Orba by Artiphon

Orba by Artiphon is a handheld synth, looper, and MIDI controller that lets anyone make music immediately. Its minimalist design resembles a cross between a gaming controller and a half a grapefruit, and its feather-touch sensitivity translates gestures (like tilt, shake, vibrato and radiate) from your fingers and hand movements directly into sound. Orba’s ultimate portability allows for a new and fun way to make music anywhere, even if you’ve never played an instrument before or have been playing for a long time!

Orba builds on Artiphon’s design theory of the multi-instrument, a single instrument that you can play in many different ways. Orba is small and light enough to take anywhere, loud enough to play along with friends, and lets you explore and record your musical ideas immediately. Rather than conforming to strings and keys, Orba lets you play with gestures we use everyday on smartphones, trackpads, and game controllers. Whether you’ve spent a lifetime playing music or you’re making your first note, we designed Orba to be delightful right out of the box.

Orba has been adopted by the Anaheim public elementary school district (which has over 15,000 students) to support Social-Emotional Learning in its music programs. The curriculum, called Orba and Feelings, teaches students to use sounds, rhythms, and melodies to articulate their emotional states. https://abc7.com/music-education-technology-instruments/11538226/