Yes. I mean visually it is not the same at all, I think leds are a better visual feedback. I didn’t try a non Explorer though.
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Just received my Hydrasynth.
I’m struggling with two things :
- how to properly use a step LFO to sequence an OSC pitch, in tune ?
What’s the best combination of LFO depth + Modulation amount so you can easily dial values that represent semitones ?
EDIT : LFO level=128 , Mod Level=128, then a Semitone=5 in the step editor.
- Am I missing a simple offset as a modulation source ?
Quick and dirty test, a square LFO modulating an OSC pitch so it’s alternating two octaves (LFO level at 60, mod depth at 128). As it’s bipolar it plays a F# when you hit a C. How to shift the tuning ?
There several ways to do an offset.
A Square lfo with speed 0 maybe ?
An envelope.
…
I should receive an Explorer this week. 
Set SemiLock to ON. That confines the steps values to multiples of five. Then a small trick, in the StepEdit hold down a step button and “play” the note you want on the keyboard and move on to the next step button and repeat. This way you can play in the max 64 steps in a jiffy. NOTE : It’s the center two octaves on the keyboard that are active for this.
Advanced level – once you have your notes in with this method you can turn SemiLock OFF. The values don’t change, and it still plays the in tune notes, but now you’re not locked to multiples of five, if you want to tweak some to other values using the knobs.
Even more advanced – see my post on how to do rests in your sequence.
Really really advanced – That’s up to you, 'cuz there is an lot more you can do.
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Totally missed “SemiLock” !
Thanks !!!
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A few experiments with step sequencer notes.
Set the TrigSync to Poly and play more than one note and see what happens.
Adjust the Smooth value and see what that does to the played note sequence.
Set the values for all 64 steps, but then change the Steps value on the fly.
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Yeah, that’s my daily usage of the Prophet REV2 gated sequencer… I just love these sounds. I wish there was some sort of Scale Quantizer post LFO…
While you’re here… any idea how to have a random octave for each key press ?
Are you telling me that i need to RTFM?
Let AI RTFM. Then ask it.
AI can be really stupid, and also brilliant. So grains of salt, but bad ideas are often good ideas in disguise.
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Are you telling me that i need to ask AI to RTFM?
Btw… thx for sharing your enormous knowledge here!
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No, ask AI to ask AI to RTFM. ( thread )
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Well AI just confirmed that it’s indeed impossible to have random octaves for each key press on the hydrasynth.
Well like i said =>
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Yes it can…
Are you implying that you know how to do this ? 
There are a lot of things on the HS you can’t do, if you’re being precise about it, but you can create things that do something similar and are at least as interesting.
Jeanne is a master of this, and not just with the HS.
I’ve come up with half a dozen possibilities for your problem. They are probably all not precisely what you want.
Try this => a wavetable with a set of octave Harmon waves from way at the end of the choices, and poly one shot a random wavetable position, and use the Mutants to juice up the waves, and tune the whole thing a couple octaves down to give a good frequency range. That’s a place of beginning.
There are other options. Experiment.
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I’m a bit skeptical that this is the case. I can’t test right now, but I think this could be achieved with VoiceMod. It wouldn’t be random per se, but it’d probably be close enough for most purposes.
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Voice mode would do it in a round robin way, I think I did it a while ago…
I did :
Hydrasynth from ASM - Tips, Tricks and Queries - #319 by sezare56
Pretty sure it is possible with the step lfo, “hold” mode (one shot or something).
Choose odd fast or eventually use another lfo to modulate step lfo speed.
I think I’m familiar with all these techniques, but couldn’t manage to do it.
Maybe tomorrow with a fresh mind.
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If it is ok to have it a monosynth with one velocity, and a few peculiarities, here is an easy method.
Turn on the arpeggiator, and turn the tempo to the lowest setting – 30 bpm. Set Mode to Random, set Octave to 4, turn OFF Latch ( the LED is dim ). Set Division how you want, probably 1/4. Try setting Gate to about 9 o’clock position, but you can change that. ( Gate sets longest note, but if you use keys faster the previous note is cut. )
As i said this is a monosynth – one note only at a time. You also don’t hold keys down, and you play staccato, and like i say you get the gate time of play at the most.
So some limitations but it does give four octave randomness off of keyboard play.
You could employ two or more step LFOs with a lot of steps but different lengths and set their steps to extreme values possibly? When they add together they should make the notes jump in octaves… I haven’t tried this so I don’t know if that would work.
It could be fun to create variations on melodies too, by using two step LFOs with different lenghts – one of them with most values at zero and a couple of offset notes, if that makes sense.
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