How does an Orchid work? Price and all about the new instrument invented by Tame Impala's Kevin Parker

Tame Impala member Kevin Parker has grabbed a lot of attention after introducing an instrument known as Orchid. The idea of the instrument was originally developed by Parker around 10 years ago and the teaser was posted by Telepathic Instruments through YouTube on November 19, 2024.

According to DJ Magazine, Orchid has a simple process for use as it lets anyone choose a root note through an octave keyboard and select the chord mode with the eight dedicated buttons along with the dial in the chord's voicing through the new "patent pending" voicing dial.

Kevin Parker's instrument will be available for purchase through the official website of Telepathic Instruments from December this year. The company has created around 1,000 samples of the product and they would be priced at $549 each.

Furthermore, Telepathic Instruments shared a video on Instagram on Monday, November 25, giving an introduction to Orchid as it featured random individuals using the product on different backgrounds. The caption reads:

"This is Orchid. An advanced chord generating hardware synthesizer developed for songwriters, producers and musicians to expand the possibilities of songwriting and musical exploration. Sign up to the Telepathic Instruments mailing list to register your interest. Link in Bio."

Tame Impala has released four albums in their career so far. Their last major release was The Slow Rush, which came out back in 2020.

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All the features of Orchid and its working process explained

Orchid's limited edition is being released through Telepathic Instruments, a company formed by Kevin Parker. Apart from him, the other co-founders include Charl Laubscher, Ignacio Germade, Chris Adams, and Tom Cosm, as per Complex.

A press release disclosed that the first individuals to own the instrument would have an opportunity to "shape and refine" as part of an online community, The Garden, powered by Patreon, as per Consequence.

Coming back to the instrument, Orchid features eight different buttons like Maj, Min, Dim, and more, and the sound is created with a 16-voice polyphonic synth engine. DJ Magazine states that the sound can also be shaped through the on-board ambiance and modulation FX.

The physical appearance is taken from the 70s as it includes a burnt yellow casing and built-in speakers. Other voices are also available, which include analog, FM synth engines, and vintage reed piano on the instrument along with multiple oscillators, LFOs, envelope generators, and filters.

While it is believed that the instrument is inspired by Omnichord, the developers have yet to address the same from their side. According to Complex's November 26 report, Charl Laubscher said in a statement that the instrument would help in the "creative process" followed by any individual and continued:

"It's a tool for anyone who wants to step outside their musical comfort zone, to experiment and to find what's on their mind."

The remaining features include the performance mode with four options that include strum, slop, arpeggiator, and harp. A user would have control over how the chords will be triggered when he or she would perform the notes as per requirements. There is a rechargeable battery in Orchid along with a bass synth engine, loop mode, and MIDI output.

As mentioned, the limited edition will go for sale next month and the wider release is confirmed to begin sometime in 2025, as per London Evening Standard.