Nopia MK1 Nears Release After Viral Debut

In 2023, a short video of a minimalist chord synth built for a design competition racked up nearly three million views in a week. The instrument was Nopia, created by Martin Grieco and Rocío Gal. Two years later, the project is almost ready: the Nopia MK1 is “basically finished,” with a launch planned within a couple of months and a target price around £550.

MusicRadar recently got an exclusive first look at a production-ready unit. Nopia’s workflow centres on three controls: a one-octave Chord Builder keyboard, a 12-button Tonal Selector, and an Extensions dial. Together they allow diatonic chords to be played in any key, with a slider for voicings and octaves and a switch for major or minor tonality. No theory knowledge is required.

The multitimbral sound engine combines virtual analogue synthesis and samples across four modules — Keys, Bass, Arp, Pad — while a touch-sensitive strum plate can sound individual chord notes. A slider beneath the Tonal Selector provides polyphonic pitch-bend between chords. Effects include filter, delay, reverb, saturation, tape emulation, and beat repeat. Connectivity covers per-module MIDI out, MIDI in, clock, stereo audio, USB, and sustain pedal.

More details are on Nopia’s website. The team has not announced an exact date, but the instrument’s journey from viral prototype to near-shipping product is nearly complete.