Hydrasynth from ASM

well…I have proven to be QUITE shit at it :slight_smile: [among many other things]

Not responding to anyone’s post, but on the topic of HS Wavetables.

There are 3 Oscillators, two with Wavescan. You can set up Osc 1 & 2 simultaneously with two separate 8 member wavetables, and modulate through them, and combined them, modulated in the mixer – or move them around the stereo field. A ton of options with this. This makes a whole new sort of wavetable, combining the two together.

Also as i noted before you can edit the wavetable entries with NRPN.

Another thing – Oscillator 3. You say it doesn’t have a wavetable. Well it really does.
What it doesn’t have is the Wavescan parameter in the Mod-Matrix destination. But you can modulate Wave. So on the fly you can change Wave. There is no interpolation, but sometimes you don’t want that. You must also use the waves in the order they are stored … unless you modulate it with the Step Mode of an LFO ! Also you have access to more than 8 waves in your table, and can scan through 64 in order.

BTW – Oscillators 1 & 2 can do the same thing too, if you’d like.

ALSO: For Single Wave Mode, don’t feel like like you’re ever limited to the stock 219 waves. Instead of using Single mode, use Wavescan, and pick two different waves in a Wavetable, and then pick a fixed spot between the two waves.
You can also modulate that with a very small variation to give extra feel to your custom “Single” wave.

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That is a VERY good point. Static wavescan selection gives you thousands of waveforms.

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Approaching infinite.

I love to add a subtle small and slow scan floating in the crack between two waves.

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OK this isn’t multitimbrality, but i notice that when you switch an oscillator between Wavescan and Single mode, it remembers the detail of the wave setup for both of them, so you can switch back and forth. So this could be a way to switch between sounds when feeding the Delay or Frozen Reverb.

Also you could use a larger wavetable of sounds and set up the Modwheel, or Ribbon, or something as a “selector” for the sound. This latter method will survive a patch save/restore.

I have a 4ms SWN eurorack module that lets you load your own wavetables. You can either use the editor and load in single cycle waveforms, and larger waveforms that get automatically chopped into a wavetable, or feed it audio which it also automatically chops and spreads into a wavetable. Getting decent ones from audio can be a bit trickier, but loading some of the multitude of single cycle waveforms available online gets some pretty good results, and really opens up the sound pallet.

I’d be stoked if the Hydra added this functionality, but to be fair, it already has quite a decent compliment of waveforms.

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regardless…I stand by the request.

Wouldnt complain if it got user wavetables. I usually want very different waves in a wavetable so i dont get those smooth changes.

I would like to see something added to the Theremin Ribbon mode. Would like something of an initial quantize. So it always quantizes the first press, then it is free to move around for glides. Found it hard to nail the notes in the free mode.

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I think Substan uses the HSD in a very clever way. It’s a little bit hard to follow but it’s worth watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0IH23feOf4

Edit : Also, he points out the fact that the HS doesn’t like to receive a Clock and a MIDI Event at the same time and he proposes a workaround.

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The Digitone looks like a great partner for the HSD. I use a Polyend Tracker as a partner of my HSD and Waldorf Iridium. But the FM sound of the Digitone is giving something extra, GAS… :slight_smile:

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Had to play around to see how i could use different lfo´s and envelopes to get something “multitimbral” going. I managed to get 4 parts going. Not bad for a monotimbral synth. hehe. And it sounds as good as the worst demo´s of Rolands first grooveboxes! Yeah!

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Wow, im loving the keyboard on this synth! I never really play that much, but had a go with a pretty basic filtered saw sound. And started playing with the poly aftertouch and mod matrix. Ended up recording a 3 minute improvisaton. Then added a couple of more tracks with the HS. It sounds pretty huge and the expressiveness you get from poly aftertouch is awesome!

Forgive all the mistakes. Im not really a keyboard player. :slight_smile: And just wanted to record something before breakfast.

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I like what you did thomaso !

It’s absolutely true, the HSK has a keybed that is good for players with better ears than fingers. The keybed combined with the Ribbon is a great combination.

Lay on a chord, express with it, hold a note or two, pivot to a new chord. Use the arpeggiator and/or use the Mod Matrix to change the character of the expression.

I’m really surprised that a half dozen keyboard makers (Arturia, Novation, Waldorf, Nord, even Moog) haven’t picked up on the same technology – Medeli has it available to OEMs. Imagine what that would bring to something like the Waldorf Quantum ?

I’d like to see ASM, or somebody do a video, for non-players on playing on the HSK.

The HSK also works well as a controller, for the same reasons.

I keep wondering if ASM might do a pure controller, with the keybed, ribbon, multi-function master controls, and maybe something else like an X Y pad – like on the Touche or PolyBrute or something. Of course, ASM may be to busy developing something else.

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If I had a faster internet connection I would make a video myself. But 0,5 megabit upload isn’t something I want to upload video’s with!

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Other non-player playing techniques i’ve been using.

Using the ribbon in Theremin mode, often with an expression pedal to substitute for a ribbon pressure for expression. Often it’s left hand on the ribbon, right on another keyboard doing another part. I use the Theremin with Key and Scale almost all the time, Clara Rockmore i’m not.

Using Chord mode (sorry HSKs only) with the keyboard, especially when used with Key and Scale on the keyboard and extra especially when used with the Arpeggiator. (All three together is cool.) It takes a little while to get the technique down with keyboard keys only loosely connected to actual pitch because of the Key and Scale. You more just mash in an arpeggiator pattern, think shape. Arpeggiator Random with Keyboard Chord Mode and Scale and Key set is great, plus it’s productive to switch the arpeggiator modes (see WARNING), then mash another arpeggiator sequence, and so forth. Note order played matters when Arp is in Order mode.

WARNING: Do not combine Keyboard Chord Mode with either Arpeggiator Chord Mode or Phrase Mode !! That creates chaos, and not the good kind either – chords of chords overloads the internal MIDI.

ADDED: Combining the two chord modes is possible with the latest firmware.

NOTE: The Keyboard Key and Scale is separate from the Theremin Key and Scale, it’s possible to do bi-tonality. It does not work very well with the Arpeggiator running in keyboard Chord mode – again you exceed the eight voices pretty quickly. But for a break, switch off Keyboard Chord mode and play the Ribbon – short slidey things up and down the ribbon. Then switch Keyboard Chord back on, it remembers your stored chord shape.

On playing the Theremin Ribbon: Two handed works, high note takes precedence. So alternate hands/fingers. Turn up the glide when two handing the Theremin Ribbon. Don’t be afraid to be vigorous.

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Cool tips. I haven’t played that much with the arp yet. Have some ideas I want to test out.

The theremin mode was cool to play with. Would love an initial quantize setting though. That would help me hit the correct note and still be able to glide and make some vibratos. Think I can patch up something like that on my modular if the ribbon sends cv and gate.

There is a quantize mode for the ribbon.

Yeah. But then you can’t glide freely after the initial press.

:neutral_face:

But the glide does work using.the quantified pitches, so it’s more like a fast run then. :slightly_smiling_face:

Ribbon is a funny hybrid, it has some of it’s own parameters separate from Voice, but at the same time it responds to things like the Keyboard Chord. The Ribbon parameters aren’t in the Mod Matrix, but obviously they could be NRPNed.

Yes you can Theremin Chords, but Theremin Key and Scale behaves differently than the Keyboard Key and Scale as it does not map the chord tones to the Key and Scale only the roots of the chords. (Another reason for turning Keyboard Chord OFF when using the Theremin.)

There is always more to learn on HS behavior.