Back at CES In January I met a handful of founders who were / are crowdfunding musical instruments. It’s a fascinating category to check out if you have a passing interest in music or technology. Like the vast majority of hardware startups, most companies in this space will, with luck, build a product – and even that can feel like a long shot.
Combining Hail Mary’s efforts to develop hardware with a serious attempt to reinvent the musical wheel feels like an act of futility. And to be honest, it is. But every now and then something breaks through in exciting ways. Roli is probably one of the best examples of the phenomenon in recent years. The company’s Seaboard was a clever take on the synthesizer – and the British company has continued to bring out clever musical products.
Based in Nashville Artiphon The simply named Instrument 1 also managed to spark the imagination of online music lovers. The hybrid guitar / piano style device grossed an impressive $ 1.3 million Kickstarter I spoke to the company’s founders about the project at CES that year in 2015, but it was their second device that really interested me.
Credit: Brian Heater
Last year’s Kickstarter campaign for the Orba surpassed its predecessor, raising $ 1.4 million. And it’s easy to see why. The company describes it as follows on its campaign page:
Put your hands out and meet the orba, a new type of musical instrument. It’s a synth, looper, and midi controller that anyone can instantly make music with. Orba’s minimalist design resembles a cross between a gaming controller and half a grapefruit, and its feather-touch sensitivity translates gestures from your fingers and hands directly into sound. Orba is a new and fun way to make music anywhere, even if you’ve never played an instrument before.
It’s the last piece in particular that caught my attention. What has united most of the equipment I looked at in January is kind of a prerequisite for musical ability. Which, understandable. But as an overzealous music fan with – let’s say limited – skills, I was looking for something that could scratch that musical itch. Honestly, I was pretty hopeful for Roli’s blocks but ultimately found her appeal that beginners are overrated.
I’ve been asking about the orba since January. I doubled in size in March / April when the COVID-19 shutdown hit us really seriously here in New York because I thought it would be a great way to pass some of the time Tiger King isn’t watching again had to become. Founder / CEO Mike Butera, originally scheduled for April delivery, notes that things like COVID-19 and the ongoing trade war are dampening those plans.
“Even so, we started shipping to our 12,000+ Kickstarter supporters for the first time this summer and we’re now 95% shipped worldwide (100% in the countries where we opened sales),” he says. “All remaining supporters are already in logistics.”
Credit: Brian Heater
It took the device a while to finally get through, but I finally got my hands on it (well, really) – and so far I’m pretty excited about it. I can’t promise my attention span will last more than a week or two, but I’m really digging it right now. As you might expect, having musical skills is certainly helpful, but this is not a requirement. The learning curve is surprisingly small and this thing literally works right away. Connecting to a computer (via USB-C) or smartphone (Bluetooth) improves the experience, but is not necessary.
The easiest way to think about the peculiar little object is to use some kind of compact, preprogrammed MIDI controller that lets you create songs by layering loops on the fly. The comparison to “grapefruits” is pretty apt (especially if you get the citrus silicone sleeve), with each of the “discs” representing a different element of an instrument. In lead or chord mode, they generally represent different notes. “Drums” are different pieces in a kit or other percussion instruments.
By holding down the capital “A” you can switch between instruments, adjust the BPM (tempo), record or play a track. I’ve found the easiest way to achieve it is by laying a rhythm track with the drums (to the built-in metronome) and then laying chords over it. Here is an attempt from the first day. It’s not Bach or Wendy Carlos, but you get the picture:
I should add that the software does not currently support song save / export which is a big disappointment. The above recording was manipulated in a very lo-fi way by the jury by holding the instrument to a microphone during playback. There are other methods available including using the headphone jack for audio output, but the above method was honestly just the simplest at the time. The function is included in the instructions, but not in the app. Butera has since confirmed with me that recording / sharing is indeed coming soon.
Currently, the app is mainly suitable for switching sounds. There are around 10 sound packs per instrument (with considerable overlap between them). It’s a pretty good start, although most of them are more electronic and atmospheric, with drum sounds closer to an 808 than a proper analog drum kit. It makes sense. This thing is also a MIDI controller at heart and will never be able to come close enough to a chamber orchestra.
Credit: Brian Heater
The chords / leads are on a scale so it’s impossible – or at least difficult – to hit a wrong note. Artiphon is working on expanding the sound library. There is no plan for users to contribute to the library, although they can change the sounds themselves using the system as a MIDI controller.
The current degree of adjustment leaves a lot to be desired. However, this is certainly to be expected from a first generation product from a small startup. And frankly, there is something to be said to keep things relatively simple when it comes to addressing beginnings. It’s also worth noting that the little piece of plastic is surprisingly versatile when it comes to physical interaction. The “keys” have no give, but the company added a number of clever ways to change the input. It takes some getting used to and can sometimes cause you to trigger an accidental result, but overall, it’s a nice feature.
Steal the graphic from the Kickstarter page:
Credit: Artiphon
I’m not ready to classify the orba as a serious musical instrument – and honestly, I don’t think that’s really the point. I have no illusions of becoming the next Flying Lotus or Dan Deacon here, but damn it, if the $ 99 device isn’t fun, lying around blowing off steam, killing some time, and keeping myself occupied during boring conference calls – dumb off course.