https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyeR6pCyUi0]
Telepathic Instruments shared this sneak preview for Orchid, an advanced chord generating hardware synthesizer that they say is “developed for songwriters, producers and musicians to expand the possibilities of songwriting and musical exploration”.
The synth combines a variety of tools most Synthtopia readers will be familiar with – including synthesizers, sequencers, arpeggiators, chord organ and loopers – into a single device, designed specifically for developing musical ideas.
The Orchid is the brainchild of musician Kevin Parker, who’s best known for his Tame Impala project, and co-founder Ignacio Germade.
As the oddly tasty video highlights, you can use the Orchid chord functions to create chord sequencers, voice the chords across MIDI’s full range, add performance styles like Strum or Arpegiator and assign sounds using a polyphonic synth engine that offers virtual analog, FM and reed piano emulation. Then you can add a separate bass part and effects to flesh out your idea.
The Orchid can be used anywhere, with a rechargeable battery and built-in stereo speakers. But, once you’ve worked out an idea, you can send your MIDI straight into your DAW or use it to control your MIDI synths.
Pricing and Availability:
The Orchid is expected to be available in December 2024, priced at $549 USD. Details are still to come at the Telepathic Instruments site.
$550
I’m guessing they really hope Kevin’s name will sell this
no drum machine? 4 tracks and how many chords can be used at once? for 550? i mean i guess if you’re half of teenage engineering sure but come on man. sounds cool but idk, no drums, maybe a 4 track recorder, and you want people to pay 549 to beta test it? your youtube video included drums but the machine cant even do that. sorry, its a tough sell.
Yeah it’s not better.. and desktop modules are a real challenge on cases for multiple different units. It would be better if it did all that for cheaper than buying units that each do all of that together. I have a j-6.. a cs2.. a microgranny 2 an anode and a uno drum. Does way more than that. But still that’s all about the same price as that one unit there.
What happened to the rest of the keys?
How many key do you need to make a chord?
Interesting that Germade is Chief Design Officer at Polaroid. This feels like a design project, including in terms of overall experience. After all, there’s been a clear need for “chord machines” and standalone devices have been making a comeback. So the product/market fit might benefit from proper insight into user needs.
Not that this site’s readership is the target market for this type of device. We already own or at least know too much.
that is a the most awesome looking little jobber this year.
So let’s say i’m playing a standard g major triad. i have to voice it D G B. Then fiddle with that voicing knob to get the G to be the root note?
Without 2 octaves, this thing is an impossible PITA.
A few thoughts
1) This product might be built for pre-production ideation; when we’re talking about voicing we’re less in ideation and more in the production & arrangement, sometimes mix.
2) Maybe the product doesn’t intend to be a workstation, you start a song on here and then transition to your more flexible tools once ideation is done.
3) Maybe there’s another information drip that will cover how you do voicing more intuitively.
This could be fun for singer songwriters with its non-tech interface and fun design, but I don’t see much benefit in it for electronic musicians. Would I still buy one? Maybe, for the fun factor. First time in years I used the word “fun” so many times in one comment.
Instant buy for me. I’m bad at chords, love quirky little gadgets, and really dig the retro design. I guess I’m the target audience.
Looks interesting but that price is past the “I’ll buy out of curiosity” threshold lol
For a few hundred, maybe. But it seems limited, and cheap, at least at first glance. You can hear it clacking like crazy in the video. For $550 you can do better in today’s market.
how does this compare to the chord magic of an Arturia Keystep 37?
4 CHORDS BUT NOT EVEN THE DOMINANT?!?!? WHAT IS THIS?!?! Cool tag line BUT STILL. 549$ but you can’t add the V at the very least?
I think if you press the major triad and add the m7 extension, that’s what gets you the dom 7.
its cool, its vibey. i think i would prefer that other Omnichord style midi controller over this. glad it is a thing though, i can never really be mad at cool design and cool sounds.
The video was slick and cute, but it was a bit heavy-handed.
They seemed to be both making fun of, and embracing the “make-music-in-a-meadow” thing.
I’d like it more if there were 8 more chord type buttons that were customizable.
Make something cool and retro enough looking and people will want to buy it.
And this does look totally cool and retro. But you know what else is retro? Actually LEARNING how to play and compose! You want to be really 60s/70s/80s, do that! Use this as a prop to make bad science fiction movies.
if I got it right, your sequence is limited to 4 chords. 4 chord sequence only! Sounds like it made to generate boring radio pop.
It’s nice to see chord devices becoming popular. The Toraiz Chordcat is worth looking at as well, although only available in Japan right now
ChordCat looks cooler and is less $ i believe.
As much as this is needed. I will not pay 550 as i can actually play chords myself. Lol
I like and could use this I can play chords but limited keep using the same or close,could definitely make my ideas come 2gether quicker,but $550 is kinda up there and there are VST plug-ins that does chords generating for less than $200 even some synthesizers offer this,add another 3/4 hundred (u get full keyboard, sounds,hands on)maybe if it came down a couple hundred maybe charge $350/379 then they will fly off the shelves. Being a hands on guy I love the idea of the physical aspect,being able to touch and tweak,so it does have that factor going for it.Honestly if I had an extra $500 I would buy it,but for now I’m gonna stick with “Unison Midi chord generator” just purchased. Cross my fingers it’s a quick and easy to use plug-in.
Why not study basic music theory? Jeez, what a waste.