I just made a Pad today with the HSD. It’s a good timing with your comments. This Thing is so deep when it comes to modulations. It’s in the Current Sounds…thread.
The advantage over the Peak is all the Panning modulations that you can get from all the Sources (Osc, Ring, Noise).
I know what you mean. My other polys have been getting dusty since I got mine. The depth combined with the playability is hard to complete with.
One of my best gear purchases ever.
I’ll occasionally give a longing look toward a Nord Lead 4, and even consider trading the HSKB for it. But then I sit down to the thing and that desire vanishes. Of course I’d love it to be beyond mono-timbral, but it sounds so damn good that I don’t mind.
Yeah, more timbrality would be awesome. I’m torn on wishing it had more keys. It’s nice to keep it compact if you gig with it but I haven’t actually done that yet.
Have you ever played a Nord A1? That and the hydra are two of my favorite polys right now. Never played the lead 4 though, that looks really interesting!!
Really considering selling my peak for a HSK. Sound wise for me they would cover similarish territory, but I’m a user interface geek and programming the mod matrix on the Peak is maddeningly menu based for a synth that has so many knobs. Very intrigued by the Prophet style and Hydrasynth style of modulation programming.
Also…poly AT keyboard and ribbon.
HSD at Thomann currently 745€ instead of 899…
Wow, and only £625 in the UK (£800 most other places – well, at least at Andertons, it’s at £800)
I have both. And like both for the differences. But i think the Peak sounds better. Feature wise the HSK is way ahead. The poly aftertouch keyboard is lovely to have for controlling the Peak. Perfect for pads.
Thanks! how would you describe that the Peak ‘sounds better’ to you? What do you find the peak sounds better at (eg what kinds of sounds?), and vice versa, is there anything you feel the HS does better?
Kind of hard to describe the difference. But if i try to make “analog type sounds” the Peak has the edge. Just sounds a bit smoother and better. Its one of those things that is hard to notice in a mix, but when just playing them side by side there is a noticeable difference. So for those type of sounds i prefer the Peak.
The Hydra is better at harder and sharper sounds. With the fm and wavetables it can get a bit more “in your face”. Peak can ofcourse sound hard too if you combine FM with Wavetables, but the Peaks wavetables are based on additive synthesis, and are slightly rounded compared to the Hydra.
The hydra also has much more modulation posibilities. So it have an even wider range than the allready very versatile Peak.
One thing about the Hydra is the variable latency you get when using the Mutators. Alot of people dont notice, or care about this. But i often sample each key when using mutators and correct this on my Akai Force. Not just because of the latency, but also because i then can use the Hydra for more than one sound at the time.
RMR did an interesting comparison regarding warmth.
Now this is the kind of quality answer i come to elektronauts for. Thanks!!! Didn’t know that about the mutator latency.
In my case i’d like to one day have a dedicated digital synth for bells/glassy pads/PPG/ambient sounds, and a dedicated analog synth with a more limited, classic palette. I felt with the Peak i got close to the kind of analog sounds i wanted, but personally don’t gel with the filter, even with all the pre/post drive and filter FM - theyre nice but subjectively don’t really do it for me. If i only had to pick one synth as an all-rounder the Peak has def excelled in that role, but if I can, I’ll just save up for a Hydra + some kind of DSI Pro/phet.
And yeah, I’m a sucker for nicely thought out modulation workflow/UI. Even the Deepmind did a better job of that than the Peak, IMO 
Yep, I think you’re right here. They compliment each other well, which is what no one wants to hear 
I think the Hydra would do those sounds pretty well.
I like the Peak filter. Specially the 12db one. A big factor for me is turning down the oscillators. That smoothen the sound some. I never go beyond 12 o’clock on the osc levels on the Peak.
Funny thing is that the difference i feel between the Hydra and Peak is about the same i felt when having an OB-6 in the studio. Then the Peak “lacks” a little when trying to make the same kind of sounds. hehe.
The workflow/UI on the Hydra is a pleasure to work with. And the advantage of having a synth with a keyboard made me play alot more. Its my first real polysynth with keyboard in a long time, so i find myself just playing more. And that has made my keyboard playing improve.
Remember seeing that video before i got my Hydra. The youtube compression is making it harder to notice.
But then again, if you cant hear the differences on an mp3 or via youtube, does it really matter? Thats where 99% of everything is heard these days anyway. hehe.
That’s the point RMR was making by putting this video up.
Be aware that not all mutators add latency and also it is most noticeable in the lower notes. It can be annoying if you use the Hs for punchy basslines sometimes. Luckily this is easily fixable with audio quantization in Ableton though.
-edit-
Oh and the latency does not stack up! So the overall added latency = the latency of the mutator that adds the most latency
In the last year I sold a lot of lesser used stuff and ended up getting an HSK and a pro3. Really great combo. Complementary sounds and not a huge conceptual shift in workflow. Sure they operate under different paradigms but you stay in the “everything modulates everything” mindset so it’s easy enough to have them both going and jump back and forth programming.
Same-ish here.
HSKB and Pro 2. Not much these two can’t do.