The MPE controller market has long been dominated by large keyboard-style instruments. The Loom from Aodyo Instruments takes a different path: a portable, multidimensional controller designed around touch, slide, strum and trigger gestures. After a successful crowdfunding campaign, the project has now reached what coverage describes as its final hardware revision.
From Kickstarter to final hardware
The Loom first drew wide attention in 2024, when its Kickstarter campaign passed its funding goal with a week still to run. Since then, Aodyo has been acquired by the French company INODESIGN, and the team has continued to refine the instrument. A summer 2026 update on Synth Anatomy covers the final hardware revision.
Crowdfunded hardware has a mixed record, so a project that moves from campaign to finished revision is worth noting. For exact specifications, availability and pricing, consult the official Aodyo site, since those details can change between revisions.
A different idea of MPE
Most MPE hardware maps expression onto a familiar surface: keys, pads or a continuous playing area. The Loom is described as a multidimensional controller built for immediate playability and expressiveness, as MusicTech reported. The gesture vocabulary of touch, slide, strum and trigger suggests a playing style closer to a string or hand-percussion instrument than to a piano.
That has practical consequences for sound design:
- Slide maps naturally to timbre, filter or wavetable position.
- Pressure can drive amplitude, distortion or effect depth.
- Strum and trigger gestures suit plucked, bowed or rhythmic patches better than sustained pads.
What to look for in any MPE controller
Whether or not the Loom is on your shortlist, a few questions help when you compare expressive hardware:
- Portability versus playing area. A smaller surface travels well but demands precision.
- MPE standard compliance. Check that it sends standard MPE, so it works with every compatible plugin and DAW, including Bitwig Studio, Ableton Live, Logic Pro and REAPER.
- Connectivity. Class-compliant USB, and ideally a standalone MIDI output, makes the controller useful with hardware synths too.
- Software support. Firmware updates and editor tools extend a controller's life.
Plugins to test it with
A new controller deserves a plugin that responds to every dimension. Free options such as Surge XT and Vital both support MPE and make good test beds. Load a patch, route slide and pressure to a few obvious parameters, and see how the controller feels before you commit to a setup. Spend an hour with one patch before judging a controller: expressive instruments reward patience, and the first impression is rarely the final one.
The bigger picture
The Loom reflects a broader trend: MPE hardware is branching out from keyboard-shaped designs into new forms. Players who never felt at home on keys now have more ways in, and developers have more reason to make sure their instruments respond to expression data. For anyone building a performance rig, the ecosystem is more varied than it has ever been, and that is good news for composers and sound designers alike.