Robkoo has introduced the Wind Synthesizer R1, a futuristic MIDI wind controller instrument, with responsive RGB light bars, motion control, Bluetooth connectivity, customizable hotkeys, onboard sound banks, and a dedicated app.
One of the most distinctive design feature of the Wind Synthesizer R1 is how its body lights up in response to the performer’s expression. The instrument responds to the player’s breath, glowing to the tune of over 60,000 colors — which can be customized in JamKoo, Robkoo’s performance app for iOS and Android.
Its inbuilt gyroscope lets Wind Synthesizer R1 players add expression with pitch bend and vibrato by moving the MIDI wind controller instrument itself. You can play in octaves beyond the limitations of acoustic instruments thanks to the triple-octave (-1, 0, +1, +2) keys (on the underside of Wind Synthesizer R1), while a mechanical pitch wheel lets performers pitch freely with their thumb — also customizable to trigger other controls like portamento.
It features onboard tones sampled from top performers from around the world — working with sound suppliers like Dynamix Audio (Serbia), Impact Soundworks (USA), Kong Audio (China), Sound Magic (China), and Versilian Studios (USA).
Whether wirelessly or cable connected to an applicable device, Wind Synthesizer R1 is also a capable MIDI controller. It supports MIDI input over USB MIDI (Type-C) and Bluetooth (BLE MIDI). Other connectivity options include a 3.5 mm TRS headphone output, 6.35 mm TRS audio output, and Type-C USB port.
Wind Synthesizer R1 also features a a (2600mAh) battery-running time of six hours (with the RGB light bars operating), extending to 10 hours (with the RGB light bars turned off).
Pricing and Availability:
Wind Synthesizer R1 is available now in mainland China for CN¥2,999.00 RMB, Robkoo is currently working to make it available worldwide, with a projected price tag of around $500.00 USD later this year.
RGB for sure will attract players who’s aesthetic taste in acoustic instruments hasn’t changed since the 1800s. The yamaha yds-150 makes a valiant effort in moving away from the curse of roland’s long history of design failures, but that stain is so strong we might need to wait a couple of generations for wind players to consider taking midi seriously.
Man, the future is very confusing.
Just because someone says they can direct and edit a video doesn’t mean they can direct and edit a video.
This instrument seems like it could be very interesting, but this entire presentation leaves me baffled by its capabilities. It’s a sample player? That changes colors? And a potentially cool MIDI controller?
Chinese designed crap? No thanks.
my first color monitor only had eight colors! wow this is amazing! I’m going to buy a dozen.
why can’t they just admit to the exact number of colors; it’s the same number of characters.
this copy is worse than silly.
Shall we all stick our heads in the sand until China invade Taiwan?
Doing business with China just makes them stronger and more beligerant. It does not make conflict unthinkable.
See how they prop up Russia by increasing their purchase of Russian oil – totally undermining western sanctions.
Please stop promoting Chinese products. The Chinese government despises democracy and free speech.
Leave the Chinese music tech for their domestic market.
You can’t boycott Chinese industry, it’s way too late for that. If you think a certain product in your set indicates an endorsement, I guess you could put tape over the logos.
i 3D printed some Moog logos to cover my china gear. i also 3D printed some Nescafe logos to cover my tea brands.
Yes you can boycott Chinese industry.
You may have a difficult time trying do so 100%, but that’s because of poor strategic and greedy choices by western manufacturers. I’m sure they’ll say that they’re just trying to be competitive by using Chinese suppliers and assembly but that’s bull. They buy the cheapest and don’t give a hoot about the consequences, and the genocidal, totalitarian Chinese government loves it.
Some might say ‘what’s the point of a partial boycott?’
And I’d say ‘If I can cure 25% of cancer should I not bother making the treatment available until I’ve cracked 100% of them?’
@MisterMidi
You’re absolutely correct.
Anyone here using iPhone, iPad, Mac, Win PC’s, Android devices, etc; ?
News flash, almost all tech devices including musical instruments are made in China.
Yes, they can and will be designated in US or EU, but they will be produced in Chinese manufacturers
“Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
“Shall we all stick our heads in the sand until China invade Taiwan?”
Newsflash: check your facts. It’s a big old world out there. There are plenty of companies outside of China producing technology.
Don’t fall for ‘learned helplessness’.
My reply from last night seems lost in the post.
I’ll summarise:
Yes, you absolutely can and should boycott as much Chinese imports as possible.
If I could cure 25% of cancer would you tell me to not bother to release the details until I could cure 100%?
Don’t let the perfect be enemy of the good.
China wholly supports Russia’s war on Ukraine, they undoubtedly commit genocide against the Uyghurs and crush democracy and free speech wherever they can. Oh and they want to do to Taiwan what Russia are doing to Ukraine. They even have a policy of seizing TSMC when the take Taiwan.
Thanks Sonic for replying. I kind-of agree with you except I don’t really like telling other people what to do. I prefer not to be too sanctimonious about it, because financially, any electronic goods do likely contain a fair amount of materials and components from difficult regions.
But yes I can understand that you prefer not to have certain brands on your shelf or on your stage, as endorsement of behaviour. Because some governments do use brands and products as soft power.
It’s not about displaying a brand, it’s about fueling oppressive regimes. Hard cash, economic growth at the expense of your own economy.
ooh, China bad! let me know when the West has sworn off actively looting Africa of her resources
Whataboutism gets you nowhere.
There are many responsible sourcing initiatives.
It’s up to folks like you and me to make choices and put pressure on manufacturers to hold higher standards.
Boycott is weakness. Sanctions are illegal and make people die far from the spotlights. Growing economies should be traded with, not sabotaged. All this talk about democracy is just a cover to sanction potential peer economies. There is nothing democratic about boycotting or sanctioning others.
I have to admit, I am a little perplexed at why you would have an intro video for an instrument, that doesn’t appear to feature the actual use/sound of the instrument being introduced. I did take the extra steps to open the video in Youtube, then find some actual videos of the instrument in action but most folks likely wouldn’t take the time to hunt them down.
Digital Art Crafting?? Musical Instrument from Future??
Scrambled marketing speak from more Asian factories.
I can’t get too excited.
Very strange website no Support provided, no contact apart from the physical address ?,
How can we contact the designer ?
It seems to me,
for every instr. (Pretty much) there’s an Aisian three times as good as any other
Ethnic musician on the planet.