SOMA Laboratory is a small boutique company founded in 2016. Based in Poland and Russia, SOMA is best known for the LYRA-8 synthesizer and most of their products are synthesizers. Their goal of “using the best technologies of the golden age of analog synthesizer manufacturing” brings their first distortion pedal, the Harvezi Hazze. "Harvezi Hazze" translates from Georgian as "a fault on the transmission line" or "signal jamming," representing an impediment to the input signal ranging from pleasant harmonic distortions to complete obliteration.
The Harvezi Hazze pedal is designed around a unijunction transistor, “a relic from the early days of the semiconductor industry unearthed from the e-waste bins of flea markets in Tbilisi, Georgia.” The unijunction transistor offers unique properties allowing one component to replace several complex devices. Depending on the operating mode, you can access a distortion, a limiter, a waveshaper and a generator—with smooth transitions among each of these. The signal chain consists of an optical compressor, a dual-mode distorting amplifier with either softer or harsher clipping, a waveshaper, and a tone stack section. Harvezi Hazze features five control knobs, a three-way switch, and a true bypass footswitch.
How does it sound? From massive gain to subtle distortion, fat to thin, the Harvezi Hazze is incredibly effective. It is so versatile, if you can’t find the tone you want with this pedal, it probably does not exist. Most distortion pedals have just two to four controls. With its five rotary knobs and seven switches, Harvezi Hazze produces a massive number of great tones with tons of gain, and noise is relatively quiet. Consistent with boutique pedals, it is more shapeable than most production line pedals and can handle nearly any tonal challenge.
If mounting on a pedal board, leave room to access the six DIP switches that are on the right side—they provide lots of tonal variation. The lower position of the switch enables specific functions: Tone Stack: Routes the signal through the Tone control. Bass Boost: Enhances bass frequencies. Tone Mode: Alters behavior of the Tone knob (tilt or lowpass). Notch Freq: Changes the central frequency of the filter. High Cut: Attenuates high frequencies. Compressor: Engages optical compressor.
The Harvezi Hazze does not have space for a 9v battery and comes with an adapter to attach a battery externally. Alternatively, a 9v DC power supply can be attached through a standard 2.1mm connector. A bright red LED on the lower right confirms when it is active. $300 direct from SOMA.
