The Soma Synths Lyra-8 is a coveted synthesizer DIY kit made accessible by the community at mod wiggler’s thread: Lyra-8 DIY Kit. This forum has undoubtedly been parallel in helping many builders of different backgrounds navigate this intensive project. From sourcing parts to talking about panel and case design, it can really be found there.

This build took me over a year. I started the summer after I graduated with my associates in Engineering Science at HVCC. It was hard to get the PCB’s from the source as SOMA is a Russian company and I couldn’t route money to them in the way specified. So I gambled with a random person on reddit and bought the unused PCB’s from him. To my surprise, they arrived, unopened in what looked like a pizza box. From there, I began sourcing components to solder.

Once all the soldering was complete, the project went on hold as I needed a front panel, and IO panel, and a case to house the synth. Enamored by the aesthetic feel of Arseny Tokarev’s Lyra-4 DIY , I went ahead and taught myself Inkscape. After many months of trial and error, I settled on the design you see here. I was able to use Front Panel Designer and the included DXF files to prep for a real front panel. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that instead of uploading an SVG file, I uploaded a PNG. Huge oversight IMO, but after receiving it, it didn’t look horrible and I didn’t have the money to get a new one.

I’m lucky that at my school we have a makers space. I was able to cut out and miter the beautiful Bolivian Rosewood, and using a CNC machine, inlay the rear IO panel. I felt that it added a nice, professional feel. I was also able to laser cut and etch some 1.6mm anodized aluminum for the bottom panel, which was really neat! But I went through about $60 of material trying to dial the machine in. Turns out clear anodized aluminum is an odd one to laser cut.

Thanks for checking it out! I’m very proud of it and learned a ton of new things. This information will be transferrable to future designs and builds. Who knows, if theirs another beautiful and strange synth build, and I have the time and income, I hope to bring to life something as beautiful as I can.