New synth from SOMA Labs is built into a single piece of wood

Moscow-based instrument maker SOMA Labs has unveiled a new microtonal synth encased in wood.

The TERRA synth can create a vast array of digital sounds, its manufacturer says. It comes with 32 different algorithms, each of which is designed to be a complete instrument on its own.

The synth is also equipped with a unique keyboard that has an assortment of sensors to allow for timbre control and pitch shifts. SOMA Labs says people can use the keyboard to tune notes with high accuracy, while the sounds it can produce are capable of mimicking the range of a grand piano.

The synth is still in the development stage, but a prototype will be unveiled at Superbooth, the Berlin trade fair for electronic music instruments, on 13th May. Various different versions of the synth will ultimately be made, according to SOMA Labs.

In a note on its website, unveiling the new product, SOMA Labs said: “The goal is to free the musician from long exhausting programming, setting hundreds of parameters for creating one timbre, and instead putting the focus directly on music and performance.”

You can watch a video demonstrating how the TERRA synth can be used below.

Roland also unveiled a new range of musical instruments this week, in the form of synth and vocal processors, as well as a drum sequencer.