The Soma Pulsar-23 Screw (Black), a cost-effective alternative to the Pulsar Turret, maintains the same functionality but at a much lower price, achieved by using stainless steel screws instead of custom turrets.

The Soma Pulsar-23 redefines analogue drum machines with a semi-modular design that allows immediate use without patching. Its extensive inter- and intra-connectivity capabilities open up vast possibilities for sonic and rhythmic experimentation.

Innovative Connectivity

The Pulsar-23 employs a unique patching method using alligator clips and binding posts instead of conventional ⅛" and ¼" cables. This system offers unmatched flexibility, enabling multiple wires to connect to the same post and promoting tactile interactions through binding post connections. Many binding posts can function as inputs and outputs, blending multiple signals and allowing simultaneous clock and modulation signals for intricate, interconnected relationships, termed "Organismic" by the designer.

Powerful Voicings

The Pulsar-23 features four distinct voices, each designed for specific functions:

• BD (Bass Drum): This drum kit includes pitch and Tune controls and a Drive unit for shaping waveforms, producing sounds from subtle to gritty industrial tones.
• BASS: Offers a subtractive mono synth section with waveform selection and a low-pass filter, transformable into an additional percussion instrument.
• SD (Snare Drum): This drum kit is tailored for snare drums and claps, featuring a band-pass filter, clap control, and traditional analogue snare adjustments.
• HHT (High Hat): This technique uses white noise as its primary sound source and a high-pass filter to control tonality.

Each voice includes dedicated Attack and Decay parameters and independent binding posts for modulation. FX controls allow each voice to be assigned to the DSP Reverb and Delay section. A distortion module on the master provides control over Drive intensity, with a Mix knob for adjusting the dry signal. The DSP Delay and Reverb section adds depth, offering various delay options and a reverb based on a "hall" sound, usable independently or in series, with modulation controls via the binding posts.

Sequencer

The Pulsar-23 introduces a unique sequencing approach inspired by tape loops, allowing effortless recording of sound events with high resolution for a human touch. Each voice has a rhythmic quantizer for grid synchronization, and internal memory stores four banks of four sequences. Robust MIDI integration lets users assign MIDI messages to drum parameters, with the Bass voice controllable via MIDI for external keyboard playability with precise pitch tracking across five octaves. External clocking through MIDI and an analogue clock enable seamless synchronization, with seven distinctive clock divisions for versatile triggers and LFO synchronization. Patching clock divisions creates unique swing patterns, and LFO frequency control via external CV achieves clock sync modulation.

SHAOS

The SHAOS module adds unpredictability with a pseudo-random voltage generator, producing sequences of stepped voltages. It offers three modes (1-bit, 2-bit, and 3-bit) and selectable pseudo-random sequencer lengths (63, 16, or 217 modes).

Utilities

The Pulsar-23 includes various utilities typical of modular systems, such as four attenuators, a VCA accepting audio and CV signals, eight 1/8" to binding post adapters, and six 1/4" to binding posts for seamless modular system communication. Additional utilities include CV-controllable inverters, gate-controlled electronic switches, triggered impulse generators, and more features to explore.