SOMA Cosmos

amazing but a bit overpriced

this device is amazing at what it does but the price is heavy besides the price there are some things i feel like it could do better, like the (over) drive could do a little more and i wish there was an easier way to switch between the firmware modes, midi would have been nice and a timer for the looper modes wouldn't hurt and if your using it on a pedalboard the device is really quite huge. on the pros its incredibly easy to use, the results are wild, the sound quality is great, the firmware updates are very nice especially the pitch bend, its build like a tank, stereo in&out, great at both the beginning or the end of your pedal chain. all in all its got a very special feel to it, like mix of a delay pedal a looper and a reverb but instead of the normal "human hearing order" it uses a natural sounding chaos to create a unique result and it can be used for a whole lot of things. what i think makes this pedal special is the way it makes your sound evolve naturally in a way not many other sound fx can do.

An entire cosmos to get lost in

This thing is amazing. It is hard to work with it because it is so easy to get carried away and lost in echoes and loops. The quality of the sound output is amazing and it is built like a tank! Although I know that it was a product design decision, I'd love to have a bit more control over the tempo of the delay feedback, or the habilita to sync it with an external clock.

Into the void

This is a great brain-strangling unit to develop unpredictable loops and effects. The names of the dials are not immediately understandable, but the manual explains them.

There are 5 different modes you can download and set up with a USB key. It might be better to have them available as standard and use a switch to move between them, but that would probably add to the complexity and cost.

Creating machine

Cosmos is an excellent whisperer of sound suggestions... either quiet or thounderous ones, depends mostly by you. It is more apt at landscapes, ambient, textures and... obviously cosmos :) Easy to use, somewhat quite impredictable (but you improve with practice) and doesn't save nothing, so be prepared. I would treat it more like an acoustic instrument than an electronic effect, that's probabily the best way to approach it. It is very well built, pots and switches gives back a good tactile feeling. Processed sound is of very good quality too and doesn't introduces clicks, pops, buzz etc. that given the start/stop nature of what you feed into it it is quite a feat for any electronics. And it doesn't get boring, I would buy it again without doubt.

Will it Drift

Yes. Yes it Will. Wonderful Anti Looper.

a delay station with its own free will

This is not your ordinary delay station. It creates evolving and overlapping delays that bleand and cross over into each other in mysterious ways. The subtitle 'drifting memory station' is actually the best way to describe it. The machine is intuitive to work with and gives you a lot of surprising sound presents when you are working with it. The build is sturdy, metal, with good knobs. This unit is well worth its price!

Essential ambient, improvisational tool!

This thing is awesome! I have been using it for around 5 months now and it has become an essential element in my live performance set up. In of itself, it can be used with just one instrument to build up interesting textured performances, but I use it as a way to glue elements together that I perform live. Its perfect for creating transitions, or straight ambient sections. So far I didnt update the firmware to use the rhythmic looper, currently I dont need that as Im happy to us it as is.

Not for everyone if you want a straight looper, but as something to build improvised textures on the fly, its awesome!

Set adrift on algorithmic bliss

I'd been considering buying one of these for a while, then I saw Robin Rimbaud (Scanner) using one in a live stream, and after a quick back and forth with him on Twitter I knew it would work perfectly with what I'm doing.

My setup is e-bowed lap steel through multiple effects, a sampler, plus various synths including a Bastl Kastle Drum. These go into a small mixer, with the two outs going into the Soma Cosmos's L/R inputs. The Cosmos's L/R outputs give me a stereo signal at the end of the chain.

As they say in all the reviews online, the Cosmos is NOT a looper, so if you're looking to create multiple repetitive loops go for something like the Boss RC-505 Mk II. The Cosmos is more random, and in fact it's impossible to completely control the final results because the algorithms generate loops which are constantly shifting against themselves. There are multiple settings which determine the "depth" of these shifts, from simple drifting ambience to a full on cacophony of layered sound. Find the feedback sweet spot and it'll carry on forever while you go to the bar for a pint!

The build is really solid, as you'd expect for this kind of money. I imagine the metal casing is pretty much indestructible, and the dials/buttons/switches are really good quality. The algorithm selector positions click into place very positively. Oh, and the sound quality is great.

So, the Cosmos is good value even at a touch under £600 - if it's the right tool for what you want to do. If you're loaded, why not get one of these AND an RC-505!