The Lumen Is Like An Electronic Handpan On Steroids

Developer Guy Jackson has launched an Indiegogo campaign to produce the Lumen, a self-contained electronic handpan.

The Lumen provides the playing experience of it’s acoustic inspiration, with the added benefits that electronics bring.

It features built-in amplified speakers, an advanced on-board audio processor and full velocity sensitivity. Being an electronic instrument, you can change the samples, change the pitches of the triggers, and output the audio signal or MIDI messages from the Lumen.

lumen-electronic-hand-pan

Features:

  • Multiple Sample Sets — The Lumen contains samples sets from a number of handpan manufacturers out of the box, with additional samples sets planned for download.
  • Self Contained — There’s no need to connect the Lumen to a computer, iPad or DAW to play it. Full range amplified speakers are built-in.
  • Velocity Sensitive — The Lumen’s sensors are fully velocity sensitive, mimicking the experience of playing an acoustic handpan.
  • Tuning — The active sample set can be tuned to any key, using a dial which ensures that your adjustments are stepped in semitones.
  • MIDI Out — With it’s MIDI out port, the Lumen can act as a MIDI controller.
  • Audio Out — A 3.5mm headphone jack provides audio out capabilities – plug in your headset, external speakers or record sounds directly from the Lumen.

Production of the Lumen is being done via an IndieGoGo campaign, which is already about a third of the way to its goal, with a month to go. The Lumen is available to project backers for US $599, or $499 for early project backers. See the campaign site for details.

via Robert Dorschel

14 thoughts on “The Lumen Is Like An Electronic Handpan On Steroids

    1. I CAN HAZ FEATURE CREEP?

      It’s hard to imaging that the expense of adding the 18 CV/Gate jacks necessary to transmit the polyphonic output of this thing would make sense for many users.

  1. Remember Oval?* http://ovalsound.com

    That’ll ship this summer, supposedly. If it does, I might get one. Likely will be later.

    Most big kickstarters never hit their date. Skeptical based on multiple past experiences.

    *Guessing this has been forgotten by many.

    1. While I like the style of the Oval, I passed it by because of the iOS link. I like (electronic) instruments that are standalone, and with the standalone full-range speaker as promised in the Lumen, it’s perfect. Plus the MIDI out sold me. Finally, I had purchased the SonicCoiture Hang Library years ago, and was always impressed by it. Point being, I feel this will be superior to the Oval, IMO, and at a lower price.
      (no, I don’t work for Lumen, but it sounds like I should)

  2. As a Backer of the Oval I’m not interested. Yes, it brings it’s own amplified Audio out with it, but the Oval has basically a Touchpad added to every “Pan” that you can use to change the sound with after stroking it, which gives it a additional dimension besides being a Midicontroller in a handpan/hang Layout. Besides that the Preorder Price is the same as the Early Bird Price of the Lumen. Will hopefully get my Oval this summer, but may look for this as a travel “Handpan” when I don’t want to carry a setup around and just wanna record. Midi In/Out would be cool. Oval has USB-Midi, but a dedicated 5-Pin Midi would make this an Instrument to record and Playback with Changes in the Studio.

  3. Comparing to an Oval I see some advantages:

    Midi out
    included amp + speakers
    you can load own samples into it
    Ding + 8 tone fields + at least 1 additional field (for ghost notes/metallic percussion sound) against Ding + 7 tonefields.

    I don’t like the integrated battery, which must be charged via USB at the Lumen.

    However, I throw my money into the super early bird package.

  4. i want to add that I feel both the Oval and the Lumen are fantastic concepts in their own right.
    This shouldn’t be a pissing contest between the two for consumers.

    It’s great to see ongoing innovation to bring this style of controller/instrument into to hands of musicians.

  5. So you´ve put some velocity sensitive buttons into the shape of a hand pan!?
    I guess every position of the pads will play the same sound!?
    Sample rate?
    Memory?
    Editing functions?

    Why not using a simple sampler with pads to realize this …
    Ever thought about capacitive touch?

    I´ve been thinking about doing a e hand pan many years ago, and always stopped because it´s senseless for me creating a midi controller in shape of a hand pan.

    quite expensive, but nice idea 😉

    1. The ‘two expensive’ comment seems to be shorthand for ‘There’s nothing out there remotely like this, but it’s not for me and my needs are the only ones that matter.’

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