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An Italian startup called Artinoise has created an unusual USB-C accessory for mobile devices that turns them into playable musical instruments. The Zefiro looks like a flash drive or a tiny vape, but by gently blowing into one end, it can be used to play simulated instruments with even less skill than what was needed to play those plastic recorders in grade school.
The Zefiro is being made available through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign looking to raise just over $5,300 to fund production. According to the company, “We have been developing and manufacturing musical instruments for years; now we just need to collect pre-orders for our latest creation and kick off manufacturing!”
Those backing the campaign early can preorder a Zefiro for €22 (about $24), while full retail pricing is expected to be €42 (around $45), with shipping estimated to start in February 2025. There’s also a €39 (around $42) Pro version of the Zefiro with an added accelerometer for more expressive performances.
Image: Kickstarter
The Zefiro isn’t Artinoise’s first product. The company already sells a digital soprano recorder with features like touch-sensitive buttons and wireless connectivity. The Zefiro is a much smaller and simplified version of Artinoise’s Re.corder instrument. It strips away features like buttons so it’s small enough to carry on a keychain, but keeps the lip and air pressure sensors necessary to play.
A performer’s “breath power” is translated to an accompanying Zefiro mobile app that can simulate the sounds of various instruments, not just wind instruments like flutes or clarinets. The mobile app is available for iOS and Android devices and allows you to customize the position and responsiveness of on-screen buttons used to play notes. It also features optional background tracks to play along with, as well as recording and sharing capabilities for when you want to show off a particularly great performance.
The Zefiro also functions as a standard MIDI wind controller and is being offered for less than products like the $899 Hornberg MIDI Breath Station or Tecontrol’s USB solution that sells for over $150. You can connect it to desktops and laptops, and it should work with any music software compatible with the MIDI standard.
The company even sells an add-on “headset holder” for the Zefiro that looks similar to the contraptions used to hold harmonicas. When connected to a device with a USB-C extension cable, it allows hands-free Zefiro use so a performer can play another instrument, like a guitar or piano, at the same time.
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