ENIGMA is a recent product release from SOMA Laboratory. I try not to throw around the word genius too freely. But I’m going to make an exception when it comes to the brilliant body of work from SOMA Laboratory, founded and driven by the creative vision of Vlad Kreimer. I’ve had the pleasure of experimenting with several devices from SOMA, including FLUX, COSMOS, HARVEZI HAZZE, LYRA-8 and PIPE. Their latest piece, ENIGMA, is an experimental synthesizer with unmatched elegance in design and functionality.
THE ENIGMA INTERFACE
Faithful to the device’s name, the manual is perhaps the shortest I’ve yet to come across and presents an invitation to explore rather than a meticulous description of every possible parameter. Intentional mystery lies at the heart of many devices from SOMA. Their design aesthetic rewards experimentation with spontaneous and unexpected outbursts of delicious sonic gestures. Or you may latch on to a polyphonic rhythmic texture that seems to emerge of its own accord.
ENIGMA is activated by the placement of metal objects on the surface of the interface. There are geometric patterns inscribed there that imply the possibility that particular nodes or areas have more significance than others. There are 8 touch-sensitive LEDs located at the top. Only one of these controls is described in any detail in the manual, that being the one that is used to periodically calibrate the device every 4-12 months. The rest of the controls are for you to discover while you create.
The developers make a point of stating that the interface does not employ randomness and that placing the same object in the same location with the same touch sensor states will produce identical behavior. Another “hint” given in the manual is that ENGIMA, in some modes, “may trace and memorize gestures in time.” Mysterious indeed and worth exploring.
The rear panel includes 12V power input (adaptor and international plugs included), 3.5mm headphone jack, 1/4” stereo output jacks, MIDI DIN and Eurorack compatible CV inputs. “In certain modes, ENIGMA recognizes: MIDI Clock, MIDI Start, MIDI Stop, MIDI Continue, MIDI Notes (velocity is ignored), MIDI Pitch Bend.”
I compiled every metallic artifact I could find to start experimenting, including coins, keys, combination locks, old watches, nuts and bolts, etc. Although SOMA’s claims of repeatability seemed genuine, I took no chances and decided to record everything from the get-go using REWIND, the handy app from monkeyc that continually records in the background without the need for an open DAW. I advise recording at 32bit so that unpredictable peaks can be salvaged if need be. My experience was one of wonder, and I was immediately addicted as subtle movements spawned amazing and surprising results.
Slight movements in certain areas of the ENGIMA scratch-proof surface seem to initiate various processes familiar to any synthesist—filtering, oscillators and wave-shaping, pulsing, melodic sequencing, pitch-shifting, envelope control, various flavors of noise, delays, etc.
Even slight movements of metallic objects once they were activated proved fruitful and immediately controllable. It became apparent that certain areas were more likely to produce specific effects, like filtering at the bottom of the interface and rhythmic effects at the top. However, things were not always so clear-cut.
Larger objects seem to have more effect, as I assume they are able to interact with more nodes under the surface. Also, odd-shaped objects like keys and watches could be rotated to produce more variety than coins, for instance.
The six control touch sensors (three on each side) seem to change the underlying algorithm quite drastically. With each switch having a possible state of on/off, there are 64 possible combinations, or 2^6. Once you have object placements that seem sonically productive, you can play with the various combinations, like flipping between presets or playing sort of textural melodies. I never went so far as to document if there was any consistency regarding what each of the 64 possible states does, but I’ll likely get to that with further explorations.
EXAMPLES
Below are some example sounds I recorded with ENIGMA (dual mono) without any additional processing or multitracking other than simple editing and gain adjustments. Although all fragments are presented as they occurred for demonstration purposes, in a performance situation I would have likely let some of these juicy textures ride a lot longer.
VIDEO
You can see ENIGMA in action in the demo video from SOMA below.
CONCLUSIONS
ENIGMA is an experimentalist’s dream device! It offers a palette of rich sonic possibilities that is paradoxically unpredictable yet controllable. It can interface with your Eurorack or MIDI gear, or be used as a stand-alone device. As with most of the instruments created by SOMA, ENIGMA is designed with live performance in mind. The nature of the device will encourage and inspire the performer to react in real time, rather than relying on known cause-and-effect gestures or pre-composed material. But there is no reason not to exploit the sound design possibilities as well. Keeping a running recording as you play is definitely the way to go so that later you can mine the serendipitous sonic jewels that are sure to emerge in the process.
ENIGMA is a wonderfully tactile device that gets your head out of software-driven thinking, and away from standard keyboard playing and knob twiddling. Its fundamental concept ensures unique results from every user. The build is solid and road-ready, and the graphic on the scratch-proof surface, reminiscent of an unfolded work of origami, is as mysterious as its name implies.
Vlad Kreimer is clearly one of the most innovative thinkers of our time in terms of instrument design, and ENIGMA is yet another example of his ability to conceive unique methods of sound production and implement those ideas with flawless virtuosity. Bravo!
EXTRAS
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