Elyra from BLL Instruments - A Synth You Can Shred On!

19 Feb by Rob Puricelli |

3,1 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 2 Minutes

Elyra from BLL Instruments - Desktop · Source: BLL Instruments

Elyra from BLL Instruments - Strumming Synth

Elyra from BLL Instruments - Performing · Source: BLL Instruments

Elyra from BLL Instruments · Source: BLL Instruments

Elyra from BLL Instruments - Panel · Source: BLL Instruments

Elyra from BLL Instruments - Rear · Source: BLL Instruments

Elyra from BLL Instruments - Performing · Source: BLL Instruments

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Keytars come in for some serious stick so how about a shift in the paradigm and have a synth you can strum instead? I mean, it worked for the Omnichord!

Keytars for the Win!

Everybody loves to hate keytars. Being a teen in the 80s means that I love them. I could finally strut my stuff on stage like the guitarists and get all the girls. Obviously, that NEVER happened. Ah well, maybe Elyra from BLL Instruments will change all that?

Elyra from BLL Instruments – What Is It?

At first glance, Elyra looks like a plank of wood with a large white plate glued on the top. However, look more closely and you can start to see there’s more to it than that. The body of the instrument is indeed a lovely piece of wood. Into this is carved all the recesses needed to accommodate the technology.

The playing surface comprises two strumming areas, a fretboard that contains the “strings” and a chord area. Beneath (or above?) these areas are the controls for the Elyra which includes an OLED screen. The buttons are “soft” buttons, i.e. their function is defined by what’s on screen.

To play the Elyra, you can sling it over your shoulder to strum like a proper guitarist, or you can lay it down on a flat surface and use it more like the aforementioned Omnichord. I am certain comparisons will be made between the two.

The Elyra Synth Engine

Things continue to get more interesting with the synthesis engine. Made by Kodamo, the team behind the brilliant EssenceFM and the very cool MASK1, it is a virtual analog affair with some FM thrown in for good measure. With 16 voices of polyphony, shared by all tracks, it is also 16 part multitimbral. The Elyra comes loaded with 256 factory presets and 1024 user presets.

There are 15 oscillator waveforms to choose from as well as the FM capability. Separate pitch and amplitude envelopes are joined by a 2-pole -12dB/Oct low pass and a 4-pole -24dB/Oct high pass filter. A pair of LFOs give you plenty of modulation options. There’s also a healthy complement of digital FX.

The onboard sequencer allows you to construct patterns of 256 steps. Each ‘project’ can contain 128 patterns. The SD card has the capacity for 999 projects. Power comes via a 5V USB port.

More Information

Despite the obvious Omnichord comparisons, Elyra has a much more capable and distinctive synth engine. It can also be played in several different ways. Will become a new way for keyboard players to traverse the stage? Who knows, we might see more guitarists delving into synthesis!

Elyra from BLL Instruments is available now via their website for $1,099 USD or €1,199 EUR.