HYDRASYNTH | My Thoughts From an Ambient Music Perspective

The ASM Hydrasynth is one powerful beast but you have to dive below the surface. Is it just another ambient pad monster in a box? Let's find out.
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#ambient #hydrasynth #synthesizer

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

A true workstation in a box.

[@andyjey3126]

Hi Chris, first of all I want to thank you for this great video. I've owned the desktop version of the Hydrasynth for two years now. All I can say is, that Hydrasynth is an absolute "monster". An absolute enrichment for me as an ambient musician. I agree with your statement about Hydrasynth "For me its a Beast"! just confirm. Keep making great videos, because these are an absolute enrichment for everyone who deals with electronic music. Thank you very much and greetings from Cologne Germany, Andy!

[@chordsinspace]

This is by far the best demonstration of this synth I've seen to date. Really helped me unlock my Hydra. Thank you.

[@AtomPiken]

Thank you! This video is both a great inspiration and tutorial. I used your technique to create a patch as kind of a template for this type of evolving, ambient-generating patch. The way it produces sound, it’s almost like there’s a soul in the machine! Or at least a brain. I have the Hydrasynth Deluxe. Looking forward to building a patch like this with both upper and lower parts running.

[@aarcvault908]

A truly amazing machine, and even more so when one considers it's origins (China, of all places, and at an unbelievable price-point). I started playing ambient guitar over your piece throughout the entire video once your patch was done; endless space for improv. I'll be getting one shortly to compliment my Alesis Andromeda (and likely never leave my house again). Great tutorial! -Thanx!

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

You are welcome! Check out the other Hydrasynth videos on my channel as well. Should I make more?

[@aarcvault908]

@@s1gns0fl1fe: Definitely make more; yours (as opposed to many others I've heard) actually sound/original. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that a LOT of this other stuff passing itself as ambient doesn't really rise too far above muzak; flat, innocuous and instantly forgettable (I won't name names). Ambient music isn't nearly as easy as most assume as tone itself should serve as a starting point; the notes are almost secondary, in my opinion. -Anyone even remotely familiar with Eno knows the difference. OK, I'm done ranting now, and thanx for reply.

[@ickebins6948]

Great content. Getting my hydra desktop tomorrow, cant wait for it...

[@davedeanovic2908]

Waiting for mine to arrive. Now that you have had it for a while, how do you like it?

[@SuchaDoofus]

You inspired me to dive in and do some programming. I got sidetracked from the generative type sounds, but dammit did I get some amazing mono and poly analog sounds out of it that I would have been delighted with from most analogs, even moogs. Really warm but also raw sounding. Especially when you add the analog feel, warm mode and random phase functions. You can also easily take a bit of that digital top end off with the built in EQ. And Hydra has some of the best digital filters i've tried. You would also have to spend thousands to get anywhere near this many features like 5 envs and 5 lfos on an analog. The weak point if anything is definitely the effects. Meh. I really hope they just replace them in future firmwares. The Korg Minologue XD or similar would be a good model to follow as the effects are excellent, and you can load third party ones too. All in all, Hydra is brilliant. Unashamedly digital but quite capable of producing some fab analog sounds (and I didnt even mention the wave scanning). But you do have to dive in and program, and not judge only on the presets. So to all those people who diss the Hydra as not having a good sound, I just say you almost certainly haven't spent any time with one.

[@BendApparatus]

Just got the desktop myself. Loving it so far though I'm still getting my feet wet. Just your method of starting with routing modulation 1st before touching the oscillators was invaluable to me. Gives me a whole different approach to making even basic patches. There's an interview with the main developer where he explains the name. I believe it started out as Hydrosynth or something...then something in the architecture changed that no longer fit the name so he thought about the mythical creature the Hydra and thought it fit the synth so he changed it to Hydrasynth...🤷🏻‍♂️

[@LoVeAmBiEnT]

U had me at 14:46 will be purchasing.

[@powermix24]

Great stuff! love the Ambient sounds it makes, I own the keyboard version because I love the Poly aftertouch and ribbon also couple more knobs but did you pair it with the Hologram Microcosm in this video?

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

I thought about it! In the end, I felt like just the Hydra with a little Valhalla was all I needed to tell the tale. The pads on the desktop also have poly aftertouch! Pretty slick.

[@SuchaDoofus]

Note to developers. One of the things I missed from searching the presets when I first got the hydra were some lush (but warm) evolving saw pads with a slow attack. I'm sure it can do them but I haven't managed it quite yet. Surprised there wasn't such a preset in the first 10. This is such an important type of sound.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Very true! I've thought of creating my own preset bank for the Hydra but I don't know if there's a big enough market for it. If I did, it would have this type of sound for sure!

[@SuchaDoofus]

@@s1gns0fl1fe Well there seems to be a lot of interest out there. And preset banks are appearing all over. Perhaps you can do one including some generative patches in line with what you did here. That might be something new. I would be interested!

[@RandomNoise]

great review!! subbed :-)

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Thank you so much!

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

Novation Peak, MiniNova and Bahringer Monopoly, I have all sounds from hardware sythersizors covered but I'd definitely pick up the Hydrasynth but then again might not be the best idea because I am a presets guy mainly.

[@osea-later5692]

Man u totally sold that synth to me. Bought it yesterday as my first hardware synth. You should get some commission from it hehehe Cheers

[@GrootsieTheDog]

“It could be a wonderful start to something” OR if you’re a minimalist like myself, it’s a wonderful something- period.🖖🏾 I would seriously disagree with your assertion that this synth might not be for you because it takes time. And I would use this video as my evidence! Lol It’s one of the easiest machines to program. New and interesting sounds pop out of nowhere - its a happy accident machine for sure. There is very little menu diving. the macros are easy to route and they allow you to have instant multi knob control over any parameter you would want 👍

[@payt01]

It's an awesome synth. I got me the 49 version, and while I realize that the desktop is cheaper and smaller, I can't for the life of me imagine why anyone would want to miss out on the keys with poly aftertouch and the touch strip thing. Those are game changers. I guess not everyone is interested in the performance aspect of it then.

[@jimmybonie1406]

Great video ❤right now I'm in between to buy a Roland sh-4d or this one ..what really divides me is I love the sound of this one but also love the ability of rhythm on the Roland 😢...

[@Rightly_Divided]

Have you ever used an Iridium? If so, what do you think of it compared to the Hydrasynth? I have an Iridium desktop, but the Hydrasynth looks and sounds so nice for the price

[@markbelcher1777]

Loving your channel… was close to getting the Korg ModWave - until I found your channel! I’m now torn! Help :) one question! What are the legs you have attached to the HS - keep up the great work

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Re: stand - It's a small company I found on Reverb.com called "3DWaves." Highly recommended! Re: Hydrasynth - I can't recommend this synth enough. Use my affiliate links in description! It helps. Cheers and thanks!

[@markbelcher1777]

Will do!!

[@MonadTransformer]

Amazing value for this synth... Some companies would charge this much for the knobs and the screen only, without any actual synth attached to them.

[@natashanyxx9486]

I want one!

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

I love mine!

[@oracularmusic]

Only a few days in with this thing but, one thing I noticed was how well it does ‘glassy’ type sounds. But warm glassy. Lol. This is demonstrated in this video too!

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

It can do many things extremely well. I haven't grown tired of it yet and it continues to surprise me.

[@chadduncan9716]

Wanted the Blofeld for metallic and glassy sounds. I’m leaning more and more towards the Hydrasynth

[@noodlingaround2023]

I'm used to working with vst's in Ableton like omnisphere, reaktor... I like to make ambient and abstract techy beats. I'd like to get into hardware, maybe the hydrasynth desktop, but am not sure if I'll achieve anything I can't already. What do you think? Thanks

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

That's a valid question! Ultimately it would be up to you and what sounds you're looking for. I've got some other very specific Hydrasynth videos on my channel, and there are several others that might help you decide (Venus Theory, Red Means Recording, etc.) Cheers!

[@amb13nt59]

IMO: I work on hardware (including the Hydra keys), as well as software (including Omnisphere). For me, software is generally more intuitive and flexible (sometimes). Also, for me, hardware packs a punch I have a harder time achieving in a soft synth. What is boils down to is, what works best for you? For ambient, Hydra is pretty fantastic!

[@noodlingaround2023]

Thanks for your sound advice..

[@terrybcfc82]

I recently got the keyboard version after watching many videos I decided to get one because I wanted something purely for ambient. I love ambient ever since I first saw blade runner. I was absolutely blown away by the sound and I’m just starting to get under the hood and really explore what it’s capable of. The sound you’ve created in this video is amazing by the way, I love it. I’m glad I decided to purchase one and I know it’ll give me hours of fun delving into it. Thanks for the video.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Agree 100%. It really is an amazing synth and I'm surprised that anyone would consider it "overpriced" for what it does. It's extremely well built, well thought out, and produces great results if you give it the time.

[@garyalbertmusic]

Does it accept midi clock from Ableton through midi? Will it put the arps in time with Ableton click for example?

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Yes it accepts MIDI, that's easy. But I cannot PERFECTLY sync any hardware synth to Ableton. I've tried everything. Yeah, you can get close...but I've never been able to achieve pinpoint accuracy. I'm sure you've googled "Ableton Clock Sync." That's the deepest rabbit hole of them all. I just use my Hydra for stuff like pads and textures which don't need dead on sync.

[@garyalbertmusic]

What do you think of this machine for bringing j to my live set? I create improvised classical impressionistic performances on piano, flute, vocals through Ableton with looping and layering. And wanting to add electronic synth into my mix for some more magic. I want something that can do magical, feathery, light, but deep, phat, and pulsing. Not into 80s cheese. Needs to fit with classical style. Thoughts????

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

It's a great machine, no doubt. Wonderful even! Maybe try one at a store if you can? It takes a minute to really get your hands on programming it but once you do, the interface is extremely intuitive.

[@beatnikcafe]

Up until around 18:00 what is controlling what notes are being played? Not sure if you touched on it later, because I'm at about 20:00 into where you mentioned that you hadn't touched the arpeggiator, yet, so if you ended up getting to it, great, if not, I would love to see more on that topic, either way, this is very nice work and thank you for sharing. #2 Question: Is there anything you did here that couldn't be done with the Hydrasynth Explorer?

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Answer 1.) Those are the envelopes. I have a separate video on my channel on "looping envelopes" you might want to check out. Answer 2.) I don't think so. As far as I know, the Explorer is just a smaller version of the same synth that I have, the 8 voice Hydra. Hope that helps!

[@beatnikcafe]

Thank you for the reply. I appreciate it.

[@Smobus]

The hydrasynth desktop is so sexy... I m playing mine with the roland tr-8s, love it ! Sry my bad english...

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

I agree! Cheers.

[@davedeanovic2908]

Is it convenient to set up and jam with the tr-8s?

[@Smobus]

@@davedeanovic2908 yup, easy and really fun. Just u need to know the both machine and it's easy.

[@VenusTheory]

Damn it, now I want to buy a Hydra with my Space Bucks

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Not enough space bucks to go around

[@mc2_merlin]

I've had it for a long time, and I'm wondering whether to buy a second one... which is the Hydrasynth Keyboard, or maybe just the MPE ROLI Seaboard Rile 2 keyboard. The price is similar, but which will work better for ambient music?

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

No sure what you're situation is but instead of buying another one you could just sell yours and get a Deluxe! That's what I did and I'm happy with it. The Deluxe is two Hydra's in one. I don't know much about the ROLI, sorry! Best of luck!

[@vansweej]

how do you sequence this synth, external sequencer, or internal on lfo or env quantizing ?

[@vansweej]

I have acquired a Deluxe this weekend

[@synthesizedchill8258]

I'm in the process of looking for a new synth. I'm not sure what to get. I have about $1000 usd to spend, and the Hydrasynth is one of the synths that I'm interested in. I already own a Minilogue XD desktop, and I thought about buying the key version, so I can poly-chain them for 8 voices, but I like the idea of having different sounding synths. I was also looking at the Moog Grandmother and the Mother 32, but I only have 4 voices in the Korg, so I would like to buy something with more features like the Hydrasynth before I buy a monosynth. The genre I'm most interested in right now is ambient. If anyone has any suggestions, I would be grateful. I've also thought of just getting a Microfreak and some other cheaper synths, but I would really like to have something with all of the bells and whistles, before I get cheaper synths. The Blofeld is another synth I'm interested in, but they seem to have some build quality issues, and supposedly they're a bit complicated, due to the menu diving. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to help my choice or choices. BTW I'm okay with used gear. That seems the best option for me right now, if I get a more expensive piece of gear.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

You can't go wrong with a Hydrasynth. I've got a few other Hydrasynth videos on my channel if you're really looking to be put over the edge. If you do decide to buy one, use my affiliate links in the description! Cheers and enjoy.

[@veronatragedy7016]

can i bypass the internal reverb and run this through a reverb pedal like chase bliss?

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Absolutely and I do this all the time!

[@tellybeatzofficial]

sounds like a scary movie intro 19:56

[@BrentODell]

I blame the MCU, but... Hydras(as in, the mythological monster) don't have tentacles, that's a Kraken. The Hydra is, more or less, a dragon-type thing with many heads. :) Awesome video, btw, I really want to pick one of these up, just have to decide which version and set aside some money.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

It's such an amazing synth. Now I'm thinking about a Deluxe!

[@boulma6boulma643]

Would you say that the Reverb is the weak part of the Hydra?

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

I might say that, yes. It's serviceable, but nothing to write home about.

[@laurencevanhelsuwe3052]

Do you have any idea how much effort I put into curing my GAS? Do you? ;-)

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Thoughts & prayers 😂

[@9877joseph]

Lol

[@andrew4982]

This is a very honest, not biased, review actually, thank you ... but I still think that Hydrasynth is over-hyped. In my opinion it is too expensive for what it can do. How it compares with Deepmind? I saw you using Deepmind before.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

I like it 10x better than the DeepMind. And this is not to shame on the synth, I think it's just personal opinion. The DeepMind is far too menu divey and I find that I lose my creativity far more quickly when trying to program it vs. the Hydra. Take for example the effects section on the DM12. Yes, there are a ton of options but to get one thing going you've got to hit a ton of buttons, go left and right, just to get the settings for ONE effect. On the Hydra, I just punch it, twist it, and voila.

[@andrew4982]

@@s1gns0fl1fe Believe it or not, your honest personal opinion matters to me. I have a Deepmind12 (got it after I saw your videos) and had the same impression like you about the menu diving, but this feels too expensive for what it does. When I will afford it Novation Peak or Summit will be my next target.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

Awesome and I’m glad you felt what I meant. Everyone has to develop a personal relationship with a synth. It’s all about getting to know it and finding out what works for you. Heard good things about the Summit! Let me know how things develop.

[@ViniciusRodrigues-nk4bs]

@@andrew4982 For what it worth. I got a Summit. I was in love with the look and feel of that synth. But the sound... the sound let me down, believe it or not. A lack of presence, a strange lack of definition on the low-end. I sold it and bought a Hydra. I am VERY HAPPY with the decision and ended up saving a lot of money. For the record, I'm into ambient music, noisy sounds, not really bass-heavy music... Just. my two cents.

[@amb13nt59]

I had a Deepmind 12. Liked it, sort of, for awhile. Sold it a couple years ago. Will definitely not sell my Hydrasynth Keys.

[@SuchaDoofus]

That desktop version is screaming out for a line of sequencer buttons on the bottom.

[@s1gns0fl1fe]

And 8 more voices! If the Deluxe ever came to desktop, I'd sell mine immediately to buy one.

[@gusa23]

I would love a sequencer feature on the hydrasynth

[@BendApparatus]

It has 64 step LFO'S...5 of them... You can create your own patterns that modulate pitch as well as just about any other parameters. They wanted to do something different than just slapping another sequencer. (Basically 5 64 step sequencers) It's a proper synth for players. Most people have their own dedicated sequencers... I have about half a dozen. Don't get me wrong. I love sequencers...but slapping one in just to "me too" I guess wasn't part of their vision for the synth. I would actually love to try the sequencers on korg's new mini synths...modwave/wavestate/opsix...

[@dirkkeersmaekers4343]

Maybe it isa power box, but it's the sound that you like or not.And for no.

[@RDHamel]

Wait… isn’t a workstation a workstation in a box? How many boxes are we talking here?