Aodyo Loom Update: Redesigned Hardware, Autumn 2026 Production Target

The Aodyo Loom has one of the more complicated stories in recent MPE hardware. Announced on Kickstarter in March 2024 with a summer 2024 shipping estimate, the project stalled when Aodyo Instruments went bankrupt. French company INODESIGN acquired the assets in November 2025 and committed to finishing both the Loom and the long-delayed Anyma Omega. The most recent development update shows real progress — and lays out costs that backers will not enjoy reading.

What the Loom is

The Loom is a multidimensional MPE controller in an elongated form factor, closer in shape to a Haken ContinuuMini than to a keyboard, though it uses a different sensing technology. Its multi-touch surface tracks pitch on X, timbre on Y and dynamics on Z independently for every finger — the full three-dimensional MPE model rather than a subset.

Around the main surface sit supplementary sensors: thumb-activated tactile sliders and bars on the front and back edges, plus a pressure-sensitive action zone on the left. Connectivity is USB-C and TRS MIDI out, so it drives hardware and software alike. There are no CV or gate outputs, which remains the most-cited omission for modular players.

The design also serves double duty: the ribbon surface was always intended to be integrated into the Anyma Omega desktop synth.

Hardware redesign, not just a delay

The new team's first task was to audit the previous design. Their conclusion was blunt — the original hardware was built under time pressure using components already stocked for other Aodyo products, and had never been optimized for production.

The redesign consolidates the architecture onto a single mainboard, replacing a more complex multi-board arrangement. The two-octave ribbon board that results is also intended to drop straight into the Omega desktop synth later, which is a sensible bit of engineering reuse.

A first prototype of the Loom v2 is complete, with another prototype planned to resolve remaining issues. Encouragingly, several employees of the original Aodyo SAS have rejoined to help. The plan is to ship the two-octave version first, with a three-octave version to follow on the same mainboard.

Production timing: INODESIGN is targeting completion of R&D and the start of production in Autumn 2026, with an initial batch of 500 units.

The cost, and what backers must decide

The redesign carries a price. INODESIGN says it adds roughly 50% to the entire R&D budget, which represented about two thirds of the €177,800 raised across the Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns.

Original backers are offered two options:

Option 1 — pay an additional €100 to receive a Loom from the very first production batch.
Option 2 — wait. Backers receive a two-octave Loom at no extra cost once sales to new customers generate enough return. Current estimates suggest roughly four units sold to new customers funds one unit for an original backer.

Neither option is comfortable, and community reaction has been divided — some backers view the extra €100 as the practical cost of getting hardware they have waited over two years for, while others object on principle to paying more after a bankruptcy. It is worth being precise about the legal position: INODESIGN purchased assets, not obligations, and is not required to fulfill the original campaigns at all. Backer communication runs primarily through the company's Discord server, which is currently the only reliable channel — Indiegogo backers in particular have reported not receiving email updates.

A narrower launch firmware

The team has also scaled back the initial firmware scope, which is arguably the right call for a project that overpromised once already.

Launch will offer five playing modes: four instrumental — Keyboard, Ribbon, Strum and Pad — plus one MIDI control mode, either Fader or ControlPad, still to be decided. The campaign originally advertised more, and additional modes are promised via software updates, with the ordering to be decided by polling backers on Discord.

The device will offer 24 preset slots stored onboard. Each preset holds the playing mode, the MIDI configuration (Mono, Poly or MPE) and the mappings for every gesture available on the surface elements. Notably, everything is configurable directly on the Loom itself — the companion software will initially be a simple preset librarian rather than a full editor. For anyone who plays live without a laptop, on-device editing is a meaningful design decision rather than a limitation.

Worth watching, with realistic expectations

Original campaign pricing was €239–259 for the two-octave version and €339–369 for three octaves, with expected retail prices of €400 and €570 respectively. Retail pricing under the new owners has not been confirmed and the added R&D cost makes an increase plausible.

The MPE controller market has thinned in the past year, so a genuinely new ribbon-style surface arriving at a sub-€500 price point would fill a real gap between an affordable LinnStrument 128 and the more costly Continuum family. Autumn 2026 is now the milestone to watch.