Gear Hunter

ASM - HYDRASYNTH EXPL

Description

The HYDRASYNTH EXPLORER is the ultimate in power and portability, offering the powerful Hydrasynth sound engine together with battery powered operation and a new ASM PolyTouch® polyphonic aftertouch mid-sized keybed. The greatest attention has been put to its user interface, making sound creation a breeze. This is the ultimate companion for a portable setup, where a smaller footprint in needed.

​Utilizing an advanced wavetable synthesis engine, 3 Oscillators, dual Wave Mutators and 2 filters that can be configured in series or parallel, the tone generating capabilities are unmatched. As for the performance capabilities, The HYDRASYNTH EXPLORER has ASM's proprietary 37-note mid-sized Polytouch™ keybed that offers polyphonic aftertouch over each note, giving you the type of expressive control found only in certain vintage synths.

Polytouch™ Keybed
The HYDRASYNTH EXPLORER features the ASM Polytouch 37-note mid-sized semi-weighted keybed, allowing both ON/OFF velocity and aftertouch as well as full polyphonic aftertouch. In recent years companies have been trying to find ways to give the keyboard musician more ways to better express themselves. The problem is that their solution is almost never a keyboard, so you have to learn a new technique to play them. The Polytouch keybed features high quality, mid-sized keys, so you can start playing it instantly.

Oscillators
The tone generation capability is the heart of any synthesizer. The 3 oscillators allow you to choose from a selection of 219 single cycle waveforms. Wavemorphing is a feature usually found on synths with preset wave tables. Creating user wavetables is arduous or downright impossible. Unlike most wavetable synths, ASM's oscillators 1 & 2 have our WAVELIST mode. This mode allows you to pick and choose 8 waves, from their bank of 219, arrange them in the order you want, and then morph from one to another.

Master Controls
The Master Control section is where all parameter editing, patch naming, and Macro performing is done. Using OLED screens, high-resolution encoders with LED rings, and 8 buttons, this section is designed to give you good feedback on what is going on. The VOICE parameters give you access to play modes, analog feel, voice panning and many other features.

Patches
The HYDRASYNTH EXPLORER comes with 5 banks of 128 patches in total. Finding the patch you want and searching the library is made easy with our BROWSER. The PC/MAC based Patch Manager application also allows easy moving of patches to create your favorite order as well as load in new patch libraries in the future.

Effects
The effects chain goes beyond the typical ones found in other synths. Pre-effects and post-effects give you some unique ways to process your sound. The delays and reverbs were modeled on some of the most popular effects on the market. The effects are the perfect way to complete your sound, in the box.

Specifications

PHYSICAL SPECS
* Chassis Construction: All metal; steel top and bottom, aluminum side panels
* Number of keys: 37 mid sized keys
* Keybed: PolyTouch Semi-weighted
* Aftertouch: Polyphonic aftertouch
* Velocity Sensitive: yes
* 5 banks of 128 patch memories
* CV gate input and outputs
- Support multiple CV/GATE standards
- Clock in and out: 1PPS, 2PPQ, 24PPQ, 48 PPQ
* MIDI I/O: In/Out/Thru/USB
* Expression pedal input: 1 x 1/4"
* Sustain pedal input: 1 x 1/4"
* DC input jack
* USB port: 1 x Type B
* Supports USB MIDI In/Out

Dimensions: 55.6 x 25.5 x 7.8 cm (21.9 x 10 x 3.1 inches)
Weight: 3.4kg (7.5 lbs)


SOUND PATH SPECS
* 8 Voice Advanced Wavetable synthesis
* 2 Wavemorphing Oscillators
- 219 single cycle waveforms
- User wavetables - 8 user selectable 'wavelist' per osc to build user wavetables
* 1 fixed Wave OSC
- 219 single cycle waveforms
* Dual Mutators per oscillator
* Noise Generator with 7 noise sources
* Ring modulator
- Selectable input sources
- Depth control
* Sound source mixer: Mix the following sources - OSC1, OSC2, OSC3, Noise, and Ring Mod
* Two Filters
- Series or parallel routing

MODULATION SPECS
* 5x Low Frequency Oscillators
* 5x Envelope Generators
* Matrix modulation
- 32 slots for source-destination mod routings with amount
* 8x Macro knobs and buttons
- Each macro knobs allows positive and negative of up to 8 destination controls
* Arpeggiator
- 7 modes
- Octave Range: 1,2,3,4
- Play Order, Swing, Gate time, Ratchet (repeats notes), and Chance (sets how often the ratchet takes place)

EFFECTS
Pre and Post effects: Chorus, Flanger, Rotary, Phaser, Lo-Fi, Tremolo, EQ, Compressor (with side chain), Distortion
Delay: Mono, Stereo, Panning, LCR, Reverse
Reverb: Hall, Room, Plate, Cloud