CHOMPI, New Keyboard promises to make Sampling Fun
Chompi is a super-cute sampler that was inspired by the Casio SK-1.
The creators of CHOMPI – a new sampling keyboard that’s designed to make musique concrète style audio manipulation fast and fun – shared this sneak preview of the portable sampler.
As the video demonstrates, CHOMPI is designed to make it easy to sample sounds and play them back, using the built-in keyboard.
Chompi is a new “magical” hardware sampler and looper that looks to prioritise personality and playability over a lengthy spec list. With its cute carry handle and big-buttoned interface, it is giving us strong ‘My First Electronic Instrument’ vibes, but might also be capable of charming more mature and experienced musicians, as well.
Built on the open-source Electro-Smith Daisy platform, Chompi puts the focus on a simple sample-based workflow that is designed to encourage experimentation. Hit the record button and you can immediately capture a sound via the built-in mic, and this is automatically mapped across the two-octave mechanical keyboard.
The interface provides big, dedicated controls for sampling, pitch, sample editing and effects. CHOMPI also features a looper, so you can record phrases and play over them, and even overdub layers.
Chompi offers seven voices of polyphony and gives you 14 preset slots. You can adjust the sample start/end point, there’s an AD envelope, and the playback speed and direction of the sample can be controlled, as well. The multi-FX section is all on one knob, and provides a multimode filter, lo-fi saturation, a granular delay-reverb and more.
Recordings can be made using the tape-style stereo looper, which enables you to overdub sounds as many times as you like. The transport knob controls tape scrubbing, loop playback speed/direction and other features that are apparently waiting to be discovered.
As you can see, Chompi has no screen, but RGB LED indicators and endless switching encoders give you multi-page parameter control. The MX Cherry switches on the hot-swap enabled keyboard can be replaced and customised as you wish, and the Chompi is said to be built to last.
USB-C powering means that it is also portable – assuming you have a power bank – while other connectivity includes stereo aux I/O, a headphone socket and MIDI I/O (all on 3.5mm jacks). Your samples are stored on a micro SD card.
Features:
- Flexible hardware platform
- Built on the powerful Daisy platform (by Electro-Smith) unlocking easy firmware updates, and flexible programmability options.
- Screenless workflow, w/ RGB LED indicators & endless switching encoders for multi-page parameter controls
- Utilizes the widely popular MX Cherry switches for its Hot-Swap enabled, two octave keyboard (switches & keycaps are infinitely customizable)
- Custom Panel Enclosure allows for limited edition colorways (artist series already in the works)
- Custom made BOBO Keycaps
- Quirky sampling Engine
- Unique Sampling Workflow Encourages User Exploration
- 7 Voice Polyphony
- 14 Slots to Save/Recall Presets
- Sample Playback Speed & Direction Controls
- Sample Start & End Point Controls (w/ Additional Attack + Decay Envelope)
- Single Knob Multi-FX Section (Multi-Mode Filter, Lo-Fi Saturation, Granular Delay-Reverb, & More)
- Tape-Style Looper
- Sound-on-sound stereo looping engine
- Transport knob provides control over: Manual Tape Scrubbing, Loop Playback Speed / Direction, as well as other additional ‘easter eggs’ to be found by advanced users
Chompi is said to have been inspired by portable old-school keyboards such as the Casio SK-1.
The developers will be making CHOMPI available via a Kickstarter project launching later this month, priced at $499 for backers (normally $599). Find out more info on the CHOMPI website.
via Petros, Goudron
