DUO Synthesizer for Two

Imagine splitting a synthesizer down the middle so two people can jam together right away—one driving the melody, the other twisting the sound into gritty beats. That's the clever wedge design at the heart of this 2016 Kickstarter success, born from parents wanting to synth with their kids.

One side holds an 8-step circular sequencer with a pentatonic keyboard for easy, always-in-tune melodies, plus knobs for length (16th to 64th notes), speed (down to 30 BPM), and buttons for random steps, boost, and on/off per step—its flashing lights show the action in real time. Flip to the synth side for two digital oscillators (pulse width-modifiable square and saw, detunable an octave down), a resonant 12dB/oct lowpass filter, single release envelope, and faders for wave mix, cutoff, and release. Touch pads trigger noise-based percussion, bitcrusher (sample rate reduction), and time-based delay, all feeding a built-in speaker, 3.5mm mono out, and headphones, with MIDI I/O, clock sync, and USB-C in a sturdy 23x19x9cm, 1.1kg body that's kid-tough.

Players love its instant fun and robust faders for family jams or teaching basics, though some note the sequencer and drums feel basic for deeper performances, pushing creative workarounds.