SOMA Laboratory Lyra-8

Capable of a wide variety of textures, tones, and behaviors ranging from drones to organs and noise, the SOMA Lyra-8 is an Organismic desktop synth that breaks out of the traditional bounds of what a keyboard synthesizer is and can be. The Lyra-8 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, and dismissing 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 experiments, and the as-yet-unheard.

What is an Organismic Synthesizer? “Organismic” refers to the complex, nonhierarchical relationship between Lyra-8’s modules, which can be connected in non-linear feedback paths resembling the organ structures of living beings, utopian societies, and neural networks. Lyra-8’s eight individual voices each feature an independently definable waveshape and pitch, and each can operate independently, or as modulators of one another, allowing for everything from smooth chords to gnarly, chaotic FM textures. Treat it like an ambient chord generator, an FM madhouse, or a pure grime machine with loads of feedback and distortion potential.

Featuring independent, touch-controlled envelopes for each oscillator, the Lyra-8 cries out to be played: its switches, metal pads, and large dials respond expressively to touch and with satisfying depth. With the Hold switch engaged or gated by external CV, any triggered voices will remain on, freeing both hands for additional tone-shaping.

Besides touch, external CV and the Hyper LFO provide additional sources of modulation. These modulation sources can be routed to multiple destinations in the Lyra-8, creating grungy, slippery transformations. The Hyper LFO features two square wave LFOs, which can be added together with OR logic, or multiplied with AND logic. For additional complexity, the LFO A can also frequency modulate 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 as well. 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 itself, resulting in complex, unpredictable, behavior.

Rounding out the effects, the delay signal is then passed into the distortion and gain section, which features a master volume, drive, and a dry/wet knob for the distortion effect. External signals can also be processed through the Lyra-8’s delay and distortion via the audio input, seamlessly integrating this powerful, unusual instrument into your studio setup.

Perfect for noise enthusiasts and performing musicians who want to add characterful texture to their sound, the Lyra-8 is an instrument all its own, embracing nonlinearity, chaos, and an intimate performer-instrument relationship to craft sounds nearly impossible to find elsewhere.