Strum, tap, tilt and more with Artiphon’s new smart “multi-instrument”, Chorda
Launching on Kickstarter for a price of $199.
Image: Artiphon
Imagine if you could play any sound in the world, anywhere you go. Artiphon’s latest smart instrument, Chorda, might just turn this dream into reality.
Dubbed the “band in your backpack”, Chorda builds on Artiphon’s patented ‘multi-instrument’ technology, allowing users to explore multiple instruments like guitar, piano, drums, synths, and more on the same interface.
Chorda features 12 capacitive pads that are touch and velocity-sensitive. They react to your fingers moving along the playing surface in multiple dimensions, and are capable of capturing even “the most subtle micro-movements”, says the brand.
Just as you’d never play the same pluck on a banjo or the same beat on a drum set, Chorda lets you Tap, Press, Radiate, Tilt, and add Vibrato instantly, producing a unique sound each time. The device also comes with hundreds of built-in sounds, along with the ability for users to make their own using the cross-platform app.
Another noteworthy feature of Chorda is the bridge section. Using the bridge, you can play with “Smart Strum” — automatic chords that are always in tune, and just as swipeable as Instagram. And the bridge does a lot more than that: you can use it with the built-in arpeggiator, speed up or slow down the tempo of the song, change keys, and more. In short, everything you need to make a song is already built into Chorda: no additional studio gear is required.
That said, Chorda does feature some pretty solid music technology under its minimalist hood. Players can use the device to control any MIDI-based software and hardware instruments (via USB-C or wirelessly via Bluetooth MIDI). It works with GarageBand, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Cubase, FL Studio, and any standard MIDI and MPE-compatible mobile app or hardware.
“We believe musical instruments should adapt to the way you play, to invite creativity every day,” says Artiphon Founder and CEO Mike Butera. “We’ve dreamed of allowing anyone to play any sound they can imagine, anywhere they go, without worrying about historical instrument skills or abstract music theory.”
Chorda is available in three colours: black, white, and blue, and is available at an early bird pricing of $199 on Kickstarter in the United States and Canada.
