Telepathic Instruments’ Orchid, Drop 2: All the details about Tame Impala’s synth and how to order one

Telepathic Instruments' Orchids, made by Tame Impala's Kevin Parker.

In January 2025, after months of teasers, Tame Impala’s new instrument company, Telepathic Instruments, released 1,000 units of the Orchid, a digital synthesizer with an emphasis on chord generation. According to the brand, all 1,000 units “sold out in under three minutes”.

Now, the newcomer brand has announced the Orchid Drop 2, which will see 3,000 units released globally. Here’s what we know about the 29 May release and how you can get your hands on an Orchid.

What is Orchid?

Telepathic Instruments' Orchid. Image: Telepathic Instruments

Kevin Parker conceived Orchid over 10 years ago, according to the company, intending to create an instrument for songwriters to “find what’s on their mind”. The celebrated Aussie producer, multi-instrumentalist and Tame Impala mastermind co-founded Telepathic Instruments this year with a group of friends, and Orchid marks the brand’s debut product.

Orchid is a 12-key, 16-voice polyphonic synth with three separate synth engines and a chord logic system for quickly building chords and chord progressions. A collection of onboard effects include reverb, chorus and delay, plus four LFOs and envelope generators for modulation. There’s also a separate bass engine for low-end duties.

The synth was physically designed by one of Telepathic’s co-founders, Ignacio Germade, and also has a rechargeable battery and dual stereo built-in speakers for portable use.

Orchid’s chord generator comprises a matrix of eight chord-type selecting and chord-modifying keys. To play a chord, you play the root note on the keyboard and use the generator to trigger the chord, selecting its voicing and using a rotary encoder to re-pitch and reposition the chord. Check out the video below for a demonstration and a warning to not get too jazzy.

You can play Orchid in a handful of ways. Five performance modes are on offer, plus MIDI connectivity for hooking Orchid up to your DAW and other instruments. The performance modes are Strum, Slop, Arpeggiator, Pattern and Harp. The latter mode “mimics a harp being strummed to the sound of a given chord across a four-octave range,” says the brand.

Meanwhile, a built-in Loop Mode lets you capture ideas and build upon them with overdub in a set loop.

You can, of course, also play Orchid like a keyboard with its 12 velocity-sensitive keys. Telepathic Instruments stresses that the chord generation system effectively expands the keyboard to a full-size keyboard, not just the 12 keys on the unit.

What’s new with Drop 2 of Orchid?

Following the first run of 1,000 Orchids, Telepathic instruments has made some tweaks to the digital synth. This includes:

10 new sounds
Improved loop mode
Critical bug fixes
Refinements to user experience

When will Telepathic Instruments’ Orchid be released?

On 18 December 2024, Telepathic Instruments made 1,000 Orchid units available to US customers. Drop 2 of Orchid, happening on 29 May, will be global — depending on your region, however, the exact timings of the drop will differ.

North, Central, and South America Drop — open to all countries in the EDT time zone (including LATAM): 29 May at 7 pm EDT / 30 May at 9 am AET
Rest of World Drop (AU/EU/UK/Asia): 29 May at 10 am CET / 6 pm AET

The 3,000 units of Drop 2 will be available on the Telepathic Instruments website. As with Drop 1, customers will be required to follow Telepathic’s community, The Garden, for full instructions. Here, users can “shape and refine” Orchid before its wider release in 2025.

Speaking about The Garden community and its influence, Telepathic says, “The original 1,000 Orchids weren’t just bought—they were beta-tested. Users directly influenced what’s launching in Drop 2 through a live feedback loop via Discord, Patreon, and community engagement.”

The brand adds, “Since Drop 1, over 12,000 people have joined the Telepathic community on Patreon, representing 8,600 unique signups across 70+ countries. Fans of The Orchid include Fred Again, Gracie Abrams, and Murda Beats. Orchid Drop 2 continues that momentum by inviting a new wave of creators into The Garden—a digital forum and sandbox for sonic exploration.”

How much is Telepathic Instruments’ Orchid?

Drop 2 of Orchid maintains the original price of $549, with a custom carry case. However, Teleapthic Instruments does warn customers that, due to implications related to US and China trade regulations, tariffs may apply to US customers.

What has Tame Impala said about Orchid?

We’ve not heard any official word about the instrument from Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, other than he and the team calling Orchid “an ideas machine”. The Telepathic Instruments brand was founded by Ignacio Germade, Chris Adams, Charl Laubscher, Tom Cosm and Kevin Parker.

Charl Laubscher has provided some insight:

“Orchid isn’t just about how much you know or don’t know — it’s about shaking up your creative process…It’s a tool for anyone who wants to step outside their musical comfort zone, to experiment and to find what’s on their mind.”