User's Manual

ManualsBrandsASM ManualsKeyboardsHydrasynth Keyboard Digital Wave-Morphing Synthesizer

Table Of Contents

Important Safety Instructions
Welcome to Hydrasynth!
- Main Features
- Keyboard-specific Features
- Desktop-specific Features
Quick Start Guide
- Inside the Box
  - Save Your Receipt!
- Plug It In
- Make Some Noise!
- Check for Updates
- That’s Enough Reading for Now.
Overview
- Top Panel: Hydrasynth Keyboard
- Top Panel: Hydrasynth Desktop
- General Concepts
- Main Systems
- Master Control Section
- CV/Gate Section
- Arpeggiator Section
- Filter Controls
- Module Select
- Performance Controls
  - Chord mode (keyboard only)
  - Ribbon controller (keyboard only)
- Front Panel (keyboard only)
  - Headphone jacks
  - Phones volume control
- Rear Panel
Hydrasynth Desktop
- Attaching the Rack Ears
- SHIFT + Pad Functions
Understanding the Modules
- Module Groups
- Other Modules
  - Voice module
  - Ribbon (keyboard only)
- Module Shortcuts
The Oscillator Group
- Oscillators 1 and 2
- Oscillator 3
- Mutants 1–4
- Ring-Noise Module
- Waveform List
The Mixer Module
- Setting Levels
- The Solo Function
- Set the Pan Positions
  - Osc 1-3 Pan
  - Ring + Noise Pan
- Filter Routing of Sources
  - Osc 1-3 Filter routing
  - Ring + Noise Filter routing
- Filter Configuration
The Filters and their Controls
- Filter 1
- Filter 2
  - Filter 2 parameters
The Amp Module
- How the Parameters Interact
The Envelopes
- What’s an Envelope?
- Envelope Shortcuts
  - Copy Env A to Env B
  - Create a Mod route
The LFOs
- What’s an LFO?
- LFO Shortcuts
  - Copy LFO A to LFO B
  - Create a Mod route
The Effects
- Pre- and Post-FX
- Delay Types
- Delay Parameters
- Reverb Types
- Reverb Parameters
  - Freeze the Reverb
- Mod Route Shortcut
The Voice Module
- Voice Parameters: page 1
- Voice Parameters: page 2
- Voice Parameters: page 3
Ribbon Controller (keyboard only)
- Theremin Mode
  - Theremin parameters: page 1
  - Theremin parameters: page 2
- The Ribbon as a Mod Source
The Arpeggiator Section
- Arp Edit Mode
  - Arp parameters: page 1
  - Arp parameters: page 2
- Additional Arp Features
  - Latch and Sustain
  - Initialize the Arp
Mastering the Macros
- Home Page
- Make a Macro
- Save the Patch: Macro Options
- Macro Button Response
- Preset Macro Name List
The Mod Matrix
- Creating Mod Routes
- More Shortcuts
- Modulation Sources
- Modulation Destinations
The CV / Gate Section
- Basic Concepts
- A Few More...
- Output Connectors
- Input Connectors
- Esoteric Uses
Patch Management
- Using the Browser
- Save the Patch
The System Setup Pages
- Operational Notes
- Master: Page 1
- Master: Page 2
- Keys / Pads: Page 3
  - Velocity settings
  - Aftertouch settings
- MIDI: Page 4
- MIDI: Page 5
  - PolyAT Transmit
  - What is MPE?
- MIDI: Page 6
- CV – Pitch Gate: Page 7
  - CV Source: Keyboard, Theremin
- CV – Clock: Page 8
  - Clock Division
- CV – Mods: Page 9
- Calibration: Page 10 (keyboard)
  - Calibrate Ribbon
  - Calibrate Wheels
- System: Page 10 (desktop) / System: Page 11 (keyboard)
- OS: Page 11 (desktop) / OS: Page 12 (keyboard)
Control Combinations
- [INIT] + Button X
- [INIT] + Control Button X
- [RANDOM] + Button X
- [SHIFT] + Button X
- [SHIFT] + Control Knob X
- [SHIFT] + Control Button X
Scales
Hydrasynth Specifications
- Keyboard
- Desktop
- Connections: Rear Panel
- Connections: Top Panel
- Connections: Front Panel (keyboard)
Declaration of Conformity
- USA
- CANADA
- EUROPE

What is MPE?

MPE stands for “MIDI Polyphonic Expression”.

It’s a newer MIDI protocol used mainly by

alternate controllers like Roli instruments,

Haken Continuum, and LinnStrument. When

active, the voices of your Hydrasynth break

into individual channels so each note can

have its own pitch bend, timbre and pressure

control.

Hydrasynth already supports polyphonic

aftertouch, so MPE pressure is mapped auto-

matically to Poly aftertouch. Any patch that

uses PolyAftT as a modulation source should

respond automatically to pressure sent by an

MPE controller.

There are also several modulation sources

dedicated to MPE. For a full list, see Modulation

Sources (p. 75).

Enabling MPE will lock out, change or disable certain system parameters:

• MIDI page 4: MIDI Tx & MIDI Rx = MPE Lock

• MIDI page 5: At TX = MPE Lock

• MIDI page 6: Overflow = MPE Lock (disabled).

MIDI: Page 6

Control with... Function Settings Description

Knob 1 NRPN transmit On, O See website for implementation chart

Knob 2 NRPN receive On, O See website for implementation chart

Button 3 Send Patch (action) Sends sys-ex of the current patch via MIDI / USB

Button 4 Send All Patches (action) Sends sys-ex of all patches and banks via

MIDI / USB

Knob 5 Overow [1] O, On Connect two Hydrasynths for 16-voice

functionality

Knob 6 Arp TX [1] On, O Send Arp note on/o messages via MIDI / USB

Knob 7 Pgm Chg TX On, O Send MIDI Program Change upon patch

selection

Knob 8 Pgm Chg RX On, O Receive MIDI Program Change commands

[1]The Arp TX setting has no eect when Overow is set to On. Overow must be set to O to

transmit the arpeggiator notes.

What’s a NRPN?

NRPN stands for Non-Registered Parameter

Number. It’s a way of allowing higher-reso-

lution control data to be sent and received.

Implementation is not standardized, so each

manufacturer uses dierent methods. The

NRPN implementation data for Hydrasynth is

available at AshunSoundMachines.com.

Send Patch / All Patches

These actions allow you to transmit the sys-ex

data of a patch or all patches to any sys-ex

librarian.

You can also send those items to another

Hydrasynth. Note that doing that over MIDI

requires two MIDI cables. Ideally both units

would be connected to the same computer

via USB and then patches and banks could

ow freely between the two.