The Orba 2 is a handheld device that lets you turn received sounds into playable instruments

A new handheld device called the Orba 2 lets you turn found sounds into playable instruments.

The portable, easy-to-use gadget is intuitively designed with a playing surface that responds to nine gestures: tap, press, radiate, tilt, shake, spin, vibrato, move, and bump. With the Orba app, Orba 2 users can record anything from a bicycle bell or a bird in a tree to roadwork and human voices, which can then be played, looped and shared as a melody. can go. You can also import samples that you have previously recorded.

This palm-sized looper, synth and MIDI controller is an updated version of Artiphone’s first award-winning Orba device and comes equipped with a new sound engine that includes audio samples and over 100 new pre-loaded sounds. Among the new audio samples are real instruments like electric guitar and upright piano.

“People want to make multisensory music and go beyond the historical limits of traditional instruments,” says Mike Butera, founder of Artiphone. “Like information, sounds want to be free. In the next few years, billions more people will realize they can be musical, and we’re excited to bring this future closer than ever.”

The Orba 2 can be synced with other instruments and hardware via MIDI and works with GarageBand, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Cubase, and FL Studio. The device costs €159/£139. Watch a demo video below and find out more on Artiphone site,

Earlier this year, Swedish brand Teenage Engineering Introduced a collection of new affordable modules based on the Pocket Operator Modular SeriesWhich starts at £29.