Hydrasynth Desktop

Product Information

The Master Control section is where all parameter editing, patch naming, and Macro performing is done. It sounds simple, and it is. We always make sure of that. You might expect that just eight waves couldn't compare with the longer tables of older synths, but in practice I didn't find this to be the case. One of the common misconceptions concerning wavetable synthesis is that it's all about endless transitions, but in my experience, the coolest results are achieved by morphing between one or two markedly different waveforms. In such cases, the in-betweens are often as interesting as deliberately prepared waves.

Hydrasynth Explorer review | MusicRadar ASM Hydrasynth Explorer review | MusicRadar

The Hydrasynth Macros are designed to allow deep control over the engine in live performance. They're easy to make and fun to use. Modal’s latest board includes all the great features of the Argon 8 but with a 61-note keyboard. Features include 120 wavetables, 32 static wavetable modifiers, 32 high-resolution wavetable oscillators, eight types of oscillator modifier and four filter types. It is extremely well thought out in terms of the human interface with 26 access buttons for each major function and 8 knobs to deal with parameters. Amending or starting a patch from new is a total breeze, I find myself able to put very 10 complex patches together in under an hour. With the keyboard version of the Hydrasynth, you get a 49-note keybed with polyphonic aftertouch. Not only is this is an excellent synth for connecting to external controllers and sequencers; it’s an all-encompassing performance instrument in its own right.It really is an all purpose tool and it does not surprise me why it has received the praise that has been heaped upon it since it's launch late last year. Fortunately, other than a few minor inconsistencies (there are, for instance, three different methods of copying objects), the Hydrasynth is a dream to navigate, whether you're making minor tweaks or dishing up entirely new patches. The Hydrasynth is a seriously impressive opening salvo from a fledgling company; hopefully it heralds a more expressive future for synthesis. The Oscillators The 12dB and 24dB ladder filters are smooth and effective; they're accompanied by bass-compensated versions (Fat12 and Fat24) that don't sacrifice their bottom end to high resonance. And while you're unlikely to mistake the MS20 filters for the real thing, they offer worthy alternate responses. I don't know how accurate the Threeler filters are, but I liked the band-pass mode in particular; some of its cutoff and resonance combinations give strange, buzzy but interesting results. For the uninitiated poly aftertouch allows you to play a chord and add modulation to one (or multiple) notes in the chord. This is incredible because you can achieve effects played by one hand that can sound like a melody and accompaniment in one – all the while your other hand is free).

Hydrasynth Explorer review | Engadget Hydrasynth Explorer review | Engadget

The response is pretty much perfect too – not too hard to trigger, not too easy. This is reason alone to buy it, and an achievement all round. Designing sounds has never been so open and with the musical potential of the Hydrasynth, both you and your audience will be inspired by its performance. With the Hydrasynth Desktop, you have the same great sound engine found in the Hydrasynth Keyboard but without the keyboard.Allowing you to get the envelopes perfectly in sync with your music, you can adjust the stages in seconds or time divisions. As it pertains to the Hordijk article, let us briefly compare equal temperament tuning with just intonation. In Western music history, 12 tone equal temperament (12-TET for short) has been the predominant tuning system since the European classical period, as composers were beginning to be more adventurous with their harmonic progressions. 12-TET allows for the frequency of all notes in the chromatic scale to have an equal relationship with each other, meaning that sequences of chords will sound consistent regardless of which key they were played in, eliminating the need to retune an instrument between performances. This contrasts with practices in the Baroque period as well as numerous traditions in Eastern music, where note relationships were defined in just ratios around a specific tonal center.