Pad · Manual p. 12, 92–94
Poly aftertouch swell
Make each note of a chord respond to its own finger pressure: PolyAftT to cutoff and WaveScan.
Load it in the playground1
Why it works
Most keyboards send one pressure value for the whole keyboard (channel or mono aftertouch). The Deluxe’s Polytouch keybed sends pressure for every key separately, so a single note in a chord can swell while the others stay put.
Filter cutoff is a per-voice destination, so it can follow each finger independently.
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On the Hydrasynth Deluxe
- 1.
Press [INIT] twice. In FILTER CONTROLS select FILTER 1, set CUTOFF low (around 50) and RESONANCE around 30.
Manual p. 23, 54
- 2.
Press [MOD MATRIX] and press a slot’s Control button to enter assign mode. Turn the top knob to choose PolyAftT.
Manual p. 92, 94
- 3.
Press the bottom Control button for the destination, then turn the top-panel CUTOFF knob to select it (Shortcut 3).
Manual p. 92
- 4.
Set Depth with the bottom Control knob. Add a second route from PolyAftT to Osc 1 WaveScan if OSC 1 is in WaveScan mode.
Manual p. 92, 95
- 5.
Press [ENV 2]: Attack about 0.25 s, Release about 1.6 s. Play a chord and lean into one key.
Manual p. 59
You should hear…
One voice of the chord blooms and brightens under your finger while the rest stays dark: like a string player leaning into a note.
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Variations
- Route PolyAftT to Osc 1 Pitch with a small depth for per-note vibrato-style bends.
- Use MonoAftT instead to hear the difference: every note opens together.
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Questions
- What is polyphonic aftertouch?
- Pressure measured separately for each key after it is pressed. It lets one note in a chord be modulated without affecting the others.
- Does every Hydrasynth destination respond per note?
- No. Shared destinations such as Reverb Time take the latest value from any key; per-voice parameters like filter cutoff follow each note (manual p. 93).