Chromaplane is an analog electromagnetic instrument developed by Passepartout Duo in 2021 and launched in collaboration with KOMA Elektronik in 2024.
Rather than using a keyboard, sequencer, or touch screen, the instrument is played through two handheld electromagnetic pickups. These pickups sense variations in an electromagnetic field generated by the instrument’s surface. As the performer moves their hands through space, shifts in proximity and orientation modulate pitch, timbre, and amplitude.
The system is fully analog and polyphonic. Each hand controls an independent voice, enabling harmonic and intervallic relationships to be shaped through continuous gesture rather than discrete keys. The interface is touch-sensitive in the sense that it responds to embodied motion, but the sound is produced without direct physical contact. The performer navigates an invisible field.
Chromaplane repositions synthesis as a spatial practice. Instead of selecting presets or triggering predefined notes, the musician calibrates tone through subtle changes in distance and angle. This produces a mode of performance that foregrounds proprioception, fine motor control, and sustained attention.
In 2025, Chromaplane received First Prize at the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, a competition hosted by Georgia Institute of Technology recognizing innovation in new musical instrument design.
Chromaplane is commercially produced and distributed by KOMA Elektronik.
Project Info
Artist: Passepartout Duo
Year: 2021 (development); 2024 (commercial launch)
Image Credit: Passepartout Duo / KOMA Elektronik
