Published
Sun, Jul 23, 2023, 12:00
- The Chorda has raised ten times its target in less than a week.
There's a new portable synth and sampler in the works.
Chorda, which was unveiled on Kickstarter this week, is a digital synth that can be strummed like a guitar, played flat like a keyboard or used for finger drumming. It's cordless and portable with a built-in speaker but also has the audio and MIDI connections to integrate it into a studio, plus MIDI over Bluetooth.
The interface comprises 12 pads, each the width of a piano key. They are touch-sensitive in multiple directions and respond to velocity and aftertouch. Chorda also has a built-in gyroscope so sounds can be affected by tilting the instrument, and it vibrates to give players haptic feedback. It will also send MIDI so you can use these gestures to control other hardware or software instruments.
Sounds come from a bank of digital pre-sets, which can be updated using the Artiphon app. Using the app, you can also sample sounds to create new instruments, which can be automatically tuned to the key of your track. A looper will record up to five minutes of audio on each of its four channels, so it's possible to build a song using just this machine.
Artiphon is a Texas-based company that has previously released a palm-top synth and sampler called Orba, as well as a MIDI controller called Instrument 1. A Kickstarter for the Chorda has already raised almost €300,000 against a target of €22,432. In recent months, a number of synth concepts have launched on Kickstarter and quickly raised sums hugely in excess of their target.
Watch a video about Chorda.
Right now, Chorda costs $199 through the Kickstarter page. Artiphon expects to start shipping in November this year.