Pulsar-23 $2,444 somasynths.com
The brainchild of Soma Labs founder Vlad Kreimer, Pulsar-23 is one of the most fascinating, inspirational and – at times – bewildering electronic instruments we’ve tried in a long time. Described as an ‘Organismic Drum Machine’, this is a four-part percussion synth based around principles similar to those of Soma’s cult-classic Lyra 8 – replicating the interactions within a living organism through its non-linear design and multi-approach interface.
At a basic level, Pulsar-23 is a four-voice semi-modular percussion synth, with generators labeled Bass Drum, Bass, Snare Drum and Hi-Hat. The first two of these are more tonal, and it’s possible to play them melodically using MIDI and/or CV routings. The Bass Drum is a tunable triangle waveform with adjustable pitch sweep, capable of classic, meaty analog kick sounds, but great for longer bass sounds when sustained or played melodically. The Bass is a simple analog monosynth but with a secondary Percussive mode with a slightly noisier timbre. Each of
