Mike Moreno DSP now offers his LIRA•8 emulation as a free virtual synth, available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in VST3, VST2, AUi, LV2 formats, or as a standalone Pure Data application.
At this point, I’d wager most people interested in experimental gear know SOMA Laboratories. They consistently push the envelope in both circuit design, player-instrument interaction, and overall artistic philosophy.
Their Lyra-8 touch-based synthesizer is a deep, complex piece of gear that creates anything from melancholic wails and huge drones with ever-evolving timbral shifts to flat-out sonic mayhem.
LIRA•8 emulates the 8 tunable oscillators (triggered by mouse click or MIDI in), frequency modulation, the characteristically dirty and unpredictable delay of the original unit, as well as its unruly LFO and distortion.
The eight oscillators can be tuned individually to your desired pitch and triggered with MIDI notes from C1 to G1. These oscillators are divided into four pairs (12), (34), (56), (78), which are then split into two groups (1234), (5678) for additional processing.
The “Sharp” slider changes the sound from a triangle to a square, while the “Mod” slider controls the modulation depth. There are LFO CV controls for each pair of oscillators.
The “Pitch” slider controlling group (1234) and (5678) transposes the selected group while retaining interval structure. The “Hold” slider sets the minimal volume level for a group. Experiment with this slider to make the plugin drone continuously.
Total FB turns replaces the LFO with the instrument’s sound (post-distortion), turning it into an FM synthesis structure with the right tweaking. For these more advanced functions, I recommend reading the original manual of the SOMA Lyra-8 to get an idea of what you can do.
Finally, at the top of the panel, three sections control Hyper LFO, Mod Delay, and distortion drive, mix, and volume.
While a plugin like this obviously lacks some of the tactile magic of the original instrument, the plugin does sound good and is a complete no-brainer if you’re into ambience, drone, cinematic music, or just experimental sound design in general.
Press “record” and get your inputs and tweaks in real-time, presenting you with a boatload of unexpected, yet very musical sounds. The sounds are strong enough to stand on their own, or they can be repurposed and processed further. You’re probably going to be wowed.
Mike Moreno DSP has done an impressive job emulating an even more impressive instrument and design concept. As far as I know, this plugin used to be priced, but is now available for free.
If you’re into weird and brainy synth concepts, be sure to check out the Sonatura Superhet from 2025 that we’ve covered here previously.
Download: LIRA•8 (FREE / Name-your-price – email required)
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Last Updated on March 13, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
