SOMA Laboratory has released the PULSAR-23:1984, a limited special edition of the PULSAR-23 developed in collaboration with The Midium and SOMA US Division engineer Noah Jolly, with only 84 numbered units available in the United States.
Born from a year-long collaboration between The Midium and the SOMA US Division, the special edition PULSAR-23:1984 is the first SOMA instrument to feature US design and engineering. With only 84 numbered units available in the United States, it’s about as far from mass production as you can get.
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The 1984 title is a deliberate statement about artistic originality in an era where so much is monitored, catalogued and smoothed out. SOMA has always built instruments with a certain unruly quality, and the PULSAR-23:1984 leans further into that than ever.
The most significant change under the hood is a completely new Bass Drum architecture designed by SOMA US engineer Noah Jolly. The new oscillator produces an asymmetrically clipped triangle wave that can be pushed into a square wave via the Drive knob. The design sits somewhere between predictable and chaotic depending on how hard you push it. The Tune knob range has also been expanded, and the OMG pin is now an AC coupled FM input. Rounding out the sonic changes is a new filter for the Bass section, drawing inspiration from the Polivoks circuit – unrefined, alive and very much in keeping with the SOMA approach.
Visually, the 1984 edition is immediately recognisable. The bare metal chassis with clear coat finish, all-red LEDs, black soft case and red, white and black alligator cables give it a look that matches its personality.
More information at soma-lab.com.
