Thoughtful Things takes local AI sampler Engram to Kickstarter
The experimental music device starts at $675 in a limited Kickstarter run. The company says its model runs locally and its firmware is planned for modification.
Music startup Thoughtful Things has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Engram, a sampler and groovebox built to alter incoming audio and generate experimental sounds using a small AI model that runs on the device.
The instrument is pitched for sound exploration rather than producing finished songs. In the campaign video, founder Evan King prompts Engram with “piano”; it responds with a glitchy sound that is vaguely piano-like.
Thoughtful Things says its in-house model was trained on open datasets containing audio licensed for commercial use. The company also says it plans to make Engram’s firmware open for users to modify and load their own models.
The Kickstarter campaign offers a limited run, with pledges starting at $675. The campaign describes that price as a 30 per cent discount, but the company has not announced a retail price. Any estimate based on the discount remains uncertain.
The Kickstarter launch and campaign claims do not establish whether Engram will ship or how it will perform beyond the examples shown.
