Soma Laboratory offers a fresh take on analog sequencers with the Ornament-8. It completely reimagines traditional notions of time and tempo.
The Ornament-8 is a sequencer with a truly novel approach to time, tempo and memory. It comes from Soma Laboratory, an analog synthesiser manufacturer that pride themselves in ‘romantic engineering.’
Soma Laboratory’s catalogue of analog instruments are abstract and even metaphysical in nature, using physics, philosophy and religion to explain the ideas behind their products. With the the Ornament-8, Soma Laboratory boldly claims to have made the “first sequencer in history that is based upon the horizontal hierarchy of modules”. Rather than using an inbuilt master clock, the Ornament-8 has eight ‘cells’ that each receives pulses. The pulses hold for a certain duration before passing on to another cell.
There is no tempo, playback speed or even memory. The tempo is determined by patching and adjusting the properties of each cell. Soma Laboratory admit there is an element of randomness to the instrument, describing it as an “electronic micro model of an anarchist society”. Do with that what you will.
If this sounds confusing, then fortunately Soma Laboratory have provided an intricate 28 page manual outlining how to use the Ornament-8. The manual gives definitions on terminology, charts for operating, and suggestions on how to get started. It also contains an explanation of the product’s philosophy.
If you want to find out more, go to the Soma Laboratory website here.
