Imagine coaxing pure sine waves from a pocket-sized slab of wood and electronics, all fueled by sunlight—no cables, no fuss, just your fingertips dancing across etched touch zones.
This green Phashi model from the Tocante series is a fully analog phase shift oscillator synth, generating smooth sine tones across 24 notes spanning four octaves in Ciat-Lonbarde's signature non-standard tuning based on capacitor values for major, minor, and neutral intervals. Touch the main sandrodes to trigger notes, then massage the surrounding pads to bend pitch, dampen volume, or mute entirely by tweaking the filter's resonance and saturation. Measuring a slim 11 x 3.14 x 0.8 inches with a built-in 0.5-watt speaker and mono line out, it packs a solar-rechargeable NiMH battery good for 6-10 hours of play, or plug in a 12V PSU when clouds roll in. Play it anywhere, even with conductive objects like foam or fruit for wild textures.
Players love its intimate, organic feel—like a wooden instrument from another dimension—and the way it encourages gestural experimentation without menus or knobs. That said, the tuning's quirkiness demands ear training, though that's part of the addictive charm in group jams.
