Mach Devices MD-7: Teenage Who?
An open source portable groovebox with haptic control.
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Mach Devices MD-7: A Pocket Synth with Haptic Feedback Controls · Source: Mach Devices
The Mach Devices MD-7 is an open-source pocket synth that uses haptic motor disks for parameter control, similar to a certain Swedish gadget manufacturer.
Mach Devices is a recently formed Hong Kong-based initiative, with a focus on electronic music instruments. Although the company is still in its relative infancy, it has managed to build an impressive online community with over 12,000 followers on Instagram.
Mach Devices MD-7
Whether the MD-7 is an industry disruptor, as some have called it, or not remains to be seen. However, its design approach certainly dares to be different. The casing is sleek and minimalistic, and yet not unfamiliar, with a 13-key button-style keyboard and the tiniest IPS display you’ve ever seen, as well as a few multipurpose connectivity ports.
Naturally, the hype will be around the Field-Oriented Control (FOC) haptic motor disks that make the MD-7 look like some kind of futuristic aluminium cassette tape. Flashy or not, these controls do offer something new, because they can adjust the amount of resistance depending on which sound parameter you’re controlling.
If you select a parameter with only a few fixed modes, like different oscillator shapes, for example, the disk changes its profile to provide rigid clicks like a switch, rather than the smooth action it delivers for variable parameter control. This already sounds exciting and fun to use, which is half the battle when it comes to creating an electronic instrument that stands out from the crowd.
When you reach the minimum or maximum parameter value, the disk locks instantly in that direction, so you can feel you’ve reached the extent. The device has one USB-C port for power, and another for D/A interfacing, MIDI I/O, and microphone input. Meanwhile, there is a single stereo minijack headphone output and a microSD slot for storage.
Extensive info about the sound engine is not known yet, but as the video on Instagram demonstrates, the haptic disks add some interesting tweaks to the basic functionality of a sequencer with tape action and so forth. Mach Devices also state clearly that the entire DSP engine, mod matrix, and the sequencer are open source, which makes every aspect of the MD-7 completely customizable. You could even design your own firmware if you wanted, and share it with the community.
Pricing and Availability:
The Mach Devices MD-7 is shipping later this year according to the manufacturer, priced at HK$2,345 (approx. $299 USD).
More about the Mach Devices MD-7:
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