Nyström Hum 2: Experimental Synth with a Sixth Sense
4,3 / 5,0 | 
Nyström Hum 2 is a delightfully quirky multitimbral synth with three parts, a generative sequencer, and lots of sensors for expressive control.
Nyström Hum 2
Swedish developer Albert Nyström is known for experimental and expressive instruments such as the Crum Hum synth and the Crum Drum drum machine. He’s also collaborated with Love Hultén and Analog Sweden on Crum 2, an intriguing generative beat making machine. His latest creation is Hum 2, a 3-part multitimbral synth for “expressive performance and sonic exploration”.
Hum 2 has three parts controlled by touch pads. For each part, you can choose from a variety of sound engines, such as subtractive, FM, wavetables, organ, and “experimental engines”, though it remains to be seen what this means. Each part can produce a monophonic melody voice or chords, selectable via switches.
For expressive control, the synth provides an array of unusual sensors. In addition to a distance sensor, Hum 2 has a light sensor and a gyroscope, allowing you to modulate sounds by tilting the housing along the X and Y axes. Along with two additional touch pads, these sensors can be assigned to any knob on the panel.
Four assignable LFOs perform additional modulation duties. Three built-in send effects (reverb, delay, overdrive) are the icing on the cake.
Each of the three parts has its own 64-step sequencer for loops and generative patterns, which are quantized to one of the 17 selectable scales.
Besides stereo and headphone outputs, Hum 2 offers a USB port for MIDI and audio. It also plays well with modular systems thanks to three CV outputs, two CV inputs, and sync I/O.
Price and Availability
As of today, Nyström hasn’t shared the release date and price, although it’s “coming soon”. You can sign up for the newsletter on the developer’s website, so you don’t miss the official announcement.
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