Knobcon 2019: ASM Hydrasynth Sounds Only Demo

Our resident reporter Jim (Earmonkey Music) was able to grab some time with the Hydrasynth to really get down to the knitty gritty and check out some of the sounds it can make. As a keyboard player himself he really put that poly aftertouch keybed to the test.
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[@HotRodTypewriter]

Some of these patches sound like you could play on them all day and still be amused.

[@KV_gear]

Great demo. Excellent playing. Thanks so much for making this video.

[@fincorrigan7139]

Hugely impressive machine, gawd not another one for the wish list :)

[@laurencevanhelsuwe3052]

A great anti-dote to GAS is not having the physical room to add yet another synth to the collection. Try it, you'll like it. ;-)

[@schragemusik]

@@laurencevanhelsuwe3052 It doesn't work. I thought I had made this discovery but, havinfg seen this synth, I spent two days doing the studio equivalent of a block puzzle. And now I have room. I'm beginning to think that there's some kind of weird physics that drags extra space out another dimension. All you need to do to get this space is BADLY want to fit another synth in. :-)

[@K.KILLORAN]

@@laurencevanhelsuwe3052 yeah, but....but....desktop module.

[@stillphil]

@@K.KILLORAN and in 2022 a baby key portable battery run version. ASM is relentless. lol

[@EverettDudgeon138]

Digital, bright, wavetables, wave scanning, Linear FM...this may be just what the doctor ordered. I’ve been in the market for an unapologetically digital synth that would compliment my analog and sampler gear but nothing stood out to me. I was gravitating towards a four octave synth so I was set on the Nord Lead 4 or Roland System 8 but didn’t really gel with them while I played them in person. I want those DX7 tones, PPG and Prophet VS tones and this is at such a reasonable price it would be silly not to get....still wish it had the ability to do splits and layers though.

[@GothProfessor]

I had also been wishing the Hydra was multitimbral at first, but after listening and reading more, I'm okay that it's not, because it sounds like a bitimbral or even tritimbral synth in stack/layer mode because of the insane amount of envelopes and LFOs and the flexibility of the oscillator section, not to mention its other modulation sources like polytouch adding so many dynamics.

[@jaykeel7309]

I can barely wait!

[@Fallingoverbackwards]

Hi Everett !! Love your channel. Yeah, I also wish it had split / layer. This is a very interesting instrument given the expressive potential of the after touch and modulations.

[@HotStrange]

I wish this as well. Maybe in a future update? But with all the filter, envelope, and LFO routing capabilities you could route a filter, EG, and LFO to one oscillator and the other filter and another EG to another oscillators and basically have a layered synth. No workaround for splits though so I’m holding out hope for an update. I preordered one regardless. I usually do 2 mono synths + 1 digital poly and I just sold my poly synth so I really can’t wait for this to come in.

[@EverettDudgeon138]

Pass / Ages I’m not so much interested in layers but more splits with their own respective midi channels. With the lack of onboard sequencer it would be nice to be able to sequencer an FM slap bass on one channel and do a glassy digital pad on the other. With so many bi timbral synths on the market now it just seems incredibly odd they wouldn’t do this. Even if they do a firmware update to allow splits sonically I’m not sure they will be able to have two distinct midi channels going on.

[@stanwilliams7871]

This synth will out sell all the rest I plan on getting one myself a must have in my studio!

[@benbowland]

This thing is gonna be up there with the Blofeld and Virus Ti2 as a modern digital classic

[@MadelnMachines]

Just so much to like here. Really emotive synth.

[@john9291]

Quite an appealing melancholy emotive tone. Refreshingly different to a lot of other synths.

[@skyreadersociety6183]

yes, surprisingly very organic. Much better than the argon8

[@HotStrange]

skyreader society I think both have their place. The Argon is more like something for typical Wavetable sounds that can still get a little weird. The Hydra is for people that want to conjure up sounds that have never been heard before. Personally I preordered the Hydra.

[@skyreadersociety6183]

@@HotStrange had the skulpt and found it a little bit thin sounding, hope the argon engine is better. But like them both, along with the peak.

[@mattsynth]

Sounds different and I like that.

[@Fallingoverbackwards]

Hi, at around 21:13 to 23:00 what preset is that or did you create it? That is the stuff of dreams for me personally

[@sonicstate]

I'm pretty sure they are all from scratch

[@Fallingoverbackwards]

@@sonicstate thank you sonicstate, wow I would love to have that preset.

[@smalltown4855]

And the bells of the mountain fidgets tintanabulated until the ancients of the pea God emptied their bags of junipers into the river of Gath.

[@stashusclay]

Sounds like a perfect match for the Digitone

[@frutosramirez1016]

Very nice and warm patches! Wow!

[@jasonmoyer]

Where's the Prophet 5 sync lead? I'm watching a video for a synth that does insane wavetable generation/interpolation and has a ridiculous mod matrix and I'd like to know if it can play the intro to Let's Go. I'm also kind of upset that this forward-thinking digital synth doesn't sound like a CS-80.

[@steelcitysi]

surely they will add filters, effects, etc. in future software updates so your CS-80 filters may still come to fruition

[@XanderEwald]

Nice bait you got there :)

[@reneotten7376]

@@XanderEwald strong people ignore it and go back to their synth hahaha

[@WxkR]

Great! Great sounding demo and synth! Now, the question is to be or not tone? Hydrasynth or Argon8? (for those of us who cannot have both). (the “to be or not tone” is an automatically “corrected” typo I decided to leave because it looks substantially more clever than what I wanted to write.)

[@MrBothandNether]

I want that on a shirt.

[@vegeta897]

It's Hydra for me. I wouldn't want less than 4 octaves on the keyboard, but aside from that the Hydra's interface appeals to me even more than the Argon8 having many more dedicated knobs. Having 8 endless encoders with LED rings and dedicated name/value displays for them, along with the primary display, is better to me than what the Argon8 is doing.

[@robinsss]

rinky dinky sqeeky sounding crap

[@EannaButler]

Some of the patches there nearly sound like they're coming from a multitimbral synth. Great demo, thank you.. 👍

[@reneotten7376]

That's the morph between different wavetables.

[@EannaButler]

@@reneotten7376 I'm thinking more about the patch starting 14:00, he plays that patch for a little from there. Seems like multiple layers, each with a separate sequence / arp pattern? Either way, its a very cool patch on a very cool synth.. All it needs is a "de-harsh" knob! Bit of dark saturation or whatever..

[@reneotten7376]

@@EannaButler yes you are right that sounds and looks bitimbral... strange. And harsh is inherent to wavetable in many synths but it's a matter of programming. The Peak can sound really warm and fat. But in the mix harsh is an advantage, put it on top of a warm fat analog bassline. I am pretty sure I'll buy one.

[@EannaButler]

@@reneotten7376 I know what you mean, but overall the character of this synth doesn't appear to be about smoothness, unlike my Waldorf Blofeld, which always sounds juicy.. But yeah could well be the programming of the factory patches, to make it stand out as something very different to the current glut of Analog synths. I haven't been struck by a new synth as I have with this in a looong time. Yeah it sounds great, but the poly aftertouch, nice ribbon strip implementation, and the excellent "block diagram" for selecting what you're editing on the encoders - brilliant! Build quality seems great too. I have had a self-imposed moratorium for new hardware for a few years now - this might tip the balance back into GAS territory for me..

[@reneotten7376]

@@EannaButler I remember when the first Peak demos appeared I didn't like them.... then the demos with custom patches appeared, some sounding very warm and vintage and then I bought one. It doesn't sound as fat as the OSCar I already had but I still like the Peak because it's 8 poly. So I'll just wait for what demos Hydra owners will come up with. The Blofeld is interesting too but the user interface on this Hydra seems sooooo much better.

[@michaelscottpettis]

This is unreal. Amazing

[@sumchi3690]

Just great..i mean wonderful!

[@Pulse2AM]

I had a Microwave XT, man has wavetable synthesis come a long way. I'm not too into wavetable synths but this is sure nice one.

[@random007nadir]

Just gorgeous

[@govorit_i_pokazivaet]

It sounds like a spoiled DX7. A flaw and a compliment at the same time.

[@EquestrianSport]

that sounds like a billion raving bucks I love it !!

[@aloharay]

I have a feeling this guy can make a tin can sound awesome, but i placed my synth order anyway

[@Stefftronic]

Like this more and more

[@elliotdavidson7137]

16:55 like the medieval electronica :D

[@agerven]

Before i could do this only, to some level, on the Matrix 6 and Microwave 1. This goes easily beyond those. i hope it will still be a reality though. Their website was filled with some content during knobcon, but is at the moment bare and cold.

[@ernestgrouns8710]

I've settled on this synth over a Quantum.. The Quantum is vast and amazing but does a lot more of what I'm not looking for.

[@valdiskrebs566]

Amazing sounds!

[@H4NDCRAFTED]

Still don’t know whether this synth has any bottom end. Looks fantastic otherwise.

[@MUNRO13]

Yep, seems the octave down switch has eluded every demoer.

[@apollojay2]

I agree. The performance features and user interface seem really good. But the demos thus far have sounded thin and Synthmania's short demo of the Roland Jupiter Xm sounded a lot better. The xm is also fully digital.

[@DestroyER82]

Earmonkey is really awesome pick to do theese demos.

[@EarmonkeyMusic]

Glad you liked it!

[@DestroyER82]

@@EarmonkeyMusic Cheers man, following your channel for quite a while. Drama free and full of well performed music. ;-)

[@ElectronicazMusic]

Lovely jubbly!

[@sumchi3690]

Why does the main large knob look funny( off centre)?

[@Analoque444]

Love this synth. I miss the warmth a bit but it would be easy possible if you tweak the sounds a bit. Well done demo, thank you.

[@robinsss]

rinky dinky sqeeky sounding crap

[@designhappens8444]

@@robinsss Do you get paid for doing this?

[@robertsyrett1992]

There are various tape/overdrive emulations as well that make you sound like mum's boards of canada chillax mix tape.

[@HotStrange]

robinsss nice troll.

[@biochill]

Nice playing there. Nice.

[@fdarchives_]

16:35 brilliant fun

[@Robguitarjarvis]

What a great synth, can you get this in the uk anywhere, there doesn’t seem to be anywhere selling it even on pre order ?

[@Robguitarjarvis]

Thanks for the enormous response 😂

[@BrunoWiebelt]

this gives a good representation

[@44lala16]

Had one and sent it back. When creating a wave-table from scratch you have to mainly go through the 219 sounds for each of the 8 parts, thought there might have been some preset wave-tables. If you have a lot of time on your hands would be good for you, but just to much work involved and I don't have the time or patience these days, so got a Deepmind 12 instead. Completely different synth I know.

[@johndean5860]

If they could just add a sequencer then yes!

[@mattjbatkinson1911]

I must say that I like it a lot. I’d choose this over Roland’s new Jupiter X range for proper sonic synth sounds. I’m just waiting for Moog to delve into the wave table domain and come out with a digital brother to the Moog One. Maybe they’ll call it the Moog Wave.....Oh.. And it’ll probably cost 4 times as much as the Hydra...

[@SuchaDoofus]

But im sure it is will be 8 times as heavy. Like a tank in fact. Which is always a good thing. Right guys?

[@kaybhee6]

how much

[@davidsimons5944]

Good grief! Has Jean Michelle Jarre used it yet? Cos if he hasn't he soon will! I want the desktop, especially if ribbon can be plugged in as I suspect.

[@djbowlz2128]

This or the modal argon8?? To me the argon sounds a little better. It this seems to have a more intuitive design.

[@skyreadersociety6183]

a side by side comparison would be great.

[@EarmonkeyMusic]

They’re definitely different in their overall vibe

[@davidbaker231]

I think a lot of people will find themselves in that very same quandary, including myself. I'm pretty impressed with both. I'm leaning towards the module. I'm also interested to see if the Waldorf Kyra is so amazing that I have to just save my pennies and go upmarket for it, but I'm actually prepared to be disappointed based on what little I've heard of its sounds. Mind-blowing specs but not mind-blowing sound. I'm also interested to see if this and the Modal Argon8 will have an effect on the pricing of the Peak, which has great sound, great architecture, and great interface and form factor. If it came down a bit in price it might be the winner.

[@matszh]

You know that both or none is always an option...

[@EarmonkeyMusic]

@@matszh false ;)... None is never an option :D

[@Dream-ps5cw]

Does anyone else hear a lot of early Vangelis' sound here, or at least a potential for it (not counting the poly aftertouch and ribbon at all)?

[@Jimmy_Sandwiches]

2:24 This pad sounds nice

[@Christof_Classen]

*I hope you will sell this Synth in GERMANY (Thomann) too !!!*

[@klangzaun]

You can preorder it at Musicstore right now.

[@anonymusum]

Impressive

[@digitaldiezel5870]

The future of hardware synthesis

[@synthplayer1563]

No no, this is a pure software synth, not hardware!!! All sound architecture and synthesis is implemented in software.

[@digitaldiezel5870]

Synth Player LOL Fair enough. That could be misstated. Either way I’d really like to have one.

[@slammah2012]

Add another octave to make it 5 octave Polyphonic Aftertouch and you can take my money......

[@oleksiynaumenko7104]

How much do you have ? I can throw 12 extra keys in the box.

[@frutosramirez1016]

I can see your point. I have a Gem S3 with 6 octaves of polyphonic aftertouch that I use as a controller and it is a joy to play... No ribbon though

[@thedoublek4816]

This vs. Argon8?

[@Methanol2000]

Argon has a cold digital sound to it..Hydra sounds more warm and organic, and has a better layout.

[@trakrekkid]

Sounds are weirdly reminiscent of access virus

[@Vegantweedy]

Does it loop sounds

[@donl3364]

I need to hear this synth played in a different way , more techno, more energy . most reviews Im hearing are mostly ambient , lets here some really mad sounds ,instead of pad after pad . I know hydra & all synths have the potential but im not hearing it in all the reviews ive watched .

[@sonicstate]

Yeah sorry, it s just my style

[@donl3364]

@@sonicstate Listen mate, I could of written this comment on most of the reviews I saw that day, ive got nothing against your style, and ill still be watching sonicstate reviews in the future. peace ….

[@driesanalog4187]

I realy like those ringmod sounds. Looks like some companies are already "inspired" by the comming behringer cs80 clone....

[@EannaButler]

The poly aftertouch also gives it the classic cs80 vibe..

[@s.fields8770]

So dumb. The full-length ribbon controller is likely inspired by the original YAMAHA CS-80, but this synth has been in development for over a year. You can't just throw extra hardware on there at the last minute, because some other company teased a new product. Nothing publicly announced (as of September 2019) has been influenced by Behringer's latest clone (which is likely still years away).

[@rhysmop]

Oh yeah. 1000 pad presets...

[@MikaThorwine]

Only thing I miss is analog filters.

[@suereed]

Then stick the signal through an analogue filter, use your imagination. Its got outputs and inputs for CV. "Digital is the new Analogue". Glen Darcey says so.

[@Paul_Y_T]

suereed big difference between sending each voice through its own filter and running the sum of the voices all through the same filter. plus you'd be filtering after the effects.

[@robinsss]

I'm saving this video under a new playlist : crap I don't want

[@suereed]

@@Paul_Y_T Yes yes we know that. But the filter section is enormous. There are filters here that have never been "seen" before. This analogue business is just stupid. How can anyone miss the analogue filters in a digital synth? It's like saying my Strawberry jam hasn't got Marmalade in it?

[@Paul_Y_T]

Not really. There are plenty of hybrid synths that do combine digital and analog filters, so we actually have something to compare it to.

[@urluberlu2757]

16:13 i feel in a good mood :-)

[@frutosramirez1016]

13:25!

[@dirkkeersmaekers4343]

There are some good sounds,but not my type.

[@Asmotiv]

Who cares ?

[@claytonlevibrown]

The paint job is not to my liking with the cheap sparkle finish,. or so it seems. ASM hydrasynth has a lot of potential for sound design especially for movies,. maybe not perfect for making club beats.

[@spdycar13]

Nice but I’ll stick with my Moog One. Great demo!

[@BrunoWiebelt]

lucky you ;)

[@Christof_Classen]

*Moog is Booooorging !*

[@spdycar13]

Christof Classen I don’t find any of my Moog synths boring. Like any instrument, it depends on what style of music is and a person’s abilities that determine what works best for each of us. The Moog Matriarch is a great new synth that pairs well with eurorack gear. Also there is analog vs digital, east coast vs west coast. Lots of options for us all!

[@BeholdJesse]

@@spdycar13 I think comparing a 1300 dollar synth to a 8000 dollar one is kind of unnecessary. Also, this is a digital wavetable synth, not analog, so the comparison is even more moot. Some people like to boast though ;)

[@spdycar13]

Despair Bear Not boasting. The point was that I prefer analog over digital which was something others were commenting and inquiring about. If you prefer a different price point then I prefer the Matriarch for more experimental style music. Not boasting. Just trying to have an informative conversation here for those making a decision on what is right for them.

[@Cluless02]

Looks like it has a lot going for it - but you'd not know by the casio toy type presets.

[@bartmark5744]

how this VST in a china-box sounds with no reverb and delay?each demo is based on these 2 effects. because it sounds dry and cheap without them... .

[@lowpassfilter9569]

Is it not interresting that all the positive comments stopped all of the sudden 4 to 6 months ago. Shortly after its release? I dare you to find one positive comment in 2020.

[@MichaelRohaly]

Dare accepted and look anywhere.

[@tommyg5095]

Here's a positive comment... Positively ordering this in the morning.... paid in cash, paid in full...

[@trevor4835]

This sounds like just what the doctor poopoo bumshits

[@livefromthepsy-op1170]

Hog Tramp *begins slow clap*

[@lucasj7577]

I’m terms of features set. The deep mind is capable of the same sounds but on my through deep memu diving an playing with the fx a lot this is much easier and sounds better

[@jaykeel7309]

Another 4 octave synth. Some people actually play these things! Such a shame. Not as much as the P6 but still...

[@PaulGBass]

Its poly AT though, which no current synth has, not even the 8 grand Moog One or 4 grand Quantum. Poly AT keyboards are expensive to make, each one has its own individual pressure sensor unlike a bar running under the whole keyboard that is either on or off like all other synths have (if they have it at all, some dont even have any AT like Prologue and Minilogue)

[@synthplayer1563]

4 octave are just acceptable because of the awesome PAT! But you are right, to play decently 5 octaves are minimum.

[@jaykeel7309]

PaulGBass You’re right. It does make up for it 👍🏼

[@tommyg5095]

Yes.. you can try to put me down, or shame me, or feel like you are so much better , but I am getting this 4 octave tasty treat and play every last sound out of it unabashedly... synth on brothers... synth on...

[@nandodolleman7819]

+1

[@gerardsyd8320]

il sait pas jouer !