MONARCH is an idiophonic butterfly-shaped physical synth. Comprised of 38 magnetically-tunable oscillators, 4 kalimba elements, 6 strings, 2 removable steel picks, and a playable reverb spring. Contact mic’d internally with a piezo transducer, it combines the ability to play as a picked/plucked instrument as well as percussively.

Designed alongside a custom 3-scene real-time visualizer, the instrument and real-time digital interpretative computer graphics together comprise an interactive gallery exhibit.

Exhibited at LUMEN Festival in Waterloo and at SILENCE SOUNDS gallery in Guelph.

MONARCH played by Polly Beats from nik harron on Vimeo.