i should preface my comment with that it “sounds better” to me. having not tried either synth , i can’t be sure, but my instinct has always served me well and despite youtube compression artefacts i can hear what i like vs what i don’t dig.
for what it’s worth i was basing my comment on this video, sounds more exciting imo
I reckon with D. Troberg on the team as Head of Sales, he could be the mind behind the ‘NO DAFT TEASERS’ videos release (ahem Elektron!)
Maybe he’s as sick of them as everybody else!
What a refreshing way to release a very nice instrument.
Loopop’s review mentions more dedicated knobs, chord mode, 1/8" headphone out, etc. on the keyboard version. So it depends on how important it is to you to have those things onboard the unit.
Yeah, he (or maybe another demo I watched) says it’s the most fully featured desktop version out there in comparison to its keyboard version, mainly because ASM did the pads right. You sacrifice four of the arpeggio knobs, whose functions are then accessed via the main control knobs, which is fine, but that makes the thing even less knob-per-function than it already is. The price is super-attractive, though, considering what you get.
thomann will not sell this, just found out
I see at least the keyboard version on Sweetwater. I’m sure they’ll carry the desktop version too, just too lazy to search for it.
I’m leaning towards the desktop version. I’m still comfortable with a keyboard, but realistically I’m probably going to sequence this thing most of the time. At most, I’d occasionally play some chordal washes or something of the sort manually.
pretty awesome out of nowhere synth. interesting release, not going to a major show to do it, that sort of thing. seems they have all the usual influencers queued up though, so it’s pretty much the same deal (and prolly cheaper).
sounds pretty good overall. kinda meh on it’s own but would probably sit great in a mix.
I really like the Jupiter 6/8 style end-cheeks. really sick of the “wood end-cheeks on everything!” approach.
do they sell to EU? Sweetwater
Yeah Sweetwater has the desktop version too. I had to pick between them, and the Keyboard version won. (Sweetwater was still scrambling yesterday to get their web listing for these in order, hopefully it’s better today.) As far as i can tell the availability date for the two will be the same. We’ll see.
It’s super that in sound production they function pretty much the same.
On the desktop the colored pads (with poly-aftertouch as well!) with the various musical scale mappings, and added control functions is certainly a plus! And also its compactness and the weight, the keyboard with it’s armor weighs 10 kg (22 lbs). But the keyboard along with the downside of being bigger has the upside of being bigger which means to me it’s easier to control and less cramped. And there are four more arpeggiator encoder controls, and two more filter encoder controls. And of course the CS-80-like ribbon controller and poly-aftertouch standard keybed as we all know. I think there are a few more small things too. (A volume control on the headphones?)
So i went with the keyboard version, but have kept in mind that the two are set up to work together, being able to “spill” voices between them, and give you bi-timbrality, etc.
I agree with Loopop that being only mono-timbral is a short coming of the Hydrasynth.
I see this price description:
“Prices: ASM HYDRASYNTH 49 key $1299 MAP, Desktop $799 MAP”
What does “MAP” mean?
Minimum Advertised Price.
Meaning this is the least amount on a price that can be listed openly. Retailers can still sell it for less, if you ask them. Or they can add freebee bundles to the deal and advertise at the same price.
I’m very excited for this one ! Do we know what differs between the keyboard and rack version ?
Oops, sorry !
It’s a good question. It’s great that the two versions are so similar. And with the price so significantly different it really opens this up with a lower cost entry point.
Another thing that i’m interested in too, though it’s a 5% peripheral sort of thing and no deal breaker, is using either of these as a MIDI controller. This has been mentioned in passing in a couple videos already.
The ribbon controller, and the poly-aftertouch and the whole user-interface layout in general and the macros which apparently output MIDI as well as the CV interface should make this killer as a controller.
But in a lot of ways who cares – it’s like the Waldorf Quantum which is a $4000 super synth, that Waldorf made into a maxed out MIDI controller as well.
Oh. But I like the teasers
Despite the fact that they 90% end in disappointment (the exception being the Digitone(which oddly had minimal official hype))
But it’s always a fun guessing game.
I wonder how much Troberg had to do with those videos?
I asked elsewhere, where it was not appropriate to ask, Does anyone else see resemblence to Elektron products with the Hydrasynth? I do, a little.
(Daniel Troberg of course formerly of Elektron.)
ADDED: Also noted is that this is EXACTLY the same price as the Digitone Keys. $1299. Coincidence?
I’ve no horse in these poly-synth races, but
Digital is the new Analog
come on, no ad campaign could be more ridiculous than that tagline ! i.e. anything is the new anything else is just marketing bs for the gullible
Synth looks kinda interesting that being said, still not for me
Everything is the New Everything is the new Everything is Everything