A Beast That Some Turned Their Nose To

An interesting opinion I have that has some people split is this will make a great first hardware synth for someone who has only used VST's or never used a synth at all. It is also great for those who love doing complex modulations, and crazy sound designs.

Now the biggest complaint I have heard on the Hydrasynth is it is nothing more then a VST in a box or NI Massive in a box. I am not sure why people started saying that other then it has very simple, and easy to navigate controls. I wanted to test the theory of it being nothing more then a VST or Massive in a box. I spent a week sitting down programming Massive preset patches onto the Hydrasynth.

My results from the test were exactly as I expected. They sounded similar as any synths would side by side with the exact same settings, BUT they weren't the same as people were saying. The Hydrasynth had a much more defined timbre, and provide some very intricate, complex, and delicate sounding timbres. Now Massive sounds good, and is one of my main go to VSTs so I am in no way knocking it. The Hydrasynth really shined though, and proved it is not just a VST in a box like some people have said when snubbing their nose at this synthesizer.

We waited on this for months. It was placed on preorder, and finally in August 2020 it arrived. I have been using it in the studio everyday since we unboxed it on our live stream. Which months of extensive recording, and sound design with this little beast in a box, and I haven't even started to push what it is capable of.

The synth sounds, and feels solid. With weight comparison to an Arturia MiniBrute 2.

The other complaints I had heard was that it was thin, and digital sounding. This is an interesting complaint. I will state that every single "complaint" I heard or read was from people who never played it, were die hard fan boys on a certain brand, or thought they knew it all about synthesizers. Can this synthesizer sound thin, and digital? Yes! Can the Hydrasynth sound so thick and heavy that pushes the boundaries of digital synth sounding any different then true analog? Yes!!!!

Sometimes songs call for a thin digital sound. The Hydrasynth really shows a more "living" sound as it can bring a thin digital sound into this beautiful, intricate, delicate sounding work of art. It truly is an ear teasing treat. I was blown away by what this beast could do to the most digital sounding wave forms. The ability to take a thin sound, keep it thin sounding, but bring it to life is something unbelievable. It actually makes me want to go create some spacey digital psy tracks!

Now the analog feel, and vibe this baby throws out is killer. Is it pure analog sounding no, but I would never expect that from a digital synth. What it does is add an almost analog warmth, and fullness. Pushing on the voices button, crank the AnalogFL, turn Warmth on, and sweep to find your sweet spot with Stereo Wide, and this baby has the warmth of your favorite blanket right out of the dryer. The Hydrasynth can get thick like thick cut bacon thick. Drooling waiting for a taste of the thick meaty tones it can throw out.

In the studio the ASM Hydrasynth, and a Novation Summit rule the room. These two paired together create a gourmet sound that is truly filling. Though I can say the Hydrasynth paired with just about any other synth will make an astounding palate of sounds & timbres.

My final thoughts are that it is a great synth from those new to synthesizers to those obsessed with sound design. This fills a lot of spots in your creativity. It can be as simple or as complex as you would like it to be just as the sounds it produces. I cannot wait to see what ASM will release from here forward.

From Gear Setup

nice but

I didn't fully click. Not immediate enough due to more menus than any synth I have ever seen.