Meet the Chromaplane - New Electromagnetic Synthesizer

[@KOMAelektronik]

🚀🚀🚀The Chromaplane is now available via Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com/projects/komaelektronik/chromaplane-an-electromagnetic-musical-instrument?ref=dn5t7s 🚀🚀🚀 Thanks everyone for your interest and feedback so far ❤

[@TylerInTraining]

At the first glance the Chromaplane is ticking alllll the boxes.

[@BobHoskins-nv8bt]

Will there be a firmware update to add a defibrillator function?

[@atomictraveller]

aww, you don't know about heterodyning at the masonic lodge to make all the animal activists go insane from all the MK no one seems to mind so you can buy plastic at the store. hey free west papua buddy amd i mean free!

[@AnalogueRecall]

JEez man, I nearly spit my coffee out 😂

[@bornach]

Nope. But if you put a copper plate on it you might be able to slow cook an egg

[@andrewclevine]

​@@bornach...if the tuning is just right 🥚

[@X77-g2j]

I noticed that quite a few people in the comment stream question the musicality/design choices of this instrument. With something like this, I think the band/designers/manufacturers behind the instrument know that not everyone will get it; it's not for everybody and that's fine. To those who question the musicality of this instrument, or wonder what it might offer that a more traditional keyboard synth can't, I would encourage you to spend some time listening to the group behind this instrument, Passepartout Duo. Their performances with the chromaplane are charming, hypnotic, and very musical. I will also go out on a limb and defend the choice to use the little screwdriver for tuning the instrument. I think it works design-wise to have no knobs, but I also think it wouldn't be especially difficult or impractical to tune this way. I guess I have confidence in my ears/tuning ability, but it just doesn't seem like it would be an issue - it actually seems like it would be kind of fun.

[@PerfectlyNormalHumans]

I think the people who are comparing this to keyboard synths are just not the right audience for something like this. If you're looking for a versatile and well rounded synth to create traditionally musical sounds then there are plenty of options to fit every budget and play style. This is more in the "ambient drone machine" category. There are plenty of other successful synths in that niche which are just as specialized and esoteric in design as this one (many of which cost 3x as much).

[@X77-g2j]

​@@PerfectlyNormalHumans Yeah, you're absolutely right. The people who are hopelessly complaining about this not being a keyboard synth with poly aftertouch have no shortage of great options. I'm a big fan of traditional keyboard synths, but I love experimental instruments like this as well. You're right that keyboard synth people aren't the target market, but it is kind of funny that they would take it upon themselves to publicly wrestle with the idea that a synthesizer can be more than this one type of thing they like.

[@krazywabbit]

this is thinking outside the box! Love it!

[@philgriffiths1970]

It's giving BBC Radiophonic Workshop

[@christdolphin69]

The world will be a very cool place once we’re all communicating only in black homos_xual drag queen Ebonic colloquialisms

[@weareallbeingwatched4602]

Exactly what I thought- analogue is crisp and rich in overtones and resonanes

[@iwatoHyena]

Very interesting concept. I like the tagline "An instrument for daydreaming" beautiful work

[@morbidmanmusic]

Don't need to spend money to daydream.

[@iwatoHyena]

@@morbidmanmusicQuite true. I have always been an ardent admirer of "experimental" instruments; however, it is often challenging to discern what constitutes a mere gimmick versus genuine innovation. Nonetheless, I am certain that this will command a considerable investment.

[@arcanelore0]

could you ever make one where you can import your own sampled sound source?

[@fotosdelviaje]

Talking to Nicoletta and Chris and trying their instrument was the highlight of Superbooth for me. Congratulations for this beautiful design.

[@PassepartoutDuo]

Thank you sooo much!! It was so nice to connect with so many people those days :)

[@nazarenomerino9142]

Yeeeey! Had the honour to have them play this at my place a few years ago, if you see what passepartout duo do with it your jaw will drop. So proud of you two and so excited for this!!!

[@PassepartoutDuo]

aw, thank you so much!! It's one of our most cherished memories from that trip! :D

[@Genshi]

Wow! This is actually pretty brilliant, and would be perfect for my film scoring work! I’ve got a new movie I’m going to start working on soon, would love to give this a try on it…

[@ndguardian]

I have to say, this is both beautiful and creative. I would love to just sit down and play with one of these. It just feels like it would be such a zen experience.

[@cablevamp3163]

We live in such an exciting time

[@Treeoftwo]

No we don‘t

[@TangoDelta70]

@@Treeoftwo I bet you're fun at parties

[@martingreen6194]

Sounds beautiful. Amazingly innovative.

[@jeredorsey]

At first I was like, “whachu playin’ there? A hot plate?” And then I was like, “Dang. I want to play the hot plate!”

[@Jon-BEDM]

A perfect instrument, perplexing, inviting, and it sounds like gorgeous. I look forward to more from this company.✨

[@nickA7078]

This is awesome and certainly can be musical in a standard context. Tune each one to the usual notes and now you can glide between them. It'll just take skill like with any other instrument.

[@alishatruman]

Sounds sick! Plus you have a couple of those 90's phone taps as the pickups, awesome!

[@laurentmarcoux2144]

I purshased Circo Pobre a couple years ago, super cool that the instrument will be a real thing now

[@zonashi8645]

Koma always 30 steps ahead

[@atlas9097]

I'm a bit concerned about using screws for tuning regarding the sustainability of the product, can they be replaced? Other than that it looks great, will keep an eye on kickstarter!

[@PassepartoutDuo]

We don't foresee this as a big issue as we were using the same unit for three years without any problems - in case something does come up, it is a replaceable part (similar to audio jacks for example)

[@hellf.o]

Welcome back with another crazy and awesome device!

[@Taetro]

I need to make some ambient with this thing

[@G.Man-]

Looking forward to the video 😉

[@Waldemar_la_Tendresse]

The second synthesizer, besides Vlad Kreimer's work, that arouses my interest and works with magnetic fields. Very nice.

[@Datachrome]

Would be very cool to have crossmod between the oscillators too !

[@artsolomon202]

Musically seen i love where the future is going❤

[@TangoDelta70]

This looks Amazing! Imagine getting this plugged into effects and a Modular Rig!

[@KOMAelektronik]

😍

[@vraalten]

Wow, this is like a physical Reaktor instrument! Experimental and creative.

[@XanderEwald]

Smart idea.

[@dengyun846]

That three-note maneuver after "polyphonic" at 0:40 is niiiice.

[@StephenMcLeod]

Wild.

[@MerlynChipman]

Sounds amazing!

[@hunnytheurry]

Simply beautiful 🤩

[@PrimitiveInTheExtreme]

Wow what a wonderful invention ✨🪐🎶

[@JasonMeads]

I have NEVER wanted an instrument as badly as I want this ONE!!!

[@TangoDelta70]

Check out the Elta Music Solar 42 (now the 42F)

[@alifeinyellow]

Sick!

[@arkadymarto9440]

Wow!magic!!!

[@RedMeansRecording]

This is so goddamn cool

[@zephal]

Are those dots visible on a dark stage?

[@TylerInTraining]

Good point, I assume there’s some kind of paint or sticker that could be put on it for a frame of reference. Guitar pickups can be painted after all.

[@riccardoborretti6985]

External Input will have a red LED when something is plugged, maybe we can work on somthing for it :))

[@warrenmusic]

Price?

[@dengyun846]

I hope they don't go too low, and allow room in the budget for build quality improvements to keep the thing from looking used after six years of use. Definitely a balance though.

[@longline]

Yep, 21st century instruments are getting really evolved. Novel interfaces are blooming. It's going to be a really interesting decade...

[@d3tuned378]

TBH this stuff was possible in the 40's, there was just no drive to make it. music instrument innovation has been stale for a long time until electronics got involved

[@longline]

@@d3tuned378 You are 100% correct. Products, instruments as products are refining a lot of obvious things into packages at the moment. And there seems to be a market pushing product manufacturers to play with the available parameters more. Which I think is nice....

[@atomictraveller]

if it's visible, it's a lodge member for sure. sincerely, xoxos. that genius vst developer you're not allowed to hear about.

[@ChannelOfElveman]

This is basically a variation of 1920s' theremin

[@ennayanne]

it's a bunch of theramins in a box

[@Koettnylle]

Mom, why is that man playing doctor with a laptop?

[@atomictraveller]

doctors are fancy peepull

[@StuartwasDrinkell]

Cool as f... wish list!

[@chaote2069]

this is awesome !!! if yall need play testers im in ❤🙏🙃

[@julianverrat-ich-nicht6130]

what a beauty!

[@SpongeLab]

Crazy Insane greatness!!!!

[@SS_Psyops]

I think the idea of electro magnetic interference and magnetic field projection would be where the really cool things are found but…. These are just guesses

[@BeniRoseMusic]

Very excited for this! When does the kickstarter launch?

[@PassepartoutDuo]

Soon to be announced!

[@d.u.o.2digitalunitoperated818]

I want one right away! Approximate cost? ❤

[@DankePlace]

Love the concept, my only concern is, how large does the field go and can it affect other devices like a PC's SSD?

[@jimbotron70]

SSDs are unaffected by magnetism.

[@iamelohym]

Otherworldly

[@öüöïiß]

amazing

[@manzup3r]

that's really cool

[@oscarvelay]

u guys are so cool

[@brucebennett5338]

tres cool !

[@saifeek]

Love it

[@MattiaC]

WHEN HOW MUCH !!!! !!!! !!!!!

[@richardcnrd8302]

looks Ike my MacBook Pro but sounds better !

[@miamha]

Really cool. Not for me but glad it exists. It's giving star trek type beats.

[@Farold_Haltermeyer]

Wonderful tactile evolution...but the screwdriver bit was a headscratcher as it limits live performance use

[@adeniranbalthazar5700]

yeah, I was thinking to myself "why not use knobs, potenciometers or something like it?"

[@Ismail-cf6xu]

This is 🔥

[@10cars42]

I need that

[@end7essx]

I can't wait to see what kind of mods people come up with.

[@misterfilthy1]

Whoa.

[@GravytyMusic]

Yo this is super cool, and I'd like to get the v2 you will inevitably be forced to make with knobs instead of adjustment screws. You can't possibly expect us to keep a screwdriver on our desks to tune this thing, can you? Who's bright idea was that?

[@GenocidePanda]

wowwwwww never seen omethin like this

[@gabrielreinert8458]

Actually, Soma is the specialist in these kind of synths. Just now, they released a synth far more expressive, powerful, beautiful and ... wireless pickup-coils

[@atomictraveller]

are you from west papua? because thank god someone is actually good at music eh despite all the genocide eh.

[@vasil3089]

I'd love a device that gets modulated by the amount of alcohol one exhales on it. There could be another track for how much THC crystals are on the fingers, how long till last time one brushed their teeth, etc.

[@gmodunes]

The Hype synthesizer keyboard will respond to the moisture from your breath to actuate notes one its keyboard.

[@ChannelOfElveman]

Basically, a portable theremin. Nothing new but still really cool

[@Ratimus_]

In what way is this like a theremin?

[@harrysmith5340]

Nothing like a theramin at all

[@AdamsOlympia]

So cool! .. Was kind of hoping to see how it sounded if you ran a hairdrier or power tools close to it ;)

[@jbachman01]

Cell phone interference

[@heimlichvonbladderburst8348]

Didn't even get to the Chromaplane main event as a 3min 20sec advert of some bloke showing off his physique was too much to bear. 3 minutes and 20 seconds for an advert?!?! Holy smoke. Adblocker failing. I'll try again later....

[@Gluttonite]

It should come with glove you wear

[@DiegoSynth]

And no screws to tune, but knobs. And notes printed on the top plate. And...

[@Gluttonite]

@@DiegoSynthYes... Yes

[@lovedeathdisco]

start soldering!

[@adeniranbalthazar5700]

@@DiegoSynth Exactly. I hope this is still just a prototype and that they're paying attention to the comments here, because they sure could leverage some standard interface practices that would only make the experience better

[@baddriddimworkshop]

wow and it;'s cheap, i want one. theres something of the hammond spinet generator is this technology, so cool.

[@3tree]

Looks terrific. For peak esoteric desire, wedge it inside a tree trunk and license it to soma. The tuna (sic) is lovely too!

[@schragemusik]

First thought: this is useless, noodling crap. Second thought (seconds later): though it sounds interesting. Third thought: I want one.

[@KOMAelektronik]

Lovely :) What more can you want as a manufacturer of niche electronic instruments!

[@7thHead_]

Haha. Fun!

[@thejollyjoker187]

Take up the stethoscope and walk.

[@rg.drenas16]

If only pink floyd had gotten this in the 70s

[@spiralmoment]

They had a vcs3, which is so much cooler than this.

[@rg.drenas16]

@@spiralmoment true but I can rlly imagine what Richard would do with this

[@Schizonoise]

owowowowoowow

[@LordoftheBadgers]

Ah so this is how I fix the wife's macbook!

[@briangatebuilder]

Might be cool in a guitar form. Looked at some stingless guitars and they don't seem too good, idk instruments very well though.

[@d3tuned378]

Price? Kind of an important detail. At least ballpark it.

[@PassepartoutDuo]

Hey! We announced today tiered pricing for the Kickstarter starting at €299

[@d3tuned378]

@@PassepartoutDuo great news!

[@jimbotron70]

You should put a visual interface and reference points over it.

[@Sany-K]

Недоделка, если бы на этом синтезе были бы нарисованы ноты, октавы, а так на ощупь играть .

[@marcbrasse747]

Interesting but I suspect the price to be too high for what it offers in functionality. Especially that hand tuning stuff is too archaic to be true. Nothing wrong with fashionable boutique minimalism but in the real world every instrument offering poly aftertouch runs circles around it. An A for sympathetic quirkiness though. 😁

[@Hreinth]

Nice concept, interesting realization, I'm a bit afraid of the "one trick pony syndrome". Since I suppose tuning are not recallable maybe limited for live situations ?

[@riccardoborretti6985]

🧲🧲🧲

[@manuelXmanual]

yeah,but what about the screwdriver?do you include the screwdriver as well?

[@alexgrunde6682]

Can I cook pancakes on it?

[@PassepartoutDuo]

only one time...

[@FastRCToys]

This is made for cooking ? 🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳

[@KOMAelektronik]

for cooking tasty soundd 🧑🏽‍🍳

[@FastRCToys]

@@KOMAelektronik For cooking your wallet ;)

[@Algoritmarte]

2024: Tuning with screwdriver??? ... perhaps you're trying to beat the fastest dealbreaker world record while prototyping an interesting and innovative device? ... make the plate smaller and add a tiny lowered strip with 9 trimmers or something digital with touch contact

[@PacifierMusic]

It’s unique but I probably won’t buy something where I need a screw driver handy for tuning. Just make it a knob.

[@GravytyMusic]

So much this. Would be amazing, if those weren't screws. How they thought people would just want to set and forget the oscillator tuning is beyond me.

[@sambac2053]

@sambac2053 0 seconds ago One won’t be able to reliably see those dots under stage conditionds

[@assistantto007]

Behringer's rip off will be rubbish

[@CartoonMonkeyStudio]

Lol, suction cup Radio Shack contact mic phone recorders live again!

[@boblove2912]

Or you could just play a synth/keyboard which is infinitely more useful for writing music.

[@evanprince3564]

Now if only we could make some keys that you can see, there could be 88 of them and maybe even be white and black so we know where the sharp notes are. That way we could make like music or something??? Idk...

[@endoflevelboss]

You look like you're wiping your waxy earbuds all over your laptop.

[@aaizner847]

I guess, if your definition of instrument is "Haaae kids, did you know ANYTHING can be an instrument??", then it's an instrument. Otherwise, it's just equipment. This is an instrument, the way that an arpeggiator is an instrument. Do what you want to do; it's fine. But don't If you can't produce the full range of notes, and do so intentionally, you're not playing an instrument, you're just playing with equipment.

[@antonsorokin3881]

игрушка

[@sturdyblock]

A gimmick for the man bun brigade.