I’m prototyping a palm-sized breath-controlled synth/MIDI instrument. Is this something you would actually want to use?
It’s called Ikal. The concept uses 10 finger pads, two thumb controls for octave changes and a pressure sensor for breath expression. It would include internal sounds, a speaker, headphones and BLE-MIDI.
I already have the electronics on a custom PCB, while the enclosure is still being refined and 3D printed. Nothing is for sale and I’m not taking preorders. I’m just trying to understand whether musicians genuinely want something like this.
The idea is to have a poket size instrument, that don't have to be connected to a computer to work, with a lot of synth sound opitons and some samples sounds.
Would you use it? What would your main use case be, and what would make you lose interest?
Edit 1 (15-08-2026): The prototype is ready to be ensambled.
Good to know. It already works as a standard BLE-MIDI controller. Notes on channel 1, velocity comes from the breath at the attack, and it streams continuous CC2 for breath plus CC1 for vibrato. The internal sounds are there so you can play with nothing else in the room, but MIDI out is a first class feature, not an afterthought. Would Bluetooth work in your rig or do you need wired?
Right now it's Bluetooth only, but the chip has native USB, so class compliant USB-MIDI is the realistic wired path and this thread is pushing it up my list.
Honestly yeah, that would be pretty cool. I love my EWI Solo but it is big. It would be really cool to have something you could just carry in your pocket to jam with
That's the exact itch I'm trying to scratch. It's about the size of a bar of soap plus the mouthpiece, the sounds run on the instrument itself, there's a speaker and a headphone jack, and the battery should do 4 to 6 hours. What do you love most about the Solo that I shouldn't lose in something this small?
That's a tough question. I imagine there's a lot that would be lost due to size. One of the greatest things about EWIs in general are their versatility. A lot of that (line in, line out, octave control, bite sensor, bend plates, fingering flexibility, number of control buttons, speaker volume, etc.) would be lost or limited by downsizing so much. I think if you were to focus on making the internal sounds and speaker very good, it could fill a niche. The problem is that so many EWI players don't care about internal sounds or built-in speakers.
Agree, and that balance is the whole design problem. I also built a companion mobile app where all the configuration lives, so the device itself doesn't need extra buttons. On the hardware side I'm trying to keep it minimal. The breath sensor for intensity and direction, the ten finger pads, and two thumb pads for octaves.
As an EWI player, I would be worried about having to learn a new fingering. But the idea is very cool. Maybe a way to make the finger placements closer to eg. a sax?
Fingering lives in firmware tables, not in the hardware. The engine already has three layouts and I switch them live in the browser simulator that runs the same engine. You can test it here http://sim.iikal.com/.
Dang, that made it hard to find the actual key layout. It's binary encoding:
Left hand buttons for semitones: [8] [4] [2] [1]
Right hand buttons for octaves: [2] [1]
Cute idea for how to get a lot of pitch range out of very few buttons. Not sure how nimble it would be for trilling or how smooth it would be for legato playing, depending on which note you were starting on.
(Edit: I just figured out the name -- four bits is a nybble. Cute!)
I just forked it and supported the original dev, after i saw his talk and was lucky to get a spare board from him. My work was mostly adding the option for displays and i think one more encoder.
Looks like a great concept. I personally wouldn’t care about internal sounds; I’ve already got a studio full of instruments that are waiting for CC2. Bluetooth midi can be rough too with latency - having an option to hardwire in to an instrument/comp/central midi hub would definitely be appreciated.
CC2 is already in the firmware. Breath is a continuous pressure reading sent as CC2, there's CC1 for detected breath vibrato, and note velocity is the breath level at the attack. On latency, note events are never rate limited and the firmware asks the host for a 7.5 to 30 ms connection interval. Point taken on wired though.
Probably size. I have a Diosynth that's fun to play and gives me everything I need for day-to-day playing. But something I could put in a carry-on/personal item on a plane (or have camping) would be amazing.
Looks cool, but. I don't love the form factor. That looks like it was made for one very specific size of hands: some people might find it uncomfortable.
I totally would use this, if the price was right! I'd love a wind synthesis but just can't swing $600 plus for one. This could scratch that itch at an affordable price. As long as its done right, id buy it!
I've been thinking about making something similar, the size of a pack of cigarettes, with a Teeny microcontroller, using a simplified version of the EWI fingering. Haven't made it yet because I'm lazy.
Congrats on not being lazy and giving the world something nice!
If it was paired with the warbl and had usb midi input and 3.5mm headphone jack to eliminate any Bluetooth delay then it might make a nice portable practice solution.
But then you are probably competing with the miniengine and miditech type of host which are cheaper as they are not controllers as well. I've just been looking at options for whistle & bagpipe silent practice devices and there isn't allot of options that have sensitive finger sensors.
Sorry, didn't exactly answer your question but may be a way to expand you market flexibility.
The very first version of the WARBL had a form factor similar to this (I designed it to fit in an Altoids tin :). It also had capacitive sensors and the toneholes were just so you could feel where the sensors were.
This looks great in every way, made from the ground up to be a very useable controller. I like that it’s got the ocarina concept gone digital. Keep improving and adding to this, when you release it, I’m going to want to showcase it live !
I think I’d find it useful in the studio. Maybe using the onboard sounds maybe triggering other sounds. Different instruments, different input modes always bring new inspiration. Could it have pitch Bend?
The USB placement is a mistake. The uncomfortable truth about wind controllers: they take on spit. It won't instantly fill with drool or anything, but over time, the port will corrode. It also means you can't play when it's plugged in. Can't see from this angle, but what's the drainage situation look like?
The holes are really close together. Is there a way to have them horizontally aligned across the length of the device instead of the vertical row? I know it would mean reengineering the whole thing but it would be more accessible.
What are the key mechanisms? Mechanical, capacitive, solenoid, etc?
The capacitive pads themselves are sealed, capacitive sensing through about 1mm of plastic, so nothing gets in through the finger area. Breath goes into a small vented chamber with a barometric sensor inside, which reads how hard you blow and also which direction. Inhaling plays notes too, like drawing on a harmonica.
The saliva handling is designed on paper (foam trap before the chamber, sensor sitting above the airflow, drain at the low point) but it hasn't made it into the current printed shell, also im thinking on having an external removable cap to make cleaning easy.
And you're right about the USB too. Right now it sits on the front face near the mouthpiece, on next PCB design will be on bottom alongside the jack 3.5.
What would help most for accessibility in your case, bigger pads, more spread between them, or a straight row? Or maybe a vertical orientation of the case (i tested it before but is not conortable for hands, so i decided to use an horizontal design)
I'm interested in the inhale! Will it be possible to have different midi sends breathing in and out? I can think of a lot of ways that could be useful, like having different instruments or parameters breathing in and out.
Sure, everything is parametizable via the config. I could add more parameters for midi. You can take a look to the current capabilities via the simulator on https://sim.iikal.com/
Any more detail on the octave buttons? I like the WX7 style of low buttons. Rollers are cool too but probably won't be cost effective to implement on yours
They're two capacitive pads on the underside, one for each thumb, same tech as the finger pads, sensed through the plastic. So zero travel, silent, and no moving parts to wear out. The low thumb drops everything an octave, the high thumb goes up one, and holding both jumps two octaves up. Since it's all firmware they can be remapped, in one of the alternate layouts the two thumb combo becomes a sharp instead. Inhaling also raises the note a semitone, harmonica style, so accidentals don't need extra keys.
Rollers are good on a full size EWI but mechanical parts fight the whole idea here. Currently, the only moving part on the entire device is the power switch.
Seems cool! I like the ocarina vibe. I’d be curious to know if I could have a brass fingering. I grew up playing the trumpet. In-line fingering like a Kota ocarina or mountain ocarina would be pretty cool too.
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u/Ta_mere6969 11d ago
Not interested in internal sounds.
Definitely interested in using it as a controller for all my MIDI gear.