Sonic LAB: SOMA Lyra 8 Drone Synth

The SOMA Laborary Lyra 8 is a Russian drone synthesizer with 8 tunable voices each, FM, dual delay, hyper LFO and distortion. It makes some pretty incredible sounds, but is not a standard instrument.

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[HOOPYFROODUDE]

I've had one for 6 months. It's one of the more difficult instruments
in the sense it can take 20+ minutes to 'find' a good sound....but
god-dammit, when you DO find a good sound, it's worth ten times the
effort put in. Vlad Kreimer is a genius.

[c-shape]

I often use this machine in my work, from heavy drones to bittersweet underlays in ambient tracks, great instrument!

[SendyTheEndless]

So basically anything from an opium-fuelled utopian dream cityscape wonderland to a bag of dying cats in an industrial pipe? I like it :)

[Blackeyedangel]

yeah man, this thing is somehow my favorite instrument of all my synths. Something about it just cannot get me to put it down. I absolutely love it. it literally becomes a part of your imagination. great synth.

[Deeplycloseted]

This is straight out of the 70’s. The experimental/avant-garde guys are gonna LOVE this.

[karlliebknecht]

Been following the development of this wonderful machine from the beginning. Never thought that the master reviewer-in-chief himself would bring it on his show.

[XanderEwald]

Three years later and it's already an absolute classic!

[lawrencevaughan]

woah. It's like Twin Peaks Season 3, Episode 8 in audio. Fascinating and frankly terrifying. I like it.

[m.g.kroger]

Most original synth I've ever met. It asks you a totally open mind, which can be a very rewarding behaviour.

[jbowmanmusic]

This is a very good review of a synth that is extremely difficult to review. As Nick points out, in playing with Lyra one is continually stumbling across moments of great beauty which are essentially irreplicable. The Lyra's range is wide, her sound is deep. She truly is something else.

[ImpulseGenerator]

21:02
Absolutely stunning piece of ambient!
Wow, what a sound.

[Nomo_Popo]

I was not expecting to be 3x more interested in this after hearing it as an effects unit. Wowzers!

[noisejockey]

It's like the perfect post-modern love child of a Buchla and a Ciat Lonbarde instrument. That low end is utterly manic. Not for everyone, but what an amazing artifact and instrument.

[bobmichelle]

"T-34s or T-32s, if you're interested in millitary history.... (probably not)" Haha made my day x) But as a matter of fact I am, so the famous soviet tanks involved in WW2 (battle of Kursk, summer 1943, I just checked that out though) were T-34s ;)

[GNeuman]

Mine came yesterday, I only contacted them about a month ago! This is a truly paradigm breaking instrument!

[Krns]

This thing is suitable for being part of a new Blade Runner soundtrack. I would love it :-)
Loving this piece of gear and its non-linear approach. Great review, by the way.

[lph]

Buy a Korg Nu Tekt for your Lyra 8. It means you’ll get quality stereo chorus, ensemble and reverbs. You’ll love your Lyra even more.

[josheh]

"If you're into military history..." Oh yes, yes I am, and I loved that reference.

[gnarlysoundscapes]

16:30 That sound is beautifully gnarly. I definitely need a Lyra 8 in my life.

[DSpace]

I watched a bunch or reviews before yours, but you sold me on this thing... I should have 1 by Friday! My favorite demo from you was at 16:19 --> FM control explanation is f'n priceless. It really explains the entire machine - it works unexpectedly, which is what I love... I'm still laughing!