Soma Laboratory LYRA-4 Organismic Synthesizer - Zanzibar Blue

The Soma LYRA-4 is a smaller and more portable version of the LYRA-8 ‘organismic’ drone synthesiser. Despite its small size size, LYRA-4 packs a powerful punch and retains the solid build quality of its predecessor. Its unique design and modular interactions mimic the behaviour of living organisms, creating a dynamic and expressive musical experience that sets it apart from traditional synthesisers.

LYRA-4 is based on four generators, or voices. Their design is not like a traditional subtractive synthesis VCO. Instead of having a linear or logarithmic dependency on control voltage, they resemble the tone generators in old electric organs. Hence the use of the term “voices” instead of “VCOs”. Lyra uses non-linearity a lot, and the voices are constructed in such a way that allows for non-linearity to express itself.

The voices are divided into two pairs (12, 34), creating tree-like structure.

They can function either in an electric organ mode or in an FM synthesis mode with each of the voices and its envelope acting as a separate FM operator. The voice’s impact on FM synthesis will decrease along with the decay of its envelope.

LYRA-4 also has the next blocks

• The HYPER LFO is a complex low-frequency generator, whose waveform is synthesized from two simple LFOs by summation or multiplication of their frequencies. It also has a sync mode. The LFO can modulate the selected pairs of voices and the MOD DELAY.

• The MOD DELAY consists of delay with feedback. The delay has a unique possibility of self-modulation where the output signal modulates the delay sample rate, creating cool effects.

• The DISTORTION is last in the chain, after the delay. It enables the delay to also influence the distortion.

For all its experimental character, LYRA is a professional instrument. Its output dynamics and frequency response are balanced and ready for a live performance or studio recording without any additional processing.

Found Sound Australia Pty Ltd.
110 Albert St
Brunswick East, VIC 3057
Australia