Patch creations / sound design tips on Hydrasynth Explorer 888 units

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"Lets make a basic funk bass style patch but give it way more performance control easily with the Hydrasynth Explorer."

Sound Exploration with Synthesizers

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"Live Stream Just enjoying making some sounds and noise."

Studio Electronics Omega 8 sound creation

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"Studio electronics Omega 8 is an 8 voice analog synth made with beautiful through hole hand built boards. This model has the stock Minimoog style ladder filters as well as the Oberheim SEM style state variable filters installed (sorry no CS80 , ARP, TB or Jupiter filters in here yet). It is a great joy to program and one of the last of the classic era of analog poly synths that can still be obtained today."

Ableton Push 3 Gets Expressive: Here's how it competes! // Review & Tutorial

video upload by loopop

"Find out how Push 3 compares to Push 2, other expressive instruments, Akai's Force & MPC and Maschine+, and which version you might want to get, standalone or controller. #AbletonPush3" TIMELINE:
0:00 Intro
1:25 What’s new v P2
1:45 Poly X & Y
3:00 Cross pad bends
3:30 Pad settings
4:10 MPE instruments
4:55 MPE kits
5:25 P3 Standalone
8:25 Audio & I/O
10:25 More controls
12:50 New views
13:20 Similarities
14:25 Session grid
16:15 Note layouts
18:15 Screen controls
19:25 Live recording
22:05 Step seq
24:10 Automation
25:55 Sample chops
27:45 Adding devices
28:05 Live versions
29:50 Misc topics
31:10 Pros & cons
31:30 Standalone?
37:25 Plugins?
38:40 CPU power?
41:05 vs controllers?
41:50 vs MPC/Maschine?
44:20 vs MPE synths?
45:55 Outro

SOS Product Preview: Ableton Push

video upload by Sound On Sound magazine

"Ableton announce the release of the latest version of Push, their pad-based hardware instrument and controller. With a design focused on expressive playing and performance, the new Push can be used as a standalone instrument or in conjunction with a computer and now incorporates MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE).

Simon from Ableton gives us a first in-depth look on release day at what's new in the updated Push and how to make the most of its new performance features.

You will be able to read our full SOS review of the new Ableton Push in the July 2023 edition of Sound On Sound magazine.

00:00 - Intro
00:25 - Navigating Push With The New Jog-wheel
03:29 - Built-in Audio Interface
04:10 - ADAT, USB & CV Connections
05:00 - Playing Sounds With MPE-enabled Pads
08:08 - Fine Tuning Pad Response
09:10 - Playing Drums With Pads
09:58 - Transferring Sets Between Push & Live
11:01 - Standalone Operation & WiFi
12:38 - Connecting A MIDI Keyboard
13:30 - Launching Clips Using The Jog-wheel
14:37 - Momentary Buttons
15:17 - Outro Jam"

Ableton Push Standalone - Hardware LIVE is here - First Look

video upload by sonicstate

"Hell yeah! Ableton have announced a new Push with built in sound card, upgraded pads and more. There's also a standalone version which can run Ableton Live Suite and all its devices and MAX4Live too. Sessions can be transferred between Live on a host computer and the Push Standalone.
Push comes in two versions: Regular (MPE MIDI controller, and sound card) which will link to your host computer running Live, and the Standalone version - which has an Intel NUC processor card, 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD for asset and project storage."

Ableton Push 3 Pad response

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"Just a very brief video demonstrating the sensitivity and expression available on the Ableton Push 3 pads"

DATA79 - Push 3 performance - Somewhere between here and now

video upload by MrDataline

Granular Synthesis on the Hydrasynth? and how...

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"This video is showcasing how to make sounds very similar to typical granular synthesis."

Hydrasynth 2.0 an exploration of the update

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"I, Ken Flux Pierce gives some examples of new features and functions that get me excited."

The Hidden Hydrasynth Comb Filter

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"The ASM Hydrasynth is capable of many things. one thing thats not listed on teh box is a comb filter... yet with some creative synthesis , this is actually quite achievable."

The Oberheim Xpander from 1984

video upload by Alex Ball

"A look at the Oberheim Xpander from 1984.

This hybrid synthesizer was designed by Marcus Ryle and Michel Doidic with input from Doug Curtis and it boasts some surprising features for the time. In this video we take a closer look.

The information for this video was garnered from the following interviews:

GForce Bright Sparks: [below]

Ken Flux Pierce Interview: [below]

GEOSynths Interview: [below]

0:00 Intro Jam
0:58 Talk 1
1:31 Demo 1: Beach Comb
2:16 Talk 2
3:09 Demo 2: Faux Seq
3:52 Talk 3
4:30 Demo 3: Eff Em
5:04 Talk 4
5:59 Demo 4: Wobble 5
6:23 Talk 5
6:51 Demo 5: Judder
7:16 Talk 6
8:34 Demo 6: ALX
9:09 Talk 7
10:34 Multi Demo 1: Zone Call
11:55 Multi Demo 2 : Fond
13:54 Talk 8
15:56 Outro Jam"

Bright Sparks - Tom Oberheim

video upload by GForce Software

"After the 2015 release of our Bright Sparks Documentary & Album collaboration with I Monster, while we were elated at the critical acclaim the project received, we always felt it would have been enriched by the inclusion of one person in particular, Tom Oberheim."

See this previous post for the full description.

The SynthSummitShow ep 31 Marcus Ryle (line 6, Oberheim, Alesis)

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

Not seeing the date on this one, but clearly before Marcus joined the new Oberheim.

"Live Stream interview with Marcus Ryle co founder of Line 6 , who has worked with a wide assortment of legendary companies starting with Oberheim synthesizers, Alesis, and more."

GEOSynths Synth Show - Ep157 - Special Guest - Marcus Ryle

video upload by GEOSynths

"Having originally worked for Oberheim in the early 80’s and being Instrumental in the design and development of some classic Oberheim Synths, Marcus Ryle is no stranger to the world of Synthesizers and Electronic Music Equipment. He later went on to co-found “Fast-Forward Designs” who were responsible for some really ground-breaking technology with Alexis, such as ADAT Multi-Track Recorder, Quadra Synth and Effects. Marcus also co-founded Line 6, which developed a whole range of DSP Products for Guitarists, especially the POD range, which were extremely successful and graced many Stages and Studies alike.

Of course, Marcus is very accomplished Synth Player, Sound Designer and Session Musician with a Studio complete with some of the very best Classic Oberheim Synthesizers. Now, we have the honor of chatting to him about the latest Oberheim Product, taking the very best of the OB range into the fantastic OB-X8. We’ll be finding out about his history with Oberheim and others, his Music and of course the OB-X8 Project and beyond…"

Dave Rossum on audio Companding a SynthSummitShow special

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"The SynthSummitShow is series of interviews with the people behind the music tech gear we love. This special episode was not intended to be a typical SynthSummitShow episode. Dave Rossum is a long time pioneer of the audio industry. Please check out the previous SynthSummitShow episode 8 [below] for a more direct interview. you can also catch the last interview we did with him on the BEATPPL episode 70. [posted here]

This conversation stems from me trying to better understand audio companding as was used in E-MU's early samplers. diving into wikipedia and other online resources, I found inadequate. Most of these online resources just assumed that the companding was the same as done in early days of telecom. This however I found to be inaccurate. So I reached out to Dave to ask him some details and what follows is the result. I can't thank Dave Rossum enough for sharing his knowledge and time with not just myself , but the community as a whole. This industry would not be the same without him and I am humbled everytime I get to speak with him."

The SynthSummitShow Episode 8 Dave Rossum : from sp1200 to modular

The SynthSummitShow Episode 36 Marco Alpert (mid 90's Akai stories and more)

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"Marco Alpert has lead an amazing career spanning decades in the Music tech and influencing some of the great products from E-MU and Akai
I sit down to have a chat about what it was like bringing the MPC 2000, Akai DPS12 and other products to light during the mid to late 90's era"

Hydrasynth Tips : PW-ASM Mutant

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"This is one of the most powerful mutants in the hydrasynth but often misunderstood."

Also see The Hydrasynth's Defining Feature // Oscillator Mutants Explained

Hydrasynth Explorer one of the best Vst Controllers?

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"Here I show you some of the benefits to using the new Hydrasynth Explorer as a dedicated VST controller with polyphonic aftertouch and scribble strip screens. for more content like this please subscribe and like."

Hydrasynth Deluxe Live stream Tips and Tricks

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"This is a live stream focused on the new ASM Hydrasynth Deluxe to discuss patch creation ideas and tips and tricks."

Arturia SQ80v vs Ensoniq SQ80 how accurate is it?

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"Checking out the Arturia SQ80V software with the Hardware Ensoniq SQ80 side by side. I am not endorsed nor being paid or asked to do this video in anyway... just me being a nerd."

The SynthSummitShow Ep. 34 Gary Chang

video upload by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

Beautiful Wiard system in the backgroud.

"about Todays guest : Gary Chang is an American composer of scores for film and television. Working primarily in the action and thriller genres, he has composed the scores to over seventy films, including Under Siege, Sniper, and The Island of Dr. Moreau. He is also a long-time collaborator of directors John Frankenheimer and Craig R. Baxley. For his work on Under Siege, he won a BMI Award.[1]"

You can find additional posts mentioning Gary Chang here.

Ken Flux Pierce on the S2400 for Gear Dive Jam

video by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"title kinda tells you what this is. All parts of this beat were done with the studio monitors mic'd up with a beyerdynamic M88 TG into Audio Fuse 8pre
FX on the S2400 is the Eurorack module 'Per4Mer' by Modbap modular.
vocal growls etc were live looped on S240"

Hydrasynth 1.5.3 update April 2021

video by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"New Hydrasynth update notes
Function:
Add more velocity options in system page 3
Fix the unbalanced velocity response of white and black keys.
Don't respond to MIDI start anymore if the clock sync is internal
Add more time resolution to delay and delay modulation
change the vel off position in mod src
Distort FX preset Drive1 change default Asym value to 0
Hand hold note will be hold if you play many other note quickly with sustain pedal
Make the mutant shift+ratio smoother

Bug fix
Trigger Single/OFF LFO possible to have a delay at the note start if you play very quickly
Block light show if you are calibrating the ribbon
LFO mod ENV attack may not be on time
unit sends pitch&mod wheel message during boot
After save, the browser button was highlighted
Notes messages not in MIDI RX affected the ARP
In category sort, and receive a program change which is not in this category, caused some problem
ARP's first note has a delay with external clock
Playing keyboard with MIDI RX may cause hang note.
LFO step 54 lost in patch save
Big ID macro mod little ID macro didn't work
ModWheel
hold a key and turn on ARP then turn off ARP will cause some note problem
mono aftertouch will be hold to 7X in MIDI Loop
Play a mono sound, play E, D, C, and released C, it went back to E. should go back to D
Some HP parameter changed the OSC pitch
Mod wheel tempo didn't follow the BPM change when BPM sync on"

SynthSummit Show Episode 32 Kris Kaiser of Noise Engineering

video by Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"The SynthSummitShow is a show dedicated to bringing the stories behind the people creating the gear we know and love.

Kris Kaiser is the hardware engineer (among other things) behind Noise Engineering. https://www.noiseengineering.us/"

ISLA Instruments S2400 live group Tutorial Session

Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit

"Here is a live stream dedicated to helping new owners of the S2400 come to grips and get to know their new machines!"

Ashun Sound Machines (ASM) Introduces Hydrasynth 1.5 Update

Press release below. First, some videos followed by a sound demo for some new patches from MajorOSC, also below.

Playlist / New Features:
1. Hydrasynth Firmware 1.5 – Part 1 Introduction
2. Hydrasynth Firmware 1.5 – Part 2 New Filter Types
3. Hydrasynth Firmware 1.5 – Part 3 Microtuning
4. Hydrasynth Firmware 1.5 – Part 4 Envelope Trigger Sources
5. Hydrasynth Firmware 1.5 – Part 5 Expanded LFO Steps & SemiLock
6. Hydrasynth Firmware 1.5 – Part 6 Direct Parameter Modulation Assignment
7. Hydrasynth Firmware 1.5 – Part 7 Modulating Macros & Voice Parameters
8. Hydrasynth Firmware 1.5 – Part 8 Random Percentage & Randomize from Patches
9. Hydrasynth Firmware 1.5 – Part 9 Distortion Effect
10. Hydrasynth Firmware 1.5 – Part 10 Latch Enhancement
11. Hydrasynth Firmware 1.5 – Part 11 MIDI CC Mode and Ribbon Output
12. Hydrasynth Firmware 1.5 – Part 12 Save State


ASM Hydrasynth 1.5 Update info and exploration Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit


Demo of a new sound set featuring the 1.5 update to be released today from MajorOSC:

James MajorOSC High · Ignition 2 Showcase

"Because of the new features, MajorOSC was able to completely reapproach the design process for sequencing and expressive interaction while playing a sequence. The results speak for themselves on this short demo"

And the official press release:

Ashun Sound Machines makes major strides in advancing Hydrasynth sensation with Version 1.5 feature-heavy firmware update

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA/HONG KONG, CHINA: musician-empowering musical instruments creator Ashun Sound Machines (ASM) is proud to make major strides in advancing its innovative Hydrasynth digital wave morphing synthesizer — launched late last year to widespread critical acclaim as its inaugural hardware product, produced as a keyboard variant (featuring a proprietary PolytouchTM 49-note polyphonic aftertouch keybed and a user- assignable ribbon controller) and desktop variant (with 24 velocity- and polyphonic aftertouch-sensitive pads, plus an included 19-inch rack-mount kit) — with a feature-heavy firmware update, as of August 6…

New arrivals Ashun Sound Machines made a huge splash when diving deep into the synthesizer world with the introduction of its Hydrasynth sensation in both keyboard and desktop variants late last year. Ultimately, users appreciated an unprecedented combination of sound generation methods and processing power — anchored around a unique digital wave morphing synthesis engine as an eight-voice polysynth whose three oscillators can all make use of any one of the 219 single-cycle waveforms available, while flexibly facilitating defining eight waveforms into a list and then morphing from one to the next using extensive movement-inducing modulation sources with Wave Scan mode (for OSC 1 and OSC 2 only) — potently coupled with hardware that is perfectly tailored for live interaction and real-time tweaking, all at a very affordable price. Perhaps best of all, a new generation of synth users were introduced to an amazingly expressive way to shape individual notes, thanks to that proprietary PolytouchTM 49-note polyphonic aftertouch keybed and a user-assignable ribbon controller.

Today, the release of the Version 1.5 firmware update for the Hydrasynth brings an amazing array of new features and behaviours to an already sensational synthesizer, starting with advancing its unique-sounding synthesis engine several steps further forward. Firstly, five new filter models are available in FILTER 1 — namely, LP Stn12, ASM’s version of a popular 12dB low-pass filter; LP 1 Pole, a gentle 6dB low-pass filter; and LP 8 Pole, a steep 48dB low-pass filter; alongside BP Stn12, a popular 12dB band-pass filter with dual 6dB slopes; and HP Stn12, a popular 12dB high-pass filter — expanding its total to 16 filter models. Meanwhile, that Version 1.5 firmware update also adds a second multi-mode filter type to FILTER 2, with an ability to switch between LP/BP/HP (low-pass/band-pass/high-pass) or LP/NOTCH/HP (low-pass/notch/high-pass) filter modes. Thereafter, the Hydrasynth now benefits from microtonal scale support, opening up a brave new world of musical expression beyond the 12 tones most prevalent in Western music to allow composition and performances from any culture or harmonic discipline with 32 custom scales loadable using MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) Tuning Standard files. Furthermore, envelopes can now be triggered from as many as four sources, including LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators), keyboard, ribbon, CV (Control Voltage) INPUTS, and PEDAL — EXPRESSION — input, whereas previously they were all triggered by the keyboard only. On top of that, the LFOs themselves have been upgraded to allow up to 64 steps when set to Step mode, with a new SemiLock feature to quantise those steps for pitch control of the oscillators.

MOD MATRIX improvements in the Version 1.5 firmware update makes creating modulation routings one step easier by allowing users to choose a specific parameter in a MODULE to be the modulation destination via direct selection, thereby creating a link between the source and destination in the fewest number of possible steps. Since the MOD MATRIX itself has been expanded to allow new modulation destinations with many more VOICE parameters and macros being added to the destinations, there are now many more sound design options available.

ASM has also updated the RANDOM page so users can set a percentage of how much randomisation takes place in each MODULE. Many more usable patches result from an added second patch randomisation option that generates a new patch by pulling in a random selection of values from other patches, which themselves are selected at random from every bank by combining various aspects of patches that are already known to be useful.

The PRE-FX and POST-FX modules both benefit from the addition of a new stereo Distortion effect, with controls for Drive, Tone, Asymmetry, and the Overdrive curve, as well as Output level.

LATCH mode moves things onwards and upwards, allowing users to press a key and have that key stay holding for as long as the LATCH button itself is enabled — ideal for ambient and generative patches.

System setup changes courtesy of the Version 1.5 firmware update include a Save System state, allowing users to boot up their Hydrasynth with a patch of choice; shorter timing options in Vegas mode; additional (Buchla®) 1.2V per octave support via the CV OUTPUTS; an option of selecting MIDI CC mode or NRPN (Non-Registered Parameter Number) modes, making automation in DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) that do not support NRPNs possible, while that all-important user-assignable ribbon controller can now send NRPN or pitchbend data — all aiding ASM in making major strides in advancing its Hydrasynth sensation... dive deeper than ever before!