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is the Verge’s weekend editor. He has over 18 years of experience, including 10 years as managing editor at Engadget.
The Telepathic Instruments Orchid has been unavailable for a few months now. But a new batch is ready to drop on May 11th for $649, and the company is celebrating with a limited edition clear Orchid: Arctic, which will cost slightly more: $699.
The Orchid was designed in part with Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, and it draws inspiration from chord organs that were popular in homes during the ‘50s and ‘60s. Like those instruments, the Orchid allows musicians to quickly play rich chord progressions without having to master a ton of theory or complex fingerings. It quickly generated a lot of buzz and could be difficult to get your hands on.
But Telepathic Instruments expects the Orchid to be available for the foreseeable future. Its Arctic variant will be limited to just 3,000 units though, and those who have signed up for the waitlist will get first dibs. So, if you’ve been pining for the early aughts when everything was transparent, better act fast.
In addition to the original Orchid and the Orchid: Arctic, Telepathic Instruments is also marking the official launch of Pistil, the plug-in version of Orchid’s synth engine. In addition to giving you access to Orchid’s main features from inside your DAW for $99, it can also control the Orchid from your computer.
Correction May 5th: An earlier version of this article stated that the new batch of Orchids would be available on May 5th. They will be available to order on May 11th.
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