System Setup Page 6, Knob #5. There is an explanation in the manual, it’s called Overflow.
Have fun you lucky dog.
There’s a couple of posts up thread, with others experience with hooking two HSs together.
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Thanks. It’s more circumstances than luck:
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I got one of those 1m-wide, 2-shelf keyboard stands to fit my Super 6 and Osmose. While waiting for the Osmose (are we almost there yet?), I can’t stand the pregnant silence, so I’m looking for something no larger than a 61 to tide things over.
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I was able to source a HSK locally at the normal price, so since I can get it quickly with no customs involved, I figure wtf. Still, it’s not cheap.
Actually, I’d prefer to either liquidate the HSD or move it to my other studio to free up the space for something else in my primary, but cramped location. If I end up liking having 16 voices, that will present a logistics problem. Is there anyone who has polychained and liked it so much they won’t go without it? Given plenty of other synth power in my current config, I just can’t imagine ever really wanting more than 8 voices on a HS unless you’re totally married to the specific situations that would exploit it.
For me i’d be more interested in having the second group of eight, than i would a monotimbral 16. (Or at least most of the time i would.) Keyboard splitting on the HSK would be part of that too.
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Indeed Bi-Timbral!!!
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Jeremy at Red Means Recording, does a highly detailed side by side comparison of the Peak and the Hydrasynth doing basic waveforms with some simple filters and effects.
If you go to the YouTube page there is an index if you are interested in the specific tests and would like to jump to something specific. He also provides links to a lossless recording of the same tests, so you can listen with your own favorite studio monitors.
This is all driven by an attempt to answer which is warmer, but really it’s better to just listen and just be in the two sounds. Jeremy offers some analysis too so you have a chance to react to what he says with your own ears.
ADDED: I see i duplicated this link to one over in the Peak thread. Oh well, i guess that’s just fine though.
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About HydraMorph:
I have thought about this. (I don’t have HydraMorph myself, i don’t have Windows 10 yet, this is another reason i need to update my OS, or buy a Mac.) Here’s my thinking on this:
HydraMorph works by sending NRPN MIDI codes to the HS. This actual changes the state of the HS in ways that are savable by the HS itself, so i presume you could save those manually yourself, after you paused the HydraMorph. The HS though isn’t able to save the changing of state done over time by HydraMorph. I presume though you might be able to intercept and record that NRPN stream somehow and treat it like a MIDI sequence, with a sequencer external to the HS.
What i don’t think you can do is convert a HydraMorph sequence to operate using the internal LFOs inside the HS. And typically i’d expect those HydraMorph sequences to be too complex to be convertible using internal HS modulators, though it would be fun to try anyways. ADDED: A lot of what gets modified by HydraMorph is not available as destinations in the Mod-Matrix so those would be impossible to modify internally.
Also i don’t think that HydraMorph is able to output HS patches in the HS patch format directly. Having a way to do that would be fun too. (I’ve poked at the edges to crack the HS patch format, to see enough that it would be possible.)
I’d like to hear from others that have direct experience with HydraMorph about any of this.
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Thanks Jukka for your time and explanation.
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The end of that vid is hilarious.
The REAL answer hahaha
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I thought so too ! Jeremy was so deadpan about it. If you want objective facts on something so subjective then here it is !
His commentary earlier was good and thought provoking even if you don’t agree with him. He’s clearly got a great ear for this sort of thing.
Cheers to you phaelam, hope you have a great 2021 !
ADDED: A similar comparison between Korg Modwave and HS, may be in order too when the MW becomes available this summer.
I have a Keystep Pro running into the Hydrasynth desktop. I can’t figure out how to setup the KSP to transmit aftertouch. Is there something that I’m missing on either device?
Thanks
So…I got to mess with one. My buddy (tha bastid) got one. And what I’ve found so far…tho didn’t get a WHOLE lotta time with it myself, but got to sit and listen too is…
I find it lacks that warm subby bottom. Everything feels thin. Can’t figure out how to get some punch. OR squelch. Granted I’m not qualified to call my self a knowledgeable patch maker.
And everything is so quiet.Once you get out of the middle octave…as you go down it gets quiet. As you go up it gets tinny. The sounds only sound good at middle octave. Can’t find any grit or guts. This really bums me cuz I was hoping, in time, if shit looks up I might get one.
Im gonna have to go back and muck about more. But my current impression left me feeling disappointed
I realize this is an older post, but I wanted to chime in in case others were interested. I own the Hyrda, and was experiencing something similar. Once I realized that the init patches have filter 1 keytracking at 100% by default, that started to make sense. For those new to synthesis, that means that higher pitched sounds have a more opened filter, while lower sounds have a more closed filter.
So yes, the end result is actually a quieter bass and a louder (sometimes “tinny”) higher register. I’ve been starting my init patches with a negative keytracking, between -10% to -25% because I prefer the bass to have more open harmonics than higher pitched sounds typically. And I’ve created my own init with keytracking at 0, and the analog warmth parameter on, with some “analog feel” and random phase to make the sounds a bit more round.
I was on the fence between the Hydra and Peak, and honestly I still am, even after having had the Hydra for a month. But the UI and ability to interface with modular gear won me over. The Hydra can sound amazing, but dialing in a good init patch designed to fit more easily with sounds you like can go a long way.
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One more thing-- also realize that by default, the 1st filter is a ladder style filter that will cut bass frequencies as resonance is increased. Not trying to insult people’s synth intelligence here, but if you’re just messing with one for the first time, there are a couple settings that might lead to thin/harsh sounds right off the bat.
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Yeah, you’re going to want the Fat filter models, the Threeler, or LPG if you want deeper bass sounds. Also as mentioned, moderate the key tracking. Good tip there. Also, the Hydra is REALLY REALLY good at maintaining audio quality, frequency spectra, etc. on very low notes. Drop your pads or keys down a few octaves, or use the third oscillator as a sub with a sine or triangle. I actually find the Hydra more capable of super-low, great sounding low frequency sounds than many analogs. Also, hit the settings menu, and turn on warmth and there’s an analog variation thingy in there too, but can’t think of the name at the moment. (at work) This synth really maintains the fidelity of its waves and sound output across the entire frequency range. It’s really quite impressive.
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NOTE: These are all voice parameters and get set patch by patch.
Warm Mode is Voice Parameter page 1, #8
I think you are also describing Analog Feel.
Analog Feel is Voice Parameter page 1, #4
There is also Snap Mode that i find affects the initial transients of sharp attack low notes.
Snap Mode is Voice Parameter page 3, #8
So these aren’t System Parameters, that’s why i’ve wanted to crack the HS Patch format, as i noted elsewhere, so that i could sweep through and mod an entire bank for at least Warmth and Snap. They are almost always set to OFF in most standard patches.
AND BTW: Make sure you set these in your own “template patches”, along with better filter selections like r_chamberlain so expertly describes, plus whatever else makes more sense to you. I wish there was a way to set-up your own INIT patch, the patch that comes up when you double click the INIT button. Personally i find that patch useless as a start point.
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You are completely correct. They are Voice Parameters. I had just forgotten since I don’t have it in front of me. Thanks for clarifying for anyone looking for them!
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Something I like to do is:
Set up a wavescan between a soft tone and something pretty crunchy. Use PolyAT to sweep between them, starting at the soft tone. So more crunch with more pressure.
Use PolyAT to also bump the filter cutoff a bit starting nice and low. Don’t sweep the whole range, but just enough to mix with the envelope and have it impact the sound.
Mix in a basic oscillator as a sub either 1 or 2 octaves lower. Sine or Triangle work nicely.
Set up the mixer so the sub comes through enough, and the wavescan is more for character.
Make sure all the options Jukka re-outlined above are set up.
This will create a huge growl.
I used something like this in this track: (please excuse the bass-heavy mix… it was my first time on the Bluebox, and while it sounded good in the monitors, I realized later that the kick needed some cutting… 
)
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none taken here…im synth stupid. its TOTALLY justified. 
any info you offer is welcome! as Ive said before, I ditched my Hydra…but its prob the only piece of gear id get again. it was a pleasure to use. but I just didn’t get good sound. but as time is going on…im finding it my lack of knowledge.
BUT…[forget his name] one of the owners agreed that the one I had had very low output levels. anyways…one day when I have the bucks again, I want a crack at it again. so keep them tips coming. I’m noting ones that I think will help me out.
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Right on. Yeah the thing is quite expansive and trying to dial it in took me a while, especially since i tend towards more mellow, ambient sounds. My biggest complaint with the Hydra is that it doesn’t immediately have it’s own personality. It’s capable of almost anything, so sometimes it’s hard to get started.
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Hydra — 1 : a many-headed serpent or monster in Greek mythology that was slain by Hercules and each head of which when cut off was replaced by two others. 2: not capitalized : a multifarious evil not to be overcome by a single effort.
Yeah, one thing I’ve noticed here (based off one of the better factory patches) is that the WavStack modifier can create quite a lot of warmth/softness, making the wavetables (which can sound quite harsh) much smoother even before you get to the filter/chorus/etc
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