ASM Hydrasynth Firmware 2.0 - New Features, Everything You Need To Know!

At long last, the long-awaited version 2.0 firmware has been released for the ASM Hydrasynth Keyboard, Hydrasynth Explorer, Hydrasynth Deluxe and Hydrasynth Desktop! I describe and demonstrate every change and new feature added in this major functionality upgrade from ASM!
The new firmware, manual, installer and librarian can all be downloaded from the ASM site: www.ashunsoundmachines.com/do...
0:00 Introduction
2:07 Patch Storage
3:45 FX Bypass
5:24 Light Controls
6:32 Sostenuto
7:46 Mod Wheel Resolution
8:37 Glissando
9:30 Arpeggiator
10:40 Bit Reduction
12:49 Voice Offset Modulation
16:18 LFO
19:27 Envelopes
20:40 Convenience Items
#Hydrasynth #Firmware

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

The new firmware, manual, installer and librarian can all be downloaded from the ASM site: www.ashunsoundmachines.com/downloads

[@Thehackerguy2000]

This guy has the best Saul Goodman impression.

[@rexcellencemagee6729]

That’s a lot of stuff to remember! They just updated my sp404mk2, several of my modules, and now this! I don’t know if I’m coming or going! Lol

[@arp_eg2158]

I'll respond that this was "more than I had hoped for"... Because I loved the synth as is, and had no idea they were still developing firmware.

[@freshkidblaze]

Everything was a total surprise, I'm excited about the glissando mode, the quantized lfo's, and bit redux on the oscillators. Tbh, everything is exciting about that update. I can't wait to finish adulting so I can update.

[@fallprecauxionsmusic]

this super crazy helpful fantastic fun time, scott. thanks a whole buncha bunches!!

[@jamesdefrancesco7765]

Thanks for the vid. Owner since Jan 2020. Got me through the last 3 years very nicely. The best thing about the Hydrasynth is its flexibility. So many timbres are possible. It's easy to program and to experiment on. The updates just give me more reasons to stay in the basement!

[@ftlaud911]

Thank you for showing the new features. Great to see ASM rolling out new functionality to an already steller synth. Can't wait to test it out this weekend.

[@thesynthlord954]

Thanks for the overview caught something on Instagram about it had no idea it was coming....as a 49 key guy the extra patch storage is huge and like you said probably the biggest thing....also a fan of the extra octaves for arps and quantize function on the envelopes

[@jamesche75]

Definitely a great update, and thanks for the video. So much for those folks who said ASM believed the Hydrasynth to already be feature-complete and wouldn't get new features. :)

[@dennis1954]

Thank you for your informative update demonstration. Liked, commented and subscribed. Looking forward getting notifications when new videos drop.

[@DawlessHouseMusic]

Great job on this. Loving the update. The memory is huge for me with my Explorer.

[@fugamantew]

The Hydrasynth-the synth that keeps on giving

[@drsamurai009]

So much to love about this update! I just updated my Deluxe this past weekend, and I took my analog-ish patch and used the per-voice modulation to vary my filter, pitch, and filter envelope attack. It's almost like having the a vintage knob on a modern synth. It sounds even closer to my old Prophet and OB-Xa. I wouldn't take those out to play live, but with this update, I'm closer than ever to covering those sounds. Looking forward to the step LFO sequencer. I know it was there before, but this feels more like an old school sequencer. The quantize features also seem interesting. And (almost) all this being accessible thru the mod matrix is just too cool!

[@csharp57]

I love the new update. I can hook it up to my MPC again!!!

[@lucid484]

The synth just keeps getting better and better! I need to upgrade my 49 key to a deluxe, if not only for the reason this synth will become a huge classic in the future.

[@Geepstar]

I believe the Deluxe there are a lot of people with issues since the update

[@fugamantew]

The features needed to make the Hydrasynth a true to form CS-80 contender within the digital space were added with the Deluxe-bi-timbrality is just insane!!

[@andrewheld2475]

​@@GeepstarNot in my experience, both personally and among user groups.

[@push-pull3647]

Hi Scott ! Glad to see one of my patches in this video !😊

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

Yup!! I have your "Classic Collection" and "Secret Collection" in there. Both are excellent, and I recommend the "Classic Collection" for anyone who is looking to make their Hydra sound like a classic analog synth!

[@push-pull3647]

@@ScottsSynthStuff Thank you for these words that go straight to my heart 🙏

[@Jobotubular]

1983: everyone buys a DX7 because it's so stable 2023: everyone wants digital synth to wobble and drift

[@Whistler-007]

It comes down to having the choice.

[@visible7044]

speaking of this ..random question..if i pull up a square wave (example but it happens with every wave) every single time i press a key the tone is different slightly. is there a way to make it stable so the tone is exactly the same each time i press the key. i don’t want it to be caught l changing voices. not sure why it’s doing it honestly i’m not very synth savvy.

[@AdamsBrew78]

@@visible7044 Easy, just go into the voice settings and turn AnalogFL down to 0, turn off warm mode…and don’t use the VoiceMOD.. Also, go into your mod matrix and make sure velocity or aftertouch isn’t modulating anything relating to timbre (Filter, etc) ..

[@visible7044]

@@AdamsBrew78 ok thx

[@petermgruhn]

@@Whistler-007 It comes down to predictability. And control.

[@DrSynth]

Great overview of the update ! 👍👍

[@swanofnutella4734]

More than I was expecting! Very happy.

[@Leroysfunnytrees]

Great video thanks so much. Loving my Hydrasynth 49key

[@avetisk]

Came from Andertons (Jack recommended). Didn’t regret it 👍

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

Thank you! :)

[@collinember]

well explained - very helpful! Thank you.

[@Truthasvictim]

Thanks for a great and comprehensive video Scott. Of course everything ASM did is an appreciated feature, but for me, the ability of being able to modulate each voice by a programmable amount per voice via the Voice parameter page is a brilliant feature that takes the synth into another level in terms of programmabbility. I liken it o polyphonic aftertouch in a way.. I am well over 40 years into owning lots of great synths, but the Hyydra takes the gold medal for me on all sorts of ways to evaluate synths. The only mistake I made was in not buying my desktop and 49 note a couple of years ago!

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

It's a stroke of genius taking it to the next level by making that per-voice parameter into the mod matrix, rather than just detuning pitch. It transforms the sounds this synth can make.

[@grigioviola8523]

Thank you very much

[@IliyanIrmanov]

Thank you for the video! It was an awesome surprise. Good update but I was hoping for too much I guess, stuff like new mutants new morphing ways between the waves and new waves, the ability to modulate the phase of the LFO, step LFO that can go for more than 1 octave. And please let me know if there is a way to make the step LFO to retrigger the envelope each time it changes the pitch not at regular intervals. But the new LED colours are looking nice, and I love the bitcrushed envelope, also the midi and clock improvements are very very welcome.

[@IliyanIrmanov]

I need to say that I didn’t realise at first how big are the per voice modulation and the ability to advance the step LFO on keypress. Well done ASM.

[@hairyhunk44]

Wow thanks because I would not have known because my Hydrasynth has not been hooked up for a while. I been Omnisphere and Arturia V Collection world for a long time.

[@rudolfschipper]

i have the desktop and its a awesome update

[@KaeRZed]

For a next version, it could be great to be able to active or not the arpegiator for each oscillator....

[@jpdsnz]

Love the bank updates. Is that a jasper stand?

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

Unfortunately no, they don't sell Jaspers in the US. I wish they did! It's an OnStage A-frame stand.

[@jeffbecker4882]

I noticed that some of the Preset Standard Scales don't exactly glide according to the degree of the scale. And why is there no "Minor" preset, rather, it is identified as "Just Minor C" which, as I mentioned earlier, doesn"t track in glissando: it glides chromatically. What am I not getting? Thanks!

[@EdgetoneStudios]

Local Mode Off FTW!

[@RayyMusik]

Valuable introduction to 2.0. However, initialization of single menu items (INIT + relevant button) worked already in earlier versions.

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

Yes, but there are now more things that you can initialize or randomize: VoiceMod values, Wavescan waveforms and step LFO values.

[@BIG_PASTA]

@@ScottsSynthStuff It's not just that actually, you could do that before - you can now just hold init/random and press (for example) the "step edit" button and it will initialize or randomize all of the values at once. Same goes for the other parameters :)

[@richidpraah]

Hoping ASM will add dotted notes to the ARP in a future update - if possible - as I'm really missing this

[@ReznaQay]

Im saving up for one of these, so i can use the arturia CS-80V, but have no idea if the afteroutch is the same as the real CS-80

[@carbonio14]

Who's else is experiencing the issue where the synth would sometimes produce harsh static or other noises when scrolling through factory patches? Back to 1.5 firmware and updating to 2.0 firmware doesn't resolve the problem.

[@QuantizStudioRecords]

You may want to know my new situation with the Deluxe Edition. I don't know if it makes any sense, but I haven't tried before... So far I've updated firmware 2.0.0 and 2.0.1 between a USB cable on an AMD system with a 7950X processor and the Asus Tuf Gaming motherboard. .and every time I had the problems with the loud noises. I also changed the USB cables, thinking back to an older issue with a Tascam Model 24 that was giving SD card + PC read and write errors due to a USB cable which I then replaced and now works perfectly. Changing the cables had no effect on the Hydrasynth firmware. Instead, I did something else....I updated firmware 2.0.1 with another USB cable from another system with Intel 14900K with Gigabyte Aorus motherboard. It seems to be working perfectly from day to day so far. With the other system, the noises appeared after 3-4 minutes of browsing through the presets. I don't know why, how, how much, but I have the impression that it is more about the transmission between the PC and Hydra when the firmware is updated. It's not a direct connection like a ztick USB flash from which it installs directly. It's strange, but I see that everything is ok at the moment. P.S. Another idea I noticed before doing this, is that if you start the Hydra dec2 several times one after the other, the noises did not appear even then. This was when I was updating from the PC with AMD. Maybe there are things that can be taken into account by those of you with problems, so that we can reach some common ideas without sending the synth through the factory?

[@liviou2004]

Hi Scott, it's been one year since you've uploaded this video. There wasn't any upgrade since then. Do you think some features are expected for the Hydra's? Do you know if ASM will upgrade it soon? Thanks a lot.

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

I don't know, I've heard nothing announced publicly. Most companies don't announce this kind of thing in advance, so we just have to wait and hope.

[@retroc6450]

Nice video. 👴🏻👍

[@karma133]

Is the pitch bend wheel now disabled locally when "local off" is selected? This has been a problem when using Hydrasynth as a MIDI controller.

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

Yes!

[@karma133]

@@ScottsSynthStuff Thanks

[@michaelrogers2891]

What is the bitrate when set to "off"? I haven't been able to find that.

[@davlippo7]

Funny everyone calls Initialize "Init" which makes me think of lice eggs or I had to stop and think what the heck are they saying "In It". I think we should probably call it by the correct name which is an initialized voice. Even though I now know what it means it still makes me cringe and then I want to go shave my head. 😂 I sold my deluxe for other gear and don't really need more keys but had considered the ASM desktop. Not sure why it's not 16 voice and $200 more than the explorer. Had they made a 16 voice desktop that would have been a much grater temptation. I'm not sure I'm going to pay half the price of the deluxe and only get 8 voices. Or only a single voice of 8 instead of two at once. I used the double voices a lot. I did get the miniFreak which is small enough to hide and is outstanding. It only has 6 voices but less money and is just fun to explore with real analog filters.

[@SupraSmart68]

Thanks for the update Scott but I never learned to play keyboard beyond the first few bars of 'The Entertainer', kinda maybe, but thankfully for us mere mortals A.I. will soon be able to read our minds and know exactly what we're trying to achieve and if you don't have any idea what you're doing like me, twiddling random knobs like a drunk chimpanzee on acid, the built-in A.I. SynthBot will implant the false memory of skillfully crafting something unique and meaningful just so we still feel relevant and useful somehow despite receiving absolutely no creative inspiration whatsoever! 🐒

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

I'm still waiting on the pianist implant chip that will give me keyboard shredding skills and impossible speed!

[@SupraSmart68]

@@ScottsSynthStuff In the meantime Scott, just watch yourself play at 2x! By the way, have you ever thought of doing sketches on SNL as Jim Carrey or Steve Tyler? You could become a regular and make a fortune as an impersonator; Can you sing any Aerosmith? Seriously though, are you sure you're not related to Steve or Jim? Sorry if you're fed up being asked but it could be turned into an income stream..... just sayin'! Oh yeah, what's the most annoying sound that you've ever heard?

[@QuantumComposer]

How does the keyboard action of the Deluxe compare to that of a Yamaha Motif or Montage?

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

See: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i53Ocnehdt98l7M

[@Oliver-zk2il]

Scott, I think I found a bug in the Hydrasynth. Not good. I was trying to create a separate AMP envelope for OSC2. Open an empty Init preset. Route ENV3 to Mixer/OSC2Vol/128.0 in the Matrix. Attack, Decay, Sustain, works but the Release IS NOT. I contacted ASM support but they tried to sweep this under the rug. Their respond was "Env 2 would need a longer release than any other envelope for you to hear any other envelopes release stage" That's bull. I could be wrong but something is not right here. If you experience the same bug, then please get in touch with them. They have to hear this from more people so we have a better chance to get this fixed in the next firmware update.

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

They are correct. This is not a bug, it's operating as designed. Envelope 2 is already hard-wired to the amplifier stage, which comes AFTER the mixer stage. So even if you set Envelope3/Mixer to have a long release, Envelope 2 (which by default has 0 release) will cut it off at the amplifier.

[@geraldnahrgang5320]

Fantastic updates, but I still wait desperately for the possibility to name my own patch categories. The existing ones don't fit my needs. Who needs arp AND sequence and who needs two fx categories?

[@JasonPriebe]

Funny you would ask about arp versus sequence. I always think of arp as a sound that would be great with an arpeggiator, whereas a sequence Is going to already have the motion built into the preset. But this just furthers your point that everybody has different definitions for categories, and adding your own would be a great idea.

[@deepsound01]

It's a good update but still no dotted notes in arpeggiator...

[@jasonbrent]

I still cannot seem to get sostenuto to work properly. Is it possible for you to show an example using the factory samples?

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

I'm not sure what you're asking. I demonstrate how it works at 6:32. There aren't going to be any factory patches (yet) that utilize this, because the factory patches were created before this feature existed. You can however turn it on for any of those patches if you wish, exactly as I show in the video.

[@wilkopiano]

Quick question scott: hydrasynth deluxe or novation summit?

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

They're both great, but the Hydrasynth is so much more flexible and capable, I'd have to go with it.

[@davlippo7]

I tried to download the firmware and the computer won't allow this zip to download claims it has a virus directly off the ASM site. I tried a work around didn't work. What the hell?

[@iambenga6231]

Has the sound improved?

[@csharp57]

Maybe it’s something I’m not seeing or understanding correctly, but everyone is saying the Hydrasynth 49 key was given new banks. Mine is still showing A-E. Is there something else I have to do?

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

If it's still showing A-E, then you didn't install the new 2.0 firmware properly.

[@csharp57]

That was it. I changed cables and reinstalled everything. That did the trick. Thanks for the reply

[@CorryDMG]

And now the filter follows the glide instead of the key pressed.

[@GeorgeLocke]

How do you know the amount of work it took to make these improvements?

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

Because I was involved in that work. :)

[@GeorgeLocke]

@@ScottsSynthStuff Well, that explains it. :X

[@dotanlev-ari1439]

What about the fact that the sound is cut when switching presets, have they solved it?

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

You can't "solve" that. That's how monotimbral synths work. It's not a multitimbral workstation with multiple instances of engines that allow the previous engine to keep sounding while you switch the second engine to a new patch. Just like every monotimbral synthesizer, when you switch to a different patch, the sound stops.

[@enochroot9438]

​@Scott's Synth Stuff when using the split on the deluxe can you change the 2nd voice to a different 3rd voice whilst still using the 1st voice in the other engine?

[@CRayBeats]

Can you add your own Wavetables to this synth?

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

No, it has 219 built-in wavetables from which you can pick (and morph between).

[@IliyanIrmanov]

I'm trying to update it but it is connected via a hub and it stuck during the update. Please advise me how to proceed!

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

The update should not take more than a minute or so to complete. If it's stuck, you can turn it off, hold down the Arp On and Latch buttons and turn it back on - but this time connect it via USB directly, not through a hub. It should let you retry the update.

[@IliyanIrmanov]

@@ScottsSynthStuff That helped and it’s ok now. Thank you! I just panicked a lot.

[@starsunderer]

No sequencer was a huge negative for me. Why!?

[@eyyojung]

Unfortunately they missed to add typing letters with keys/ribbon to name stuff.

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

The fastest/easiest way to name the patches is to use the librarian. Doing it on the synth is not heinous, but certainly not fun.

[@johndean5860]

Now it’s nice but if only they could give us some additional waveforms.

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

This has been answered by ASM many times - it's not technically possible with the current architecture.

[@johndean5860]

@@ScottsSynthStuff thanks

[@mrdavies7894]

"640 patches ought to be enough for anyone!" - Bill Gates 😆

[@Jobotubular]

11:00 That expression on your wife's face when you show her the fantastic new 2.0 includes new ways to make your $1800 synth sound like a piece of cr*p ;)

[@christoroppolo8742]

They sold us an unfinished product that wouldn’t sync properly and now they are calling a fix an update . The two words mean very different things to everybody but ASM obviously. They should be doing a recall! 😤😖👽

[@petermgruhn]

That's not what "ask" means.

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

Shoutout to NOFX