SOMA Laboratory pride themselves on taking an innovative and experimental approach to instrument design, with many of their offerings employing unique technologies and sporting outlandish physical designs. Their latest release, Metaconformer, isn’t another instrument, but rather a MIDI utility device that makes it possible to create complex routing setups between multiple instruments.
Metaconformer can currently be used in three operating modes: Splitter, Combiner and Translator, and the company say that they plan to add additional modes in the future. It is equipped with a pair of MIDI inputs and four MIDI outputs, and one of the outputs can be configured as a sync signal source.
Splitter
When used in Splitter mode, the device makes it possible to divide the keyboard of one device into up to eight zones, each of which can be assigned to a different MIDI channel, making it possible to play several instruments at a time without having to switch channels. It also means that devices capable of receiving more than one channel at a time can be played multitimbrally. Zones are user-configurable and can overlap, and are also equipped with transposition options.
Combiner
Combiner mode receives notes from the device’s input, and distributes them to multiple MIDI channels at the outputs, essentially allowing users to create their own multitimbral polysynths from up to eight individual instruments.
Translator
Finally, Translator mode allows CC messages to be triggered by notes, so that parameters may be ‘played’ with a key rather than being manipulated by an encoder, fader or other control mechanism.
SOMA Laboratory say that the device has been designed with simplicity and user experience in mind, and that all of the modes can be configured quickly in three or four steps, with no menu diving or deep MIDI knowledge required.
Pricing & Availability
Metaconformer is available now, priced at $184.99.
