Hahaha yeah feels like the leave it uncertain to trigger some good old FOMO
Since I don’t live in the US I’m screwed anyway 
I think by the time you already know theory it’s an expensive tool if you could sequence the cord in any sequencer or press the 4 chords yourself.
If I, with no musical background and a smidge of theory understanding (still to little to know that cord I’m playing or where scales are) can do it then a musician that can play an instrument should have no problem.
My problem arises where you go further when you look your chords, if sequencing them it to tall of an ask. Especially for this price.
Also I’m allergic to the term “idea machine”.
Every instrument is an idea machine. Having an initial idea is easy. Stringing ideas together to have more then a fun loop is where it gets hard.
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That price feels a bit crazy with how cheap it sounds (the buttons etc.) and looks like it feels.
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You could be in luck. Just drop them a line.
I’m always a bit on the fence when it comes to this music theory argument.
Of course if you learn music theory you don’t need it.
On the other hand it takes some time to really learn music theory. And not everybody has this time but still wants to be creative with music.
To draw an analogy from programming. If we would apply the same logic, everyone should just learn machine language because then you don’t need script languages or even something C#.
The point I want to make is that you don’t always need to know what’s under the hood to be able to create something nice.
Look at how many game developers barely knew how to program and still make great games thanks to engines like unity or other tools they could use
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I agree with that, but it’s all about interface at this point.
I could potentially do whatever chord in a guitar instantly, but it is still annoying for me to figure out positions in a piano.
Yeah, you could program every chord in an Elektron sequencer, or draw it in Ableton, but I can’t play those as I can still play the Orchid.
You can still use it to play melodies/bass/chords live, instead of relying solely on sequencing/looping.
Seems to be a feature of my life 
Ah well, at least I know I don’t know…
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I think it would have been cool to add in some drum patterns, simple ones but with nice samples from Kevin and then be able to choose from 10 styles or so. something simple but would help generate ideas.
and a sampler, even an sk-1 would have been novel but useful… would have been nice in this stylish formfactor… as a matter of fact if they’d put in some samples of kevins drums + that old fills function from the old casios… I’d bite
maybe
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I whole heartedly disagree. To stay with your example: 90% of applications are written in higher languages, rarely do you need to go “to the metal”.
So… It doesn’t really make sense, and as somebody who had to do assembly, … Yeah, 95% of developers will not benefit from having learned assembly, but probably at least 50% of musicians would benefit from music theory.
So I don’t think it’s a good comparison at all.
Same with games, they had to know the basics (even in game engine you can’t get around Boolean Logik, datatypes, etc)
My point is that it’s fine as a basic entry point, but doesn’t really provide any way to progress, be it in learning and understanding what you did, or be it in composition. Playing random cords to find some I like and looping them is what I’ve done a bunch of times.
This thing won’t harmonize automatically for them.
The chord machine on model cycles can do the same, and can be had for 220 used.
So…what does the user have more here then pressing random keys on a beatstep or even an used op-1?
Over short you will have to either buy more gear if you have none, or move the rest of the writing to other gear. You already have an daw? Great, then you have the chord functionality of this thing.
There’s also the aira j6, 170€, midi out so you can play the chords on any other device.
All that to say: if it would be 2-300$, sure, have it be an inspirational toy for some. But at 550$ early bird price it’s to little imho. I think this is mostly selling the idea that it’s so easy to make music, if somebody just removed all that annoying music making from it. It’s the equivalent to those apps that let you start and stop premade loops in certain styles to 'make your own track".
I get that, but is it 500$ worth for that convenience?
And if you find the cord easy here, how will you then progress from there, or is the goal to press chords till you like something… And then program them into a box? I’m struggling to see where to go from initial idea.
… You guys start to describe an op-1 with a chord mode…finger can be kinda used as one…ok, you guys just describe an op-1 xD
To reiterate: I don’t have anything against the device itself, but the marketing and price. Selling people the idea that the stupid music theory and knowing how to play an instrument is holding them back while having a
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Amen, brother.
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Kevin Parker conceived Orchid over 10 years ago, according to the company, intending to create an instrument for songwriters to “find what’s on their mind”.
I think this will be very helpful
I guess what are the competing products? Anything else out there make chords easy, have an arp, synth engines, looper/sequencer?
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yep, it’s a better deal than an omnichord that’s for sure
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Toraiz Chordcat was announced this week with a price around $200, but limited availability in Japan.
“Toraiz Chordcat is also a groovebox with built-in sounds (145 tones) including drums (16 kits) and an eight-track sequencer. Once you have your chord progression locked down, you can build up basic songs, including rhythm and melody sections. Each track can hold up to 16 patterns, each up to eight bars long.”
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I really want this Toraiz Chordcat. I registered with that Makuake site to see if i could put an Australian delivery address in but there’s no option. I really hope they become internationally available at some point. Watching the videos the features look great and quite unique.
Well this would be an auto buy for me if it was available in the US!