Exploring Anti-Looping with the Soma Labs Cosmos

[@NicleT]

That was a very good demo jam! I find that you play really well with the Cosmos, no stress, small notes that take their places, that was excellent!

[@ajohnsonstudio]

Great explanation...can't wait to get my hands on one!

[@chiefbucknell]

Cosmos has somehow, unexpectedly become possibly my favorite, most-capable-of-pleasing pedal. The granular modes and glitchy rhythmic modes (with added reverb on tap), along with the controls for feedback, suppression and compression, filters, varispeed, input and output volume - I find it all so pleasing and useful. It gets results!

[@chiefbucknell]

I guess on the surface, it almost seems “too easy” or “too uncomplicated”, to me? Yet, maybe that’s why it’s wonderful - it allows me to get on with playing. Whatever the reason(s), a lot of the times lately when I’m listening back to recordings I’ve made, for many of those moments when I most enjoy listening back, I realize those are moments when Cosmos is prominently featured in said recordings. Thanks, as always, for the exposure, Andre! And, thanks for tolerating my having possibly already said much/all of this in comments, before 😅

[@andrelafosse]

@@chiefbucknell No worries! 😂 Delighted that you're bonding with it. This is my first Soma device, but this seems to be a recurring theme with Vlad's stuff: deceptively "simple," tightly-focused things that offer the chance to play in a very particular, carefully-curated set of parameters. I do sometimes feel that the Cosmos is "too easy" to make sound good, or something... which I readily acknowledge is a profoundly weird thing to feel guilty about. (Maybe that's like having guilt over a guitar that's "too easy" to play, or something?) And, it would be one thing if everyone made the same kinds of sounds with it, and/or if it basically did the same kind of thing under different circumstances, but that hasn't been my experience with it - at least, not after spending some time working with it, and looking under the hood to really examine its potential.

[@AnnaMariaHefele]

Thank you Andre for this video! I ordered a Soma Cosmos months ago - today it'll arrive. And your video is so far the only one I found where I can understand what the device is doing ;-)

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks very much!

[@JayaLove]

Ooh! Did you get it? Where did you order it from?

[@andrelafosse]

@@JayaLove I did! My name came up on Soma's waiting list, and I bought it direct from them.

[@improziv]

Best real use video on this device that I’ve seen so far. Well done!

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks!

[@frankpaul4134]

Andre - thank you for this really excellent video overview on the Cosmos. Prior to seeing yours, I had viewed several other YT videos on the Cosmos which left me "slightly" but not necessarily "fully" intrigued by the device, and I see clearly now that it was the superiority of your technical explanations combined with your really effective playing style (I love the rhythmic bounce of those short, clicky false harmonics notes you play) with the device that really made this thing shine for me. I have been using the Chase Bliss pedals (Blooper and Mood) for looping for a while now, but found myself wanting something with multiple delay lines and more intuitive command of granularity. You demonstrated that in spades with the Cosmos. As a result, I ventured out to my local electronic music store and bought one, just yesterday. I have a lot to learn still obviously, but my initial impression is that I'm quite gobsmacked by the textural variety this thing can produce. Next, I plan to revisit your two videos on the Cosmos in more step-by-step fashion, following along your on-screen text while tweaking mine alongside - kind of hands on "learning by doing". One last thing, a question: Not that it specifically needs it (and maybe it would be overkill), but have you ever tried combining the Blooper with the Cosmos in any way? I don't know if that would work, but the idea did cross my mind. Anyways, thanks again, keep up the good work - it's very much appreciated. Kind Regards, Frank Paul (Vancouver, Canada).

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks so much for all of this! I'm delighted to hear it. I have done very little multi-looper work of any sort, but exploring different pairings of devices is definitely something I'm interested in digging into... and Blooper + Cosmos sounds like a very promising recipe! :)

[@erswell961]

Really inspiring - thank you! Just lost an hour or two running guitar through having only used synths so far. Its a deep unit!

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks very much! It's definitely an easy thing to get lost in - in a good way. :)

[@willswitchcraft]

had to come back for my morning coffee....................just stunning..................what an excellent video of insights!

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks so much!

[@willswitchcraft]

It's obvious how much time and energy you put into your videos - so helpful and informative....

[@vitalthings9710]

My Cosmos is coming tomorrow, and now I know I made a good decision. Beautiful, thank you!

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks!

[@djformalin]

Interesting, Andre....thx for this 🎼

[@iosifkalpaktsoglou2045]

Excellent demonstration. The only thing holding me back from adding it to my collection is the mix knob. I have had disappointing experiences with mix knobs and generally prefer seperate wet, dry knobs. Having said that blooper and habit never caused me any frustration with mix knob. Microcosm, particle, tensor, among others have.

[@JayaLove]

This piece really makes me tap into time.. Like a psychedellic clock tick tock tick tock......

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks for tuning in!

[@m.g.kroger]

Sure, the best Cosmos video from an "in use" perspective. Thank You, that's what I was looking for, since I am thinking about this device a lot lately... You helped me very much. Like and Sub!!

[@omarsorianolopez5290]

I love your work and research man, its so inspiring. Thanks a lot for sharing!

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks very much for tuning in! :)

[@willswitchcraft]

awesome video......so well put together. The best one I've seen to date. Great to be able to see and hear the subtle knob movements......so great to see someone helping to make this unique device more understood - especially because you can't check it out at your local music store. The fidelity of this audio is spectacular. .....I'm just beginning to understand the Cosmos's potential myself.....a little more with every session............

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks so much! I've enjoyed your Cosmos vids, as well. I agree - still a LOT to learn and understand about this beast. And the rhythmic firmware(s) take it to a totally different place, as you know (and as I'll eventually be covering, here.)

[@willswitchcraft]

I'm hoping that Vlad and the team continue to develop some of the potential within the Cosmos, in further firmware updates....and I look forward to keeping an eye/ear on your channel......

[@willswitchcraft]

that ultra-subtle moving of the knobs in Granular algorithm is something I just recently got lost in.....you've done a truly masterful job of showing of this, and so many other features.................

[@andrelafosse]

@@willswitchcraft Thanks again so much. :)

[@dyspatcher]

Total cosmos masterclass!!

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks for tuning in. :)

[@MrEMann]

Well done! Mine finally shipped yesterday. Looking forward to putting guitar and synth through this and navel-gazing myself to a better place. ✌️

[@KeithDuncanSound]

Absolutely lovely... off to the bank for a small loan!

[@JoelGilardini]

Cool guide thru this beast! It's a fascinating machine, but not for everybody, me included. I like the concept and the bare bones control panel is super cool.

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks! It's such an extreme concept that I couldn't help but be intrigued. And, the rhythmic firmware opens up all kinds of alternative possibilities, which I'll be covering eventually.

[@KimbleMcCann75]

Def enjoy journeys into sound abstraction….🤘🏾🤖…sick sounds, skills, & gear

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks very much!

[@robertozorzi7499]

Great video André.

[@soundokapi-music]

Thanks for this video. I own a Cosmos too, but was not aware og all these possibilities 😊

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks! Lots of hidden treasures to be found in there.

[@shempuhorn8261]

This was an excellent Demo. Thanks

[@adde65]

This is such a great overview of the Cosmos. Wondering if you could create a similar effect with two asynchronous long delays, e.g.using a couple of Eventide Rose pedals.

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks! The basic concept of two simultaneous, asynchronous loops is certainly attainable through more modest means. Cross-feedbacking those two delays into one another would require a mixer, but is still relatively doable. There are some things Cosmos does (the granular stuff, a lot of the rhythmic firmware algorithms, etc) that would be hard to duplicate any other way, at least in terms of the specifics. There's definitely pedals and processors that do those *kinds* of things, so a lot of it depends on how much you specifically want those particular Cosmos sounds. And, there's definitely something to be said for having everything in one self-contained unit, being able to apply feedback to all simultaneous loops, have filtering in the feedback path, having the suppressor/compressor/erase functions handy, etc.

[@adde65]

@@andrelafosse yep, makes perfect sense thanks.

[@chaote2069]

you almost sound just like Carl Sagan lol great vid

[@konradwasilek]

love soma,,Vlad is absolutely genius!!!

[@kevinj.oconner788]

I just wish the Reverse setting didn't introduce that small but noticeable interruption of the sound. That's where I wish the cross-fading were a bit smoother. Maybe a firmware update can fix that later on…

[@andrelafosse]

I know what you mean - I go back and forth (no pun intended) about how much I notice that reverse or algorithm-change cross-fade.

[@paulweber9945]

Have had my eyes on this one for some time now, so you're instigating some Very Bad lifechoices on my part :-D p.s. Is that a mirror finish Reverend spankplank you're playing?

[@andrelafosse]

#BadLifeChoices Yes indeed, that's a chrome Reverend USA guitar, which I got back in 2006. One of my favorite instruments, for sure.

[@AbleParris]

Helpful video, thank you. One small bit of feedback, if you’re open to it: the mouth sounds and breathing into the microphone makes it hard to follow along, they’re so prevalent. Luckily, easy to remedy. Cheers

[@andrelafosse]

Hello! Do you mean the talking in the introduction? Because there's no mic being used during the actual music.

[@konradwasilek]

thank you for this!

[@andrelafosse]

Thank you for tuning in. :)

[@philippecornet1469]

merci

[@clappingjazzhands9408]

Impressive!

[@sp3ct3rsd3mos]

So how are you finding it after having it for a little?

[@andrelafosse]

I dig it more and more as time goes on! There's a surprising amount of depth and scope to it, considering how stubbornly-focused the feature set and interface are. It's very easy to get lost in playing it, which I know was one of the main objectives in designing it in the first place. And the rhythmic firmware almost makes it a different instrument - that'll definitely be a subject of future videos.

[@gaetanofontanazza]

Love it!

[@andrelafosse]

Thanks for tuning in!

[@PrimitiveInTheExtreme]

✨🔝✨