Another Kickstarter - an MPE compatible MIDI controller with integrated synth and lights.
The idea to have an (optional) AI that as I understand it takes hints from the rhythm and pressed notes and improvises some music over those sounds interesting, a little like a next generation of these arranger keyboards. Like with every generative algorithm the question will be how repetitive this gets over time… Some advancements were made to… simulate creativity… recently. But not sure at which level this is - might be enough to entertain children though
But this also seems to work as a normal “play as pressed” instrument controller of course.
Edit: Seems to support touch and pressure as per finger (key) sensors (so two dimensions) and a gyro as global control.
Aaand cancelled. They were already above the funding goal but below some much higher internal target that would have made the production viable.
Better cancelling than collecting the money when the likelyhood of delivery is low from the start.
It would have been even better to set a realistic funding goal in the first place though…
Seems to become common for Kickstarter campaigns unfortunately.
Must be psychology that people only want to bet on winning horses, so the finish line is painted two steps in front of the start…
But a Kickstarter doesn’t “win” by collecting the money but by producing and delivering the product - at least from a backer perspective. So imho a realistic estimate would help a lot in the first place.
Edit: Their first stretch goal was at 800000€, then 1M, then 1.3M - so that internal viability target line must have been at lofty heights
that sounds very odd… 60,000E to 800,000E, is a huge jump esp. to add a songs and different cases.
surely, the core hardware/software would/should be where most funding goes…
unfortunately, I suspect the initial goal was a ‘teaser’ … set it low, so that backers will feel its likely to happen, and then hope you’ll get a snowball effect.
also not sure about their pricing… not really enough difference between early bird tier… and the final retail price , only $60 - a lot would just look at it, and say, I’ll wait… see reviews etc.
(don’t get me wrong… KS price is good, I suspect the retail price is unrealistic… unless they sold thousands!)
anyway, wish them luck… ive to do without Kickstarter, or perhaps they’ll ‘re-launch’ it a few months down the line (not uncommon)
that said, with current component shortages and manufacturing issues in china, Im a bit ‘conservative’ with Kickstarter at the moment… its hard enough for established companies, gotta be extratough for startup companies.
Yeah, sounds like an interesting instrument, would be nice to see this getting real!
Also fingers crossed for the mass production of the Osmose!
Besides that I am mainly (im)patiently waiting for a custom pan flute (from a German instrument maker). Which consists of bamboo that afaik also comes from China in most cases. But if the situation reaches bamboo levels then not getting flute materials is probably one of the more negligible challenges…
