The SOMA Lyra-8 is an organismic synthesizer with its own unique implementation of several synthesis techniques, perfect for everything from dense FM chords to huge soundscape drones. Organismic refers to the way Lyra-8 mirrors the complex behaviors and underlying principles that are inherent to living organisms. While it uses synthesis elements found in other products, it implements them in new ways which lend themselves to new and unexpected ways to the interface with a synthesizer.
Lyra-8 has a bank of eight oscillators. Each oscillator can be tuned individually and features a touch plate that initiates the sound. The touch plate feeds an envelope which features two modes, slow and fast. As you move from left to right, the range of the oscillators changes, with lower notes to the left which get progressively higher as you move right.
The eight channels are also grouped in groups of two and four. The groups of two have controls for Sharp, which is a waveshaper, and Mod, which brings in modulation to the oscillators. The pairs of oscillators can be used to cross FM the other pairs, or the FM can come from the LFO section, the audio output, or from external CV. The oscillators are also grouped in two groups of four. These groups have control of a master pitch, which offsets all the oscillators in pitch, and hold, which opens the VCA and lets the oscillators drone. A gate input is present on the back of the unit which allows external sources to engage the hold parameter. The voices can be modulated with an external CV signal. They don't exactly track 1V/Oct or behave exactly like VCOs in your standard modular synthesizer. Experiment with different CV sources to get different behaviors—the results will probably surprise you.
Besides the oscillators, modulation within the Lyra-8 comes from the Hyper LFO section. The Hyper LFO features two square wave LFOs, which can be added together with OR logic, or multiplied with AND logic. LFO A can also soft FM LFO B using the link switch.
The eight oscillators pass into both a delay section and a distortion section. The delay section features two delay lines that share a common feedback path. The feedback goes into self-oscillation and can act as its own voice. Each delay line features its own modulation depth control and modulation can come from the Hyper LFO, external CV, or the output of the delay line can be used to modulate itself. This results in bizarre behavior which can be finely tuned using the modulation depth control. The delayed signal is then passed into the distortion section. The distortion section features a master volume, drive, and a mix knob, which can be used to blend between the distorted and clean sound. External signals can also be processed through the Lyra-8 via the audio input.
The Lyra-8 offers a unique canvas from which new and exciting results can spring forth, propelled by the interface which reorients the user into thinking of synthesis in new ways.
- Eight-voice organismic synthesizer
- Voices can cross FM each other
- Individual tuning of voices
- Voices grouped into pairs and quads
- Hyper LFO modulation source
- Two delay lines
- Distortion
- External audio input
- CV for delay, voices, and hold
- Touch-plate interface
