A thumb works better but there's too much painful friction on the skin: practicing an hour a day, I kept developing blisters and callouses which eventually got scraped away from the friction.
Not that I don't agree with you, but it's no match when comparing to playing a real guitar. That said, I do agree that strumming is problematic on Instrument 1 whether you are using fingers or a pick. Pieces of the plastics kept falling off when I strum.
I have several major issues with Instrument 1, and I abandoned it after a few years to focus on the Seaboard. But I'd consider buying an Instrument 2 if certain things were fixed:
1. The bridge. If you use a pick it not only makes a loud noise and tears off the rubber but also prevents you from doing fast alternating down-up-down-up strums. A thumb works better but there's too much painful friction on the skin: practicing an hour a day, I kept developing blisters and callouses which eventually got scraped away from the friction. Then I'd develop new callouses and they'd fall off too. In addition to being painful, it's almost certainly not good for my thumb.
While it looks like Chorda's version of the bridge does away with the friction issue, it seems like it doesn't have enough of a tactile component? I'd also like be able to quickly alternate between strumming and fingerpicking.
For me, the ability to strum is the primary advantage of Instrument 1 over the Seaboard.
2. More Smart Strum options. I was able to effectively get the same effect using MidiFlow, but it was extremely tedious and time-consuming. Let us program our own smart strum.
It would also be good to let us program in a sequence of chords that we can then strum to the tempo of the song. That will sync with the DAW's record button. So for example 110 bpm, first half of bar 1 is chord A, second half of bar 1 is chord B, bar 2 is all chord C, etc.
3. Allow for simultaneous use of slide and fret-bending. Many MPE virtual instruments have extra polyphonic expressions mapped to the vertical Slide on instruments like the Seaboard while also using Glide for polyphonic pitch bend. Instrument 1 lacks that capability, but could easily have it if we were able to use one of slide or fret-bending for pitch bends and the other for the MPE Slide/Timbre control.
4. Make Slide more sensitive and expressive. While I like it, it's a lot worse than the Seaboard.
5. Get rid of the Mode button and replace it with something that sends midi out. Or let us choose what it does.
6. Definitely keep Tilt, but make it so we can set what counts as 0 tilt. That would let us use Tilt while having the Instrument 1 with the shoulder strap on a diagonal so it doesn't get in the way of playing keyboard-like controllers like the Seaboard.
I like to think that Artiphon is using the Orba to try out ideas and develop a platform that can be in turn applied to other instruments, including the Instrument 1. The instrument 2 could basically be the same form factor but with an "Orba 2" inside, giving us synthesis, sampling, access to orbasynth, stems, etc. And if the Instrument 1 was continued for sale, then people who simply want a controller still have their preferred solution. But the casual musicians can now do it all that sliding and strumming on one device. And even accomplished producers have the equivalent of a "sofa guitar" they can hang out with and try new ideas *with* new timbres. Then the Instrument 3 continues this evolution by basically becoming a groove box, so you can create the entire song from the sofa. Now I'm excited -- you should hire me to work on this :-)
I really like the Instrument 1 but there are just a small number of things that would make an Instrument 2 even better:
1. Bluetooth MIDI
2. Smaller length (foldable?) to better fit in a backpack
3. More expressive and sensitive (velocity range, etc).
Sure hope it happens someday!
I agree 100%, many devices now feature BT audio and midi as standard, and both the charging port and the USB connector are intrusive when playing the I1. BT midi, if implemented on the I1 would provide so much more freedom of movement, but the need for a separate charging cable is also highly restrictive, especially given the short cables which a mostly available. The fact that the I1 needs to have a physical USB cable plus a charge cable really spoils it for me - especially when there is always the possibility of one or the other disconnecting at the worst possible moment.
And in my case I also have to connect the output to the input of my THR10II amplifier - sad, given the fact that it has BT audio.
I also agree that a USB C connector upgrade would make a lot of sense, since this would allow direct connection to a wider selection of devices, or maybe you could even combine the charger with the USB C port, since USB C features high speed charging. Perhaps you could think about offering this as a paid upgrade for the existing model? Provided that you offered this at a reasonable price, I would guess that many I1 owners would opt for the upgrade.
Bluetooth MIDI. The requirement for Instrument 1 to be tethered over USB ruins the experience. USB-C connection. I have found the current connection to be unreliable.
Would really like to see an Instrument 2.
1. Velocity range of plucking should be 1-127. Right now it's nowhere near that, and there's no way to fingerpick expressively.
I second that. And the velocity range on the frets is even more laughable. Hammer-on, is literally, HAMMER-on.
3. Don't add more "modes". Just perfect the feel for fingerpicking and left-hand tapping.
Yes. And, providing a SDK will let people who want more flexibility to experiment without affecting the out-of-the-box experience.
An "instrument" as in an interface for playing thousands of different vst's needs to be simple and excel at the simplicity. Roli's seaboard is a good example. It's a keyboard with MPE. It feels great. There's minimal configuration. No "modes" (other than for compatibility's sake).
Like, don't give me an arpeggiator mode that I can't even sync with my DAW. Don't give me a "Bow mode" or even a pad mode. Don't present 5 different ways of playing this thing, when not one of them is perfect. Perfect one instrument with one mode that'll work with every vst in the world. Make it feel great. I see a lot of potential in the Instrument 1's build. I would pay $2000 for a perfected version of it. I don't want a toy. I want an instrument.
okay rant over
1. Velocity range of plucking should be 1-127. Right now it's nowhere near that, and there's no way to fingerpick expressively.
2. Need more frets.. at least like 18. Also it would be really really helpful if the frets were spaced like an actual guitar. Some voicings are really not feasible on the Instrument 1 at the moment, at least for me.
3. Don't add more "modes". Just perfect the feel for fingerpicking and left-hand tapping.
4. Aftertouch smoothing.
5. Body options. Portability is great but this thing is not easy to play because you can't stabilize the instrument like you can with a guitar, because there's nowhere to put your elbow on.
I'd like to add that since I wrote the above review, I have purchased a used Roli Seaboard Rise 25 and I absolutely love it, even as a guitarist! However, I'd still be open to purchasing an "Instrument 2" or a "pro" version of the Instrument 1. The material used on the Roli is so smooth, if something could be done on the new version. I'm not suggesting silicon underneath like the Seaboard, but something that gives the fretboard less friction and more expressiveness.
This one done recently all with the Seaboard, perhaps not a great composition but shows what this "keyboard" can do. Also this short simple one.
A couple things that I would like to see in Instrument 2:
I would definitely like to register my vote for an updated Instrument 2. I use my son's Instrument 1 here but would consider purchasing a new version.
My biggest recommendation would be some kind of coating on the strings or other material so that there is no friction when sliding fingers. Also, I care more about midi controller aspects and MPE than onboard sounds or speakers...that may be a minority view though. Being mainly a guitarist, I find this to be the most useful midi controller, though I end up playing it in tap and slide mode most of the time.
Toys Samurai
I actually thinking of buying another Instrument 1. After seeing the Sensel Morph being discontinued, I am a little worry that Instrument 1 will follow its footstep, since it appears that Artiphon is putting more resources into Orba instead of Instrument. However, being I spend the money to do that, I would like to see if there's any chance an Instrument 2 would be released any time soon. If yes, I would rather wait for it!
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