Hydrasynth Explorer : Seemingly endless array of options, actually pretty easy to use too

This smaller synth has: no non-sense user interface (in fact it very usable); top drawers sound quality: there’s a clarity and depth to the sound which is quite impressive.

The ‘module select’ buttons form a schematic which details the signal path within, from three oscillators through mutators, ring-noise, mixer, two filters, five LFOs, five envelopes, pre-FX, delay, reverb and post-FX.

For this price point it is remarkable the presence of polyphonic aftertouch (each note can be modulated independently by applying additional pressure while holding down keys.)

Alkaline batteries is a nice alternative but keep in mind that battery life is limited to a few hours.

“Portable”, in this case, has to be intended only in the most technical of senses.

In the end: a seemingly endless array of options, actually pretty easy to use too.