Description

Plinky 12 is a family of 3 expressive polyphonic synthesizers. Three distinct instruments built around an all new synth engine, an expressive touch-first musical language, and full of unmistakably Plinky character.

It consists of a 16×16 RGB matrix of pressure sensitive capacitive touch pads, a built in multi-timbral synth engine, with CV and MIDI connectivity in a sturdy steel enclosure just 12mm thick. Along the top edge it has 12 x 3.5mm TRS jacks offering connectivity to midi, eurorack and other hardware.

Plinky 12’s hardware is designed around swappable panels. Instead of one fixed control surface, it can become different instruments built for different kinds of musical thinking.

The built-in sound engine uniquely combines sample playback with wavetable synthesis, with flexibly onboard modulation, parameter editing, XY automation. With a full VCF, VCA, wavefolder, ADSR, XY pad with 2 motion recording LFOs, 5 additional modulation LFOs, accelerometer, CV input and a full 5×30 modulation matrix, the sound design possibilities are endless.

Plinky 12 is sold pre-assembled, with additional panels available separately.

The plinky12.com website provides not just online documentation, but also a full in-browser sample editor, bank creation tools, a visual MIDI controller designer, and even a coding environment that lets you create your own synths, controllers or instruments in C++ without having to install anything on your computer. This flexibility means that Plinky 12 will be an evolving platform that the community will be able to create new instruments on over time. The 3 initial designs, Blocks, Chords and Toadstep represent the first examples of Plinky 12 instruments. While they stand alone as instruments in their own right, by replacing the panel on the Plinky 12 main unit, the same core device can be turned instantly into any of the other versions, without having to upload any firmware.

There are 3 members of the family. Each works as a standalone instrument:

PLINKY 12 BLOCKS

Blocks is an open panel built for experimentation and customization, with Plinky style touch synthesis. It provides 10 tracks of sequencing, live performance and editing. With clip launching, live insert fx, chord sequencing, piano roll view on top of the multi-timbral play surface, it extends the concepts behind the original Plinky into a multi-timbral groove box.

PLINKY 12 CHORDS

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. Created by Making Sound Machines, Chords is the panel for finding beautiful harmonic movement quickly.

PLINKY 12 TOADSTEP

Plinky 12 Toadstep is a 4-track step sequencer built for super funky riffs, experimental self-generative melodies, and good ol’ Acid. Created by Toadstool Tech, the designer behind the Ectocore Eurorack module, Toadstep is fun, immediate and easy to jam with. It offers fast, direct sequencing optimized for live performance and improvisation, or if you want to use Plinky 12 like a groovebox.

CHORDS – A harmonic inspiration machine

Plinky 12 Chords is an expressive polyphonic touch synthesiser, built around exploring harmonies intuitively and improvising melodies on the fly. Designed in collaboration with mmalex, it puts the characteristic fragile and melancholic sound of Plinky at the touch of your fingertips.

Some of its features include:

• 12 voice polyphony, split between 6 chord and 6 melody voices
• 13 Palettes with 45 chords each, to explore, mix, match and shape your composition
• 4 polyphonic melody surfaces that dynamically adjust to match the harmonies:
  • Free play on the chromatic surface, guided by highlights for chord and scale notes
  • Improvise with on-scale notes on the scale surface
  • Arpeggiate through a palette of chords on the chordnotes surface
  • Explore a whole surface of suggested harmonies on the related chords surface
• Polyphonic arp with 32 x 16 step patterns that you can edit on the fly
• Circle of fifths transposition
• Built-in sequencer with 128 steps to sequence the shape of your chords
• Individual track length, modulo, probability, pattern generator, Stolperbeats shuffle
• Plinky 12 synth engine, polytimbral with different sounds for Bass, Treble and Melody
• XY modulation for morphing between synth sounds
• FX section with Tape delay and Reverb with Shimmer
• Process sounds through the effects from the external audio in
• MIDI Routing to control external synths with Plinky 12

Choose this if: you want harmony, songwriting momentum, and a playful way into rich chords and melodies.

Chords is designed by Making Sound Machines

Plinky 12 Links:

• • Documentation
  • Sound Banks
  • Firmware
  • Second Screen
  • Discord

Plinky 12 Specs:

• Power:
  • USB-C, 5V 500mA
• 12 × 3.5mm Jack Connectivity:
  • • CV Clock In, CV Reset In, CV Clock Out (selectable PPQN)
    • 2 × CV In (-5V to 5V)
    • 2 × CV Out (0-5V)
    • 1 × TRS MIDI In (type A/B compatible; also USB)
  • 2 × TRS MIDI Out (type A/B selectable; also USB)
  • (Second TRS MIDI Out can be set as a pair of CV Trigger outs on one stereo jack)
  • Stereo unbalanced Audio In and Out
  • USB class compliant audio out, MIDI in/out, serial, and WebUSB
• Storage:
  • 2MB firmware
  • 14MB persistent sample flash (114 seconds)
  • 512k RAM, 8MB PSRAM; 128k + 7.5MB free to use by panels
  • SD card for presets, samples, and song
• CPU: RP2350 microcontroller
• Interface: 16×16 RGB pressure sensitive capacitive touch pads
• Other Features: Stereo microphone, accelerometer, 4 tactile side buttons, swappable front panels
• Dimensions: 12″ x 12″ (305mm x 305mm), 12mm deep
• Construction: Steel case, fiberglass PCB front panel