Learn With Me - Hydrasynth: Ep25 - Final Overview

[@adamgunn2885]

Thank you for this series, would love to see the same thing with the Peak, your other videos with the Peak are some of the greatest sources of knowledge i've found on it, and I know I would learn so much from you covering the Peak in depth like this. Thanks again!

[@ChalkWalkMusic]

Thanks for your comment, and for watching. Most likely the next synth I'll present in this manner will be the Arturia Minifreak: this is primarily as I've been trying to follow a process where you learn the synth alongside me. I'm definitely not opposed to doing it for a synth I already know. I'll add a similar series for the Peak to my list of future videos to make. Thanks for the feedback and I appreciate your support.

[@DawlessHouseMusic]

You are a legend.

[@ChalkWalkMusic]

Thanks for watching, and for the comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the series. If you have any ideas for other series you might like to see, please let me know: thanks for your support!

[@GillamtheGreatest]

I am glad you took the time to explain your thoughts on the other models as well. lots of good info in this series and stuff to think about if you have any of the hydrasynths. you thinking of doing like a 6 month or 1 year update or anything? its always interesting to see if opinions and thoughts change over time

[@ChalkWalkMusic]

Thanks for your comment, and for watching. I'm glad you found the series helpful. Part of my concept is that the approach I take really is how I learn a synth: beyond being a demo for the Hydrasynth, I hope it helps inform others' approaches to new synths they come across. As for a follow up down the line: I'll definitely consider it, but it's hard to know if I'll remember/not be occupied with something else by then. In any case, I'll see what I can do.

[@GillamtheGreatest]

@@ChalkWalkMusic yeah no pressure on a follow up. i totally understand you may have other stuff going on that far down the road. gonna try your music theory playlist next.

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

Great videos!!!!

[@ChalkWalkMusic]

Thanks: I really appreciate your support.

[@GertBoers]

I always thought the thin sound on your channel was by choice. That you mix it that way on your mixer. Yours is the only channel I hear that. Other channels have 'normal' full sounding Hydrasynths. And mines don't sound thin either. If it isn't by choice, I can understand why you're not blown away by the sound. Maybe worth investigating?

[@ChalkWalkMusic]

Thanks for the comment, and for watching. I think I tend to have the synth volume on the videos a bit quiet, but the general timbre is intact; things generally tend to just "sound better" when they are louder (which is why we are usually advised to design sounds, mix and A/B at low volume). I'm listening to the mixer output (which is what gets into the video) directly when recording which sounds essentially identical to the headphone out. By this all I mean: my comments are compared to other synths on the same setup vs based on the video audio. Equally I had a similar impression of the synths when I heard it at an official event a few years back. That's to say I don't think there is a systemic audio problem other than me listening quietly. Moreover I'm not sure what could be wrong with a (especially digital) synth to cause a general thinness while keeping the stereo image and full frequency range intact. Nonetheless I'll have a check to see if anything is awry: thanks for the feedback.

[@ChalkWalkMusic]

I figured out one way to investigate: to record an unlisted video of myself playing a factory patch with the volume much louder: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKW4mmmsZqh8rs0 . Could you tell me if it sounds okay, or problematic to you?

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

Not to insult your intelligence and I know you have more experience than me but I would love to see you use the Random features more for some unique sounds.

[@ChalkWalkMusic]

On the whole I don't use randomization features like that very often as, either the parameter space is small and I can just reason about it, or it's so large that a lot of the possibilities aren't very useful. I'll experiment with it a bit: perhaps certain sections can be usefully randomized, or randomization in a lower amount can yield interesting results. My immediate thinking is how will that fit into the format of a video (it probably won't be part of this series but instead a standalone video). Perhaps I can try and "design a patch" entirely by randomization (from an init patch) or make a fully random patches until I like one and try and reverse engineer it?

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

Couldn’t they enhance those features with in the software down the road?

[@ChalkWalkMusic]

Thanks for your comment, and for watching. I think it's possible, but my guess is that they'll have tried their best to fully utilize the processor. This means that there is little headroom for significant feature increases without optimization or removing features. This is certainly possible (the audio quality related changes anyway). As for the UI for live sound design: that's not something you can change. In any case though, keep in mind that it's a good synth and can make plenty of good sounds with a nice UI for sound design; I just wish it was a little better in a few areas.

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

@@ChalkWalkMusic yeah I was thinking on certain digital sounds. I will agree the bigger board probably makes the experience better. However that portability is super nice and I look forward to pairing it with my SP404 MK2 and maybe Ableton.

[@ChalkWalkMusic]

@@bjamminsincebirth3494 2.0 is the second significant firmware update so I wouldn't be surprised if there were more, nor would I be surprised if there weren't; it's more a matter of the feature scope. As an example the bit crush in the oscillators is extremely cheap to implement, so as they come up with "cheap" ideas they could definitely expand the possibilities. That's to say "sound designy and cool" doesn't necessarily mean computationally expensive, and "logically simple" doesn't necessarily mean computationally cheap. Either way: I'd be happy to see more features added, but I wouldn't be disappointed if this is as far as it goes

[@hooch8395]

the filters are definitly the weakest part even more so than the crappy reverb but its still a workhorse powersynth

[@ChalkWalkMusic]

Thanks for watching, and for the comment. I feel like I'm somewhat critical of the synth, yet it really is a powerful workhorse of a synth: I just wish it was great all around. I hope ASM makes a follow up designed to compete with the likes of the Quantum. If they can keep the build quality, add even more unique expressive controls and up their overall audio quality, they could really deliver a must have synth, and a future classic.

[@hooch8395]

@@ChalkWalkMusic it will be interesting to see what they come out with next 😎

[@fangan4770]

Sounds like a VST Plugin. In my opinion, this synth is extremely overhyped.

[@Vladi_mir_M]

What a plugin? Could you name some?

[@ChalkWalkMusic]

Thanks for your comment, and for watching. I think the problem with comparisons like "sounds like a VST" is that there is an extraordinary diversity of VSTs out there. In particular I like some VSTs more than the Hydrasynth and some less. For me, hardware is about having a dedicated interface to design and play sounds on: that's the big value add; at the same time I think people definitely get caught up with the promise of a polyphonic aftertouch keyboard and the fairly unique interface. My expectation is that over time, the shine will wear off for some, but even then I suspect many will keep the synth as a controller as there aren't many choices out there for polyphonic aftertouch. At the same time, for others this will become a central part of their process and sound, along with many others in between. All in all, for a first synth by a new company: I'd say they should be very proud of what they delivered. Sure there are improvements to make in the sound and the user interface and general user experience, but this synth feels like something new. I for one am very glad they took the risk and made it.

[@ChalkWalkMusic]

Personally I'd say Zebra has something of a comparable feature, concept and capability set. Zebra 2/HZ is actually fairly old now and rumours have been circling about zebra 3 for some time. If you want something a bit simpler then U-he Hive is quite nice. Probably my favourite VST at present is Pigments (which I mentioned a couple of times): I like the UI/UX and it really sounds great.

[@Vladi_mir_M]

@@ChalkWalkMusic thank you!