrounds so being able to route anything to anything was in our DNA, so to say. No way to know this without the manual, but certainly beats assembling your own wavetable from individual waves each time, even though this remains a great but slow option. Hydrasynth is a great end user product and built better than anything else I own in the high-end synth offerings. It would also be super cool if the effects section had something added that digitally alter/degrade whatever wave was sent to it, like sample rate/bit rate decimation, but perhaps also modes which mimic directly the sort of digital grunge or grit of some past synths of old.

I don't know how accurate the Threeler filters are, but I liked the band-pass mode in particular; some of its cutoff and resonance combinations give strange, buzzy but interesting results. The User Interface has been redesigned with a view to minimizing menu work (paging) and functions are now located just a keystroke away. Excellent product for sound designers and it is easy to study the sounds created by the manufacturer.