I’ve spent some time with the ASM Hydrasynth Desktop, and it’s honestly one of the most interesting modern digital synthesizers I’ve used in terms of design and functionality.
PROS: You can go insainly complex with sound design on this machine and no matter how deep you may go, there's always more to explore, hence the name Hydrasynth "Explorer". 10/10 on that regard. If you are out of imagination there's the "Random" button, where it will generate a random patch for you (mostly noise stuff, but you may end up with something usefull). The build quality is solid, it certainly doesn't feel cheap. The performance functionality is also great, the 8 macros come really handy. The only issue I have is that when you change a preset on the fly the sound stops and you have to retrigger a note.
CONS: It's not really a con but more of a taste thing. I am sceptical about the core sound of this machine. I felt a lack of body and clarity to its sound. As if it could only be "there" but not "here". It can nail ambient atmospheres but when it comes to direct dry sound, it falls behind. This isn’t to say it sounds bad at all, but one should consider this as it has a very specific sound profile.
Overall, I see the Hydrasynth Desktop as a sound designer’s dream. The engine, modulation possibilities, and interface are some categories to praise about. The only lingering question for me is whether the sonic character has the same magic as the architecture behind it.
