Yeah, the Soma Lyra-8 is a beast. Harsh sounds, wild roars, and hard to control. A synth to go along with and to enjoy the journey. However there are times when you might want some more control. Here are five ways to tame the Lyra-8.
Take small steps
As any wild animal the Lyra-8 is quite sensitive to your actions. Take it easy when approaching the Lyra-8 and move the dials only small amounts. This is a good way to learn about the beast and to embrace its abilities. This needs some patience but it will be well rewarded.
Turn all mod knobs to the left
The easiest way to keep the Lyra-8 unter control is to turn all the mod dials to the left. If no modulation is applied the sound is quite steady and you will hear some pleasant results. Also you should switch all those mod switches to neutral position.
However: all the wild magic starts when you start turning those knobs.
Tune the Lyra-8 in your DAW
I think every DAW has some kind of tuning plugin. In Logic Pro you add “Metering -> Tuner” to your channel strip and you can start tuning your Lyra 8. The scale is up to you. (I prefer pentatonic scales). The tuning is a matter of nanometers so it is easier to go with approximations to notes instead of an exact tuning.
The tuning is a nice way to start your first journey with the Lyra-8. The problem is: If you only look at one of the mod dials all your tuning will go. 🙂
If you are a bit more familiar with the Lyra-8 you can go for the sounds first and then tune the Lyra-8 by ear.
Reverb
If anything sounds too nasty a reverb will help to cut off the edges and to add some smoothness. In my opinion the Lyra-8 is ideal for a reverb. The raw sound has a lot for reverbs to chew on.
My tip: add reverb carefully. There is a tipping point where you might loose Lyra’s character in a sea of reverb.
Filter
Using filters is my favorite method to tame the Lyra-8. Normally I use filters in my Eurorack, preferably in low pass mode. This helps me to remove harsh, high pitcheds sounds. Also the filters resonance gives some more options for nice soundscapes.