@ccr That’s no problem, I’ll make it configurable in the next firmware update, so you can optionally put it behind the delay.
4 Likes
Wow, that would be fantastic!!
1 Like
It’s good. You should buy one. 
I have 2/3 of a Make Noise Easel and was thinking about the 0-Ctrl, but I don’t really do a lot of sequencing. I use them to make drones where the tonal content doesn’t change a lot but there’s a fair bit of modulation and live performance. I still liked the idea of interacting with the touchplates on the 0-Ctrl, but it didn’t feel like a must-do. Enter Elmyra 2. I was still on the fence until the @OscillatorSink demo. Since we have a good bit of overlap in aesthetics and preferred gear, I was pretty sure it’d be a winner. (As a side note, I learned FM synthesis from @OscillatorSink which led to subractive, additive and so on. So, thank you.)
I’ve had a little time to play with the desktop version and reflect, so here’s a few thoughts:
Hardware
Lighter than I expected, but my main comparison is with the Make Noise synths of similar size. That’s not a bad thing as you could take it out for a portable jam with a USB powerbank. It’s nicely made - there’s a neat textured strip of something or other at the front, and wood side cheeks. Most knobs are small and Volca-like, yes, but there’s a contrasting indicator so you know where they are pointed (Take note, Korg) and they are pretty smooth in action. One nice thing I somehow failed to notice before ownership is how nice the glow between the touchplates is when you use them. It’s this orange that reminds me of old school sodium lamps. While it’s a gloss black panel rather than matte like the Make Noise synths, it all looks really nice together with the LEDs glowing softly from behind the panel.
I also appreciated the option to have a pre-built synth available. I’ve built electronics kits in the past but I gave away all my gear ages ago, wasn’t particularly good at it, and I have too many hobbies to take it up again.
Sounds
Sounds good to me! At first, I thought it was maybe tending a little too far towards distortion for what I am trying to do, but then I turned the saturation down one notch and I got the results I wanted. I feel like I’m in this interesting relationship with these little boxes (this and Strega) that want to be really gainy and noisy and trying to soothe them to make soothing space air conditioner noises for people to rest by. Note that I haven’t even touched the OUCH/BITE section yet - it might seem like something I wouldn’t be interested in, but it’s amazing how some distorted sounds can turn into huge, lush forests of cellos or whatever with the right treatment.
I like the variety of sound choices available via the MODP button, and it’s good to have the different wavetables. I was a little concerned about the level of button combo complexity at first, but nothing is any worse here than the 0-Coast’s MIDI pages, so you will probably be fine.
The delay here is a lot cleaner than on the Strega, and you can push the feedback up quite a bit - I seem to recall 12 o’clock on the knob is 100% feedback! It’s great for thickening up the sound at short times, and a short looper at the longer extreme, which is quite fun with the touch plates.
I really appreciate having the utilities (add and mult/attenuate) available here, not just for use with the Elmyra, but as part of a little group of semimodulars. I have thought about getting into Eurorack proper, but there’s something attractive about a self-contained synth with default routings you can override if desired. You get interesting multi-layered modulation that way: the baked-in modulation, your patching, and your performance of the patch. Once you get two or three of these things on the table, patching between them, you end up with something really special and organic (or a big mess if you overpatch, but hey, it’s fun).
I’d concur with the recommendation to use a reverb with this synth. In my drones I use a lot of effects. When I’m in DAW land and not limited by hardware I’ll sometimes have multiple modulation effects, delays, or reverbs, each with a different role in sculpting the sound. I tend to treat the synth as a quality raw ingredient: good cooked on its own, but perhaps even better in tandem with other components. WIth practice I’ve become better able to evaluate what type of sounds will open up and bloom with application of effects, and you will definitely get that here.
Overall
If you like the MN Easel, or want a little different spin on Lyra (more reproducible, but still capable of getting wild), or enjoy drones I would wholeheartedly recommend this synth.
7 Likes
I’d also like to throw my weight behind this being a great idea!
2 Likes
Thanks for the very thorough review! Glad you like the synth. 
I love the touchpad glow too. It does not come across that well in videos, but it’s pretty cool in real life, especially at low ambient light. Sodium lamp is exactly what I had in mind when designing it, and it was actually a bit tricky to find the right kind of LEDs, ones that would match the tone and still have enough brightness when shining through the light port (and actually through the user’s fingertips as well).
5 Likes
More from @OscillatorSink, a wonderful journey that could very well be a horror movie soundtrack:
3 Likes
@nyppy - do you already know when the next firmware update will come out?
1 Like
Soon. Very likely in November.
4 Likes
Thank you! That’s fantastic!
1 Like
What is the new firmware bringing?
1 Like
I don’t want to publish a definitive list of new features yet, as I’m not sure which ones will make it into the release, and I don’t want to get any false hopes up. I hope you understand. But I’ll post here as soon as everything is finalised.
5 Likes
Chord mode is a go:
5 Likes
Feature list for the new version is more or less complete, here it is in short:
-
Octave range switching
-
Chord mode
-
New filter configurations (HP/LP in series or parallel, a base-width filter like the one in Elektron devices, and a base-width notch filter)
-
Extra LFO wavetables
-
Complex waveforms on LFO1 instead of the default sine (you can simply copy the LFO2 waveform to LFO1, and then change LFO2 to anything else)
-
Sample&hold as well as sample&glide on both LFOs, adjustable random value range on LFO2 via WAVE control
-
Option to swap filter and delay in the signal chain
Plus a couple of minor bugfixes.
8 Likes
And it’s out.
8 Likes
@nyppy - thank you for this amazing firmware update!
One question: Earlier in this thread you had mentioned the possibility to change the “sensitivity” of the gates (eg for using the Elmyra with a cv faderbank instead of the pads) - is this still on the list for future updates?
1 Like
the possibility to change the “sensitivity” of the gates
Yes, absolutely, it’ll be in the next update. Probably January. There are a couple of pretty cool things that didn’t make the cut, so I won’t wait too long for the next one.
3 Likes
v2.2 cheat sheet is now also available, it makes it a bit easier to look up the hidden functions. Print it and stick it to the bottom of the unit. One day I might make some stickers, once it’s feature complete. 
3 Likes
I built my Elmyra last night. Really enjoying it! I’m glad you made the updating procedure so easy (USB provides sufficient power, so I don’t have to awkwardly dangle my module from my case? – yes, thank you!), because it’s something I usually put off for ages.
1 Like
I’m the same. That’s why I tried to make it as painless as possible.
1 Like
A bit of Elmyra v2 droning (voice 1 is gated by LFO 2, LFO 1 is sweeping its wavetable; voice 1’s envelope out goes to voice 2’s gate input; voices 3 and 4 are set to drone continuously). I’m using a shimmer down reverb from my Synthesis Technology Hyperion, and more reverb from Mood Mk2 along with a looping delay. I thought it sounded pretty good.
3 Likes