Sonic LAB: SOMA Lyra 8 Drone Synth
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- The SOMA Laborary Lyra 8 is a Russian drone synthesizer with 8 tunable voices each, FM, dual delay, hyper LFO and distortion. It makes some pretty incredible sounds, but is not a standard instrument.
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So basically anything from an opium-fuelled utopian dream cityscape wonderland to a bag of dying cats in an industrial pipe? I like it :)
lmao im dying.
It might also be a Church Organ made of volcanic glass under the Surface of Mars in a Billion year old Temple .
@@IndigoBassNotes That scares me way more than the dying cats in the industrial pipe. Guess I've been watching Alien vs Predator too often.
I've had one for 6 months. It's one of the more difficult instruments
in the sense it can take 20+ minutes to 'find' a good sound....but
god-dammit, when you DO find a good sound, it's worth ten times the
effort put in. Vlad Kreimer is a genius.
This is straight out of the 70’s. The experimental/avant-garde guys are gonna LOVE this.
yeah man, this thing is somehow my favorite instrument of all my synths. Something about it just cannot get me to put it down. I absolutely love it. it literally becomes a part of your imagination. great synth.
Exactly right!
3 years later, any thoughts?
Been following the development of this wonderful machine from the beginning. Never thought that the master reviewer-in-chief himself would bring it on his show.
How could I not?
This is a very good review of a synth that is extremely difficult to review. As Nick points out, in playing with Lyra one is continually stumbling across moments of great beauty which are essentially irreplicable. The Lyra's range is wide, her sound is deep. She truly is something else.
I often use this machine in my work, from heavy drones to bittersweet underlays in ambient tracks, great instrument!
Three years later and it's already an absolute classic!
It is not. Maybe in your mind. No need to exaggerate man.
@@ZenMountain no it definitely is
So true (5 years later)
woah. It's like Twin Peaks Season 3, Episode 8 in audio. Fascinating and frankly terrifying. I like it.
🤣
Agree.
"If you're into military history..." Oh yes, yes I am, and I loved that reference.
Yeah it worked for me but im old.
Most original synth I've ever met. It asks you a totally open mind, which can be a very rewarding behaviour.
Buy a Korg Nu Tekt for your Lyra 8. It means you’ll get quality stereo chorus, ensemble and shimmer/hall/space/plate/submarine reverbs. You’ll love your Lyra even more.
I was not expecting to be 3x more interested in this after hearing it as an effects unit. Wowzers!
I think the external processor is a huge plus
21:02
Absolutely stunning piece of ambient!
Wow, what a sound.
the sound of a 800 euros reverb...
It's like the perfect post-modern love child of a Buchla and a Ciat Lonbarde instrument. That low end is utterly manic. Not for everyone, but what an amazing artifact and instrument.
This thing is suitable for being part of a new Blade Runner soundtrack. I would love it :-)
Loving this piece of gear and its non-linear approach. Great review, by the way.
I was just going to say... soundtrack machine right here..
In this context linear means literally non convencional my son.
@D’Marco Jackson I don't think it's specific to synths in this context but making a machine that works how the brain works--it's not just a simple action a leads to result b process, but a thing where you have to explore other aspects on the way.
In Soviet Russia, synthesizer plays you.
nix ix so fresh
true😂
Oh man, you're so smart and funny. Thank you, thank you.
Audio Degradation is up 8.7% this year, Comrade.
Mine came yesterday, I only contacted them about a month ago! This is a truly paradigm breaking instrument!
16:30 That sound is beautifully gnarly. I definitely need a Lyra 8 in my life.
I can confirm its worth it...a wormhole into a unknown Universe.....I explore and still realize its quite vast and mysterious.
Is Vlad the new Buchla?
A control freak's nightmare. A Dionysian dream.
This is a very interesting instrument with many possibilities. The inventor has explored what is almost intuitive controlling of the sound output. It would have been nice if he had made it perhaps a little more "accessible" to us more conventional musician (and also the people still learning). Vlad Kreimer is a unique performer so the design should not be surprising. I don't know if I would really buy one but I find it very interesting.
So what you're saying is, someone disassembled a DSI Mono Evolver and reassembled it in a white box with cool looking trigger buttons! 😜 But seriously, it looks like a fascinating instrument that could be great, frustrating fun - and produce some great sounds! (now, back to mapping that Launch Control XL...)
Great timing. I ordered mine a few months ago and just paid for it last night so am expecting one in the next week or two. I never considered it as an effects unit but now think that's what it'll spend most of its time doing followed by evenings with it on my lap with some wine and a portable recorder.
I watched a bunch or reviews before yours, but you sold me on this thing... I should have 1 by Friday! My favorite demo from you was at 16:19 --> FM control explanation is f'n priceless. It really explains the entire machine - it works unexpectedly, which is what I love... I'm still laughing!
Stripped down synthesiser innards? Phwoar, you're spoiling us this Friday!
Its just so purtee inside though
The nonlinearity makes the device highly sensitive to initial conditions as in chaos theory. I guess, as Nick stated, to use in traditional music it is best to hit record and go back later to the bits you got that you like and keep them as samples. Patching up a modular synth to do something similar would take a large rig! I confess that I am intrigued.
I've sort of Got the sounds with a VST, but looking forward to get one actually
The SOMA Labs Lyra 8 sounds amazing. Every control has so much sensitivity; it gives you infinite possibilities and combinations for experimentation.
Not only an amazingly cool instrument, but a spot-on perfect review... Nick really nails everything about this, he's perfectly even-handed and really gives a sense of what this unit is and its up- and downsides.
Now that I owned and used one for almost a year (second revision in orange I might add) I strongly have to argue against Nick's statement that it's basically impossible to recreate any patches. Yes, it's quite difficult to remember the settings when one is just playing around with it - but that's also true for most modular environments. From my experience, it's an instrument that requires you do fully digest its possibilities and rely on your ears + memory/gut feeling for how it reacts to which settings. Once you're there, it's quite easy actually (except the fiddly LFO). So... yes, it takes commitment and most people will likely not want to spend the time unlearning what they can normally rely on. If you do, however, and any don't need keyboards or CV, it's a frickin' fantastic box of trippy journeys.
Wow, this would be EXCELLENT for Ambient & Drones!!!!! A+++++++++++
I must have this. Not many people understand the beauty of un-repeatable freeform music. I think that's what he means by "non-linear"... you're not playing a memorized song or using any established techniques, just flowing with the sounds and letting things happen organically.
You can do this with normal synths too, but it's great to see an instrument specifically built for music that is impossible to predict or repeat.
Its inventor Vlad Kreimer is very interesting person. He attaches analog synths and controllers on his body and move/dance with them.
portwain Oh wow... So fresh!!! *sarcasm*
Wow TheLT, great comment!!! *sarcasm*
Voss I will clarify. Attaching shit to your body doesn't make you an interesting person. :)
Found the one who's mommy won't buy them a Lyra 8.
Who might that be?
This sounds perfect for ambience type music.
I just rechecked my order for timelines. Placed pre-order 14th July. Delivery expected tomorrow or Thursday so 4 1/2 months. Not too bad since you don't pay until ready to ship.
Love it. Great to see something different for once thats not only in modular!
0:50 You killed me😂😂😂
i do have to admit, i read the title of the synth in the other way.......
4yrs ago? wow i was thinking the Lyra came out at the beginning of 2022 Anyway, Im here to see how to play its silver keys. Havent figured that out yet
Wow - great review Nick, thank you! What a wonderful box of noises it seems to be. I could never afford it but it looks/sounds to be 85% of the way to classic/genius level synth IMHO (100% being Synthi, Buchla Easel, 2600). Soon as I heard the delay from flicking off the vibrato I thought BBC 1950s - Radiophonic Workshop!
Has to be the freakiest sounding synth next to Buchla's Music Easel. Great review, Nick!
you could it live and just say 'nothing will be recorded or sampled - you come to the gig or you don't' Team it up with a Kastel or two and you are truly unique.
"T-34s or T-32s, if you're interested in millitary history.... (probably not)" Haha made my day x) But as a matter of fact I am, so the famous soviet tanks involved in WW2 (battle of Kursk, summer 1943, I just checked that out though) were T-34s ;)
This video will extend the waiting list for another six months...
Wow is it that long?
Great timing! Mine arrived the same day the video was posted. I waited 13 months for mine, including an additional month when I moved to the waiting list for the black case.
Man. I'd just like the delay section as a module. The self oscillation sounds great.
And they did it!
looking forward to seeing your review of the most recent "organismic" synth, or rather, the new organismic drum machine...
You went full David Mitchell / Mark Corrigan with that military history gag. ❤️
your appreciation with electronics and sonic space really captivates and resonates with me. i love your content and thank you for hating the op-z! this lyra is really interesting thanks for showcasing it!
Nicely done Nick. If nothing else, this instrument provokes the conversation about instrumental technique, which is valid. And as you allude to the holy grail for electronic music... to be as directly expressive as a violin (or trumpet or saxophone, to include the major food groups). An observation: the best electronic music has some sort of very hands on component. i.e. Switched on Bach - played in in real time by Wendy Carlos, anything by Sobotinick or Éliane Radigue spending months and years with the ARP 2500. She learned how to PLAY this thing.!
this thing is amazing! so excited to check out more about this. makes me think of the swarmitron sorta and that thing is something i always wanted
You can still use a Bitwig's CV calibration (or expert sleeper's silent way plugin suite) to control pitch from a DAW.
Love seeing/hearing solid state again
This thing sounds incredible. I'm emailing this guy right now and getting on the waiting list.
Loving the non-linear gear!
still waiting to hear this machine on Portishead's 4th album...c'mon Adrian!
okay so this + Landscape Stereo Field...
"And when I get that feeling, I get sexual healing" @ 17:31 😂
Ordered one last Month. This vid makes the waiting time even worse :D
I don't have a use for it, but I love it anyways!
I'm guessing Trent and Atticus already have three of these?
Staple in their studio apparently
what a beast this is! thanks for introducing it, Nick!
Right up my street. Unfortunately I can't afford the rent : (
oops...on the list...there is always the tent...
Thanks for the honest review, saved me! Might get the delay module.
This is a historic synth. Peace Christo👽🎶🐕❤️
Digeridoo + bees + lawnmower
It's a Brian Eno machine !
Lars Bjerregaard I thought the same thing. I wonder if he’s got one, or on the list for one... 🤔
2600 is fantastic to play with.
IF he doesn't have one I would build and send him one, but I bet he'll get one if he sees this.
Hi Nick... too bad you didn't take the time to read the manual - RTFM, mate ;-)) You would have seen that you can subtly modulate the sound (and the enveloppe), more or less like with an after touch keyboard with the lower pads of each key. As for the cv input, you slightly missed the point: the LFO/FB CV switch directs the FM feedback of voices 34>12, 12>34, 78>56, 56>78, the centre switch so to speak looping the loop by either linking 34 (left block) to the 56 (right one) and/or 78 (last pair) to 12 (first pair). So, when you turn the mod knobs over voices 3-4, you adjust the level of FB (or FM MOD) from osc 1-2. Yep, I admit it is a bit tricky and that explains why you couldn't really properly drive the osc with the cv from the external kb. Anyway, that machine really resurrects the spirit (and the building quality) of the EMS synthi A and VCS3!
Bubz of Steel: no surprise it went over your head, with all the things you have to do, try, test, review, show and explain. And I must admit that some instruments/devices/modules are, like nice and easy to access (mastering them being another story): the best example being the Theremin, a two paragraph instruction sheet is enough, then you have a lifetime to dream of becoming Clara Rockmore or Dorit Chrysler (btw, 90% are female virtuosi) while on the other hand you need a lifetime to guess wot is wot with, say, a jomox M or T resonator pedal, then, once the hurdle behind you, you get immediate results... To make a long story short, you could qualify that interesting dilemma the Moog approach vs the Buchla one. Methink it could make a good topic for a Sonic Talk 😋
Jean Bonnefoy could you do a youtube vid showing this please?
It was a joke, get over it.
Glad to see this reviewed by Sonicstate!
Seems like the kind of thing you could get lost in for hours.
I want one so bad.
Bravo! You explained the unexplainable.
Wow, incredibly cool! I would love getting lost in this! Too bad the porphyria (blood disorder, from pops exposure to Agent Orange, in Vietnam) has got me on a “volca” budget! 😂
Nick Batt really pushing that sharp knob
Beautiful. I love the lyre 8 !
Incredible! What would I do without Sonicstate, gg
ooooft lovely.
Just received mine today and it's awesome. It's true it is very limited in it's flexibility if you are attached to modern western harmony, but I don't believe that was the intention here. I think he is deliberately steering people into sonic exploration and throwing away the 12 tone octave for a bit. Just get lost in the analog madness.
I play this strange instrument called The Apprehension Engine. Very atonal. I'm having fun embellishing the weirdness with the Lyra.
For my music world it makes a perfect duo with my Ms20
Can't believe you didn't use the Ventris reverb with this!
Great review, well explained. This is a very interesting new kind of instrument, good to see new ideas reaching fruition.
This might be the one for me.
Soma Lyra 8 reminds me a lot of my recently acquired Folktek Mescaline psychedelic modular synthesizer system.
Both are quirky, esoteric, sophisticated, strange, and unpredictable. With both synths, as Nick Batt says, you need to start recording as soon as you turn them on. You will stumble on to unrepeatable magic.
Lyra 8 makes industrial, aggressive, weird, haunting, horrible, scientific sounds. Exactly what I want for my abstract soundscapes. Thanks Nick. Today, this becsme the next synth I will buy.
Sounds awesome! That delay is aweaome
Thank you Nick for this great review! I was on the fence about getting one for quite some time but finally got on the list a few months back. I will probably have mine by the beginning of 2018. And as you mentioned I don't "need" it but want it. Cheers.
This is a live tweak machine and I want one!
Lustmord needs this!
Wow i want one of these Nick.. You really are knowledgeable about your gear.. Awesome Review..Thanks for sharing..
Was it me or did Nick have a shave for the summary at the end ... compare 19:50 to 20:03. Lol! Great review as ever. Double thumbs!!
+mrfunkyfunkybeat yeah busted. I said orgasmic synthesizer and had to reshoot the end. but had a shave over the weekend
sonicstate that makes me ridiculously happy
Sold
Such unique gear and organic sounds, To my ears it has a lot of that 'S.A.W. II' by Aphex Twin sound and atmosphere, hard to explain really, sounds and textures that exist somewhere between reality, subciousness and dreams (can be nightmares too), it touches deeply inside and you become addicted to it, can't wait for mine to arrive tomorrow!
I had one but ended up selling it. Interesting as it is the sound range isn’t as dynamic as I had hope. Mostly it’s a lot of noise and screeching. It also seems like people always end up in the same place when they talk about the “good” sounds the Lyra can make.
I had one of these on pre-order for a while. I was originally interested in the kit, but that didn't happen. Unfortunately, when it was ready to go, the price went up enough that I couldn't justify it.
Sounds awesome, though. Your intro would have fit right in the background of a Kubrick movie.
Great video of a great instrument 🎼
Wow, love it! It looks easy modable/hackable.
DEVO & KRAFTWERK come to mind. 🎶🎹🎶
More Eno than Eno. Intriguing...
Oh my freaking God ! When you brought in the FM ,it EXPLODED ! And ....then .... the TR- 8 That was THE best sounding effexts i ever heard on a TR-8 , my sweet lörd , if that doesnt make you a fan , i dont know what will. •(˚!˚)•.
That should be the outro, goddamit Nick....it sounds AMAZING"......
DIY Kit is ready to roll out, just grab that n hire a tech to put it together and add in mods. You ca have a tech CC the crap out of it. Hang out at a local college/university electronics lab and hire a whiz kid. Hundred bucks and a case of beer usually does the trick for a student, and they get to be creative with their craft, you get a 800 synth for a quarter the price.
Good thought. And that would be a bargain, but the parts and case are going to be a little more - I think the $100 for the DIY kit gets you the parts list and the boards only, but would need to check
Correct, 100 with a few rare parts, another 150ish for parts, another 100+ for case materials, and then all the work.
I'll never understand how little people value time and labor.
Yes thats why I built one back then ;)
Very well done Nick, thank you
I love it... shame it's not stereo.. but it's a magic brick that i will probably keep forever
Other worldly, love it
electro Sunn 0))) in a box?