SOMA PULSAR 23 I simply love this drum machine. Although it sounds sort of monstrous, it won’t produce anything even slightly traditional. It sounds nearly lo-fi, rough, aggressive, and brazen. In many ways, it is quite rudimentary and primitive, as one can say. You can compare it to an independent modular system, giving you countless options for sound design. The most versatile module on the Pulsar is probably the bass synth, which is also the only module that can be played chromatically via midi. Although they don’t sound like any typical snare or hi-hat, the snare and hi-hat are also incredibly expressive noise synthesizers. Although the bass drum is strong and deep, it does not produce kicks like an 808 or 909, so if you are into more standard kits, this isn’t the one for you. You can also sequence the Pulsar with other equipment. Its looping sequencer also allows for live recording; however, it is not quantised. It is the kind of instrument, in my opinion, that grows on you as you get to know it. It really encourages you to express yourself musically in new ways. I mainly use it on sound design sessions, so I am not running it live or something similar. Often, I also jam with it on top of an almost finished production to see if I can come up with elements that would fit the vibe of the track, or maybe even open up a new alley of vibe for it. I use it on many tracks I currently work on. Find Phace’s remix of Task Horizon’s ‘Shrink Ray’ on Evolution Chamber here. Phace’s Patreon