Make no mistake, the Bastle Kalimba is a synthesizer, you just play it like a kalimba. Its tines don’t really make much noise. It has an internal mic that you can mix in for a little acoustic spice, but it’s mostly driven by the synth engine that combines physical modeling and FM. The tines are actually tactile and velocity-sensitive triggers. And, while it may look somewhat like a real kalimba, it is much more versatile sonically and offers features you can only find on a synth.
In addition to synth sounds ranging from plucks to pads, there are also built-in effects that cover basic spatial effects like delay and reverb, as well as distortion, bit crushing, and even tape emulation. It also has a multi-mode high- and low-pass filter, a simple arpeggiator.
However, more interesting are the loopers and touch points that add unique effects. The looper has time-expanded features, can be reversed, and re-recorded through the effects of non-destructive processing. A series of touchpads on the front enable note glide and alter the timing using effects that Bastle calls Soil and Wind. Those effects unlock the kalimba’s accelerometer for further timbral manipulation. There are also two programmable touch points on the top that can be assigned to almost any parameter, from simple pitch bend to the size of the reverb.
Bastle is currently running a Kickstarter campaign for the first batch of kalimbas. Typically, this is where you find warnings about crowdfunded products. But Bastle Instruments is a well-established company with a long track record of delivering weird music gear on a large scale. The company has called it one of the “most challenging” products ever created, and it took more than three years to develop, so it’s possible that Bastle is gauging interest before committing to mass production. We’ve reached out to Bastle for comment and will update if we hear back.
<a href