Orba is a tiny, fun and surprisingly expressive instrument

The $89 MPE instrument is all about lowering the barriers to making music.

more…

Tau.Neutrino said:

Orba is a tiny, fun and surprisingly expressive instrument

The $89 MPE instrument is all about lowering the barriers to making music.

more…

> Right now Orba is basically a MIDI controller with a built-in audio interface.

OK.

> I am simultaneously deeply fascinated by and deeply skeptical of strange niche instruments.

Good. Some can be good, eg. the theremin and ocarina. But not all.

> I can’t think of any other portable instrument that combines velocity sensitivity with capacitive touchpads …. Perhaps most satisfying was using it like a singing bowl by simply running my finger around the outer edge and letting it ring out. In fact, I could easily see myself picking up Orba throughout a particularly stressful day just to soothe myself.

OK. Not sure how good it will be in the end. A midi instrument that’s easier to play than a piano would be nice – but needs good speakers – not sure if that’s possible in a package that small.