SOMA Laboratory's Lyra-8 Organismic Synthesizer is a powerful self-contained synth in a rugged metal housing, perfect for drones, noise, alternate tunings, and all manner of sonic experimentation. Trading a traditional keyboard for metal touch sensors and a re-tunable oscillator for each key, dismissing of hi-fi effects in favor of grungy, gnarly distortion and dual lo-fi delay, the Lyra-8 is an organic, expressive, complete instrument ideal for soundscapes, noise, FM experimentation, and beyond.
The touch sensors activate each voice's envelope and respond to the amount of covered surface area, allowing for expressive playing. Two envelope modes allow for slow or fast response for customizing the instrument's dynamic behavior. Dispensing of filters, the "sharp" parameter allows independent waveshaping for each pair of voices. Complex FM routing controls allow for creation of dense, modulated sounds, further augmented by the internal vibrato generators. The instrument is rounded out by the complex "hyper LFO" modulation source, a gritty lo-fi dual delay, feedback controls, and a colorful distortion section.
With CV options for voice pitch control and delay speed as well as the intimate playing experience of the touch-sensitive keys, the Lyra-8 is not just another synth: it is a wild, characterful instrument that orbits in its own sphere. Met on its own terms, it becomes a powerful instrument for working with raw sound and would be at home in any setup that values rich, atmospheric, and unique sounds.
LYRA-8 FEATURES
- Eight-voice analog synthesizer ideal for drones, noise, ambience, and more
- Eight touch sensor keys for expressive, dynamic performance
- Eight arbitrarily tunable oscillators (one per key)
- Complex waveshaping and FM opportunities for rich sounds
- Eight vibrato generators onboard (one for each voice)
- Customizable envelope response (fast or slow)
- "Hold" option for droning oscillators
- Hyper LFO complex modulation source
- Dual modulatable lo-fi delay
- Built-in distortion and feedback options
- CV inputs for voice pitch, delay time, and "hold" gate
- Can process external sounds through effects section
