All the cons you are talking about really have a place to be. But the main minus of the pulsar for me is the kick. It really needs a ton of processing to cut through an aggressive mix. Pulsar is an awesome instrument, but I just wish it was more punchy. Of course, we can use an external bass drum, but Pulsar is quite pricey, so getting rid of one-fourth of such an expensive synth is a little weird
I think it's not punchy because the transient of the kick when the attack is at zero is extremely loud, which clips the input of an audio interface when recording, and the body of the kick in comparison is much smaller than expected. When the attack is slightly above zero the kick body can come through a bit better but then the really loud click of the kick gets softened. The drive on the kick sounds more like a wavefolder too, would have preferred an saturator on the kick to provide limiting and boosting the volume, which I guess you can do externally if you patch the kick individually out to a compressor pedal and mix it back in or something.
I believe the lack of modulation on some things is due to Soma philosophy. They want to build instruments that you interact with. They give you just enough modulation options to get started, but then you got to get your hands on the machine and play it.
A useful module for getting the triggers to 10v is the the Big T Music Shifty: 6hp, 8 channels that turn 0 to 5v into either 0 to 10v or -5 to +5v switchable
Joey, did you tried using the clock toggle in the mid position, for using external clocks to command Pulsar? This will help to use it as slave device with eurorack clock sources as masters
29:09 I kinda wish for a SOMA instrument that is like 4 to 8 voices of that one channel. Like the lyra and it's fx, but with all the Pulsar's Bass channel.
Dope sounds! Also, I’m able to get stop start messages with the Pulsar. It just depends on what is sending. Ableton and my Keystep work great. Other DAWs and sequencers not so much.
One work around with midi sequencing and sending midi start/stop messages for using the clock dividers. I have Ableton as master clock. It sends clock to A4 & Digitakt. I have the A4 din sync cable for Pamela's new workout (which has cables for Clock and Run inputs) and I clock the pulsar from Pams. So I can sequence my Pulsar with Digitakt midi channels and the clock dividers only run when I start the Ableton clock.
Hey bro, I’ve been an acid techno head my whole life, and you’ve inspired me to finally dive into hardware again, just picked up a TD3- MO and a TR8s. I love these filthy analog techno drum sounds!!!!! Can you suggest something for me to start out with? DFAM?? Something I’m missing ? Thanks bro ! Big fan of your vids 🤘🎹
Go to Elektron (Digitakt for instance). If you like techno, Pulsar is not the best choice, in my opinion. There is not a real sequencer but a looper, not a real beat quantizer. P23 is cool if you want experiment with sound/noise/drone. For rhythmic purposes goes to digital one. Digitakt is a sampler too.
Hey man, glad to see you joining the dark side hahah. I felt the same when I first bought it, and now it's like a bunch of tentacles that go to my Behringer 2600 and DSI Pro 2.. I have the cv in and outs going to and from those machines, and turns them into this insane super system that works together but it's so crazy. It sits in it's own place in the mix, and I bought another A/D Scarlet 18i8 just to have separate outs, and that's what all of you want. then it becomes waaaaaaaay doper, as there is no weird cancelation going on due to a mono out, so what ever comes out comes out clean (but dirty heh heh) and then mixing in logic is soooo great. here is a little vid I made at the beginning of march, and now I've gone waaaaay further down the rabbit hole.. OH, FYI when you send to the separate outs, it bypasses the effects and the channel volume controls. they are sent out at full level. so you have to adjust on the A/D converter .. ua-cam.com/video/QhldYgXiOLM/v-deo.html
Hey also there is a way to get the super punchy kicks, by using the envelope from one of the other channels, or the LFO on the Envelope in. I wish I made a video of how to do it, but with some fooling around, you will get it , and it's insane. send CV to the envelope post. even though it says out, it takes in as well.
Try WTF to the TRIG pin of the KICK. Then you may want to control that level using an attenuator. Really helps the kick sound more mainstream-like if you want it to.
I totally agree with all the Blush review. Also I buyed the Pulsar 23 just a year ago and used it intensively every day. Pros and cons. The most positive aspect is the P23 is the most creative drumsynth ever. The most negative aspect is the P23 is the most imprecise instrument for professional purposes. Long discussion... I think it's a good choice for experiment sound, drone, noise (like I do). In despite of its advertising, it's not a real drum machine but it's more a drumsynth, a sort of expanded DFAM. For rhythmic purposes i think it's better to go with real drum machine like Roland or Elektron models. Just my modest opinion.
I never use an internal sequencer, but I have heavy usage of Shaos module. In conjunction with inverters and switches it opens LOTS of rhythms. Also, there's a strange behaviour when you somehow connects one of the Shaos output to one of the CLK inputs. Looking forward to buy Data Bender and BIA, it will be complete bonkers.
Hahaha I love this video, I’m my experience the pulsar has been so idiosyncratic and fucking frustrating but I’ve loved everything that’s come out of it lol. I’ve used Veils as a cv booster for mine.
I'm trying to decide if I should go Perkons or Pulsar. Many of the things you seem to not like about the Pulsar are things I think would frustrate me too, the looper, alligator clips, etc. However, the sound pallet is way more extensive than the Perkons, from the demos I've heard at least. After a year, do you still love it?
Great video, I had to scroll a whole lot down my Yt history to find you again. Subbed now. The lack of midi controlled start stop is a real bummer to have heard so I did appreciate your criticisms of it immensely, that awareness you gave me of its few shortcomings actually helped me in my decision to go and purchase it 😅you reduced the amount of surprises I was in for which is great 💯 percent appreciated. I had been looking for a drum/groove box analogue synth to help me focus on the improvisation performance side of beats and to get out of what I was finding an irritable headspace of menu diving frustrations and/or daw setup interaction with step sequencing with other percussive sythns I've been using previously, and I'm loving it, I reckon it's a god for hands-on on-the-fly creativity indeed 😇, There's only one thing that slows me up a little with it.... 👇 The alligator clip sheaths are so damn slippery, that's my biggest hang up on it now I'm practicing with it. More times than not when I pinch to open them the clip spins 90 degrees and fails to open the contacts sufficiently to place on the pins. I wish someone would design some clips with a grippier texture inside the plastic sheath that covers the clip. [Maybe I can heat shrink the sheath or melt it to the metal?? Tempting myself, where's my lighter at? haha.. no] Big ups to ya, peace out. 😊
I wish to have second Pulsar or something identical with crocodiles and desirable from Soma Labs. In my opinion it’s greatest synth which can impress you even after several years of use
Gnarly! Love the pulsar myself, mainly use the divider pins with the vca's to sequence everything...couldn't tell if you tried this or not; in a soma UA-cam video soma mentioned patching the lowest divider pin to the reset to get the looper working more stable.
Great video on the Pulsar 23. I have the Lyra-8. I gotta stop watching your video, so I don't spend more money - LOL. It looks like you had a ton-o-fun. I go now and hide under my pillow.
At last a decent video by someone who knows how to jam a fuckin box! ive had a pulsar loved it but sold it cos I couldn't afford a digital to sequence it LOL. Now a year later im gutted it shits on the Perkons and sounds utterly filthy...,its an ORGANIC drum machine which requires you to get stuck in and play it...your video perfectly highlights this...get your hands dirty and you get given raucous enjoyable happy madness!!!! Plus it can be sequenced externally when required to behave a little bit haha!!! Im back onboard and gonna buy me another ASAP!!! Ive had synths, modular gear, electron rhythm kit (3 of them lol) and this machine is just UNIQUE...goes well with guitar pedals too eg Microcosm and Caroline Meteore reverb.
You can use the Soma Ornament 8 to ‘translate’ the voltages to and from Eurorack CV. The O8 can also create unique analog sequences which can interact with the Pulsar through feedback loops . . . .
Alligator clips also do away with the need for mults - you can stack several clips onto a single pin. This makes sense to me, but the downside is the ease of connections, the mess (restricting access to the controls Vlad wants us to interact with) and the lack of Eurorack connectivity for those of us who have invested a lot over the years. As well as touch control, I think the device encourages the player to use chains, paperclips, bits of wire etc. I thought it should be possible to produce printed circuit boards on card or plastic, which fit over the device and make the necessary connections for a patch.
Does anyone tried a Digitakt with the Pulsar? I'm thinking of using my Digitakt to sequence a Pulsar but after this review I'm having my doubts if it's going to work correctly or not.
It works just fine. Pulsar do have midi in and midi learn buttons. I use my digitakt as a master clock from one of the sequence track into midi learn pin - alligator clip to the clock pin - then the digitakt start and stop the pulsar. Maybe poorly explained.
They’re each a completely different approach. I have owned both, and I have to say the Pulsar’s sound is much more alive. Elektron has a totally amazing way of putting a whole song together. If you want super flexible sequencing, and a more traditional sound with a full on sampler, the Rytm is for you. It’s truly an amazing machine. However, as we see here, there is no way the Rytm can do this kind of stuff. No way. The pulsar’s sound is rich, moving and full. There’s no screen, which I love. Pulsar has an openness that thrives on creativity and exploration. Check out the way Baseck uses the Rytm. As a sampler it’s really amazing. So I think it comes down to whether or not you want sampling versus more of a modular approach with amazingly beautiful sound design capabilities!
awesome video! gotta love soma, i think i saw that you can use the onboard looper to record parameter input so maybe you could sequence externally and use the onboard looper to record motion of parameters with no cv control, i know its not the same as having direct cv but could be a work around 👍
You could talk to Anthony Rother about it. He used it extensively on his Dekatron album from last year. And however he's using it, there's no mention of any of these issuses.
Fantastic instrument and jam @ 23:38 ..Kick drums not for driving techno ? Surgeon is using this currently in his live setup.. so i think yes..it delivers good kicks :)
This machine is pretty cool. It is clearly modeled after the BOSS DR-550 “ Doctor rhythm“. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. That was not at all funny and I apologize. The pulsar 23 is in a class by itself. It is truly a percussion synthesizer.
Buy a Pulsar: link.perfectcircuit.com/t/v1/8-12626-278597-9759?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.perfectcircuit.com%2Fsoma-pulsar-23.html
6:19 “the first semi-modular drum machine” - poor DFAM crying alone in the corner 😅
the DFAM is all monophonic though, this has actual seperate voices for kick snare hat ect
All the cons you are talking about really have a place to be. But the main minus of the pulsar for me is the kick. It really needs a ton of processing to cut through an aggressive mix. Pulsar is an awesome instrument, but I just wish it was more punchy. Of course, we can use an external bass drum, but Pulsar is quite pricey, so getting rid of one-fourth of such an expensive synth is a little weird
Why not use a plug-in like trash or pyros. Or if playing live just use an overdrive/fuzz/dist etc
I think it's not punchy because the transient of the kick when the attack is at zero is extremely loud, which clips the input of an audio interface when recording, and the body of the kick in comparison is much smaller than expected. When the attack is slightly above zero the kick body can come through a bit better but then the really loud click of the kick gets softened. The drive on the kick sounds more like a wavefolder too, would have preferred an saturator on the kick to provide limiting and boosting the volume, which I guess you can do externally if you patch the kick individually out to a compressor pedal and mix it back in or something.
I believe the lack of modulation on some things is due to Soma philosophy. They want to build instruments that you interact with. They give you just enough modulation options to get started, but then you got to get your hands on the machine and play it.
Great raw and honest review. Hard to find something this real these days.
Your jam took me to another dimension (all your jams do). Great as always!
A useful module for getting the triggers to 10v is the the Big T Music Shifty: 6hp, 8 channels that turn 0 to 5v into either 0 to 10v or -5 to +5v switchable
Joey, did you tried using the clock toggle in the mid position, for using external clocks to command Pulsar?
This will help to use it as slave device with eurorack clock sources as masters
such a great video. the fun you're having is equally as cool as the pulsar. just bought one-- and am now totally inspired. thank you!
29:09 I kinda wish for a SOMA instrument that is like 4 to 8 voices of that one channel. Like the lyra and it's fx, but with all the Pulsar's Bass channel.
Dope sounds! Also, I’m able to get stop start messages with the Pulsar. It just depends on what is sending. Ableton and my Keystep work great. Other DAWs and sequencers not so much.
One work around with midi sequencing and sending midi start/stop messages for using the clock dividers.
I have Ableton as master clock. It sends clock to A4 & Digitakt. I have the A4 din sync cable for Pamela's new workout (which has cables for Clock and Run inputs) and I clock the pulsar from Pams. So I can sequence my Pulsar with Digitakt midi channels and the clock dividers only run when I start the Ableton clock.
I just bought this and an Erica Synths Perkons. I believe (hoping) they will compliment each other well
Lucky! I bet it's a really fun user experience
Really amazing sounds - riding the edges of being completely out of control!
Wow. That mayhem at the end. Great demo of a great machine!
23:35 ok thank you, now I understand the hype
Hey bro, I’ve been an acid techno head my whole life, and you’ve inspired me to finally dive into hardware again, just picked up a TD3- MO and a TR8s. I love these filthy analog techno drum sounds!!!!! Can you suggest something for me to start out with? DFAM?? Something I’m missing ? Thanks bro ! Big fan of your vids 🤘🎹
Go to Elektron (Digitakt for instance). If you like techno, Pulsar is not the best choice, in my opinion. There is not a real sequencer but a looper, not a real beat quantizer.
P23 is cool if you want experiment with sound/noise/drone. For rhythmic purposes goes to digital one. Digitakt is a sampler too.
Love the Pulsar. It sounds huge.
Wicked tune.
Stunning jam, just amazing!
WOW. I have an orange one and I'm dying to get it to that insane place. Thank you for showing the possibilities!
I love how SCREAMY you got it! Listen to that anger. LOVE.
Hey man, glad to see you joining the dark side hahah. I felt the same when I first bought it, and now it's like a bunch of tentacles that go to my Behringer 2600 and DSI Pro 2.. I have the cv in and outs going to and from those machines, and turns them into this insane super system that works together but it's so crazy. It sits in it's own place in the mix, and I bought another A/D Scarlet 18i8 just to have separate outs, and that's what all of you want. then it becomes waaaaaaaay doper, as there is no weird cancelation going on due to a mono out, so what ever comes out comes out clean (but dirty heh heh) and then mixing in logic is soooo great. here is a little vid I made at the beginning of march, and now I've gone waaaaay further down the rabbit hole.. OH, FYI when you send to the separate outs, it bypasses the effects and the channel volume controls. they are sent out at full level. so you have to adjust on the A/D converter .. ua-cam.com/video/QhldYgXiOLM/v-deo.html
Hey also there is a way to get the super punchy kicks, by using the envelope from one of the other channels, or the LFO on the Envelope in. I wish I made a video of how to do it, but with some fooling around, you will get it , and it's insane. send CV to the envelope post. even though it says out, it takes in as well.
Try WTF to the TRIG pin of the KICK.
Then you may want to control that level using an attenuator.
Really helps the kick sound more mainstream-like if you want it to.
Good tip, I’ll give it a try, thanks!
@@blush_response whats the best place to stay in Berlin during Superbooth?
12:53..."pretty trippy pretty trippy".🙃Thanks for sharing
env out from kick > invert > vca then duck everything else with the envelope from the kick drum
Fantastic idea.
Amazing jam at the end for sure. I love this thing!
I totally agree with all the Blush review. Also I buyed the Pulsar 23 just a year ago and used it intensively every day. Pros and cons. The most positive aspect is the P23 is the most creative drumsynth ever. The most negative aspect is the P23 is the most imprecise instrument for professional purposes. Long discussion... I think it's a good choice for experiment sound, drone, noise (like I do). In despite of its advertising, it's not a real drum machine but it's more a drumsynth, a sort of expanded DFAM. For rhythmic purposes i think it's better to go with real drum machine like Roland or Elektron models. Just my modest opinion.
Wonder if anybody's going to be brave enough to open up one of these and see about adding a few more patch points
I never use an internal sequencer, but I have heavy usage of Shaos module. In conjunction with inverters and switches it opens LOTS of rhythms. Also, there's a strange behaviour when you somehow connects one of the Shaos output to one of the CLK inputs. Looking forward to buy Data Bender and BIA, it will be complete bonkers.
If u had. To choose between this and the syntrx 2 what would u get? I know different vibes.
I’m also considering grabbing the Pwm mantis. 🤪
Hahaha I love this video, I’m my experience the pulsar has been so idiosyncratic and fucking frustrating but I’ve loved everything that’s come out of it lol. I’ve used Veils as a cv booster for mine.
every soma device is insane. check out the cosmos. it was my fav on superbooth 22. they are just so different!
I'm trying to decide if I should go Perkons or Pulsar. Many of the things you seem to not like about the Pulsar are things I think would frustrate me too, the looper, alligator clips, etc. However, the sound pallet is way more extensive than the Perkons, from the demos I've heard at least.
After a year, do you still love it?
"I'm telling you, I never saw that kinda briefcase before in my life." "Ok. Blush?"
I wanted this thing so bad when it came out and it’s slowly unsold itself on me every day since. Perkons has my eye though
Wonderful demo. Excellent sounds. Beautiful review. ♥ 🎶 😁
“Little touch plates here for doing weird shit.”
Yes! 😂 🙌
You woke the devil inside that drum machine!
First semi modular drum machine??? What about DFAM??
Fantastic video, thanks.
my head just exploded
thank you! this is super helpful
did you try the last erica synth Perkons, Im looking at buying either of them. nice review btw
Great video, I had to scroll a whole lot down my Yt history to find you again. Subbed now.
The lack of midi controlled start stop is a real bummer to have heard so I did appreciate your criticisms of it immensely, that awareness you gave me of its few shortcomings actually helped me in my decision to go and purchase it 😅you reduced the amount of surprises I was in for which is great 💯 percent appreciated.
I had been looking for a drum/groove box analogue synth to help me focus on the improvisation performance side of beats and to get out of what I was finding an irritable headspace of menu diving frustrations and/or daw setup interaction with step sequencing with other percussive sythns I've been using previously, and I'm loving it, I reckon it's a god for hands-on on-the-fly creativity indeed 😇,
There's only one thing that slows me up a little with it.... 👇
The alligator clip sheaths are so damn slippery, that's my biggest hang up on it now I'm practicing with it. More times than not when I pinch to open them the clip spins 90 degrees and fails to open the contacts sufficiently to place on the pins. I wish someone would design some clips with a grippier texture inside the plastic sheath that covers the clip. [Maybe I can heat shrink the sheath or melt it to the metal?? Tempting myself, where's my lighter at? haha.. no]
Big ups to ya, peace out. 😊
I wish to have second Pulsar or something identical with crocodiles and desirable from Soma Labs. In my opinion it’s greatest synth which can impress you even after several years of use
Lyra 8 has an adapter for crocodiles and Ornament 8 (the Soma "sequencer") also. I love their stuff
Love the sound of it
Definitely does techno greatly , as long as your not 909 kick obsessed.
It does anything great. Trap, acid hiphop
Gnarly! Love the pulsar myself, mainly use the divider pins with the vca's to sequence everything...couldn't tell if you tried this or not; in a soma UA-cam video soma mentioned patching the lowest divider pin to the reset to get the looper working more stable.
Yes I’ve done that but it is always out of phase and requires hitting the reset button more than a few times to get it properly in phase
What a jam 🖤🖤🖤
Review after owning it one week… i think you might want to redo this after 6months or a year. I own it and i know how hard to use the looper is too :)
oh, these sync issues are a deal breaker for me. thanks for highlighting that HUGE problem.
dope. I love my pulsar.
Great video on the Pulsar 23. I have the Lyra-8. I gotta stop watching your video, so I don't spend more money - LOL. It looks like you had a ton-o-fun. I go now and hide under my pillow.
I'm kind of more on the perkons side for now
Insane distorted analog sound 🖤🖤🖤
At last a decent video by someone who knows how to jam a fuckin box! ive had a pulsar loved it but sold it cos I couldn't afford a digital to sequence it LOL. Now a year later im gutted it shits on the Perkons and sounds utterly filthy...,its an ORGANIC drum machine which requires you to get stuck in and play it...your video perfectly highlights this...get your hands dirty and you get given raucous enjoyable happy madness!!!! Plus it can be sequenced externally when required to behave a little bit haha!!! Im back onboard and gonna buy me another ASAP!!! Ive had synths, modular gear, electron rhythm kit (3 of them lol) and this machine is just UNIQUE...goes well with guitar pedals too eg Microcosm and Caroline Meteore reverb.
use a multi clock and all the clock problems are solved!
What’s a multi clock
@@TwinCitiesOxygen ua-cam.com/video/pHE7vKhYJLc/v-deo.html
What’s up again man.. Where is your residency club ? Or do you just play different circuits ? Cheers S.L.
This is the first not that positive review i’ve seen for the pulsar. Still sounds amazing!
sick jam
some instant tracks in there
Love it!!! Giving thanks man!!!🖤✨
Sounds mental
30:01 "JFC!" 🤣🤣🤣
There’s a gate you can patch the kik Gate thru.. give it more attack.
What kind of camera do you use
I wonder if it could be modded to include CV controls where there are none?
You can use the Soma Ornament 8 to ‘translate’ the voltages to and from Eurorack CV. The O8 can also create unique analog sequences which can interact with the Pulsar through feedback loops . . . .
24:02 oh man!
Alligator clips is indeed an odd choice. I think that the idea is that the nods were supposed to be touched instead of using cables/clips.
Alligator clips also do away with the need for mults - you can stack several clips onto a single pin. This makes sense to me, but the downside is the ease of connections, the mess (restricting access to the controls Vlad wants us to interact with) and the lack of Eurorack connectivity for those of us who have invested a lot over the years.
As well as touch control, I think the device encourages the player to use chains, paperclips, bits of wire etc. I thought it should be possible to produce printed circuit boards on card or plastic, which fit over the device and make the necessary connections for a patch.
18:00 Heavy! Sounds good
I think you can patch the rest button to reset itself. Check Vlad's tutorials.
Around 15:45 ....great
It's one of the most unusual things to be called "a drum machine"! 👽🥁 Hope to have one eventually 🤓💫
....Yea
The delay on this thing is tremendous
Does anyone tried a Digitakt with the Pulsar? I'm thinking of using my Digitakt to sequence a Pulsar but after this review I'm having my doubts if it's going to work correctly or not.
It works just fine. Pulsar do have midi in and midi learn buttons. I use my digitakt as a master clock from one of the sequence track into midi learn pin - alligator clip to the clock pin - then the digitakt start and stop the pulsar. Maybe poorly explained.
this a jomox a mackie and a modulated delay. techno for the next 26373739 years
I dunno man, that kick sounds pretty beefy to me ❤
Add a connection from 0.25 clock to lrst when using midi clock 👍
welcome to heLLL
sick !
analog rytm or pulsar?
Rytm
Gotharman Spazedrum
They’re each a completely different approach. I have owned both, and I have to say the Pulsar’s sound is much more alive.
Elektron has a totally amazing way of putting a whole song together. If you want super flexible sequencing, and a more traditional sound with a full on sampler, the Rytm is for you. It’s truly an amazing machine.
However, as we see here, there is no way the Rytm can do this kind of stuff. No way. The pulsar’s sound is rich, moving and full. There’s no screen, which I love. Pulsar has an openness that thrives on creativity and exploration.
Check out the way Baseck uses the Rytm. As a sampler it’s really amazing.
So I think it comes down to whether or not you want sampling versus more of a modular approach with amazingly beautiful sound design capabilities!
awesome video! gotta love soma, i think i saw that you can use the onboard looper to record parameter input so maybe you could sequence externally and use the onboard looper to record motion of parameters with no cv control, i know its not the same as having direct cv but could be a work around 👍
You could talk to Anthony Rother about it. He used it extensively on his Dekatron album from last year. And however he's using it, there's no mention of any of these issuses.
Uma máquina estranha mas ao mesmo tempo DEMOLIDORA!!!!!!!
e cosa hai combinato!
Fantastic instrument and jam @ 23:38 ..Kick drums not for driving techno ? Surgeon is using this currently in his live setup.. so i think yes..it delivers good kicks :)
How can you ever reproduce a sound with this machine. It is like a slot machine.
This machine is pretty cool. It is clearly modeled after the BOSS DR-550 “ Doctor rhythm“. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
That was not at all funny and I apologize. The pulsar 23 is in a class by itself. It is truly a percussion synthesizer.
Funny lad
maybe organized chaos????ME LIKE..
Learn the mashine before reviewing it dude 🤣