Neutral Labs - Elmyra 2 (Black)

The Elmyra 2 is the successor to Neutral Labs' original Elmyra, rebuilt as a four-voice digital/analog hybrid drone synth and a platform for microtonal sound experiments. It's driven by touch — each voice has its own pad, and behind each pad sits an analog envelope that doubles as a modulation source. From there it can go almost anywhere, from ambient washes to gritty drones to outright noise, and the path between those places is as much about how you shape the instrument as how you play it.

The defining trick is that the Elmyra 2's character isn't fixed. The front panel takes preset cards — a set of four is included — that you physically plug in to load different sound personalities. You can also plug in bare electronic components like diodes or capacitors, which alter the sound path directly. Swap a card or a part and the instrument changes how it behaves. The cards are also compatible with other Neutral Labs modules, so a sound you like on one can travel with you.

Underneath the surface runs a wavetable-based complex oscillator engine of up to twelve oscillators with 1V/oct tracking, chord mode, and full support for microtonal scales. Around it sits what is essentially a small modular system in itself: 41 patch points, 31 modulation targets, two complex LFOs that also do sample & hold or sample & glide, four polymetric sequencers with up to 128 steps per voice, and a CV summing and utility section. The filter is switchable between a nice 2-pole state-variable, a steeper 4-pole ladder, high- and low-pass in series or parallel, and a base-width bandpass/notch — four different filter personalities for four different moods of drone. There's a delay with very high feedback, a lo-fi reverb and the analog OUCH circuit, a knot of destructive distortion, waveshaping and filtering for the dirtier end of things. Per voice you also get detune, dual sub-oscillators, chord mode, waveshaper, saturation, bitmangler, sample rate reduction and noise. A whole lot in other words.

A drone synth that doesn't sit still — you can tune it, patch it, sequence it, and when none of that is enough, plug new parts into the front and watch it become something else. Usable as a 42 HP Eurorack module or as a semi-modular desktop synth in a solid bamboo case running from any 5V USB source.

A lovely device to go on droney experimental microtonal journeys with!

Features:

• Four-voice digital/analog hybrid drone synthesizer and microtonal platform
• Each voice activated by touch or CV, with analog envelopes that double as modulation sources
• Wavetable-based complex oscillator engine, up to 12 oscillators in total
• 1V/octave compatible, chromatic mode for chords and harmonic content, microtonal scales supported
• Front-panel preset cards (set of 4 included) reshape the sonic character
• Bare electronic components like diodes or capacitors can also be plugged in to alter the sound path
• Preset cards compatible with other Neutral Labs modules
• 41 patch points, 31 modulation targets
• Filter switchable between: 2-pole state-variable (LP/BP/HP), 4-pole low-pass ladder, HP+LP in series or parallel, base-width bandpass/notch
• Delay with very high feedback, lo-fi reverb
• Analog OUCH circuit: destructive distortion, waveshaping and filtering
• Per-voice modulations and effects: unison detune, dual sub-oscillators, chord mode, waveshaper, saturation, bitmangler, sample rate reduction, noise, high-pass filter, low-pass filter
• 2 complex LFOs, also operate in sample & hold and sample & glide mode
• 4 sequencers with arbitrary step length per voice (up to 128) for polymetric structures
• Delay time and LFOs can be clock-synced, unsynced, or driven by tap tempo
• Utilities: dual attenuator / buffered multiple / voltage generator and CV summing circuit
• External audio input for processing outside sources
• Works as either as a semi-modular desktop synth in a solid bamboo case or as a 42 HP Eurorack module
• Desktop version runs from any 5V USB source (USB-A to USB-C cable included, no power supply)