I see that the Hydrasynth was just picked the Best New Hardware Synth of 2020 in the MusicRadar poll. The article reports the top ten picks – a lot of great synths this year.
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The last two years or so have been incredible for synthesis. We’re pretty spoiled for choice right now. Also, the Hydrasynth definitely deserves that award IMO.
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just got one and now I want the Threeler filter in all my synths. Adds a woody acoustic goodness, especially with pre-filter drive turned up, and really tames and shapes the high end in a way I’ve never heard from a filter before. Usually, I’m fighting with a filter to retain clarity and punch in the low-mids after rolling off the higher frequencies.
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Great synth. As mind blowing as a modular with 0hp left…
Real environment to get all up in, a modular sans cables 
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For those who use presets. There’s a new collection of 64 patches for the HS. It’s called "Cinematica” and it was created by NIck Klimenko of Chronos. The cost is $25. You can buy it here: https://sellfy.com/lfostore/p/asm-hydrasynth-cinematica-64-presets/
Check out their 16 minute demo video. ( The visual part of this is full of pretty dramatic scenery too.)
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Sorry if this has been posted before but I just ran across this video with some classic sound patches for the Hydrasynth. For those who are wondering if it can do traditional analog-ish sounds, this is a good listen…
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And another new set of 32 patches from Marc Barnes, perhaps a little more routine than Cinematica, but nice sounding patches, and maybe more to your taste. Cost £10.
At some point up thread (Hydrasynth from ASM (Ashun Sound Machines)) i tried to keep up to date with all the new HS patches (including that Push-Pull one) but i got buried and surrendered, there are so many new collections. The HS is such a great synth to create new sounds on.
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This synth may have just tipped the Microwave XT from its “favorite synth of all time” perch. I finally had a proper design session last night, and it just sounds absolutely beautiful. I haven’t ever played something so expressive. Anything I want to do is a click or two away. It’s just amazing. I put the pads in some different scale modes and just got completely lost in it for hours. I didn’t stop until 2AM. It was better than a cocktail or two after work 
The sound can get so big it just envelopes you. Definitely getting the keyboard to complement the desktop.
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I agree, the XT ruled for many years, this is a suitable replacement for me as I miss that orange box!
The microtonal stuff tips it over the edge…
Mindbending sound design options and way more inviting than the Alesis A6 (although analogue)…
Tasty
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I’ve got to agree, the microtonal stuff was a big add. But there was also all the new filters (the HS was already rich with filter and filter configuration options), the addition of Macros as a mod destination (multiplying the power of the already powerful Mod-Matrix), adding voice params to the mod-destinations (rich vocal effects), 64 steps in the LFO with semitone “locking” (getting a little bit of a sequencer feel), percentage randomization for patch generation (the HS was king of randomized patch generation already), the distortion effect, and various odds and ends.
I had thought before that they were pretty much done with firmware enhancements. Now i’m looking over my shoulder wondering. ASM has been a surprise all the way along – what else is the team cooking up ?!
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Interesting perspective on things. Looking back, that was the initial design goal on the MatrixBrute, a modular synth without the cables, which was one of the last synths Glen helped to create at Arturia. So that makes sense now.
Not familiar with the matrixbrute but I wouldn’t mind a go!
The sheer amount of modulation on the HS is so fantastically implemented, also reminds me of the Dave Smith P12 Module, but the standalone environment just begs one to get lost in all dimensions.
It truly is inspirational and stunningly simple to use, very well thought out.
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Yeah also violet noise being added was a big one for me, I could listen to that for days 
For such an amazing poly it is also a drum synth extraordinaire!
I don’t think I’ll ever fall out of love with this, it’s a dream come true…
AFX mode? 
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Can anyone tell me how to do a proper factory reset or properly erase patches? Since I snatched a b-stock the previous user loaded the unit full of patches (free patch banks) that I don´t want. The patch manager doesn´t work for this as I can´t copy an empty bank or even an empty slot onto the Hydra. I mean I can try it but it just does nothing…
Can you do Init Patch and save it to a Preset Slot?
And I agree that the Preset Manager is not the best.
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I posted about this earlier, someone had the same problem and i uploaded an empty bank that solved the problem. I am still looking for that post.
Here it is:
Go to that post and open the include triangle the empty bank is inside.
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I did the search too, 20 minutes too late.
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Thanks! I erased one bank with a bank I just created with only Init patches but I prefer your empty version. I´m wondering what their intention was to not letting users be able to delete patches on the synth itself…
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Not sure what they are thinking, as i said the Patch Manager is idiosyncratic. (Idiosyncracy is what software developers say to not use the ‘b’ word.) But if ASM is going to invest some time in “software” i’d love to see a full out editor, i think they did intend to have one someday.