Five Things I Love about the Dreadbox Nymphes 1. Easily Created Modulations (04:12) 2. Assignable Polyphonic Aftertouch (06:21) 3. LFO 1-Shot Mode (07:43) 4. LFO Delay and Fade (11:17) 5. Tri Mode Behavior (13:23)
Efcharisto Kirios Woofer und danke! It truly is a stunning little polyphonic synth. Do I wish it had 2 oscillators per voice? Hell yeah...but if that meant it were less programmable, I would probably prefer it just the way it is.
@@ProckGnosis Do you use USB cable for connection to computer as midi-controller? I am asking because I have the same one but haven't connected it to my computer yet
@@DevAlexOpenSource No, I'm usually using a direct midi cable out from the Hydrasynth to the "midi in" of whatever hardware I'm controlling. I guess I should have clarified I think it's a great controller for other hardware, mostly because of the polyAT and the CV and gate out lines. That, and it's just enjoyable to play as a keyboard.
When did you pick up a hydrasynth? I got one (well the explorer version) earlier this year and gotta say that it's quite a lot of fun. Good to know that Nymphes can be controlled with a hydra for poly after touch action. :)
Hey Rob...picked it up last year sometime. Even did a video with it and the Dreadbox Kinematic...last...uh...August?? Yep. Shit. Almost a year ago. I was going to say "5 or 6 months ago", but that's just the flash-bang nature of "covid time" messing with my memory. I absolutely love the Hydrasynth as an enjoyable, deeply programmable, and playable synth. The only thing that doesn't entirely float my boat is the core sound. I have 3 or 4 VA synths and several wavetable softsynths that I easily prefer the base sound of. You staying cool and smoke free back there in the states? Hope so...
Great examples and great presentation, very easy to follow. One question, on my Hydrasynth Deluxe, I have to set the AT sensitivity to the highest level (Very Hard) or the pressure response is too difficult to subtly control. Have you found this to be the case also, or is it just me? Really digging the combo of these two machines. The Nymphes is such a great bargain, I can afford to pick up a dedicated chorus pedal for it.
I would have to check the setting on the Hydrasynth AT, but for me it feels better and has been easier to use than most AT I've run into. And yeah, the Hydrasynth is amazing as a controller for any module I have, especially given the CV and gate out options.
@@MichaelRohaly That's interesting that they have a different feel than the 49 key original. I do love the splits/doubles and the extra 2 octaves. All of my keyboards have slightly different feels, and the Seaboard Rise 49 is very different altogether, so it's just a personal settings dial in/get used to the feel thing I guess.
Thanks Mark. Yeah, I think the max you can stack is 2 mods deep, and one of the mods has to be controlled strictly with a slider. You can use one of the main four modulators (MW, pressure, velocity, and LFO2) to modulate one of the slider-controlled modulators like LFO1. For instance, you could use velocity to affect the LFO1 rate, and then use LFO1 to modulate the pitch (adding vibrato), letting you control vibrato speed with how much velocity you strike the key with.
Regarding the tri-mode, how does that affect the attack level between notes if you do a three note chord with long release? If you release the keys and make another three note chord, will all these notes start with the attack level where the release level was left? This would leave out the typical sucking effect that happens when note stealing occure, because after all, tri mode means three note polyphony. Have you tried to see how the envelopes behaves between three note chords? Do they reset?
Assuming I'm understanding what you're describing, then yes. All 3 notes act like 3 individual, classic style mono synth notes, sliding up to the next note (assuming there's some glide setting), and inheriting the amp and filter envelope setting from the previous note (wherever it was in the envelop execution). The Dreadbox Abyss did the same thing, so it was much less obvious when you hit your maximum polyphony count (which was 4 with the Dreadbox Abyss) and played a new chord. There was no abrupt cutoff with a new key press to restart the envelopes. Said slightly differently: so if you have an envelope setting with a slow attack, it doesn't force the filter cutoff and amp settings back to zero with the new key press. Hopefully that makes sense.
@@FredF78 That was something I tried to highlight in the video...I haven't ever (other than my Dreadbox Abyss) seen that behavior in a polyphonic analog synth, and being a 70s-prog-loving monosynth kind of guy (when classic monosynths were at their peak), I thought it was great!
@@ProckGnosis I see you had that ambition in the video but not sure gliding solo plus 2 note chord prooved that to me. I believe its solved by sharing the envelope between the voices like a three voice paraphonic mode, just like how the Microfreak implemented it. If you hold a key and retrigger another one will both notes start the envelope attack again? (From the given position of course).
@@FredF78 I don't believe it behaves paraphonically. Otherwise when I demo 2 notes being held, and then I solo with the third voice over those 2 notes being held, the filter and amplitude envelopes execute independently for that one solo voice that is re-triggering while the other 2 are being held. The 2 notes being held do not retrigger when I'm playing that 3rd voice like a solo monosynth. Each of the three 3 voice in tri-mode truly do act independently (including their filter and amplitude envelopes).
If there is, then I broke it. That's a German-style mug of beer! I usually have a beer nearby in the opening bit...that's why I refer to it in the notes as the "babble-and-breswki" part of the video.
![SahBabii - Viking [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/D37cL92JX0I/mqdefault.jpg)
Five Things I Love about the Dreadbox Nymphes
1. Easily Created Modulations (04:12)
2. Assignable Polyphonic Aftertouch (06:21)
3. LFO 1-Shot Mode (07:43)
4. LFO Delay and Fade (11:17)
5. Tri Mode Behavior (13:23)
The charts were great for learning, thanks!
Cool...glad it helped. Despite the slight bump building the muscle memory, once you start to get it, this is a fairly easy synth to use, I think...
Always great to see a new video! Great demo and wonderful sounds!
Hoi Marc! Bedankt. Het klinkt wel leuk moet ik zeggen. And you can really program some beautiful sounding patches with it.
thats a super intro!
Efcharisto! I liked the electric piano vibe...didn't expect to get that out of the Nymphes.
Great info Slim! -Fisher
Yo! How's my favorite drumming ex-bandmate doing? Staying cool during this hot summer I hope...
Super helpful info, thank you!!
You're welcome...glad it was helpful.
How come I wasn’t subscribed??? Very nice video!
Efcharisto Kirios Woofer und danke! It truly is a stunning little polyphonic synth. Do I wish it had 2 oscillators per voice? Hell yeah...but if that meant it were less programmable, I would probably prefer it just the way it is.
Cool! Hydrasynth!
Yeah, it's a decent sounding synth (and very programmable), but it's also an amazing midi controller
@@ProckGnosis Do you use USB cable for connection to computer as midi-controller? I am asking because I have the same one but haven't connected it to my computer yet
@@DevAlexOpenSource No, I'm usually using a direct midi cable out from the Hydrasynth to the "midi in" of whatever hardware I'm controlling. I guess I should have clarified I think it's a great controller for other hardware, mostly because of the polyAT and the CV and gate out lines. That, and it's just enjoyable to play as a keyboard.
I think the Hydrasynth can also do 1-shot LFOs but then you have 5 envelopes already 😂
Yeah, I wish other synths were so well equipped with LFOs and envelopes!
When did you pick up a hydrasynth? I got one (well the explorer version) earlier this year and gotta say that it's quite a lot of fun. Good to know that Nymphes can be controlled with a hydra for poly after touch action. :)
Hey Rob...picked it up last year sometime. Even did a video with it and the Dreadbox Kinematic...last...uh...August?? Yep. Shit. Almost a year ago. I was going to say "5 or 6 months ago", but that's just the flash-bang nature of "covid time" messing with my memory.
I absolutely love the Hydrasynth as an enjoyable, deeply programmable, and playable synth. The only thing that doesn't entirely float my boat is the core sound. I have 3 or 4 VA synths and several wavetable softsynths that I easily prefer the base sound of.
You staying cool and smoke free back there in the states? Hope so...
Great examples and great presentation, very easy to follow. One question, on my Hydrasynth Deluxe, I have to set the AT sensitivity to the highest level (Very Hard) or the pressure response is too difficult to subtly control. Have you found this to be the case also, or is it just me? Really digging the combo of these two machines. The Nymphes is such a great bargain, I can afford to pick up a dedicated chorus pedal for it.
I would have to check the setting on the Hydrasynth AT, but for me it feels better and has been easier to use than most AT I've run into. And yeah, the Hydrasynth is amazing as a controller for any module I have, especially given the CV and gate out options.
The feel of the Deluxe and the 49 key is indeed different. I've tried out three Deluxes and I haven't replaced my 49 key yet for that reason.
@@MichaelRohaly That's interesting that they have a different feel than the 49 key original. I do love the splits/doubles and the extra 2 octaves. All of my keyboards have slightly different feels, and the Seaboard Rise 49 is very different altogether, so it's just a personal settings dial in/get used to the feel thing I guess.
Cool video as usual. Can you stack modulation, say having the amount of poly AT control the fading in/out vibrato?
Thanks Mark. Yeah, I think the max you can stack is 2 mods deep, and one of the mods has to be controlled strictly with a slider. You can use one of the main four modulators (MW, pressure, velocity, and LFO2) to modulate one of the slider-controlled modulators like LFO1. For instance, you could use velocity to affect the LFO1 rate, and then use LFO1 to modulate the pitch (adding vibrato), letting you control vibrato speed with how much velocity you strike the key with.
Regarding the tri-mode, how does that affect the attack level between notes if you do a three note chord with long release? If you release the keys and make another three note chord, will all these notes start with the attack level where the release level was left? This would leave out the typical sucking effect that happens when note stealing occure, because after all, tri mode means three note polyphony. Have you tried to see how the envelopes behaves between three note chords? Do they reset?
Assuming I'm understanding what you're describing, then yes. All 3 notes act like 3 individual, classic style mono synth notes, sliding up to the next note (assuming there's some glide setting), and inheriting the amp and filter envelope setting from the previous note (wherever it was in the envelop execution). The Dreadbox Abyss did the same thing, so it was much less obvious when you hit your maximum polyphony count (which was 4 with the Dreadbox Abyss) and played a new chord. There was no abrupt cutoff with a new key press to restart the envelopes. Said slightly differently: so if you have an envelope setting with a slow attack, it doesn't force the filter cutoff and amp settings back to zero with the new key press. Hopefully that makes sense.
@@ProckGnosis Satisfying answer. I think this is not a common behavior among low voice polys from what I have noticed. I am getting a Nymphes then.
@@FredF78 That was something I tried to highlight in the video...I haven't ever (other than my Dreadbox Abyss) seen that behavior in a polyphonic analog synth, and being a 70s-prog-loving monosynth kind of guy (when classic monosynths were at their peak), I thought it was great!
@@ProckGnosis I see you had that ambition in the video but not sure gliding solo plus 2 note chord prooved that to me. I believe its solved by sharing the envelope between the voices like a three voice paraphonic mode, just like how the Microfreak implemented it. If you hold a key and retrigger another one will both notes start the envelope attack again? (From the given position of course).
@@FredF78 I don't believe it behaves paraphonically. Otherwise when I demo 2 notes being held, and then I solo with the third voice over those 2 notes being held, the filter and amplitude envelopes execute independently for that one solo voice that is re-triggering while the other 2 are being held. The 2 notes being held do not retrigger when I'm playing that 3rd voice like a solo monosynth. Each of the three 3 voice in tri-mode truly do act independently (including their filter and amplitude envelopes).
is there a law requiring anyone making a video about synthesizers to show coffee at the start i dont get it
If there is, then I broke it. That's a German-style mug of beer! I usually have a beer nearby in the opening bit...that's why I refer to it in the notes as the "babble-and-breswki" part of the video.