Düsseldorf-based synth maker Making Sound Machines shared this video demo of their new Plinky 12 Chords, providing glissandi and harmonies, with the original Plinky v3 providing the main melody.

In the video, MSM’s Enrica Gissel and Roland Nebe play a duet, with Nebe playing the Plinky 12 & Gissel playing the Plinky.

Nebe plays the Plinky 12 in Chordnotes view. The notes in this view are a stack of the chord notes for each of the harmonies from the chord palette at the bottom of the instrument. This allows him to freely arpeggiate and transition from harmony to harmony.

Gissel plays lead on the Plinky v3. All additional synth sounds and effects, the harp-like sound and glissandy in the accompaniment, are produced with Plinky 12’s on-board synth engine.

The Plinky is an eight-voice expressive polyphonic touch synthesizer that they say “specializes in fragile, melancholic sounds.” It’s available as a DIY project.

Plinky 12 is a family of expressive polyphonic synthesizers, designed by Alex Evans (mmalex). The three instruments are built around a shared polyphonic synth engine. Different panels give each instrument unique capabilities:

• Plinky 12 Chords is a “harmonic inspiration machine”. It lets you improvise melodies and chords, with expressive control over voicings, progressions, and immediate musical play.
• Plinky 12 Toadstep is a 4-track step sequencer built for “super funky riffs, experimental self-generative melodies, and good ol’ Acid”. It was created in collaboration with Toadstool Tech, the designer behind the Ectocore Eurorack module.
• Plinky 12 Blocks is an open panel built for experimentation, with monome-grid compatibility, Plinky style touch synthesis, and a browser-based coding environment just a click away.

Here’s a video demo that shows all three versions in action:

Details on pricing and availability are still to be announced.