SOMA Ether V2

When I heard about Soma Ether, it reminded me of transhumanists implanting magnets in their bodies - a device to grant a brand new sense for a human being. And I was not wrong.

Ether allows me to get a taste of the world that is hidden in plain sight - all the sounds are actually there, we just can't hear them normally. I can hear a clock on the other side of the wall, I can hear when a tram accelerates, I can hear wires in my walls. All the lamps, all the electric devices become things I can feel.

I feel a little bit deaf when I'm without Ether.

The Soma Ether is a great machine to find and record unexpected electromagnetic noises, as a basis for your samples or background sounds. The little machine is portable and can be hooked up with a recording device. You will find amazing sounds just by pointing this unit to lightbulbs, hard drives, mobile phones etc. The build is a bit plasticky, but sturdy enough for mobile use.

A great tool to gather non-white noise, and to use as controlled-random CV (needs external amplification for proper CV, since it's earphone level), although of course the recording gear or whatever you're controlling will create its own noise.

By controlled random I mean that the signal is noise, but the specific noise changes with location/orientation, and it's easily reproducible (as long as you keep pointing it in the same direction :) )

This tool amplifies electro magnetic waves - it's a real discovery what goes on in a house or on the streets. Use the recording - via the stereo out into a Tascam handheld recorder - as atmospheric sounds for music and video.

Works on batteries for a long time and the 2 pins work as an amplifier when touched.

This is serious stuff. Very nicely done. Comes with high output volume as well (for example with some 55 Ohm headphones you'd better not crank it up or your ears will suffer greatly)
Customer service from Thomann was simply great! I strongly advise this product to those who are more inclined to electroacoustic adventures but in reality anyone could benefit from a device like this anytime!

What can I say? Soma makes some really great stuff and this one is so much fun to use.

If you like noise / drone music / ambient stuff than this is a must-have. You can pick up some amazing and unique sounds with this (and it gives you an excuse to go outside). The extra controls are a nice update on the last version and it's a sturdy little case.

Only Con: In order to change the batteries you need to use a really small screwdriver to open the entire thing. I love this device but this can be a little bit annoying, other than that it's great!

First of all, I’m a SOMA fan - I love how Vlad explores uncharted areas with his instruments. Ether was on my radar as not just another instrument but as an exploration tool to take on travels. It essentially grabs weird noise from the environment not very musical but very usable as interesting sound snippets. I’ve spent a full weekend with it in NYC, it was just stupid fun to see another dimension of the city.

I wanted something to pick up electrical interference noise. Does the job. I managed to connect to my iPhone using AUM mixer. I was then able to record the sound I was hearing. Perfect.

I’d seen lots of reviews and videos about this and similar products. Within seconds of setting it up I was picking up all sorts of weird and wonderful sounds around me. Perfect for adding that something extra to a track or sampling into something else. It’s light and very compact and easily fits in your pocket or in a bag. I guarantee you’ll be hooked.

This is something you could build yourself using coils and diodes and hours of fidgeting and meddling. On the other hand, this device receives radio energy in a wide spectrum and transduces it to audio. Built in headphone amp and external antenna contacts are a nice bonus. Its well built, solid feeling an excellent tool for grabbing radio noise.