Nopia synth nears launch after viral buzz, coming in months for roughly £550

Designers Martin Grieco and Rocío Gal are on the cusp of releasing Nopia, the harmony-focused synthesizer that captivated music gear enthusiasts when it debuted online in 2023. After recently demonstrating a near-final version to press, the team confirmed the instrument will arrive within a couple of months for approximately £550.

Unique approach to harmonic performance#

Nopia takes an unconventional path to chord-playing. Rather than stacking individual knobs and keys to sculpt traditional synth patches, the device combines four distinct modules—keys, bass, arpeggiator, and pad—into an integrated performance tool reminiscent of a drum-free groovebox. This architecture lets musicians produce layered harmonies with minimal manual input.

The core controls consist of a compact one-octave keyboard called the Chord Builder, a 12-button Tonal Selector for pitch selection, and an Extensions Dial to shape how chords are voiced. The design philosophy centers on making sophisticated harmonic arrangements accessible—often playable with just one or two fingers.

Playing and shaping sound#

Beyond basic note entry, Nopia features a strum plate positioned in the upper right that lets players pick individual pitches from a chord, along with a slider capable of bending entire chords across the pitch range.

The synthesizer runs dual sound engines—one built on virtual analog circuitry and another sample-based—plus onboard effects including delay, reverb, tape saturation, and beat repeat. A robust set of connectivity ports provides per-module MIDI outputs, allowing Nopia's harmonic intelligence to control external instruments and expand creative possibilities.