The Soma Enner is a remarkably versatile sonic instrument, producing various sounds, from bits and pads to FX, noises, clicks, and glitches. It even doubles as a stylish vocal microphone with built-in analogue FX and more. A musician with a vivid imagination and experience in harnessing the power of ENNER can craft an entire thrilling performance using this singular synthesizer.
At its core, the Soma Enner is an extraordinary analogue synthesizer that operates on a unique principle: every sound-producing signal passes through and is controlled by your body. Your hands take centre stage in this circuitry, as touching various contact pads with different parts of your fingers and palms, and applying varying amounts of pressure dictates the mixing, volume, timbre, feedback, and other synthesis parameters. Surprisingly, human skin possesses intricate electric properties beyond mere resistance; it includes capacitive properties and nonlinear conductivity dependence on factors like current, its direction, and the duration of application. These factors influence the resulting sound, making you an integral part of the synthesis process.
Enner boasts metallic pots that serve as inputs and outputs, allowing a touch to alter parameters and patch audio signals.
The key components of Enner include:
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Filter Array: Featuring a central triangle, this includes stereo high pass, stereo high mid-bandpass, stereo low mid-bandpass, and stereo low pass filters. Sliding your fingers across these pads creates a rich stereo image with each channel's individual volume and timbral properties. The filters' outputs merge and connect to the main output, with a stereo direct input option for bypassing the filters.
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Modulated Stereo Delay: Controlled by the blue pads on the top of the triangle, this delay mixes its output with the filter output, delivering captivating effects. Individual TIME controls for left and right channels, common FEEDBACK, and a pot for self-modulation (BIZZARE) offer a range of delay effects.
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Five-Voice Synthesizer: Located on the right side of ENNER, this synthesizer boasts individual frequency adjustments (TUNE knobs) for each voice, allowing for simultaneous pitch modification of all voices. Each voice has separate output pads, modulation inputs, and ring modulation outputs for experimentation.
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Rhythmic Synth: Situated on the left side, this synth features a master generator with six divided outputs (PULSE 1-6), ideal for generating rhythmic clicks, basses, and octave tones. The TEMPO knob controls the master generator's frequency, while logical multiplications of PULSE outputs create complex rhythmic patterns.
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Electro-Acoustic Noise Element: ENNER includes a piezo pickup on the front panel, capturing sound from the casing. A metallic spring and the ability to attach rubber bands to the panel enable various acoustic sounds. The piezo mic captures clicks, scratches, and even your voice singing over the panel. When connected to filters or delay inputs, it can create filtered feedback, and the PIEZO GAIN adjusts sensitivity.
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Static Pink Noise: The NOISE pad at the bottom of the triangle outputs static pink noise.
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External Audio Processing: ENNER accommodates external audio input through the EXT socket and EXT pad, allowing you to process external signals through its filter array, delay, and other features.
The Soma Enner's combination of features offers a simple yet powerful collection of sound sources and FX, granting access to a diverse sound palette with various play techniques—all controlled by your touch.
Notably, ENNER was a collaborative effort with Danish sound artist SiSTOR (Dalin Waldo), who contributed to the front panel design and naming of the instrument, bringing a unique artistic touch to its development.