Minichord
The Minichord is a pocket-sized, Omnichord-inspired chord synth — the cheapest and simplest of the three compared at $169. It pairs dedicated chord buttons with a touch-sensitive strum plate for immediate playability, runs lo-fi digital sounds, and has USB-MIDI output so it doubles as a chord controller for other gear.
Specs
- 182 × 97 × 30 mm, rechargeable 1000 mAh battery
- Lo-fi digital sound engine; USB-MIDI out
- $169 RRP; pitched at casual, relaxing, travel play
- Open-source design, available via Seeed Studio
Where it sits
Minichord is the DIY / accessible corner of the trio: it prioritizes simplicity and immediacy over depth, and its open-source hardware (through Seeed Studio’s fabrication) puts it in the spoke’s build-it-yourself thread with polyuanalog (academic open-hardware) and korg-nts-4 (a major maker’s DIY kit) — a third origin for open hardware, the small-shop/hobbyist open design. Its USB-MIDI-out also nudges it toward the midi-controller role: a chord synth that can play other instruments, not only itself. The clean counter-pole to Orchid‘s $549 intelligence — same chord-button idea, stripped to the floor.
Source: Piano & Synth Magazine comparison (T2). Specs/price are the maker’s.