ZYRA Audio Workstation

Evolution not revolution

Zyra began life in 2013 as another spin-off from the ZEIT project. As before, we were trying to come up with a new sequencer design that would offer all of the functionality of ZEIT but in a smaller and more convenient package.

The first incarnation of Zyra was a four-track sixteen step sequencer, with more than a passing nod in the direction of the ARP Sequencer. Sequences could be programmed via a series of long throw faders, each with an integrated LED and whilst the control panel was minimal, sporting just eight push buttons and a 20 x 2 LCD, it was still usuable.

We wanted to present the prototype instrument at the forthcoming Maker Faire in Newcastle and installed the unit in a plexiglass enclosure so that the visitors could see the electronics. Once hooked up to a couple of synth modules, it could generate some rather interesting sequences.

Another version of Zyra soon followed, this time adding sixteen dual colour LED switches beneath the fader bank and whilst they made programming a little easier, the user interface was still truly cryptic.

We quickly dropped the Plexiglass front panels and upgraded the instrument to a rather gorgeous full metal enclosure. Synths ’n’ Wood made us some really beautiful end cheeks and the sequencer started to look very, very cool indeed.

Of all of the many prototype units I’ve built over the years, this incarnation of Zyra remains one of my favourites.

Zyra II

I discovered Adafruit’s Trellis Push Button system in 2019 and immediately realised that you could build a neat sequencer based around their modular design. I ordered a batch of eight boards and anxiously awaited their delivery. The Trellis boards arrived about a week later so I knocked up a prototype from several other abandoned projects and this new sequencer worked well. And it also looked pretty amazing, too!

I designed a new case and some new electronics, and a second prototype was born. However, that’s when we ran into some major supplier problems. The company who made the enclosures went bust and the PCB fabrication facility in the south of England started to demand silly money. We then discovered that they were actually outsourcing their PCB work to a company in China, JLCPCB, who were significantly cheaper. We dropped those rip-off merchants in an instant and now all of our PCBs are now manufactured in China by... you guessed it JLCPCB.

We soon found another company to produce Zyra’s enclosure and, whilst they were pricey, the quality was superb.

By the end of 2019, I was thrilled. Zyra looked amazing and I honestly thought we had a winner on our hands. All seemed well until I returned home from an electronics meet-up in Newcastle one night just before Christmas with a bit of a head cold. Except it wasn’t a head cold. It was COVID. The world promptly went mad and the business effectively went into hibernation for three years.

Once the madness that was Lockdown had ended, I returned to the Zyra Sequencer and, once again, quickly realised that the design was still years behind the competition. Another re-design followed but, on this occasion, I was determined not to waste all of the time and effort I’d put into the first prototype.

Rather than re-design from the ground up, we added a daughter card featuring a Teensy 4.1 CPU, which was linked to the main board via an internal serial bus. This minor change gave us USB, multiple MIDI outputs, ethernet, SD card storage, a 16-voice digital synthesiser and a rudimentary USB audio interface.

Since its initial incarnation, Zyra has morphed from a rather basic four voice step sequencer into a well-specified audio workstation.

I’m really proud of this design and what it can do, which goes way beyond our initial expectations. I personally cannot wait to share Zyra with the world.