Telepathic Instruments’ Transparent Clear Orchid: Arctic Is a Synth You’ll Want to Use (And Display)

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Summary

  • The fully transparent limited-edition unit is capped at a strict 3,000 units worldwide
  • Internal hardware is driven by three distinct synthesis engines designed by developer Stefan Stenzel
  • The drop includes the full rollout of the brand’s companion Pistil VST plugin for Mac and Windows

Telepathic Instruments, a music technology company created with Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, has released a new version of its hardware called Clear Orchid: Arctic. This limited-edition instrument – only 3,000 will be made worldwide – features a completely transparent design, showcasing its inner workings while still offering the same unique way of creating music using chords.

This device centers around a unique system for creating chords. It uses a touch-sensitive surface to control the chord type, how full or sparse the sound is, and the base note. A new voicing system then spreads these chords across a wide range, like a full piano keyboard, allowing for richer and more complex harmonies than the device’s size would suggest. Inside its clear casing, you’ll find stereo speakers, a rechargeable battery, and a MIDI output for easy connection to music production software. The sound is generated by three different types of synthesis – classic analogue sounds, FM synthesis, and a realistic emulation of a vintage reed piano, complete with the sounds of its mechanical parts. All of the sound design was done by the well-known developer Stefan Stenzel.

To make the sound more natural and expressive, this device offers different playing styles like Strum, Slop, Arpeggiator, Pattern, and Harp. It also comes with a full version of Pistil, a software plugin for both Mac and Windows computers. Pistil brings the device’s unique sound engines directly to your computer, adding 10 new sounds, an improved delay effect, and precise control over every setting. With the software, you can easily adjust existing sounds or create completely new ones from scratch.

Check out the short film TeleVision below. The Clear Orchid synthesizer and the complete Pistil plugin suite will be available starting May 11th, only from the official brand website.

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2026-05-06 10:26