Telepathic Instruments Orchid: From Kevin Parkers Vision to a Market-Ready Chord Synth

When Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker first sketched a chord‑synth concept a decade ago, the idea stayed on the drawing board until Telepathic Instruments’ technical director, Tom Cosm, turned it into a tangible product.

The Orchid, a 12‑key, 16‑voice hardware synthesizer released in late 2024, has already been spotted in the studios of producers such as Fred again.., Sara Landry, and Joy Anonymous. Its compact, battery‑powered design, built‑in speakers, and small display make it easy to carry into a studio or a live gig.

Cosm, a self‑taught coder with a background in tracker software and Max for Live, built a prototype for Parker as a personal project. After the prototype received a positive response, Parker requested a production version. Cosm then assembled a team of C++ developers, electrical engineers, and product managers to scale the design into a commercial product.

Unlike conventional synthesizers, the Orchid’s core is an algorithmic chord generator. The device offers a set of chord types and a single octave of chromatic keys. When a key is pressed, the engine selects a chord that follows musical patterns familiar to jazz and pop musicians, rather than simple diatonic progressions. The algorithm relies on the circle of fifths and basic harmonic rules to keep the chords sounding natural, a technique inspired by Cosm’s work in data sonification.

In the prototype stage the hardware ran on a Raspberry Pi; the final product uses a custom board that includes a battery, speakers, and a small display. The Orchid can send MIDI out to a DAW or a 5‑pin MIDI interface, allowing it to function as a chord‑generating controller.

Sound design is handled by a proprietary engine that offers virtual analog, FM, and reed‑piano emulations. The engine is exposed through a separate software tool called Pistil, available as a VST plugin. Pistil provides a graphical interface for tweaking oscillator parameters, effects, and presets. While the Orchid ships with a set of presets created by Parker, the Pistil editor lets producers create and export their own sounds.

The device has already drawn attention from the dance‑music community. Cosm cited a live stream featuring Fred again.., Ca7rial, and Paco Amoroso, where an Orchid was visible on the table even though the group had not been sent a unit. The Orchid’s chord‑generating workflow encourages melodic and harmonic exploration, making it attractive to house, UKG, and trance producers.

Telepathic Instruments markets the Orchid as a songwriting and idea‑generation tool rather than a traditional keyboard. The unit’s portability, battery power, and built‑in speakers allow it to be used anywhere.

Pricing details: the Orchid retail price is $549. Pistil is sold bundled with the hardware for $699 or as a standalone plugin for $129. Telepathic Instruments has released a limited‑edition version and plans to expand the product line with additional sound packs.

In short, the Orchid is the result of a collaboration between a high‑profile artist and a small engineering team that translated a conceptual chord‑generator into a market‑ready instrument. Its algorithmic approach, coupled with a flexible software editor, offers producers a new way to generate chords and sounds on the fly.