Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker has invented a brand new instrument called The Orchid.
First envisioned as a tool for Parker’s own songwriting more than a decade ago, The Orchid is an advanced chord generator developed by Parker and “friends,” similar to the “chord mode” you would find at the bottom left-hand side of many keyboards. What’s different, though, is The Orchid’s creative potential and ease of use — with just 13 keys, a range of octaves, various voicing options, dual built-in speakers, a MIDI out port, and a rechargeable battery, the instrument promises to be a portable companion for beginner musicians and explorative producers alike to augment their songs.
Specifically, The Orchid is powered by three separate synths: polyphonic virtual analog subtractive synth for classic tones, an FM synth for modulations, and a “vintage reed piano emulation” complete with “mechanical noise samples for added realism.” With these, users can select from several “Performance Modes” — including “Strum,” “Slop,” “Arpeggiator,” “Pattern,” and “Harp” — and bring colorful, textured, and complex chord progressions to life without any prior music theory knowledge.
Released via Parker’s Telepathic Instruments, the first, limited-edition batch of The Orchid will be available to purchase for $549 beginning in December. More details on the initial on-sale will arrive in the coming weeks, but a press release has revealed that the first owners will have the chance to “shape and refine” The Orchid through a Patreon-powered online community, dubbed The Garden.
For more information, you can sign up for email updates on Telepathic Instruments’ website. Watch a trailer for the instrument below.
Meanwhile, Parker recently sold his entire songwriting catalog to Sony Music Publishing, including all his past and future work. Earlier this year, he helped produce Dua Lipa’s latest album, Radical Optimism, with the pop star crediting his 2015 album Currents for completely changing her life.
