Soma Laboratory Ornament-8

Organismic Sequencer

• New sequencer design without a defined tempo or measure and with freely configurable playback structure
• The Ornament-8 provides eight independent cells that are activated/deactivated with impulses and held for an adjustable time
• A sequence is generated by creatively daisy-chaining cells using patch cables
• Available for each cell are: Inputs and outputs for CV and triggers, trigger outputs for Lyra-8 and Pulsar-23, bypassing or doubling a cell’s duration, phase switch, adjustable cell duration, and buttons for cell activation/deactivation
• Four freely assignable gate-to-trigger signal converters

ORNAMENT-8 is an organismic sequencer, or in a broader sense, a synthesizer of behaviour. A unique feature of ORNAMENT is its fully horizontal modular structure that consists of eight equal and independent cells which are special delay lines. It’s in fact an analog computer with a temporal dimension, the behaviour of which is determined by patching and adjusting the temporal properties of each cell involved in the generation of the behaviour. 

ORNAMENT can be controlled via Eurorack-compatible Control Voltage. The output of ORNAMENT is also standard CV signals that can control LYRA-8, PULSAR-23, Eurorack systems and any equipment that can receive CV, including non-audio ones such as lighting setups or electromechanical installations. For controlling LYRA-8 we developed a special adapter for easy connection to the LYRA sensors while also preserving the ability to play it normally with your fingers.

ORNAMENT-8 is based on a completely new principle of synthesis of behaviour. Instead of a vertical structure with a tempo generator on top and some memory for storing sequenced events, we have a dynamic equilibrium inside a horizontal structure without any memory, just an infinite “now” that generates the next moment of behaviour. In certain key aspects, it resembles a neural network where there is no difference between “processor” and “memory”, where functions are blurred and all structures are very flexible. Because the ORNAMENT is fully modular, you can connect any number of ORNAMENTs into a single network, creating very complex multi-dimensional structures with the same complex behaviour. For those with philosophical inclinations, ORNAMENT is a playground the size of a box of chocolates where you can study fundamental laws of life and society, going beyond linear logical thinking.

SPECS

• Four adapters from 3.5 mm mini-jack to metal pins
• 12 V DC power output for external devices
• Voltage range: 0 – 10 V
• Cell duration: 50 ms – 5 mins
• Dimensions (W x D x H) : 266 x 255 x 54 mm
• Weight : 1.4 kg
• Includes 12 V DC power supply, power cable for external devices, and patch cables (14 x 30 cm and 12 x 65 cm) with crocodile clips