The Nopia synthesiser, which went viral among music-gear enthusiasts when it was first teased in 2023, is now reported to be "basically finished" and nearing release. Its creators, Martin Grieco and Rocío Gal, showed the device to the MusicRadar team for a detailed first look and confirmed it will launch in "a couple of months" — expected by the end of the year — for around £550.

Billed as a "harmony machine", the Nopia takes an unusual approach by blending several modules — keys, bass, arp and pad — into a single performance, somewhat like a drumless groovebox. Its controls include a one-octave keyboard called the Chord Builder, a 12-button Tonal Selector and an Extensions Dial that set the key and voicing of chords, allowing complex harmonies to be played with just a finger or two. Other features include a strum plate for plucking individual notes, a slider for chord pitch bends, virtual analogue and sample-based synth engines, effects such as delay, reverb, tape emulation and beat repeat, and extensive connectivity including per-module MIDI output.