ASM Hydrasynth Explorer

The perennial pursuit of musical instrument manufacturers is to find better ways for musicians to express themselves. Options have been limited for keyboard players; we've had to settle for a velocity-only approach to emphasize one note over another. Pressure-sensitive keyboards could only change all of the notes at the same time.
Not anymore!
Enter ASM, with our patented Polytouch® technology. The semi-weighted keybed on the Hydrasynth Explorer provides a fully polyphonic aftertouch, as well as Note On / Note Off velocity sensitivity and the monophonic aftertouch found on other keyboards. Finally, variations in key pressure can affect notes individually.
It feels great, too: the 37-note Polytouch® keybed on the Explorer features high-quality, mid-sized keys, and you will feel right at home, right away.
The revolutionary Hydrasynth Explorer Polytouch® keyboard helps you be more in touch with the music you are making. Now every note you play can ebb and flow like the tide.

Specifications:

Physical Specifications
Metal Chassis
•Sturdy plastic and metal construction
•High-quality rubberized buttons on the panel
Polytouch® Keybed
•37 mid-sized keys, semi-weighted
•Polyphonic aftertouch
•Note On & Note Off Velocity
•Selectable velocity/aftertouch curves
Additional Hardware Controls
•Octave Up/Down buttons for instant transposition
•Chord mode button: stack up to 8 notes in a chord
•Pitch bend/modulation strips with adjustable depth
Patch Memory
•8 banks with 128 patches each: 1,024 total
•Sort patches by Patch number, Name, or Category
•Browse Favorites: Select 32 patches from any bank for immediate access
CV / Gate outputs
•Supports multiple CV / Gate standards
◦CV
-1v per octave 0-5V
-1v per octave +/-5V
-Hz to Volts 0-5V
-1.2V per octave
-Adjustable offset: +/-99 cents
-Adjustable reference note: C-1 to G9
◦Gate
-V-trig, S-trig
-3V, 5V
◦Mod Out range
-+/-5V, 0-5V, 0-1V
-Adjustable offset: +/-3V
◦Clock Out
-1PPS, 2PPQ, 24PPQ, 48 PPQ
-Clock Voltage: 3V, 5V
-Selectable clock division: Off, 1/2, 2, 4
-Adjustable offset: +/- 100ms
MIDI IN / OUT
•Voice overflow mode to expand polyphony with a second Hydrasynth
Sustain pedal input
•Polarity sensing
•Three modes of operation: Sustain, Sostenuto, and Modulation Only
DC input jack
Battery compartment
•Holds 8 AA batteries for hours of portable operation
USB port
•Supports USB MIDI In/Out
Dimensions
•55.6 x 25.5 x 7.8 cm (21.9” x 10” x 3.1” inches)
Weight
•3.4 kg (7.5 lbs)
Sound Patch Specifications
8 Voice Advanced Wavetable synthesis
Oscillators 1 and 2: Wavemorphing oscillators
•219 single-cycle waveforms
•User wavetables
◦8 user-selectable waves per oscillator to build custom wavetables
◦WaveScan parameter lets you morph through the wavetables
◦Every patch can have two unique wavetables
•Bit reduction: 11 settings from 2 to 16 bits, and Off
•+/- 3 octave tuning range
•Keytracking: 0-200%
Oscillator 3: fixed Wave oscillator
•219 single-cycle waveforms
•Bit reduction: 11 settings from 2 to 16 bits, and Off
•+/- 3 octave tuning range
•Keytracking: 0-200%
Dual Mutants per oscillator (Osc 1 and 2)
•FM: Linear FM
◦Selectable Modulator source:
-Internal Sine & Triangle waves, Oscillators 1-3, Ring Mod, Noise generator, Mutants 1-4
•WavStack™: Generates 5 detuned waves from the input source, with an adjustable detune amount
•Hard Sync (Osc Sync): gives that classic sync sweep sound
◦Selectable sync input source: Oscillators 1-3
◦Adjustable Hann window to shape the output
•Pulse Width Modulation (PW-Orig): Adjusts the pulse width of any waveform
•PW-Squeeze: Compresses the center section of the waveform, for a unique type of PWM
•PW-ASM: 8 adjustable Warp points can be applied to the waveform, for a unique form of FM synthesis
◦Warp points can be modulated individually through the Mod Matrix
•Harmonic Sweep: scans through the harmonics of the incoming waveform
•PhazDiff: creates a new sound by combining phase shifting and summing techniques
Depth control for all Mutants
•FeedBack control for all Mutants (except WavStack): 0-150%
•Ratio control for Osc Sync, Harmonic, and all PWM Mutants: 0.250:1 - 64:1
◦Mutations occur up to 64 times in one waveform cycle, or as few as once in four cycles
•Dry/Wet mix to blend the input source with the Mutant output
Noise Generator
•White, Pink, Brown, Red, Blue, Violet, and Grey noise sources
Ring Modulator
•Selectable input source:
◦Oscillators 1-3, Noise, Mutants 1-4
•Depth control
Sound source mixer
•Independent level control for Oscillators 1-3, Noise, and Ring Mod
•Panning for each source
•Filter routing mix
•Each source can be soloed
◦Solo status is saved with the patch
Two Filters
•Series or parallel routing
•Filter 1
◦12 & 24dB/octave modern ladder (compensated)
◦12 & 24dB/octave vintage ladder (uncompensated)
◦3-Ler LP, BP, HP
◦MS20 HP, LP
◦Low Pass Gate
◦STN LP, BP, HP
◦1 pole LP
◦8 pole LP
◦Vocal filter
◦Multiple vowel order options
-Formant parameter
•Filter 2 (SEM style)
◦Continuously Variable Low pass > Band pass > High pass
◦Continuously Variable Low pass > Notch > High pass
Patch-level parameters
•Poly, Mono, and Unison modes
•Two glide modes: Glide and Glissando
•60 scales available, including microtonal
◦New scales can be imported from third-party software
•VoiceMod: independent modulation levels available per voice, per patch
•MPE support
•NRPN / CC automation capability
•Randomize or initialize parameters, modules, or an entire patch
Modulation Specifications
5x Low Frequency Oscillators
•10 static waves
◦Sine, Triangle, Saw Up, Saw down, Square, Pulse 27%, Pulse 13%, S&H, Noise, Random
•Step Wave: up to 64 user-definable steps (similar to a step sequencer)
◦SemiLock for chromatic pitch sequencing
◦Can advance one step per trigger
•Clock sync
•Variable rate
◦BPM Sync Off: 0.02 - 150 Hz
◦BPM Sync On: 1/64T - 64' (16 bars), including dotted and triplet options
•Starting phase
•Start delay
•Fade in
•Master LFO output gain
•Trigger modes: Mono, Poly, Off (free run)
•One shot modes: Off, On, and Step
•Adjustable smoothing of waves and LFO steps
•LFO quantize: 8 levels
5x Envelope Generators
•6-stage DAHDSR envelopes
◦Delay, Attack, Hold, Decay, Sustain, Release
◦Slope curves for ADR stages
◦Variable from full exponential to full logarithmic
◦Use the Tempo or Time option for setting the length of each stage
•BPM Sync option
•Looping of AHD stages
◦Loop 2-50 times or indefinitely
◦Envelopes can function as additional LFOs
•Envelope quantize: 8 levels
•Trigger modes: Reset, Retrigger, Legato (not available in Poly mode)
•Trigger Sources: up to 4 trigger sources available for each envelope
Matrix modulation
•32 slots for source-destination mod routings with amount
•35 sources, 191 destinations
•Modulation slots can be mod destinations and/or Macro destinations
•Per-voice Modulation sources: bipolar or unipolar
4x Macro knobs and buttons
•8 Macros total (2 pages, 4 Macros each)
•Each Macro knob allows positive and negative control of up to 8 destinations
•Macros can be modulation destinations
Arpeggiator
•Arp parameters can be modulation destinations
•Modes
◦Up, down, up/down, up & down, note order, random, chord, phrase
◦64 preset phrases
◦Adjustable length
◦Step offset +/- 32 steps
◦Tap Trigger option: advance arpeggiator with Tap Tempo button
•Octave
◦Range: 1-6 octaves
•Play order
◦Up, down, up/down, alt 1, alt 2
•Swing: Adjustable from 50-75%
•Gate time: 5-100%
•Ratchet: repeats notes
•Chance: sets how often the ratchet takes place
Effects Specifications
Pre-effects: before Delay and Reverb
•Chorus, Flanger, Rotary, Phaser, Lo-Fi, Tremolo, EQ, Compressor (with side chain), Distortion
Delay
•Mono, Stereo, Panning, LRC (left/right/center), Reverse
•BPM sync option
Reverb
•Hall, Room, Plate, Cloud
•Freeze mode
Post-effects: After delay and Reverb
•Chorus, Flanger, Rotary, Phaser, Lo-Fi, Tremolo, EQ, Compressor (with side chain), Distortion