Hydrasynth Mega Hang Time (Sound Design Tutorial) 

20 minutes in, this video is already more helpful than the other 9 hours of hydra tutorials I have watched. thank you so much!!

This format is better than a normal review - you get a far better feel for the synth.

Brilliant mind. I have the desktop version. The extent of my synthesis knowledge was ADSR, cutoff and patch scrolling. You’ve opened up a whole new lane of understanding and exploration for me. The only problem is that your voice is very smooth and relaxing. I usually fall asleep about 30 min in so I have to watch in segments. 😌 A humble thank you for sharing your gifts.

I got to say this vid sold me on the Hydra. Everyone else just sort of does some weird washy digital pad sounds in vids. You on the other hand showed a more real world application in my opinion. It's great that it can morph and do a bunch of modulations and sound scaping textures. However this vid puts it into the context of other instruments and the sounds one might go for to compliment other players in a group. Very much appreciate your time and will be searching for the deluxe version very soon.

I bought the desktop version recently and I am blown away by it. The build quality alone makes it feel like a synth worth twice as much. This synth is limitless and really compliments any analog gear you have. The good man Cuckoo demonstrates this synth very well, but be open to the fact he is scratching the surface. This synth is deep and at the same time intuitive and easy to use.

I love this review because it's teaching me something about synthesis, not just about the particular keyboard - and it's subtle. It's too often that reviews are about getting some huge sound but this is all about fine tuning the sound, which is often where the sweet spots really come.

I hold you personally responsible for the sad state of my bank account

This is the best. Thank you! I don’t know how long you’ve been doing this, but I’ve learned so much. This type of demonstration is so much more valuable than anything else I’ve found.

This is brilliant tutorial because it shows everything to make a sound from the start! I remember your NAMM interviews at the DSI booth for the OB6. Now, here, this is where it gets detailed. I ordered a Hydrasynth today and now you're teaching me how to program it. Thanks Cuckoo!😊😀

I picked up the desktop version a few months ago, and LOVE the sound and flexibility in creating sounds. You can create almost any sound you can imagine once you get a hang of the routing and features! Love the way you share your creations and workflow too! Keep up the good work 👍🏾

Man, your videos are just SO GOOD! I just bought a desktop version of the ASM Hydrasynth and I love it, I'm loving how I can watch this and follow along with my synthesizer. You really made mod matrix routing a lot easier to understand, thank you Cuckoo.

Your tutorials are so wonderful, a treasure-a real mind working in real time with an astonishing ability to verbalize it. Pair that with great aesthetic instincts and synthesis experience, it’s just killer. Alive in a way that most others are static. You and Loopop are my A team, though I enjoy many others as well.

Thanks for the GREAT demo of this unit - I've been eying this synth and I read a comment earlier today about a guy who purchased the unit, played the presets, was kind of disappointed, THEN he went in and started making his own presets and fell in love with the unit afterwards. My journey brought me here because I value your opinion and I just spent the last hour and 21 minutes watching you delve into this. I loved the look on your face as you started coming up with various ideas on sculpting sounds that will tickle your ears and I look forward to my own journey of the same - thanks again!!

You are the first to make melodic sounds on the Hydrasynth. Thanks.

I love the Hydrasynth! Got mine a month ago and it's been nothing short of amazing!

Beauty of a synth ❤ Love the MEGA tutorial series ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thanks for sharing 🙏

I’m always in for a treat when I see you pop up in my feed. Another gorgeous video. You are a master of sound.

Ohhhh man I am on the lookout for a Cuckoo patch pack for this thing 🙏

80 minutes totally mesmerized. You've got serious talent. I thought I had decided on a Pro 3 as my main synth, but now I'm not quite so sure.

Got my HS Deluxe two days ago and I was overwhelmed by its functions, but thanks to your video I can dive into it much faster than I thought at first!! Thank you!!

Absolutely outstanding tutorial. The best I've seen on this beast of a synth. Thank you!

This is by far the best tutorial video I have seen for the ASM Hydrasynth. Thank you so much.

I bought that thing last week. I've had the manual on my phone for 4 months. I think this synth was a good investment. Why? Everyone has his/her own approach to it and its flexible enough to accommodate for individual patch design. I'll have to spend some more weeks on the Hydrasynth to make it blend in with my live tuba. I'll let you know when I get there. ;-) Thanks for the video, cheers from Vienna!

Around 7 min, things going on at effects level, which you would expect at oscillator level. That comment is spot on, the developpers of the hydrasynth show some deep understanding of mathematical implementation of sound design. Like applying pulse width modulation to oscillors other than pulse, at effects level. Around 25 min, very interesting tutorial for how to choose waveforms.

Yay! So glad to see you've done this. I just bought one of these beasts (it was a choice between this and the PolyBRUTE... and my bank balance won), and I'm really excited to explore its mysteries.

So excited you made this!

I can't get enough of these videos. Great review-walktrhough-live-patch-satndup

I have had the Hydra for a few months, its an awesome synth, and lose hours making patches, can see you love the Hydra too, by the smile you have when making sounds.

One of your best.

The gift that keeps on giving thanks Cuckoo, love your work mate 🎹😎👾

This was an excellent walkthrough! I really like your style, so calm and positive! Mine will arrive here in 4 days hopefully 🙏🥳 Thank you for sharing!

WONDERFUL !! Just got the Hydrasynth and I’m so loving your Bass Clav sound and the release sound,,, very organic ;)) SUPER informative !! BLESS YOU

Hey Mate, just had the Hydrasynth Deluxe show up here. Your tutorial is inspiring and I can't wait to implement some of what you're showing. Brilliant job ! Thanks.

What a fantastic workflow for such a deep engine. ASM nailed it.

When I'm watching a synth review and the creator is wearing a shirt with a cartoon likeness of (presumably) themself saying "I like synths", it's like ... a signed certificate of trust.

Hydra is ASM. Cuckoo talking is ASMR

very inspiring, please do more on the hydrasynth!

Cool guide, thanks 👍 Great to see some real world useable sounds and your workflow. It's such a versatile instrument!

Just got my Hydrasynth and as always appreciate your detailed approach and focus on musicality. Thanks!

Great showcasing of an awesome synth! I love your way of thinking and teaching. Thanks for sharing. One little tip on my side: In the macro's, I see you don't use the button values. Those can be really handy if you want to toggle a predefined value on and take that off again. The buttons can also work like a trigger, if you press shift + the button. (But in system setup page 2 you can even define the preferred mode for MacroBtn: toggle, trigger, switch or reset.)

Hey brother, just wanted to say this is really great.. the video. Appreciate the help and journey through the machine. Good looks friend! Also, as someone else I see pointed out, this is a fantastic format for the video, with all the different views.

Awesome vid! I love how you managed to fit the mirror in perfectly between the screens. 👌😂

Cuckoo, you are the BEST teacher!

LOL, I posted on your IG for a megatutorial (and here it is). Rock on dude! This thing is dope, I have the Desktop, but probably end up with the KB version.

Reeeally nice tutorial for both issues: sounddesign as well as the hydra thank u for sharing ❤️

wow do i have time in the day for my hydra synth 101 class??? very insightful - as always love your tone and anunciation on all your tutorials. been watching you for years- thanks a million!!! next time i watch this video ill have a note pad and pen- thanks again!

I got my first casio sk-1 synth when I was a little kid, then I got an op-1 a few years ago, and now I got this hydrasynth. mainly because I wanted to learn synthesis and sound design. hydrasynth is amazing bc it takes what a lot of vst plugins do and turned it into hardware. I think it resembles serum the most (?). Having actual knobs is so much more conducive to design. it's like the difference between using a pencil to draw versus using a mouse to draw. but anyway, thank you for such a great vid I learned a lot. it's so much better than going through those dry instruction manuals that read like a spec sheet.

Excellent hands-on demonstration - thank you.

Love that Rhodes patch. The mid and low end is so laid back yet encapsulating cool and groovy.

if all your videos are done the same way this one is then I'm definitely subscribing with no regrets

You have a really didactic style. Really enjoyable. You will probably be responsible for me getting this synth. Thanks.

Thanks Cuckoo! Just picked up the desktop version of this and will definitely reference this video lots. P.S. love your skateboard clips on instagram. We both love skating too!

Amazing tutorial! Great explanation that could be implemented with other synths for sure!

Great vid bro! You are such a pro

Thank you. Great sounds,demo,music!

Thanks a lot for this tutorial! Very handy and enjoyable.

Wow super video, incredibly informative and such an amazing synth, waiting on my desktop version to arrive !

What an amazing beast (device and artist)!

It's funny because I bought my Deepmind 6 and Hydrasynth months ago and haven't used them. Now that I pulled the Hydra out, people are doing all types of tutorials. Thanks! Edit: I don't know anything about music but naturally know how it works. Never played an instrument or Synth and you really helped me understand how to design a sound. THANK YOU!

So glad I found this walkthrough! Very proper breakdown. Thank you!!! Just picked this one up a week ago after a year of looking for an analog poly, and refusing to get a modeling synth... this one blew me away and I stripped myself of the purist mentality ;)

Nicely done. Thanks.

Excellent tutorial. 👏👏👏

Excellent video. I learned & laughed at times 👍

Very informative much appreciated

Amazing tutorial, thank you! ❤

Nice to hear this synth without tons of reverb & echo. Would love a no-talking version of just you making and playing some sounds without fX.

Man timestamp 4:15 sounds like music straight out of Phantasy Star III for the Sega Genesis. Awesome!!!!

excellent as usual sir, I'm ordering the keyboard this week :-)

This is so enjoyable

Awesome presentation, thank you very much for setting this up, keep it coming ;-)

Hi I’m a little late to the party. I’m going to be purchasing a hydra synth. This was a great video thanks !

Hatts off to your knowledge sir

"Oh Hello there..." Awesome Video Brother.

Thank goodness i looked for a hydrasynth video, RU-vid's algorithm changes over lockdown made cuckoo's vids invisible to me even though i'm subbed and have notifications on. 😑

Bravo, plein de bonnes idées. Merci!

This could finally be the one , Yaaaee !. Me and the Hydrasynth ain't friends yet . I'm no synth Wizard , but that Hydra is a tuff cookie to crack. I'll watch this later with some popcorn, just incase I need to throw any at the screen. I've watch quite a few already, but still the penny hasn't dropped for me. I'm tired of sounding like an organ on a merry-go-round. I know this synth does more than that. I prey very deeply !

Okay, it's been 2 years and this still might be the best sounding Rhodes on Hydra in the wild... finally got myself a Hydra Explorer and I'm ready for the tutorial ;) Or maybe Rhoadie is in one of your packs? Thanks for the good work!

Shift is my fav button on all synths man!

I love this video. I need more. Feed me.

44:30 Now it's starting to sound a bit like Mark King of Level 42 on the bass guitar!😀

Best tutorial on Hydrasynth I’ve found... by far! If I had heard this before I sold my Hydrasynth, I wouldn’t have sold it. Now I’m inspired to buy another one, and I’m excited about doing sound design on it… But I’d still love to buy the patches that you made in this video (And more like them). Are they available somewhere? I don’t see them on your site. You are a truly gifted and inspiring teacher…Thank you so much!

The best of this generation I will buy after 10 years of vst world

Great video.very impressed with the sounds you created and can't wait for my Hydrasynth to arrive to try and create some similar sounds . Do you share patches?

Hi Cuckoo! Great video. It's always inspiring to hear your thoughts as you make a patch. Ever since I got the Hydra I've been wondering what you'd do with it. You always bring your own imagination and create these special and beautifully playable patches. Hopefully you will do a Hydrasynth Soundpack :) I know you love key on and key off sounds ;) Have you tried subtly using a second oscillator with keytracking turned all the way down for that? Then you can wavescan and modulate your key on/off sound. It can get a bit crazy, but you have a way of taming crazyness into something nice so I thought it might be interesting :)

The stank face at the 6 minute mark. 😂😂😂

Genius!

7:30 HOLLY SHIT it was even better than this synth😲 You’re the most lovely weird guy on the planet, I fucking love you. PS: And I’m not gay. PS2: And I’ve got this synth and to me this is the best synth of this decade. PS3: Btw I fucking cannot wait the PS5.

Legendary review/demo, that rhodes patch is gorgeous! Is it available anywhere for download?

Creativity was inspiring

Great video as always! I only have money for one synth, should I go with the Hydrasynth or the System-8?

I just got the hydrasynth as my first synth, oh man it's sooo much stuff ahahhahaa

Thanks, very nice video! I also have a Hydrasynth, it's so satisfying to have this enormous bunch of combinations of parameters. BTW, speaking of music... XD What is that BEAUTIFUL chord with that Ab root - at 1:15:20? Is that taken from Debussy?

Feeding the main out into some type of crunchy warm guitar amp would sound great for that quacky funky sound. Like a big tweed Fender amp.

1:09:38 made me think of Ernst Reijseger's "Shadow", from the album Cave of Forgotten Dreams.

You remind me of Mick Fleetwood and the guy who did Fingerbobs in the seventies, the recently passed Rick Jones. Don't worry, it's a compliment as they were also creative geniuses or is it genii or rather, are they genii or even geni or genus? No, that would be like a separate species or genotype. I mean, they would be, plural, obviously. (Edit; I mean they are also creative geniuses, present tense, except Rick who was, not Mick, yet).

0:37 "The Hydrasynth from ASM", he says, with his ASMR voice! :-)

I pre-ordered the Expressive E Osmose, *EDIT yes because of you Cuckoo ;D But now with all the delay ect. I'm thinking the ASM would be maybe a better option for me. It has poly aftertouch and the possibilities seems endless. Cuckoo already has the Hydrasynth and will get the Osmose ofcoase for free ( I assume ) If you could only get one,, witch one would be a solid choice? Somehow I think the Hydra plays more fun.

I love that you play Axel F on all these reviews I've seen. My synth journey began when I watched a dancing Frankenstein play that on a synth while waiting in line at Universal Studios. I'd never seen or heard something like that, and when I look back, the dream thence expressed that a machine could create any sound just blew my little mind.

can you please share the roadie patch? :) love it!

I love your mirror