Photo Credit: Telepathic Instruments
Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker announces a new advanced chord generating synthesizer, Orchid, developed by Telepathic Instruments.
Producer Kevin Parker of Tame Impala has announced a new instrument called Orchid. An “advanced chord generating hardware synthesizer” conceived by Parker and developed by his co-founded Telepathic Instruments, Orchid was made with both longtime songwriters and new musicians in mind.
The synthesizer can produce sounds from jazz and guitar chords to synth and retro-futurism — “sounds of the moon” — which sound like something you would hear played over a sci-fi film. Despite its compact size, Orchid packs a punch; it can generate sounds like an 88-key piano by using controls that “spread” the chord notes to make them sound authentic.
Depending on the way musicians press the velocity keys, they can change how loud or quiet the sounds will be. Orchid also features a “chord logic system” to enable musicians to mix and match a nearly infinite array of chords just by adjusting the pitch.
Orchid features a matrix of eight chord-selecting and chord-modifying keys with a single-octave keyboard to allow users to choose a root note and select a chord. It has a 16-voice polyphonic synth engine with onboard ambience, modulation effects, a separate bass synth engine exclusively for bottom end, dual stereo built-in speakers, a highly sensitive keyboard, and a battery to charge it on the go.
The instrument also features onboard effects, such as reverb and delay, a loop mode, and a MIDI output. With a “retro-futuristic” design by co-founder Ignacio Germade, Orchid will be available beginning on December 18 for $549. Delivery is expected for early 2025, with 1,000 units set to be released for pre-sale.
Kevin Parker first conceived the idea of the Orchid over a decade ago. This summer, he worked on a capsule of “psychedelic minimalism” for Parisian fashion brand A.P.C. That line includes alpaca sweaters, corduroy trousers, bucket hats, and more cozy essentials.
Tame Impala’s last album, The Slow Rush, released in 2020, but the band has stayed busy. They’ve been involved in collaborations with Thundercat, Diana Ross, an Elvis Presley remix, and even dropped some B-sides from their latest album.