Soma Lab’s new sequencer is an analogue computer that helps you study fundamental laws of life and society

The Ornament-8 is the debut offering from Soma’s new team member Vadim Minkin.

Soma Laboratory have announced a new Eurorack-compatible CV sequencer unlike anything else on the market. The Ornament-8 consists of eight independent cells, which can be connected together and clocked to run as a complex sequencer.

As Soma themselves put it: ORNAMENT-8 is based on a completely new principle of synthesis of behaviour. Instead of a vertical structure with a tempo generator on top and some memory for storing sequenced events, we have a dynamic equilibrium inside a horizontal structure without any memory, just an infinite “now” that generates the next moment of behaviour. In certain key aspects, it resembles a neural network where there is no difference between “processor” and “memory”, where functions are blurred and all structures are very flexible. Because the ORNAMENT is fully modular, you can connect any number of ORNAMENTs into a single network, creating very complex multi-dimensional structures with the same complex behaviour. For those with philosophical inclinations, ORNAMENT is a playground the size of a box of chocolates where you can study fundamental laws of life and society, going beyond linear logical thinking.

Fair enough.

The Soma Laboratory Ornament-8 is due to arrive very soon priced at €450 (just over £400). Scroll down to see more of it in action or read our review of the Soma Laboratory Lyra-8 synth here.