TL;DR: Neutral Labs has launched a Kickstarter for Queen Elmyra, a massive 24-oscillator hybrid drone synth that finally brings hands-on control to the Elmyra lineage. With 69 knobs and faders, 96 patch points, analog tube saturation, and a screen to banish menu-diving, this is the drone synth your studio desk has been begging for — if your desk can handle a 3.9 kg bamboo-and-steel beast.
- 24 oscillators across 8 wavetable-based voices, each capable of being an independent mono synth or part of a monolithic drone.
- Analog stereo tube saturation/distortion with visible vacuum tubes on the front panel, plus a full suite of digital effects.
- 96 CV-controllable patch points and per-voice sequencers for rhythm and modulation without menu-diving.
- Kickstarter early bird pricing at €1,500; assembled in Germany with a bamboo-and-steel case.
- No more cryptic number codes — a proper screen and dedicated controls make this accessible for live performance.
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From DIY to Queen: The Elmyra Evolution
We at Noxal have a soft spot for the Elmyra lineage. It started as a quirky DIY drone synth, heavily indebted to the Soma Lyra-8, and grew into something genuinely unique with the Elmyra 2. That hybrid engine, the sequencer, the patch points — it was a lot of synth for the money. But let’s be honest: the menu-diving and the later introduction of number codes made it a love-hate relationship for many of us. I personally spent more time squinting at a blank panel than actually patching.
Enter Queen Elmyra. Neutral Labs has taken everything that made the Elmyra 2 exciting and blown it up to a proper desktop flagship. The dimensions alone — 410 mm x 265 mm, weighing 3.9 kg — tell you this is no mere update. It’s a declaration of intent. The bamboo-and-steel construction is a nice touch; it’s sustainable, sturdy, and looks like it belongs in a studio that also houses a modular wall. The front panel now boasts 69 knobs and faders, plus a screen. Yes, a screen. No more memorizing hexadecimal incantations to change a filter slope. This is the Elmyra for people who want to play, not decode.
The Engine: 24 Voices of Glorious Chaos
At its core, Queen Elmyra is a hybrid synth with eight wavetable-based voices, each capable of up to three oscillators. That’s 24 oscillators in total, all digital and always in tune. You can run them as a massive drone wall, or configure them as eight independent mono synths. The touchpads, MIDI, and gate inputs give you multiple ways to trigger them — because sometimes you want to touch your synth like a theremin, and sometimes you want your sequencer to do the heavy lifting.
The raw wavetable sounds feed into an analog stereo multimode filter with dedicated cutoff and resonance controls per side. And here’s the party trick: like the Elmyra 2, you can plug components — diodes, capacitors — directly into the front panel to mangle the resonance character. It’s like having a modular lab embedded in your drone synth. I’ve spent entire afternoons swapping out a single capacitor and watching the filter go from polite to feral. It’s the kind of tactile experimentation that makes hardware worth owning.
Analog Meets Digital: Tubes and Effects
Neutral Labs knows that drones need texture. That’s why Queen Elmyra includes analog stereo tube saturation and distortion, with actual vacuum tubes visible on the front panel. Not a simulation, not a pedal — real glass bottles glowing in your studio. The warmth, the bottom end, the crunch when you push them — it’s the difference between a drone that sits politely in the mix and one that demands attention.
On the digital side, you get dozens of stereo effects: delay, reverb, chorus, phaser, filters, distortion, and more. Each effect can be tweaked manually or via CV. The signal flow is fully patchable, so you can route voices through analog saturation, digital reverb, or both in stereo or dual mono. Each voice has two effects slots, giving you a level of per-voice processing that’s usually reserved for modular systems with three racks of modules. It’s a lot of power, and it’s all accessible without a single menu dive.
Modulation Playground: 96 Patch Points
Queen Elmyra doesn’t have a dedicated modulation section in the traditional sense. Instead, each voice can be switched from oscillator to multimode modulation source. That’s eight potential LFOs, envelopes, or random generators, all patchable via the 96-point bay. Every single one of those 96 parameters is under CV control. This is a true modulation playground, and it’s begging to be paired with other Eurorack gear.
There’s also a per-voice sequencer, perfect for coaxing rhythm out of drones. Both modulation and sequencer can run free or lock to clock or MIDI. Organic movement or precise timing — you choose. The back panel adds full 5-pin MIDI in and thru, stereo balanced outputs, a headphone jack, and USB-C for firmware updates. And yes, Neutral Labs promises the same regular firmware updates that made the Elmyra 2 so endlessly evolving.
Pricing and Context: Is This the Drone Synth You Need?
Let’s talk money. The early bird Kickstarter price is €1,500. That’s a significant jump from the Elmyra 2, but you’re getting a lot more synth. For context, a comparable setup in Eurorack — eight voices, analog filters, tube saturation, 96 patch points, sequencers — would cost you several times that and require a case, power supply, and a degree in patience. Queen Elmyra is a complete instrument, assembled in Germany, and ships with patch cables and multiples.
Who is this for? It’s for the drone enthusiast who wants to go deeper than the Elmyra 2 allowed. It’s for the modular user who wants a self-contained drone engine that still plays nice with the rest of the rack. It’s for the live performer who needs hands-on control without menu-diving. And honestly, it’s for anyone who has ever looked at a wall of oscillators and thought, “I need more of them, and I need tubes.” The Kickstarter is live now, and if the Elmyra 2’s success is any indication, this one will fund quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Queen Elmyra be used as eight independent mono synths?
Yes. Each of the eight voices can operate independently with its own oscillator configuration, filter, effects, and sequencer. The 96-point patchbay and individual voice outputs make it possible to treat it as eight separate instruments, all in one chassis.
Do I need to use the patch cables, or can I just play it as a standalone drone synth?
You can absolutely use Queen Elmyra without any patch cables. The front panel controls give you direct access to all key parameters. The patchbay is there for when you want to go deeper — routing modulation, connecting external gear, or creating complex signal chains. It works both ways.
How does the analog tube saturation compare to the digital effects?
The analog tube circuit adds genuine warmth, harmonic distortion, and bottom-end weight that’s difficult to replicate digitally. The digital effects handle time-based processing like reverb and delay with more flexibility. The real magic happens when you combine both — running a voice through the tube stage into a digital reverb creates a depth that neither could achieve alone.
I’ve already started clearing a spot on my desk for this thing, but I’m going to need a bigger coffee mug to balance out the 3.9 kg of bamboo, steel, and vacuum tubes. Priorities.