How Soma make unusual synths
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- Опубликовано: 30 июн 2024
- In this talk, Soma's Vlad Kreimer explains the unique difference behind 'organismic' synths like the Lyra-8 or Terra vs. everything else. He also explains how other synth brands could be more organismic - and why they may want to be. I believe ideas in this can inspire synth designers as well as anyone designing modular patches...
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Thanks to all at Machina Bristronica for filming this (I edited it and did sound fix & mix!)
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CHAPTERS
00:00 Opening thoughts
1:50 What is 'Romantic' Engineering?
5:28 The need for imperfections
9:46 Static digital oscillator
10:22 ...vs analog oscillator
12:30 ...vs a violin.
15:47 Musician vs The Sound They Want
22:15 The secret of Lyra-8
25:12 Triggering Emotional Resonance
27:39 What is an Organismic synth?
31:08 Organismic: The Visual Analogy
32:31 Linear Synth vs Organismic
36:10 Vlad's Challenge to Synth Brands
37:19 Q&A: Macro controls vs Organismic
40:23 Q&A: What synths does Vlad admire?
41:47 Q&A: What is TOO MUCH 'organismic'?
43:02 Q&A: How do you know when a synth is done?
45:16 Q&A: Can we truly perform synths that aren't organismic?
48:19 Q&A: Beyond touch, what other ways can we control synths?
50:29 Q&A: Will people commit to learning to play instruments?
51:47 Q&A: Vlad's Dream: The brain-to-music interface!
53:10 Q&A: What is the Soma design 'difference'?
Something he didn't touch upon with his talk directly: The Lyra-8/4's circuitry is based upon old electric organs which use a Schmitt trigger as an oscillator/voice. Used in a circuit it is good at generating both a triangle wave & a square wave (the "sharp" knob on the lyra). This same circuit is good at representation of how signaling happens between cells in nature, and has been used to model neurons and the like.
So "organismic" : Organ (instrument), Organism, etc. Plus all the design considerations that he discusses in the video above.
In a world where we have dozens of instruments released every month Soma always make me stop to investigate when they release stuff. This guy is bringing a considered and refreshing approach to musical instrument design. I dont own any Soma instruments yet, wish I could decide on what my first Soma device will be!
The Lyra 8 is probably most iconic of SOMA. Well worth a try at least, it is a Beast!
i second that. Lyra 8 changed my life. and yes, i will never sell it.
So simple and so mind-blowing philosophy! Vlad is a treasure for experimental musicians.
I feel so lucky to have got hold of one of these today. i've only had it for a couple of hours and it sounds awesome. btw, any of you who are getting one, buy a decent recervb pedal too.
I love all of the videos talking with the instrument designers. It's the part that gets over looked but is incredibly influential on how we all make music. Keep em coming.
You should talk with Ess formerly of Elektron and now of Fors. I would love to hear more about how they come up with their things. They have designed modular things too!
Fascinating ❤ I don‘t yet know how, but I have a feeling the concepts and philosophies Vlad talks about could be applied to other aspects of art and creativity, not just synth manufacturing.
Wow. Just wow. Every so often a new way of looking at things (paradigm?) comes along and makes my world a more interesting place to be. This is one of such moments. Chapeau !
🙌 that’s ace
A true electronic wizard, I could listen to his talks for hours, legend
This explanation tracks so well with my experience playing the Lyra-8. In some ways, it feels very much like playing an electric guitar though a very loud amp where, because of a very complex and dynamic feedback loop, the slightest variations in touch (or possibly random modulations) can produce radically different results.
Besides the slight variations Vlad mentions that can put the audience in a state of heightened attentiveness, the wider swings can force you into an improvisatory mode. In this way, it can feel more like a duet partner than an object, and the overall effect can seem magical.
Amazing! we need more talks like this! I actually love that he didn't go into technical details, internet is flooded with the techical side of synth design, but not enough people talking about how messed up the indsutry is! and what's missing in the current products.
There's more to this than most of us realise. Imagine the impact this way of thinking can have on the design of all things...
Ah, I remember buying Lyra8 DIY Kit at their factory in Moscow a few years back. A big industrial garage filled with sockpiles of pcbs and wires, calm and focused people sitting behing messy desks soldiering something.. I miss those times.
What a fantastic talk! Thanks so much for sharing and hosting this! 💜
What a beautiful opening. Very much looking forward to the rest of the video.
Brilliant! I missed the end of this at the time… looking forward to watching.
Such a good conversation! Really inspiring guy
This was amazing getting some insight in the Soma thought process. TY.
Looking at Vlad's diagram of an organismic synth reminded me of causal loop diagrams used in systems design. Systems are complex in that they have parts (such as the parts of a synth), interconnections of those parts (as in an organismic synth), and overall functions (like producing audio). Then, consider the stocks, flows, feedback loops, and influence from other systems (like a person interfacing with a synth) that all determine how a system will behave and change its behavior over time - it's too complex for anyone to know everything happening at any time. Due to reductionist thinking, we have hardware and software with all controls on the top level; I'm thinking back to Digidesign Icon boards I used back in the day with every single Protools control at your fingertips. Systems thinking (pretty much the opposite of reductionist thinking) mixed with human-centered design thinking is where Vlad seems to be working with Soma, and I think it's why we've connected with his instruments differently, more deeply. I know I have. Thanks for hosting and posting, Alex!
This is fantastic.
Hell yeah. More content like this!
This was very inspiring, thanks a lot !
Great video, these are important ideas and helped me decode why some of the devices I've made in the past were engaging
a great man that gets what inspiration and creativity is!!!
Very inspiring talk, thank you!
Thank you for this ❤
Maybe Vlad does not know it yet, but he transcended synthesizer design by this approach. A pure genius.
such an amazing lecture ❤
Thank you alex for making this. I am the biggest soma fanboy and perhaps vlad‘s biggest fan…. Man I love this company sooooo much💕💕💕
Awesome talk. Thanks so much Vlad
I loved this. Your intro is also fabulous. I liked the Huxley reference a lot, I recently learned he took it from the name of the Vedic god of a potion for altered states of mind.
thanx a lot!
Thank you for this, inspiring talk.
I can’t help but think that, even though built from linear building blocks, modular systems can approach the organismic territory by building circular patches, or feedback systems. The most simple counterexample to the two swinging pendulums would be two LFOs modulating each others rate, which can balance between order and chaos in the way he describes. It’s just a matter of perspective, or micro vs. macro levels of electronics. Or is it?
Anyhoo, thank you for sharing!
A Master ! Thank you, I learn a lot. and I ll watch it again.
amazing content
Best. Interview. Ever. 👍
I have owned a Lyra-8 for about a year now, and I find it very useful for making weird space noises for the space-rock band for which I play keys. However, where I think the comparison with a violin or other physical musical instrument breaks down is in the area of predictability and repeatability. It is these features which allow one to acquire some mastery of the instrument and use it to express one's musicality. The Lyra is more of a chaotic system, where tiny changes can lead to unpredictable results, which means one does not have the same degree of control over the output. For me, this makes it less of a true musical instrument. It is fun though!
That's interesting to hear. I think that one year with the Lyra-8 is still not enough time to go as deep as to master its unpredictable nature. Don't forget that the goal is not predictability but rather making an instrument that feels natural to explore the sounds that it can create, with a simple set of controls that influence each other and create complex behaviours. I hope it's clear what I'm trying to say...
@@ethermod307 Indeed, you are right that "the goal is not predictability" - and that is why I think that the comparison with traditional acoustic instruments is misplaced. No "traditional" instrumentalist would want an instrument that is not predictable in how it responds - it would render it more or less unusable for performance. I would never use the Lyra live (although I expect it would be fine if one were making ambient or noise type music). I record many jams into my DAW, and then select suitable bits which I then load into a sampler for gigging. Used like this it is a very useful tool for me, but I regard it as more of an "audio generator" than an instrument. Your mileage may vary, of course 🙂
@@Earbrass1 I understand, yes. Well, you have to see it from the perspective of an instrumentalist, a musician. For example, I've spent all my life practising the piano. I'm a professional and I can play you a single note 100 times and it will all sound different in an unpredictable way. What you are doing with Lyra-8 is how you express yourself and I do the same with my modular system, I record parts of it in order to create long-form compositions. But I've seen people playing a modular system completely live and it was astonishing. These people have spent many many hours practising that and I will never be able to achieve it without doing the same. What I'm trying to say is, keep playing the Lyra-8 and who knows, one day you might be able to pull off a whole performance just with it!
@@ethermod307 You should probably get that piano looked at.
Super interesting! It would be great if he could write a book about it. I'd love to read it
Vlad has definitely succeeded, in my case, in his goal of building things that people won't want to sell. I feel like there's no way I ever want to part with my Lyra 8. Very interesting talk; he has so much to say that's thought-provoking.
I would have loved to hear more about how musicians could patch modules that are currently available in Eurorack to create some of these organismic systems. You touched on this in the conversation; I would love to see some examples.
Me too!! I wish I’d pressed more on it, it’s something to ponder for 2024
Really great quote at 47:35
Funny that everyone forgot about the magnificent Lyra 4.
Vlad: for controllers, have you considered using ribbon controllers ?
I think they are very expressive and the main reason why I love my simple Monotron, also considering the price of a monotron i guess ribbon controllers are cheap?
As if you've made this. Vlad is a genius. Can't wait to watch this. I hope you make more content like this in future! :)
Nice one!! Why We Bleep is a good ongoing resource for such chats, not quite like this more formal presentation but more on 'how the sausage is made': www.whywebleep.com/
+1 for “Why We Bleep”. Mr. Mylar has a gift of getting electronic musicians to open up, he’s like a screwdriver in the hands of a circuit-bender. (Not to mention the amusingly creative yet unintrusive ad-reads)
52:00 Doc Brown: "It means... that this damn thing doesn't work at all!" (Removes helmet in frustration.)
Ace idea for your next video: feedback loops! 🔁
Inventing ways to express your emotions more intuitively through electric impulses.
The SOMA Terrra, the perfect Gen Z synthesizer.
That’s Vlad…Gen Z!!
Ace.
is that george hearn's head
If you couldn’t tell Vlad wasn’t American by his accent you can tell by his statement that when designing a car engine nobody wants a loud, large engine
I disagree about motors. Starting up my 72 honda 750four made a technically uninterested gf cry tears of joy. Harley motors famously are tuned to a fifth. When i ref them i dont think bout consumption.
I would have hoped that someone like Vlad would understand the induviduality and uniqueness of motors, and how they can be instrument-like... in a very different way. There's nothing quite like the startup of your favorite engine, whatever it may be.
You shaded your heads, your both ready for the surgery now.
😜🧠🎶
Don’t ask him about politics. Yikes
ugh could these two guys possibly be any more bald
technically, yes
Incredible, also I think the first time actually seeing the Mylar Moneymaker!
...and as they say, never meet your heroes!
🤪🪢❤