SOMA laboratory / FLUX

Flux enriches the musicality and expressiveness of classical instruments such as violin and vocals by giving them new timbres and the flexibility of postmodern instruments, and brings the power of modern technology to them.

Flux is a professional synthesizer with superior expressiveness, innovative interface design, and the highest quality DAC (digital-to-analog converter) and analog circuitry. It features a unique non-contact keyboard that allows you to control many parameters seamlessly without being quantized.

In many ways, Flux is inspired by the theremin, a distinctive way of controlling sounds by moving your hands in the air without touching the instrument. This makes it extremely supple, flexible, and beautiful to play.

Features
While theremins work by capacitive coupling between the hand and the antenna, the Flux is based on the principle of magnetism. By holding two electric bows in each hand, the position and movement of the bows are registered by the interface's multi-pole magnetic sensor. The X coordinate of the performer's right-hand bow controls pitch, while the Z coordinate controls volume. The X, Y, and Z coordinates of the left-hand bow control various synthesis parameters.

Because the magnet has two poles, Flux detects not only the position coordinates of the bow, but also its angle. This allows the right-hand bow to be flipped on the Y axis to change octaves and have a six-octave range without transposing the keyboard. With transpose, you get a range from sub-bass to ultrasonic. The right hand bow's left/right tilt on the x-axis controls two independent modulation parameters.

The left-hand bow controls the timbre. The tone sensor located on the left side has six poles, with independent positive and negative magnetic fields. This allows the parameters to be controlled to be changed by inverting the bow, allowing up to 12 independent tone parameters to be controlled. Combined with the two angular parameters of pitch, volume, and the right-hand bow, a total of 16 sound parameters can be controlled without touching the instrument's surface during performance.

In summary, the Flux concept is the most intuitive and immediate way to instantly and intuitively manipulate a multitude of synthesis parameters in a musical manner, allowing for the creation of dynamic tonal compositions. The various synthesis algorithms (engines) are designed as one complete instrument dedicated to direct tonal control. All engines are provided with a single firmware, and any engine can be activated instantly. Presets allow the entire state of the synthesizer, including the engines and all parameters, to be saved and recalled.

The SOMA team developed Flux with the goal of creating a modern instrument for academic music. It offers diverse and powerful acoustic tools such as distortion, complex FM, and physical modeling of unrealistic and surrealistic instruments.

Flux operates in monophonic, duophonic, and polyphonic modes. Staccato and quantize modes are also available. The quantize function has a vibrato adjustment parameter; Flux has a stable, even, and precisely marked pitch scale, which makes it more manageable and cleaner to pitch than a theremin.

Flux's synthesis is DSP-based. It has built-in spatial FX. The digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and analog circuitry are of the highest quality and designed by SOMA.

Product Specifications
Number of keys : 37
Octave range : 9
Maximum number of synthesis algorithms : 37
Number of polyphony : 1~12 (depending on algorithm)
LINE output jack : TS/TRS 6.3 mm jack (both L & R)
Maximum LINE output voltage : 18Vpp
Normal LINE output signal : ~5V (volume 100%)
Headphone output terminal : TRS 6.3 mm jack
Headphone resistance : 6 ? 64 Ω
Power supply : +12V 0.4A center plus

Dimensions Width : 1000mm
Depth : 114mm
Height : 30mm
Weight 1.7Kg
Accessories AC adapter, magnetic bow, simple interface manual