Does anyone know of Lyra 8 's being circuitbend (besides the DIY version) ? For ex. Seperate voice volume control, seperate voice out, other?
Also, I am thinking to use Lyra with vcv rack 2 and midi to cv.
I am brainstorming to make some kind of “controller” for the touch-pads.
Something like the Ornament-8’s touchplate for Lyra 8 but with midi to cv (via vcv).
Found this:
Any rescourses for above are welcome.
Really looking forward to dive in !
Beautiful, but also perplexing. Low-key troll-art?
Quite some time ago I’ve done some research on that topic, but never found the time to realize it.
See here:
Not sure what’s low-key about it 
There’s a builder who makes custom synth cases that Devine commisioned to combine three Soma devices together into one assemblege of awesomeness. I think it’s quite striking but also seems very functional.
I was wondering if anyone can share the schematics for the Lyra 8 ?
I also sent an email to Soma to ask for this.
Trying to get some insight into how this synth works…
What a beautifull beast it is 
There is plenty of information in the bundle that you can download from Soma: LYRA-8 DIY – SOMA LABORATORY
High concept, but low-key trolling: putting keys in front of a Soma device. 
i’ll have you know it’s someone just middle-classed enough that they can afford to take their art out into the world 
I got a Lyra-8 to demo from Signal Sounds over Christmas, and it’s been pretty fascinating. It really encourages you (well, me) to spend time with it and tweak the sounds to coax something out - which is a process that I don’t really… undertake with my other synthesizers. It’s almost relaxing or meditative to sit and do it. I recorded one of my early sessions doing that…
I’d love to know how other folks are using it in their music making workflows though. So far I’ve been recording the sessions and then pulling out samples, but I’m curious if other folks have smarter ideas.
I think there’s something incredibly beautiful In not recording everything.
It’s an intimate experience which only I have and I think that is really precious.
As much as I like to release music, it is sometimes just as satisfying to not press record.
I’ve played with it so much that I don’t really do it much anymore. Usually depending on the song, I decide a role for Lyra before I start playing. Pads, leads, ambience, high or low register… It can fill so many roles. I should make a song built around it, really.
I tend to use it solo.
I switch it on and start by tuning up and tuning in.
I then hit record and let it flow, often recording 3 or 4 “movements” in one sitting, using the same tuning.
Then I just trim the recordings in Audacity and either leave them on my drive or upload to Bandcamp if I feel suitably inspired.
this is my take away from the lyra. When I’m not using it, I try to think of clever ways of integrating it with the rest of my gear. None of which pan out.
When I do use it, I lose hours just messing about with it on its own. I no longer think of it as a musical instrument, but rather a tool to improve my state of mind.
recording it almost seems pointless. The listener, and even myself listening back, no longer has the connection to the instrument. There is something spiritual about playing it that listening back loses.
It’s fascinating to me that when i hit recording while playing the lyra i always end up with a song over 6 minutes and can’t really imagine what’s not ok about it or what to blend in. If i play the lyra on top of a sequenced DT/DN jam it’s hard to fit in but after hearing both even harder to let out. The workflow that’s appealing me the most at the moment is overdubbing. Dial in some tuning. Record sparingly and place the outcome somewhere in the mix and stereofield by filtering/eq or fx. Then listen back and while listening hit some notes and tweak further while repeating the process.
I liked that a lot!
I tend to just record straight to audio interface as well. It helps if that audio interface is an HX Stomp because the FX are right there if I want to add reverb or whatever.
I’ve also recorded overdubs with it on tracks with more organized music. I don’t really plan for it - sometimes I’ll suddenly hear a place for it in the mix. Most of the time I don’t.
Ok guys, just bought my third Lyra in a year (ended up selling the other twos).
First thing to know is each Lyra batch is different from the others. I mean, noticeably different. Main differences are:
-Stability of the tunings of the tone generators;
-Envelope responses;
-Drive;
So here is my experience, hope it can help the undecided and the others can have a laugh:
-First Lyra: Black Beast. Probably one of the earlier batches. The tones were totally unstable and that thing was noisy as hell. I mean the drive you couldn’t push it after 12 o’ clock without going into harsh noise territory. Unfortunately, I was in a very melodic phase so ended up using in the more restrictive way as possible: always tuning the 8 tones into a scale or two (which took me A LOT to get and they soon lost their tuning). Also I had no external reverb at the time (but bought a Zen delay and they are a match made in heaven). Still, I consider now the reverb to be foundamental to spread the stereo image and give more resonance of the harmonics. It’s way better to fit it in a mix with a reverb. Ended up using it in a bounch of productions but after a while I felt I had enough with its sound. Now I realize I kinda avoided 90% of the possible sounds by not experimenting with the tune knobs, total feedbacks, extreme delay settings, etc.
-Few months later I end up going to a “gong bath” in my city. Wonderful experience, I even managed to record the session. After that I realized I wanted a gong in my productions, but that thing costs a lot of money so I remember Lyra gave me almost the same feeling (even meditationally speaking). Started dreaming Lyra in the night. Eventually got a second hand Pacifist edition. This was smooth. The envelope were really gentle. Drive was not so aggressive. You could tune it easily. I used it for a few months doing solo session with it but never recording and so at some point I had to get some money to buy some useful gear and I couldn’t justify keeping it on my desk just for my entertainement. Also, I did miss the noisier character of the Black Beast but still was not experimenting with weird tunings and extreme settings if not sporadically. I still was in a melodic phase, musically speaking, so couldn’t find a meaning for the noise.
-In october i managed to get a second hand Pulsar. Since then I got obsessed with having a Lyra again. Also, discovered some wonderful techno artists that completely revolutionized my idea of melody and thinking sound (they are Lucy and Rrose from Stroboscopic Artifacts. Seriously, check them out, these two are visionaries, just incredible sound design). So, long story short, I got an Orange one which is more like the Pacifist than the Black Beast. But the important thins is I finally started to stop worrying about tunings and started using my ears. Also, started using a lot of reverb from my lovely Empress Reverb. But I think I found the place for it. I put it on my desk, connected with my OT. When I turn on the computer for any reason I turn on Lyra an OT to and just let it drift. Sometimes i turn a knob or two very gently and slowly, I always have a 50% delay mix and feedback almost pushed to self resonance. Reverb is on 20 to 50 % wet. Then I just listen why doing other things. When I find something that makes me “wow” I just record few bars on the OT. Will I use them? I don’t know but knowing they are there gives me peace of mind. Also, listening to the Lyra gives me piece of mind.
So, in the end I never found an instrument that made me “zone out” like this one. I almost always end up litterally watching myself from outside while I slowly turn the knobs.
If the Pulsar is pure joy and fun, but in an exciting way, Lyra is peace, tranquillity and meditation.
Interesting but not insane that the 3 machines you got were so different… the tolerances of the R and C’s could create various differences between machines…
I feel very much like you with my own “black beast”, I really do love it and playing it is so much fun… just haven’t really found a way to incorporate it into my production(I know it defeats a lot of the ideas behind that machine but I wish I had more control(midi… CC info… etc)…
I think about selling it everyday(and maybe would if I could get my hands on a PlinkyV2) but also it hurts my heart when I think about parting with it… it really has touched me in ways I didn’t think it would…
That being said if I had to do it over… I think I would get a Solar 50(or maybe that’s just the GAS talking lol)
I don’t think getting the solar 50 is a good idea. I can’t even turn on the 8 tones of the Lyra without fulfilling all the sonic space left in my production!
I can’t say for the production part, because I ended up not using it so much in productions at the moment. But know that a sampler or sampling on ableton it’s probably the best way to use it, production wise, unless you plan to do an ambient/noise/drone improv using only the Lyra 8. With sampling you can layer voices, filter it, eq, sidechain it and it can become many things. The beast has wonderful basses. You could easily do pads/leads or just put a drone made by 1/2 tones in the background of something.
Yeah sampling is the best way, it’s true… I am just way too spoiled with overbridge to not want that sort of control(and saving capabilities) with every piece of gear I buy(and yes I don’t buy that much gear because of this)…, plus my production flow is still midi editing minded(never been a fan of sampling and then cutting things up after the fact… seems like work and not fun and free flowing)… I guess I am just showing my age with my production likes…plus I like letting the machines breath, instead of just catching a instant(only place I use samples is with my RYTM mk1… either to layer or just to use the analog filters to adjust it(and honestly I haven’t changed the samples in it for about 2 years… that’s how adversity I am to samples lol)).
saying all that I do find the Lyra really fun for just jamming and I used it for a live PA and loved it for that… though again being able to have some sort of preset control would be nice(though again I know that’s not what the machine was designed for)… I know I could draw little templates for myself… but again it’s like sampling… it’s just not free flowing enough for me…
As for the Solar 50… I agree that it looks like a beast to tune, and honestly has all the same communication problems that the Lyra has… just more for me to get lost in… and probably make crap sounds that all sound the same… lol
I’ve had a similar reflection of late. That both machines have this ability to draw you right in but in very different ways. With the Pulsar it’s like a kind of dynamic rhythmic workshop where I’m building and patching and end up with this wacky structure and can’t remember how I got there.
The Lyra is more like jumping into a pool and swimming around.
Such compelling instruments!