Neutral Labs Elmyra
Get thick, complex drones and rich tones with the Elmyra from Neutral Labs, a digital drone box with a performative interface. The touch interface was inspired by the Lyra-8, but the Elmyra is an altogether new entity, eschewing analog warmth for harsh digital sounds.
Control the amplitude of the three oscillators with the three touch pads. The conductivity of your skin will help determine the behavior, in addition to the envelope switches, which can be used to lengthen the played notes. Droning the oscillators without the touch plates is also possible, accessed by flipping the envelope switches twice in quick succession. The oscillators can each be tuned independently, or with the chromatic mode, can be synced to notes to create chords. You can select the oscillator waveshape, either an imperfect triangle or imperfect square, using the shape switches.
An onboard digital delay can be used to lengthen the notes and add depth and texture. With the feedback at high settings, complex and rich soundscapes can be introduced into the signal path. A little bit of distortion is always present with the Elmyra, but additional analog distortion can be added using the scratch knob and bite switch. This distortion from the scratch control and delay feedback can be reigned in using the onboard low pass filter.
An internal fluctuating random source adds random pitch deviation to the oscillators, controlling the length of the oscillator cycles. Elmyra can also be put into a sequencer mode in which notes and delay time can be set for each channel for sequences up to 16 steps long. This powerful little drone beast provides endless hours of sonic possibilities and rewards exploration of its features and settings.
Elmyra Features
- Drone box with performance features
- Three tunable oscillators with selectable waveshape
- Control the amplitude of the oscillators using the touch pads
- Touchpad-initiated envelope with two lengths
- Digital delay with time, mix, and feedback controls that gets pretty crunchy
- Non-resonant low pass filter
- Analog scratch distortion
- Fluctuating random modulation of oscillator cycle
- Audio output on 1/4" jack
- Power: 5V USB powered with max draw of 500mA (included)
- Dimensions: 230 x 170 x 85mm/9 x 6.6 x 3.3"