Regular price CAD$1,050.00
The Haloplane is an electromagnetic micro-loop sampler built for sculpting sound in motion. Blending a deeply expressive performance approach with a unique attitude towards sound design, its surface unveils an evolving universe of sound as you explore it.
Created in collaboration between Passepartout Duo and KOMA Elektronik as both a performance instrument and a sound-design workspace, the Haloplane lets you capture audio and take it on a journey using the same pickups as the Chromaplane. Its seven customizable electromagnetic fields can independently emit short looping samples or wavetables, each with its own independent parameters and LFO. These loops are automatically sliced, transposed, and scrubbed with the length, pitch, and position parameters, providing control over the continuously changing inflections of each field.
Sounds can be created on the spot using the built-in microphone or line input. All field parameters and sounds can be captured and saved into presets, allowing for complex performance arrangements.
One of the most unique qualities of the Haloplane is field rotation: rotation shifts the fields around the instrument, creating everything from agile melodic riffs to precisely timed sequences. And because it's CV controllable, you can use other synthesizers to sequence and modulate the position of fields on the instrument.
A special modulation output translates the pickup activity into a CV source that can be repatched on the instrument, or interact with your other synthesizers. The pickups themselves run through a multi-mode filter, and audio effects: choose the filter style and effect type to refine the instrument’s sound with ambience and character.
Companion App
While the Haloplane can be used completely standalone, the companion app acts as a display for the device, providing more control and clarity.
The app is accessed directly from the Haloplane itself over a WiFi connection. Within the app, you can peek into the exact parameters of each field, drag-and-drop samples, save and load presets and scales, browse the carefully curated preset library, and access exact customization options.
The app is compatible with any device that includes WiFi and a browser, and can also be accessed in locations where no internet is present.
All your presets, scales, samples, and settings are saved directly to the instrument’s SD card. The app simply acts as a larger interface to provide more depth and clarity.
What is a Micro-Loop Sampler?
When a sound is recorded onto the Haloplane it is automatically sliced into segments. The length and amount of slices is determined by the length parameter. When the position parameter is changed, the Haloplane smoothly morphs between slices. The maximum duration for a given field is 4 seconds. The fields’ LFOs can target its length or position, providing evolving textures and grain-like effects. Sample playback can also be reversed.
What about wavetables?
The wavetable engine is based on the same idea as the sample micro-loops, but on a smaller timescale. Any extremely short samples are processed as wavetables. A wavetable contains six waveforms which are smoothly morphed between via the position parameter. Length changes the pulse-width of the wave while in forward mode, and oscillator-sync while in reverse mode. The companion app’s wavetable designer allows for the creation of wavetables that perfectly fit the Haloplane’s desired format.
Audio Effects
The pickups of the Haloplane pass through a state-variable filter and selectable audio effect. Both are CV controllable. The companion app lets you tailor the pickups’ signal to suit your needs: choose the panorama (mono, middle, wide), the sensitivity, the filter type, and the audio effect. The Haloplane features a delay, reverb, flanger, chorus, and bit-crusher.
CV Compatibility
Both the filter and audio effect have a CV modulation input. In addition, the Envelope Follower and Modulation outputs can be used to connect and modulate other gear. The rotation input CV can be used to modulate field rotation based on a clock or LFO.
USB Audio Integration
Alternatively, the Haloplane can be started in its dedicated USB audio mode. In that mode, the Haloplane is an audio interface with 7 outputs. Selecting the Haloplane from your DAW, you can emit any sound from the fields. The Haloplane is currently compatible with modern macOS, Windows, and Linux PCs.