Conductive Labs has launched a Kickstarter project to produce The NDLR (‘noodler’), a hardware multipart polyphonic arpeggiator.
The NDLR fits between your sequencer and keyboard controllers and your sound modules, and translates what you play into up to four parts: a drone note, bass line, pad notes, and a motif sequence.
The NDLR can play up to eight synthesizers via MIDI. It can send…
- a bass line to one synth.
- an arpeggiated sequence to your favorite lead synth.
- chord notes of a pad to up to four synthesizers by using interleaved poly-chaining.
- a drone note targeting those exotic evolving synths.
- a MIDI pass-through from your favorite external sequencer or keyboard controller and it will be automatically transposed from “C” into the current chord notes.
A ring of seven buttons enables playing any chord degree directly. When shifted, the same buttons allow you to pick chord types: triads, 7ths, 9ths, and suspensions, etc. The sonorities of these chords, major, minor, diminished… are automatically selected based on the chord degree and the key and mode chosen.
All the above mentioned technical details melt away while playing The NDLR. But we quickly realized while developing those features that keeping songs fresh with ever changing patterns and chord progressions is vital. The chord degree and chord type can also be selected externally by a sequencer. The notes played by the sequencer become the root notes of the chords that The NDLR plays.
The eight encoder knobs enable you to vary the sequences, rhythms, densities and range of notes. There are also three LFOs and two randomizers that can be assigned in the x8 modulation matrix to any of the parameters of The NDLR or to external MIDI CCs. This ensures that in addition to the motion of your synth patches there can also be an automated chord progression and modulation of The NDLR parameters.
Here’s an example of how you can jam with The NDLR:
Here’s a look at the tech details for The NDLR:
Pricing and Availability
The NDLR is being produced via a Kickstarter project and is available to backers for US $199. See the project page for details.
It would be cool if the clock divider did ratios like 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 5:1, etc, 3:2, 5:2, 7:2, etc,
Hello Stub, the clock divider has typical note divisions, however the Motif arp also has an “offset” control. It changes the arp timing by 1/8th note, so you can get some cyclic rhythms.
Pretty incredible for two hundred bucks.
Very thoughtful UI. I didn’t pick it up until the second video but the arrow directions on the sides of the screen indicate which mode the knobs are in. I’m guessing a left facing arrow on the left side is for the modulation matrix.
In case the developers are around…
Would like to see another video very basic sounds. The ethereal stuff sounds lovely but it sort of masks what the unit is doing.
Do you have to use the internal chord functions or is there a classic mode where if you play a C7 from a keyboard into it, it will arpeggiate a C7?
Can the chord part be used as a real time “interleaved poly-chainer” without running the arpeggiator? Meaning: can I point a keyboard controller at the unit, play a chord and have it ‘distribute’ those notes to 2-4 separate MIDI channels ala PolymerApp?
Would love to see options to play the chord/pad part rhythmically.
+1 for more clock divider/multiplier ratios.
Hello Will, we are at Knobcon this weekend but when we get back we’ll make a video showing a breakdown of the Poly-chained chord output. Keep an eye on our Youtube or Kickstarter page.
Regarding arpeggiating in the classic sense, The NDLR always transposes based on the selected chord, mode and key, You can still use your keyboard controller or synth arp for getting outside the (note) box.
Sounds like a good followup project would be a stand-alone poly-chainer, without the transposing?
Hello Will, if you haven’t seen the recent videos, we’ve created two using very simple piano sounds and a keyboard graphic to show what notes are playing. The latest demonstrates the Motif arp. https://youtu.be/0fGDEZS4NSo
Potentially strong device, giving you possibilities to poly-arpeggiate with strict control, including scalable randomness. Nice and competent guys.
Think it is great for me as ambient composer, always looking for alternative scales and chord progressions: I’m a backer!
Pity this appeared in such a late moment on synthopia, with only 1 month left. Really hope they’re going to make it.
Thanks for the kind words and the support Ad. We are synth heads, with a lot of great instruments in our collections. Sometimes its great to just get them singing without too much effort. That’s what The NDLR is made for. Really great for ambient soundscapes and classic synth styles ala Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream.
It is only a 37 day Kickstarter, we hope it funds too. We really want to make this for you!
I’m in!