Ambika

The Lounge Other Gear
#1

I have just finished 2 Ambika builds:

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Great sounding synth - these 2 have 6 x SMR4 voice cards each, so can be 6 voice polyphonic. Also its possible to polychain to get a monster 12 voice patch going (if you have 2 units available). I know theres at least one other Ambika user here - who else is MI enabled?

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#2

MI respect!

Builded a lot of Shruthis, plus two Ambika also the 6xSMR4 voice combination. Top gear, amazing sound.

Recorded this four track (sketches) when finished my first Ambika, beats are Ableton, plus Boss RE20 Space Echo and Line6 M13 for effects, all the other synths are from the Ambika.

https://soundcloud.com/tardebanananoche/sets/estados-carenciales


Also love to sequence the Ambika from the Octatrack, really cool stuff…


#3

Nice sounds - i especially liked the first 2 tracks. I build quite alot of DIY bits but it seems i am more keen on the process of building than of the actual using - which is stupid really. I think i’ll probably use the Ambika more than other builds as i’m a big pad lover at heart (even though my musical efforts dont really show it). I have 1 MI module in my modular setup but i think i may get some more - looks like he has 3 new modules on the way.

edit - i did this little thingy when i had the gutts of my first Ambika finished (as a test sort of thing) accompanied by my modular rig

#4

Even though I could have as I can solder, I didn’t build my own Ambika but bought it preassembled. I had the money in my pocket at the time, and I wanted to buy some nice gear before I spend it all on beer.

Such a lovely synth. Much wider range than, say, a Juno 6 and therefore you can make it sound quite nasty with some settings. With some settings it can sound really lush and beautiful. It’s sonics fit the A4 as well, they make a great synth pairing.

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#5

i have and build shruthi for years now, basically the ambika in mono version, with an input for external treatment.

for 150 e the kit, it’s definitely the best bang for the buck.

i sold my smr 4 yesterday, and i’m tryng to sell my svf, one in white metal case, this one provide TWO multimode analog filter, switchable in serial or parrlel… so great to make the sound evolving, it’s on the forum, please take it so i can afford a xt version!!!

#6

by the way, did you sourced them yourself??? how many it cost you in the end?? not too much an hassle??
don’t know, maybe i will go for an ambika with just two filter card to feed my md instead of a xt… but i hate sourcing and love kits…
how is the editing on it??? easy??? more easy than on a shruthi i think?? if you can compare??
thanks!!

#7

I self sourced one and the other was a kit direct form MI - I used a different display though. I can’t say exactly how much the self sourced was but it would be similar to the MI kit price I believe. Editing is very good as the large display means less menu diving.

#8

This is so funny - I’ve been kind obsessed with the ambika and mutable instruments in general - I’ just sold my anushri and one of my shruthis lately - I’ll be building them later in the year…
But I’m. Waiting to pay for my mouser order which is $300 so with the pcb cost I’m only down $500!
I went with 4 x 4pm and 2 x svf. And I’m thinking about doing two of the tube ohm madder filter with diodes for that system 100, ems sound.

I’m really into single cycle waveforms and ambika is a wavetable synth - the thing sounds. So incredible - I can’t wait for it to be driven by the OT, I’ve got shivers thinking about it.
So who has the svf? I wanted more than a lpf at my disposable so I had to get a multimode

#9

I’m building an dual Anushri with mixer fx project I came up with .
Reveal at some point .

#10

Reviving a very old thread due to making an impulse buy on an Ambika. I’m kicking myself for doing it during the Quarantine, but I sold two pieces of gear to fund it. I’m surprised this thread doesn’t have more users chiming in on this beast of a synth. Maybe my tune will change when I actually receive it, but it sounds great from the Demos I’ve heard.

Even better, there has been some updates from the community which have added some additional waveforms and helped with some aliasing in the high register on others. I’ve never owned a wavetable synth, but from the specs and the price (around $500) it seemed like a good purchase. Any other Ambika lovers / users on here? @nedavine @nilsec @defenestration

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#11

I love the Ambika, full stop.

do you want 6 mono synths? no problem.
do you want one 6-voice synth? no problem.

The oscillators in the Ambika later became the basis for the MI Braids eurorack module. The standard SMR4mk2 filter, the basis for the MI Ripples module.

Definitely check out Bjarnes YAM firmware

My issues with it:

  • No effects(If you prefer to use VSTs and pedals then it’s absolutely great.)
  • No stereo out
  • Routing the audio can be a bit tricky, you can either sum all the outputs to the mix out or you have to use the individual outputs(so if you want to configure it to be a 4voices poly with one lead and one bass, and you want to process those things separately, you’re going to need a mixer)
  • It can get a bit menu divy at times so sound design on it isn’t fun
  • The presets are a bit all over the place and were designed for the Shruthi, not the Ambika really.
  • some alising in the higher-higher octaves

Things I love about it

  • Amazing mod matrix with plenty of sources and destinations
  • Fantastic midi implementation
  • Can get great leads and basses, this thing can aciiiid!
  • The SMR4mk2 filters are liquidy goodness they do sound Roland-ish and wonderful
  • A wide array of sounds and sound options
  • Emilie @ MI is readily available and will answer anything you ask of her in regard to the design of the synth
  • Because It’s multitimbral, you can do MPE-like stuff with it.
  • It’s cheap
  • it’s very easy to understand what’s going on with a patch just surfing through the menus.
  • The menus are logically ordered.
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#12

Shruthi-1 was the first synth that I assembled, one of the last official MI kits.
While I love the sound, I lack the XT extra control, but using it with OT is definitely helping :slight_smile:

This is a Shruthi-1 track (with AR on the drums)

I would definitely fancy a 6 voice Ambika with the XT controls. North Pole, most likely…

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#13

Emilie never made an Ambika with XT control, it my understanding that theres some shortcomings with the current chip set that would prevent it from working. :frowning:

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#14

Great breakdown @nilsec ! I wonder how much I will like the chords / pads out of the Ambika with only mono output. I suppose I can always add stereo width ITB or run it through my Quadraverb to fake stereo on it, but I know it’s not the same. I did purchase an Ambika with 6 x SMR4mk2 filters, as I am after the round, Roland type sound. Not too worried about menu diving, as I will dedicate time to make patches here and there. Forgive me for my ignorance, what is “MPE-like stuff” ?

Thanks @LyingDalai for the Shruthi demo.

#15

The acid lines and bass here are all the Ambika( Save at the end, I layered it with a ms20 mini if i remember correctly)

MPE stuffs with the Ambika.

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#16

It’s not that impossible, seeing Emilie’s comments bellow…

My thought was that if you can control a synth with CCs, you can have a knob.
But I might be too ignorant to see the real flaw here :roll_eyes:

Talking about demo of Shruthi/Ambika sound, my favorite stays the glorious following:

#17

Yeah sure, you can control it externally with CCs, thats not how the Shruthi XT works though.

Also since 2014, people have added features to the firmware. you’d have to rewrite the firmware. some devs tried to port the control board to a better chipset but ran into issues with communication with the filter cards. unfortunately, an Ambika XT isn’t trivial.

But as Emilie said, you could just get a midi controller, map the CC and do it that way.

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#18

I had an Ambika SVFx6 for a while and loved it with all my heart. Sadly had to sell it cause I needed the money, but definitely hoping to get an SMR4x6 build someday.

I used it as a simple 6-voice percussion synth and sequenced it with the Digitakt, was constant fun.

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#19

Tubeohm built me one a few years back, I ended up selling it but have regretted it recently. I think it would pair really well with a digitakt for easier hands on control. He also built me an LXR which I still have and won’t be selling !

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#20

How do you like the LXR? do you own a rytm? how does it compare to something like that?