ASM (Ashun Sound Machines), the company behind the Hydrasynth, has just shipped firmware 1.2 for the Leviasynth, the flagship synth it unveiled at NAMM 2026. The headline: the Sequencer Entropy Deviation engine is now finished. On paper, a single changelog line. In practice, it changes how you actually write music on this thing.
A sequencer that generates its own variations
The idea behind Entropy is to spin up instant, musically coherent variations from a pattern you already have. Version 1.2 goes beyond a random roll of the dice: you dial in the deviation amount per step, with an offset option across all steps, then save any derived pattern you like straight away. Randomness stops being a slot machine you’re stuck with and becomes a tool you frame and capture. That’s exactly the line between a generative gimmick and a real writing lever.
The update also brings a long list of bug fixes and a dedicated sequencer walkthrough video. Nothing flashy on the surface, but that steady support cadence is exactly what built ASM’s name: the Hydrasynth gained major features for free years after launch. Buying an ASM instrument is a bet on a synth that keeps growing — a real argument at this price point.
A quick recap: what the Leviasynth is
The Leviasynth isn’t yet another clone. It’s a rethink of FM synthesis built for 2026: 16-voice polyphony, 8 operators per voice and seven synthesis types freely combined across more than 140 algorithms, with morphing. You’re a long way from the sine-only DX era: over 300 waveforms are on tap as sources.
What gives the instrument its character is the digital-into-analog signal path at the output stage. The FM/algorithmic core runs into a 4-pole analog low-pass filter (24 dB/octave) with Q compensation and a pre-drive stage, backed by 18 digital filter models including MS-20-style emulations. That’s where FM’s potential brittleness warms up.
Around that engine sits a generous modulation arsenal: up to 13 envelopes, 5 LFOs, a deep mod matrix with per-voice offsets and Macro control, a three-track sequencer and an eight-mode arpeggiator with Ratchet, Probability and… Entropy — hence why today’s update matters. Two formats are offered: a 61-note semi-weighted Polytouch keyboard, or a desktop with 16 Polytouch pads, rack- and VESA-compatible. Expect around $2,499 for the keyboard and $1,799 for the desktop.
My take
I’ve watched plenty of “generative” features that were just dressed-up randomness — great for a demo, never opened again. ASM’s logic strikes me as healthier: you start from a pattern you wrote, let it drift in a controlled way, and keep what works. It’s an idea accelerator, not a crutch for a stuck composer. And on an FM synth — famously dry to program — having a sequencer that offers leads without ever taking control away from you is precisely what the FM machines of the ’80s lacked. The real question is the price: at this level the Leviasynth is up against heavyweights, and sonic depth will settle it, not the feature count.
For more context, we broke down another ambitious hybrid with the Isla Electronics Caladan and its swappable voice cards, and looked at a different take on the generative gesture with the Tweakbench Tendril. Full specs live on the Ashun Sound Machines site.
