Donner Launches MEDO Portable Groovebox “Multi-Function Musical Instrument”
Donner throws a curve ball with MEDO, a handheld synth, sampler and music-making device.
Donner Music, maker of the B1 analog bass synth and the D1 drum machine, has launched a Kickstarter project to fund production of the Medo portable groovebox, a revolutionary “multi-functional music instrument”, a standalone music-making device that incorporates a sampler, synthesis and a looper.
Medo is being released via Kickstarter Project, the modest £4,201 goal has already been achieved.
Medo gives you five seconds of sampling time, and has a grid-based touch control surface. The exact nature of this changes depending on which mode you’re in – drum, bass, chord or lead – and tracks can be built-up in the 128-bar looper. There are built-in speakers, RGB lights and a 2000mA lithium battery that can be charged via USB-C.
Additionally, there is gestural control – you can adjust parameters, apply effects and control modulation by moving the device around. Given its touch-based nature, perhaps, it will offer much more than a music-making app running on your phone.
Features:
- One-click Recording.
- Powerful Sound Engine.
- One button looping, auto-quantization mode.
- RGB lighting interaction for immediate feedback performance achieving better human-machine interaction.
- Connects with other software and hardware.
Medo’s most attractive features, though, could be its compact design and prize. It is small enough to be taken with you wherever you go, and the early-bird pledge option of $149 (regular price will be $298) should ensure that there are plenty of takers. If you order now, delivery is expected to be in December.
Medo’s more experimental concept perhaps explains why it’s being released via Kickstarter; this gives Donner a way of assessing demand levels and ensuring that it’ll only be released if the campaign is funded.
*Note that crowd-funded projects can involve risk, which is detailed at the project website.
