SOMA Lyra-8 Zanzibar Blue drone synthesiser

General

The SOMA Lyra-8 is not so easy to rank among ordinary synthesisers, and that is exactly its strong point. Don't expect brass patches, funky basses or E-pianos, because the Lyra-8 is totally not designed for that. This is an instrument for timbres, textures and ambience. Think less like Jump or Chariots of Fire, and more like the soundtrack of Dune. But this blue Lyra-8 is not simply a Lyra-4 with more voices: the extra voices also provide a completely different FM routing, two delays instead of one and a balanced output, making the instrument sound and work fundamentally different. It all revolves around eight analogue oscillators that together form a drone and can influence each other via FM for a complex array of overtones. An organic wall of sound where an external reverb is highly recommended!

Eight voices, endless possibilities

Whereas most synths work with a straight line from note to sound, the Lyra-8 is an interwoven set of feedbacks, modulations and non-linear connections, basically just like a living organism. The eight voices are controlled by touch sensors that respond to your hands: how you touch, how hard and how long, all determine the touch, volume and character of the sound. Tune the voices to intervals in organ mode, or switch to FM synthesis where each voice works as a separate FM operator. The Hyper LFO combines two LFO generators for complex, rhythmic modulation waves. And a modulated delay has two parallel lines of cross-feedback: set the feedback high enough and it starts oscillating itself, and in SELF mode it modulates its own delay time. The whole thing is topped off with a tasteful distortion. All this makes the SOMA Lyra-8 a truly unique synthesiser with effects you won't find anywhere else. You set something, turn a knob a fraction further and the device goes in a completely different direction. Perfect for when you're looking for organic sounds and want to be constantly surprised!