User Manual
Table Of Contents
- Important Safety Instructions
- Welcome to Hydrasynth Explorer!
- Quick Start Guide
- Overview
- Understanding the Modules
- The Oscillator Group
- The Mixer Module
- The Filters and their Controls
- The Amp Module
- The Envelopes
- The LFOs
- The Effects
- The Voice Module
- The Arpeggiator Section
- Mastering the Macros
- The Mod Matrix
- The CV / Gate Section
- Patch Management
- The System Setup Pages
- Control Combinations
- Scales
- MIDI CC Charts
- Specifications
- Declaration of Conformity
15
Control knobs
There are two knobs on either side of the Right
display. They are “endless encoders”: parameters
are edited from their current value, rather than
jumping to another value that was based on the
position of the knob.
The Control knobs play dierent roles depending
on the page that has been accessed:
• On the Home page they are used as Macro
controls.
• On a parameter page they are used to adjust
parameter values.
A vertical bar next to each Control knob indicates
value and range; the bar can be unipolar or
bipolar, depending on the parameter. If the
parameter is bipolar, the middle point of the bar =
0.0; values above or below that show an increase
or decrease in the value.
Control buttons
Each Control knob is paired with a Control button.
Their function also depends on the page that has
been accessed.
• On the Home page they can aect a Macro in
one of four ways (Toggle, Trigger, Switch, or
Reset). This choice is made on System Setup
Master: Page 2 (p. 70).
• On a parameter page they are used to:
• select a parameter value for editing
• toggle a value (Oscillator Solo on/o, for
example), or
• enter a lower-level editing page (i.e.,
Wavelist Edit for a WaveScan oscillator).
A dot next to each Control button indicates the
toggle status of certain items (Macro enabled/
disabled, Solo on/o, etc.).
Module Select buttons
These buttons access the parameter pages of the
selected Module (Osc 1, Delay, LFO 5, etc.) The
signal path generally moves from left to right, but
vertical lines between two buttons indicate:
• a pre-wired connection (Env 1 / LFO 1 to
Filters, Env 2 / LFO 2 to Amp), or
• the ability to be routed in Series or Parallel, as
with the Filters, or
• order of operations, such as the output of the
Delay is fed to the input of the Reverb.
The Module Select buttons can be used as a quick
way to set up a Mod Matrix route, too (hold one,
press another). For information about that, see The
Mod Matrix (p. 61).
Knob types
Selection knobs
These are only found in the Arpeggiator section. A
“selection knob” clicks between positions to select
a value. Of these four, only the Swing parameter
can be set to intermediate values (see Swing (p.
55)).
Variable knobs
Hydrasynth uses two types of variable knobs:
• 270° encoders: The range has an upper and
lower limit. Examples: Master Volume, Filter
Cuto
• Endless encoders: These have no range limits,
so an edit always starts from the current value.
The displays
At the center of it all are two high-resolution OLED
displays, also known as the Left display and the
Right display. They serve dierent purposes:
• The Left display is for Patch selection and
helpful graphics.
• The Right display is for parameter selection
and adjustment. Each quadrant shows the
value and status of the current parameter:
• A vertical bar shows value and range; it can
be unipolar or bipolar, depending on the
parameter. If it is bipolar, the middle point
= 0.0; values above or below that show an
increase or decrease in the value.
• A dot shows the status of certain items
(Macro enabled/disabled, Solo on/o, etc.).
When an Access button is pressed, the Right
display and its surrounding controls change
functions to allow instant access to the most-used
parameters. The Page up/down buttons put all
other parameters within easy reach.