Instrument 1
Multi-instrument MIDI controller designed by Artiphon / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Instrument 1 (sometimes stylised in all caps) is a MIDI controller designed by Artiphon, a Nashville-based music technology startup. The device was conceptualised in 2011 by Mike Butera, a fiddle player with a PhD in sound studies from Virginia Tech. The Instrument 1 is Artiphon's idea of a "universal musical instrument", one that can be used in ways according to the needs of each user. To this end, the Instrument 1 can be used like multiple conventional instruments (guitar, violin, drum kit or piano) or new instruments created using a companion app.
The Instrument 1 was prototyped five times before its release and changed substantially throughout this phase. These changes were made partly due to feedback from a beta test in 2014, which resulted in the materials used for the Instrument 1 changing from wood to plastic. A year later, in 2015, the sixth design of the Instrument 1 was the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. This campaign produced over $1.3 million, making it the most successful musical instrument Kickstarter in the site's history.
Critics received the Instrument 1 well; many compared it to other electronic string instruments, including the Gittler guitar and Omnichord. The Instrument 1 was nominated for multiple awards: it was named one of Time's "25 Best Inventions of 2015" and was a finalist in Fast Company's Innovation by Design awards.
The Instrument 1 has been used as a tool for helping people with disabilities make music. The device's versatility lets people with lowered muscle control and other similar disabilities take part in music making. A 2022 study used the Instrument 1 as a accessible instrument for whole class ensemble teaching in British primary schools. The Instrument 1 has also been used as an instrument for elderly people with arthritis.