Nyström Instruments - HUM 2

A delightfully unconventional digital synthesizer that generates its own melodies, chords and drones, with three independent voices and a curious collection of sensors for interacting with the sound.

HUM 2 is essentially a little three-part electronic ensemble, with each voice running its own synthesis engine and generative sequencer. There are 14 engines to choose from, covering everything from classic sawtooth and pulse waves to FM, wavetables, organ, formant synthesis, Karplus-Strong and some decidedly glitchy stuff. You could have a plucky bassline on one voice, a wandering FM melody on another and a sustained drone running underneath it all. The three sequencers can generate new notes according to adjustable rhythm and probability settings, with scale quantisation keeping everything musically related. If a sequence develops into something you like, flick the LOOP switch and it becomes a repeating pattern of up to 64 steps. You can also play chords, shape each voice with its own tone, decay and filter controls, and add movement with four assignable LFOs and built-in delay, reverb and overdrive.

And then there's the physical side of things. Anyone who remembers Roland's D-Beam might recognise the appeal of waving a hand above a synthesizer, but HUM 2 takes that idea a little further. Its six sensors respond to distance, light, tilting on two axes and pressure on two capacitive touch pads, and can be assigned to virtually any knob on the panel. Each voice also has three playing pads for triggering notes with velocity and bending their pitch. You can use these controls to intervene in the generative sequences, or simply play the instrument yourself. With CV, MIDI and USB audio connections, HUM 2 can also quite easily work alongside your modular system, DAW or other hardware. If you've been on the hunt for an interesting generative synthesizer, HUM 2 is certainly worth a closer look!

Features:

• Three-voice multitimbral digital synthesizer with independent synthesis engines and sequencing
• 14 sound engines: Sawtooth, Pulse, Basic Wave, three Wavetables, 2-Op FM, 3-Op FM, FM Pluck, FM Pad, Organ, Formant, Karplus-Strong and Glitch
• Three independent generative sequencers with lengths of 1–64 steps
• Adjustable rhythmic density and probability of generating new notes
• Switchable fixed-loop and chord modes for each voice
• Scale quantisation, including microtonal tuning options
• Individual voice controls for tone, decay, low-pass/high-pass filtering and pitch range
• Drone mode with sustained notes
• Nine touch-sensitive performance pads for velocity and pitch bending
• Six assignable sensors: Distance (0–40 cm), Light, Tilt X/Y and Touch 1/2
• Sensor mapping with adjustable sensitivity, modulation polarity and zero-point calibration
• Four assignable LFOs with six waveforms and optional tempo synchronisation
• Built-in delay, reverb and overdrive with individual voice sends
• 500 preset memory slots
• Three assignable CV outputs (0–5 V)
• Two CV inputs (0–10 V), one shared with Sync In
• Sync Out and TRS MIDI In/Out (Type A)
• USB-C for power, MIDI and audio
• Stereo 6.35 mm line outputs and headphone output
• Dimensions: 305 × 195 × 42 mm
• Designed in Sweden