PeacockMedia shared this first look at MIDI Kalimba, a MIDI controller that’s played like a kalimba, with fingers or thumbs on touch-sensitive pads.
MIDI Kalimba can output:
- MIDI over USB; and
- MIDI over TRS (a TRS-5-pin DIN lead gives MIDI over 5-pin DIN)
You can set any scale/mode, octave and root note, for example C6 Mixolydian or G4 Minor Pentatonic, and then you’ll be able to play the notes in that scale and key.
It also features velocity-sensitivity for expressive playing.
Pricing and Availability:
MIDI Kalimba is available now for $95 USD.
That woman could sell me anything! What an enchanting voice.
Can a midi Hurdy Gurdy be far behind?
It’s already been done!
This will be great for the professional Kalimba plays out there….
Boy, the mini-gear is blossoming lately. The base sound & MIDI capabilities are impressive. Its much more attractive at the larger size. My hands want one that’s a little bigger still, but its all a juggling process between what is economical and what is approachably playable. Great gift/tool for ear bud lovers!
I have the smaller version of this and it’s been great – an easy way to explore different combinations with a simple interface. Have to decide if bigger is better…
I have a wooden one of these, but it doesn’t have contact pads, it has long metal resonators that you pluck with your thumbs.
Clever! I bought the original recently. It’s small enough to share an old headphone case with my 1010music Lemondrop and two USB power banks, making a compact sound-design system for the bus. The velocity response is surprisingly expressive and the quantized scales make up for the small pads. I also appreciate the program change feature, something few compact controllers have.
I suggested to Sheila that she add a pressure pad or accelerometer to transmit control changes as well. https://photos.app.goo.gl/oyFtWh73afc1z8q1A