The Chromaplane is an instrument created in collaboration between KOMA Elektronik & Passepartout Duo.

The Chromaplane is played using two electromagnetic pickup coils, that are moved over its surface to listen to a cloud of electromagnetic fields produced by the instrument. These ten fields are represented by small indicators on the instrument’s surface.

The Chromaplane is fully polyphonic, meaning that all ten of the instrument’s analog square wave oscillators are always sounding – this makes the instrument ideal for both sculpting complex drones, and playing agile melodies. Each field can be tuned using its corresponding adjustment screw. The oscillators are additionally organized into three rows, each with a switch that drops that row’s pitch one octave.

The timbre of the Chromaplane can be further shaped using its internal VCF, a 4-pole low pass filter that darkens the instrument’s sound and is also modulated by the internal audio signal, allowing for rich harmonic sounds and timbres reminiscent of frequency modulation. A lo-fi delay/echo effect with CV controlled time adds a sense of ambiance and rhythmicity to the dry signal’s output.

The Chromaplane also features an external audio input, allowing the player to route other sounds to one electromagnetic field on the instrument’s surface. The instrument’s envelope output can also be used to modulate parameters on the instrument, or on other hardware synthesizers.

A special KOMA Elektronik Chromaplane Tuner is available for purchase here.