Dreadbox Hades Reissue - Bass Synth - SonicLAB Review

[@Kablehead]

Dreadbox didn't send you a Hades before? Crazy! You're the very first person i'd send all my synths if i was manufacturing synths.

[@coconutlust470]

Love dreadbox. Of all the companies out there, they are the ones I feel best about supporting. Simple, easy-to-use instruments of high quality that always ooze character for days with their eccentricities. Not one but TWO sub oscillators? I mean, come on. That's amazing.

[@lordundhimself1310]

Was just saying the same lol 🤘🏿

[@wurlinnawurl]

Ummm... Ok... But my artisan trentassette I bought maybe same time, 2016 for about $800 had two subs, can be both square or sine, on two analog oscillators and a digital one... That synth oozes character. But yes, this is simple.

[@teatime2595]

I'd say there not simple especially when you have to keep tuning them and especially if you're trying to put one together from scratch otherwise I whould of got the Dysmetria actually I still might I have a guy to put it together atleast that's what he said 😆. but yeah for the most part Dread box all the way I'd get all of them if I could!

[@teatime2595]

But there's also a few others that are pretty bomb like Arturia

[@lifelies]

Exactly and also great sound always

[@GotYourWallet]

The oscilloscope is a great addition to your colorful description.

[@NEOREV_MUSIC]

Sounds so good! Dreadbox are my fave! I'd love to see Nick review the Erebus reissue and compare it with his V2.

[@Gillesmassin]

Me too!

[@Mumbojumbo20]

As a gigable synth bass it’s absolutely great. Don’t always need wacky sounds when making actual multitrack music

[@gnarlysoundscapes7210]

"Fruity and plummy" harmonics. 😁 Great sounding synth. Sometimes simple is more fun to play.

[@PhrygianPhrog]

Hah, I'd been looking for an adjective to describe Dreadbox oscillators!

[@XHALE303]

i think it just blew up my laptop speakers...that's a good thing right?

[@CommunityGuidelines]

Great sounds coaxed out of a great synth. Nick, you organized your synth shelf to display them nicely--- finally! Quite a few gems up there, deserving of respect. I would love to see a new Friday Fun episode featuring the Voltage Research Laboratory, every time I see it on your shelf, I want to hear you play it. Perhaps the VRL with the Hades, that would be an interesting combo. :)

[@sonicstate]

That's a good thought, will try and set that up

[@CommunityGuidelines]

@@sonicstate I hope to see it!

[@richnewman]

If I didn't have a Nyx V1 I would snatch this up immediately. I've been using a Typhon, Nyx, and Medusa regularly for recording and just love the sound of Dreadbox. Great review!

[@Gerry_Dorsey_]

I got my Hades in early Dec and I love it! Thanks for doing this video!

[@dillipphunbar7924]

Love your closing jams.

[@Zinfidel1]

There are people on etsy that sell tiny, cheap, passive VCAs. They resemble jack plugs with I/O and CV In. Probably handy if you want to modulate the amount of LFO feeding into a source without additional modules. ;) You could use the envelope to open the VCA.

[@javiceres]

What a finding

[@reecedeyoung6595]

You don't need a vca you could use a passive attenuator. Cheaper and doesn't require power.

[@Zinfidel1]

@@reecedeyoung6595 Sure? I mean, cheaper by like a few bucks. Passive vcas at least have CV In. Which is useful in a modular environment.

[@rexcellencemagee6729]

Hi Nick, out of all the stuff I have, the Hades was what I was most excited about getting. They’re are only 2 bass synths in this category as phat ( my spellcheck turned far into fat, and I thought it’s right! Phat!!!) as I’m concerned, the Hades (the better one) and the TE PO Sub. I’m not being cheap either, these two sound the best! I use the PO’s constantly as an oscillator and they work great with very little investment. Your right though, Dreadbox just has a sound!

[@BenA718]

I hope you do a Friday Fun jam with this!

[@ScottofOakland]

Picked mine up a month ago. I had the original, sold it because I needed cash. I love the reissue!

[@mikaeltjerneld3677]

The reason you get a bent wave is because there is an capacitor(often a 1-10 uF electrolyte to block DC either going out or going in) in series with the audio signal. This capacitor acts a s a very low 1pole HP filter to the signal.

[@DurararaX2]

I played one before and I dig it. If you want true analog bass it's a serious contender. Only ishes are a lack of storing patches and the 1/8" midi.

[@DP-hw9uq]

I bought the original in 2018…. what a beast. Seriously… what a beast!!!

[@javiceres]

Wow you really squeezed the possibilities of this one

[@KeithCanisius]

I miss my moog minitaur, but sold it due to having to many desktop synths and little room. I would love to have the Minitaur im my Eurorack, but maybe this is the solution? It would be nice to see a comparison video between the two.

[@jadeone]

erebus is more moog flavored

[@KeithCanisius]

@@jadeone can it go deep and bassy!? -:) Will check it out.

[@jadeone]

@@KeithCanisius oh absolutely.

[@lordundhimself1310]

Wish there were more patch points. Sounds great tho. Fatter than a Mother 32, likely thanks to those TWO sub oscs. It simply sounds DELICIOUS

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

Dreadbox semi-modular are BACK!! Yea!! I can start thinking about my semi-modular rig again. Arturia MiniBrute/Behringer Neutron/Dreadbox/maybe a Behringer D also, stack.

[@HermanStehouwer]

It sounds absolutely fantastic. Especially the drive. Now I am just hoping for a re-issue of the DIY kit.

[@iantanner7579]

I've noticed in online forums, many aren't too keen on the *dreadbox* drive circuit, but I've always really liked the sound of it. I have the *White Line* series Drive module, and it has an absolutely unique character that's superb on synthesizers, IMHO. Maybe it's the uniqueness they don't like, perhaps they're expecting something familiar? I have the Erebus v3 and Nyx2, and love both, again, some compare them too harshly to the earlier versions, but personally it was the additions that finally pulled me in to the *dreadbox* world, - the only thing I don't use very often is the Nyx2 reverb, I usually prefer to go through an Boss RE20, or RE202, and use the spring emulation... If money wasn't so tight I'd buy both of the new reissues in a heartbeat, but a Pulsar-23 and Eventide H90 are next on my list.

[@GizzyDillespee]

I expected Nyx to be a nixie tube synth, but at least the splash reverb was appropriate. Erebus, I always think of Antarctica, so I think it sounds very cold... and I can get that from digital. Hades... I think I'd rather have a Cerberus, but Dreadbox haven't designed that yet, right? A many-headed dog of a synth. (I'd take the British car, in lieu of a Greek synth, tho). On the new Hades, clearly the ancient astronauts designed the 3 main knobs to reflect the positions of the stars in Orion's belt, just like the great pyramid complex at Giza. And then the smaller knobs outline the profile of a Sphinx, if you squint just right.

[@bojangprodoktschns5428]

Psycoacoustics are real but calling the Erebus cold is a bit of a stretch. Btw. the Franklin expedition was searching for the northwest passage, so arctic not antarctic - ice bears not penguins. THE TERROR is a great watch if you want to catch up on it. Interestingly the wrackage of the Erebus has been found not so long before the synth came into existence. Also I am convinced that the expedition would have been fine if they had named the ships Cutipie and Fluffy Bunny.

[@jazzlover10000]

Can you mod the LFO pots easily to enable variable modulation as you say? Seems like it's super close to being all there. Maybe wire in an Exar 2206 or some old digitally controlled oscillator on the potentiometer input?

[@albaaaaaaaable]

what about if I already got a minitaur, will the three filter add something to my setup? I feel I need more analogue sub, similar to the subphatty

[@thx1138abc1]

That's got some welly!

[@robr135]

I love the sound of this thing so much! Could be a new sound for my acid setup of a more aggressive/chunkier nature. Are there any stand-alone 303 style sequencers out there I can run this through, with accent, slide, transpose, etc? This could be a game changer in my setup with a good sequencer.

[@Keybits]

oxi one will do what you’re looking for.

[@Unifono2012]

Sounds superb

[@Jason75913]

It feels to me like the Dreadbox Erebus v2, v3, Nyx, and Hades were sold last year for a few months. I still feel "weird" about them releasing re-issues. I wish I had gotten an Erebus v3 while it was available to at least get acquainted with, even if I end up finding it not to be to my tastes.

[@AbyssalReverberations]

I actually have a lightly used erebus V3 with box that I'm looking to part with if you're in the US. I snagged a typhon to replace it, and would like to get a hades to pair with it.

[@smalltown4855]

What gauge strings are you using?

[@peppercrybeatz]

Is there any difference between this and the original? Thanks

[@BrunoWiebelt]

this was rich ... thx Nick thx dreadbox

[@XanderEwald]

Lovely little bass machine :)

[@andrewchalsma]

It's great that they put it in a eurorack format. Sounds amazing.

[@Jupiter4Alphs]

It does sound a bit more Roland, the bass. I hear some sounding a lot like SH 101, Atlantis, other SH. Does the 303 thing. Erebus doesn't party so much, It's always cranky, more story telling. Darker, to tense to be a Moog and to cranky, buisy. But It's very organic. At least v1 and v2. And makes sound, you haven't heard from other synths. Still If It's the same Erebus would only be a little more expensive. And is just way more flexible. But if you want a SH/303'ish synth from Dreadbox. It's not Erebus you want. It's not for me, I have the Moogs and Rolands. And Korgs, Arps, Yamaha's ... I have Typhoon, I messed a bit with the presets, filter wide open loses tone and you get just some bright noisy distortion. Same with Nymphes. I don't have It. Which they had remade Abyss. That's a synth I can't just buy 6 today.

[@isaacanthonydj4124]

pushing some air out of my sub!

[@NathanChisholm041]

Same...

[@mrcmarciniakify]

got the old one 🥰

[@jazzlover10000]

Reminds me a bit of my old white face Arp Odyssey

[@analogsynthesizer]

There's no arpeggiator on it.

[@sonicstate]

No there isn't.

[@MF_Plissken]

what you need to be a classic band setup? right, a drum, a bass, a lead instrument and a voice, or no voice. one may add a second polyphonic isntrument. hades is easily the bass section

[@craigmoran893]

Sounds better than a 303

[@soupforare]

hooray nick :^

[@SirSybian]

was wondering what happened to SS reviews. prolly medical coincidences....

[@BrokenArrowSchoolofModernMusic]

This ain’t your grandpappies TB-303 lol

[@effebidi9677]

It is actually pity they didn't make it new starting from the diy version. Quite a lazy move. Also after so many years you want to change something . This is basically Hades MK1 AGAIN. Hopefully they will change it and make it programmable like Typhon, best of their synths still, when we come to talk about budget and features. Meh! Release it again please

[@projectnemesi5950]

PULSE WIDTH MODULATION

[@gaborb6577]

👍🎹

[@BarbieChaite]

the original layout had more charism

[@RJ1J]

Why was this review just dozens of horrible sounds that no-one is ever going to use? It was just noise for most the demo.

[@sonicstate]

Maybe you have it confused with a demo?

[@RJ1J]

@@sonicstate Fair enough.

[@johnathantyrer6077]

More pointless farty noodling again in 2023

[@antoniocalimero1173]

The demo is not good. Here is a good demo from the old Hades kzbin.info/www/bejne/lae2naiOfqaErMk

[@jetlag_beats]

I can't help to constantly be distracted by his rhythmical vibrating chicken chin. Once it gets your attention, there's no turning back.

[@sonicstate]

How kind

[@saren6538]

Wtf

[@skeletonmodel]

You do understand that even though it’s online, it’s still reality and you’re a dick?