Orba 2

Orba is a synthesizer, looper, and MIDI controller that fits in the palm of your hand. The minimalist design and immediate playability is approachable, while the impressive music technology under the hood creates limitless possibilities. The playing experience is engaging and dynamic. Players record loops right on the device layering Drum, Bass, Chord, and Lead to create complete songs up to five minutes. Orba comes equipped with quantize to snap musical phrases to the beat, and presets are designed to come together perfectly so players can focus on creativity and expression, rather than jumping music theory hurdles. Orba’s touch and motion sensors combine to catch even the most subtle micro-movements. The ceramic-like playing surface simultaneously reacts to nine musical gestures: Tap, Press, Radiate, Tilt, Shake, Spin, Vibrato, Move, and Bump. The sound engine is powerful and customizable for maximum creativity. Orba has an onboard speaker as well as an 1/8th inch output. Orba can be played without needing to connect to any app or screen, but a robust sound library in the Orba app comes with more synth presents, real instrument samples, and artist stems. Orba players can also capture or import their own sounds to create unique instruments with the press of a button in the Orba App. Record, save, and share songs through the Orba app.

Orba reframes the way we create and interact with music. The intuitive design is inviting and simple with a circular, minimalist interface which evokes play and discovery before mastery or theory. The pads include familiar building blocks of a song, including four basic playing modes (drum, bass, chord, and lead). At first touch, Orba playing becomes a fully responsive and ignited musical experience - modulating parameters of sound with the most discrete of finger movements. All of this functionality is nested inside a handheld device that requires no additional gear to function. What is truly innovative about Orba is that players can create music immediately, but they are truly a fingertip away from powerful MIDI and music technology. It is a device that lowers the barrier of entry, but quickly provides an easy way to quickly advance through curiosity and discovery. Orba fits in a backpack, but can play any sound in the world.

Students in the Anaheim Elementary School District use Orba 2 for social emotional learning. Their music teachers created an entire curriculum focused on self expression, and Orba was the central tool used in each lesson. The program, called “Orba and feelings” capitalizes on the intuitive but sophisticated design of Orba - letting students lead with their creativity rather than be blocked by lack of technical or theoretical music knowledge. Students as young as 7 and 8 years old were using self identified emotions to create musical themes and creatively collaborate with their peers.