Drifting Memory Station

Why I made the SOMA COSMOS Pocket Guide.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to get to know the SOMA COSMOS effects pedal for a few months—thank you D1G 🙏

The COSMOS is an esoteric device (as are most SOMA products!) its “tagline” is “Drifting Memory Station”. Here is the intro text from the SOMA website:

COSMOS is a drifting memory station designed to work with meditative states through music. The design of the controls, functions and generated soundscapes are intended to evoke, in both performer and listener, states and experiences inherent in meditation, such as limitless space, fluidity, spontaneous development, presence, the ability to hear, tranquility, the experience of subtle harmony and happiness enveloping the whole world.

The description then goes on to explain what the COSMOS does from a “functional point of view”:

From a functional point of view, COSMOS is a large array of sound memory, in which recorded sounds undergo constant recombinations, spontaneously generating an ever-changing soundscape. This is achieved in three ways — by a mathematical shift based on the relationships between large prime numbers (the size of all delay lines are different primes), an asynchronous operation of the LFO, and modulation with a slowly changing chaotic signal. As a result, it allows the endless layering and processing of various sounds, as in a looper, but without an intrusive, repetitive loop.

And that sounds wonderful but it still doesn’t really explain what it does or how it does it! There are more details about what each of the effects are called and what they do in the short manual. There are also multiple firmwares. The alternative “rhythmic” firmware completely changes the functionality of pedal and has its own mini brochure/manual which is also packed with information.

So the combination of the complex options of the two main firmwares and the minimal symbolic interface leaves you with quite the cognitive task in order to remember all the possibilities of the pedal and where they live on the dial.

Remembering effect names like “Fractal Rhythmic Pitch Shifter!”, which firmware they are part of, what “symbol” represents them on the dial and how all the other controls like “blur” and “drift” change the effect (which is often quite different depending upon which effect you’re using), while making music, is very hard! It’s also somewhat disruptive to be flicking through the manuals all the time, definitely not conducive to a mind like water!

Don’t get me wrong, I love SOMA, the instruments that Vlad Kreimer and his team design and build are incredible and unique but the UI of the COSMOS is a touch too minimal!

I think the problem was probably made a lot worse with the release of the rhythmic software, before that the minimal symbols on the main dial would have made a lot more sense, but you still need to remember all the timings and the functions of the “blur” and “drift”. It does look cool without lots of writing on it though! ;)

So for me the UI didn't work. Initially, I found the COSMOS quite impenetrable. I didn’t know what was going on and I could never remember where anything was!

And I suspect that may be the case for a lot of people.

So that’s why I designed the SOMA COSMOS Pocket Guide which includes all the functionality of the two main firmwares of the pedal in a handy little printout.

You can buy it from my Patreon shop, print it out, back it with some card and you have a handy little reference guide next to your COSMOS at all times! Now you don’t need the manuals open and you don’t need to remember everything! :)

Or if you sign up to my Patreon paid membership you’ll get it for free!

So the SOMA COSMOS is a complex multi-effects pedal that has a range of synced and asynchronous delay, looping, granular and pitch-shifting algorithms. It’s a great device and a lot of fun.

Using the pocket guide I made a full walkthrough video of the COSMOS and its different effects and settings from the main and rhythmic firmwares:

And I also made two other videos using the COSMOS with my “Sound Objects” and the MicroFreak:

I’d be interested to know if any COSMOS owners have not had these problems and have been completely happy to use it as is with the minimal UI?

In my previous life as a designer and software developer I was often tasked with representing complex systems in more simple ways. It was a side of the work that I really enjoyed.

And making guides and walkthroughs of music gear which is difficult to use is very similar. I have a number of other “pocket guides” planned for the near future.

Designing a good UI for a synth or an effects pedal is a fine art, one that is often out of kilter. Either there is not enough information, like in the case of the COSMOS, or too much complexity and menu diving. I feel the UI of most of the gear I own could be improved in some way, and some by a lot!

What are the most frustrating pieces of musical gear that you own which would benefit from a pocket guide of some kind? Let me know in the comments… 🙏