artiphon
Latest
Artiphon’s Chorda ‘band in a box’ allows you to produce beats just about anywhere
Niche music gadget manufacturer Artiphon is back with a new instrument called the Chorda. This unique bit of gear is a combo meal of sorts, bundling together the form factor of the Instrument 1 with the standalone functionality and looper of the Orba 2. The Chorda builds upon the multi-instrument technology of the Instrument 1, with access to a diverse array of instruments, from guitar to drums and piano.
Artiphon’s Minibeats AR app creates music from movement and gestures
Artiphon, the company behind the Orba handheld synth and MIDI controller, launched a new AR music creation app today that you don’t need a musical background to enjoy. Minibeats for iOS uses gestures, dance moves and facial expressions to craft songs played on 12 virtual instruments with colorful visual effects.
Orba 2 adds a sampler and more to an excellent musical fidget toy
Sample playback, quantization and longer loops make the Orba 2 far more powerful than the original.
Artiphon's Orbacam app now lets you record music without its $99 instrument
If you want to check out the app, you can now do so without first buying the $99 Orba.
Artiphon's quirky Orba now lets you create musical 'selfies'
Artiphon has released an iOS app for the Orba musical instrument that lets you create musical "selfies" and videos.
ICYMI: We test the pricey and problematic ThinkPad X1 Fold
A roundup of this week's tech reviews on Engadget, including the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, the Anova Precision Oven and the Grado GT220 earbuds.
Artiphon Orba review: Much more than a musical fidget toy
Orba’s goal of lowering the barrier of entry to music creation is admirable. And it errs closer to a musical fidget toy than an intimidating and unusual instrument. But, those willing to push its limits will find surprising depth.
Orba is a tiny, fun and surprisingly expressive instrument
I am simultaneously deeply fascinated by and deeply skeptical of strange niche instruments. As fun as a classic Stylophone is, for instance, it's pretty tricky to make decent-sounding music with. Even quirky controllers like Roli Blocks have a hard time finding a foothold in my life. But I still can't resist their allure. So of course when I heard about Orba, the new instrument from Artiphon, I had to check it out.
Orba is a tiny instrument that you shake, tap and twist
Artiphon first made a splash back in 2013 when it started showing off a rather rough prototype of a device that would eventually become the Instrument 1. By the time it hit Kickstarter in 2015 it had undergone a serious facelift. In its final version it was sleek and futuristic, with an almost minimal design. Now that company is back with it's second product, the Orba, and it takes many of the core concepts of the Instrument 1 to their logical extremes.
Artiphon's Instrument 1 crams most of the music store in one gadget
We first caught up with the folks behind Artiphon at NAMM 2013, and after taking the time to redesign its Instrument 1, the company is hoping to crowdfund the device. For those that may not remember, the gadget not only handles the functions of multiple instruments, but it adapts to the musician's skill level as talents progress. The Instrument 1 also serves as an input device for a truckload of music-making apps (like GarageBand or Animoog) on iOS, and thanks to a USB and Lightning jacks, can fill in as a MIDI controller, too. And if you're looking to make a custom instrument for specific results, the Aritphon app will allow you to do just that, in addition to serving up an arsenal of different music-making options. Need a piano? It's there. A violin? No problem.
The Artiphon Instrument 1 uses an iPhone, Engadget tries it out
Artiphon unveiled its Instrument 1 late last year when it released teaser images that hit the internet like wildfire. Now that the multi-instrument device is nearing launch, the company has given Engadget a private tour of the device at NAMM 2013. Designed and made in Nashville, Tenn., the unique instrument combines the beauty of a traditional wooden instrument with the flexibility of a digital music-driven device. The instrument is crafted of African hardwood and powered by an iPhone 5. It includes two integrated speakers and a built-in battery, making the Instrument 1 a truly portable device. It works with any core MIDI-enabled apps and is meant to replicate a wide variety of musical devices including guitar, violin, banjo and more. The Artiphon 1 will soon be available for pre-order from Artiphon's website and will cost under US$1,000. You can watch a quick hands-on in the Engadget video embedded below.
Artiphon's 'Instrument 1' is an iPhone powered multi-instrument, we go hands-on
Music, MIDI and mobile? Seen that before, right? Well, yeah, but sometimes something comes along that surprises everyone. Artiphon's Instrument 1 is one such thing. And after all, there's more than one way to crack a nut. Artiphon's method involves creating a high-quality muli-instrument device that uses an iPhone or iPod touch as its brain. So, this is no plastic (bear with us) "appcessory." The Instrument 1 is made out of special quality African hardwood, and centers around an intentionally ambiguous design. There is a pair of high-quality custom speakers that give impressive 30W onboard sound. There is, of course, a line out and MIDI in / out too. The prototype we saw today doesn't have a built-in battery, but final production models will, making this a truly portable, complete solution. Dr Mike Butera, the firm's founder, was keen to explain to us that this is intended not to replicate one specific device (though it does a great job of guitar, violin, banjo and more), but rather to enable musicians to be able to work in a way they want to. The Instrument 1 works with any core MIDI enabled app, but there are plans to release a companion app for more detailed / custom mappings in the future. We got a private tour of the device, to tip-toe past the break for more.
