Chordlink is a self-contained wearable musical synthesizer for playing polyphonic melodies and scales on the go, in the studio or in a show. This working prototype aims to propose an instrument that is worn on the wrist and is played with one or both hands, with options selected on the touch screen (such as outputting MIDI).

The sounds are generated by an on-board analog synthesizer chip (13-note polyphonic), tuned by a variable clock to get bass to trebble frequencies, while the control interface is a blue and white touch screen LCD interfaced to a microcontroller that can output MIDI to any other MIDI gear or computer, the rubber armband is from a Mattel/Nintendo Power Glove as an hommage to the glove that started it all. It is mostly self-contained aside from the speaker or headphones (doesn't require a computer to play) and battery powered.

The way to play is by touching some of the 12 pressure-sensitive contacts (actually GSR sensors) located on the fingers in the palm. A potentiometer changes the pitch and a contact acts as a pitch-bend. For output, connect to headphones or to a custom speaker that adds nuances when partially covered by hands or mouth.Optionally, select the MIDI output option on the touch screen.

The project started during my final year in Computation arts at Concordia University in Montreal.

1st prototype

Touch screen controller inside power glove casing