The sound computation engine currently produced by Symbolic Sound is the Pacamara Ristretto; we continue to support the previous generation Paca and Pacarana sound computation engines. The current software version is Kyma 7+.

The Capybara series of sound computation engines is no longer being manufactured and sold by Symbolic Sound, and a Capybara-320 does not have sufficient program memory to be able to run Kyma 7. A Capybara-320 that you see for sale on the Internet is at least 15 years old and could be as much as 24 years old (and there are older model Capybaras you may see for sale that are 30 years old).

Software support

Kyma 7 on the Pacamara is easier to learn, easier to use, and includes several new synthesis and processing algorithms that are not available for the Capybara. Kyma 7 users benefit from free updates, bug fixes, online community libraries, and new software features, all available for download from the Help menu in Kyma 7.

Kyma X is the most recent version of Kyma that works with the Capybara-320. Kyma X development ceased with version 6.90 in December 2014.

Kyma X.90 runs on macOS 10.5 to 10.10 and may run on 10.11. On Windows, there have been reports of it running on Windows 7, 8 and 10, but it has been tested only up to Windows XP.

The myth of the starter system

Is someone recommending that you should try Kyma X on the Capybara-320 to find out whether you would like Kyma? While we can understand why this might make sense for a fixed-hardware synthesizer, it is not a logical statement for a software system.

Hardware support

We stopped manufacturing the Capybara-320, its expansion cards, and Flame FireWire interfaces in 2008. No new boards have been made since that time, so the only ones available now are used or refurbished.

As is expected for hardware originally designed in 1998, replacement parts for these systems has become increasingly difficult (and often impossible) to obtain. This means, for example, if you accidentally plug a Capybara-320 Flame FireWire interface into the wrong power supply, we would be unable to repair the unit, because we can no longer obtain replacement parts for this board.

Synthesis and processing algorithms

Kyma users have reported that Kyma sounds even better on a Paca(rana) than it did on a Capybara. That’s not too surprising, since all of the synthesis and processing algorithms were re-written in order to take advantage of the greater processor speeds, additional memory, and higher precision offered by the Paca(rana) over the Capybara-320. In the process, we also took that opportunity to make improvements to the sound quality of nearly every algorithm (most notably the additive synthesis and Psi algorithms) — improvements that were noticed and remarked on by Kyma users even though we never advertised these improvements.

Control devices

The following control devices and protocols work with the Pacamara and Paca(rana) only:

  • Kyma Control for iPad
  • MPE expressive MIDI controllers
  • Continuum Fingerboard using MIDI
  • Wacom Pen and Pen/Touch tablets
  • Open Sound Control (OSC)
  • 14-bit MIDI continuous controllers

The following devices work with either the Pacamara, Paca(rana) or the Capybara-320:

  • Wacom Pen tablets
  • CM Automation MotorMix
  • Delora software iPad apps (NB: Macintosh only)
  • OSCulator (NB: Macintosh only)
  • Continuum Fingerboard using FireWire
Connections

The following connections are available on the Pacamara and Paca(rana) only:

  • Ethernet
  • USB-MIDI
If you purchase a Capybara-320…

If you decide to purchase a used Capybara, please visit the order page, scroll down to Support for Older Systems and fill out the registration transfer form; then scroll down to Shipping Address and fill in your address; then open the Review and Place Order section and follow the instructions to complete the registration transfer. There is no charge for a license transfer.