2018 NAMM Show: Synesthesia today announced Pipes, a complete, compact sound module.
Pipes features 48KHz 24bit stereo sample playback and is WAV, AIF and MDA compatible, with up to 20,000 samples always loaded and ready to be triggered.
One of the more interesting aspects of the product is the introduction of its “Tweaker” onboard Pure Data patches, which can be used to modify and transform MIDI, creating many possibilities for new and custom sounds.
Features:
- 5” full color touchscreen
- 64 max stereo voice polyphony
- 4-millisecond latency from MIDI trigger input to analog audio output
- Massive onboard instrument and sound library
- Multiple USB MIDI inputs
- Multiple assignable internal stereo channels (which are called “pipes”)
- Introducing ‘Tweakers’: onboard Pure Data patches for MIDI manipulation, User patches welcome!
- Effects per stereo channel: Slicer, Panner, Pitch, Compressor, Equalizer (4 band), Reverse, Delay, Flanger, Reverb, Filters, Distortions
- Master Effects: Stereo Compressor, Equalizer (4 band), Reverb
- Effect and Tweaker parameters controllable in real time
- Introducing MDA instrument files, including position, velocity, and round robin samples with associated trigger data
- MIDI signal input record and playback capability
- Analog audio output x 2: L(mono) + R
- Stereo headphone output
- Stereo digital audio output: S/PDIF optical TOSLINK
- USB memory port (recognizes thumb drive for file transfers and firmware updates)
- Open Source User Interface/Front-End allow full customization
Technical Specifications:
- 48KHz 24bit stereo sample playback, WAV, AIF, MDA compatible
- Up to 20,000 samples always loaded and ready
- 5” full color touchscreen
- Enclosure dimensions 5.72″ x 4.77″ x 2.06
- Multiple USB MIDI inputs
- Analog audio output x 2: L(mono) + R
- Stereo digital audio output: S/PDIF optical TOSLINK
- Stereo headphone output
- USB memory Port (recognizes thumb drive for file transfers and updates)
Pricing and Availability
Synesthesia expects Pipes to be available in mid-2018, priced at US $399.
Thats strange, the one on the website looks much better and cleaner. This looks like a Roli lightblock made in the 80’s. The specs are looking pretty interesting tho.
Interesting product for sure. “Multiple USB MIDI ports”? No DIN MIDI? Why? There’s an image of a regular MIDI port in the logo…
I love the concept, features & price. I’ll be curious to hear what the internal memory quantity is. It says 20,000 samples (in what we can assume to be ROM or flash ROM)- hopefully that’s a full-variety of sounds- a la GM and beyond.
I hope it is possible to edit sounds on a computer then load them; as I would not like editing on a 5″ touchscreen. Honestly, I’d prefer a cursor diamond & wheel to a touch-screen– it’s quicker, more reliable, less problematic to accidentally touch it., etc.
The ability to perform DSP at different levels in the architecture would be ideal– i.e. filters at the sample or keyrange level, dynamics at the layer level, EQ at the instrument level, etc.
https://www.pipes.rocks/ is the site. Looks like it’s going to be a Kickstarter. And the box looks way better than the black box version posted here. Not that that matters but…it matters. 🙂
I’m at NAMM, just saw it. After I got done BEGGING him to sell me a Mandala, I watched him play his Pipe. This thing is seriously cool. Amazing sound design, midi control etc. in a box. May be enough to get me to try crowdfunding again.
I hope the lightpipe can do 8 channels by the time this comes to market. Stereo is fine, but 8 channels puts this into pro territory with a lightpipe DA converter attached.