Plinky 12 from Making Sound Machines is a unique concept synth with three different swappable touch panels and a sample-based sound engine.
Making Sound Machines Plinky 12
Sometimes an instrument comes along that’s so unique, so melancholy, it captures the hearts of emo musicians everywhere. That sad synth was Plinky, a DIY eight-voice touch panel synth from developer Alex Evans, aka mmalex. Now he’s back in partnership with Making Sound Machines and Eurorack developer Toadstool Tech for Plinky 12, a significant advancement on the original Plinky concept that’s actually three instruments in one.
The Plinky 12 Concept
Let’s start with Plinky 12 itself. A 12-inch by 12-inch panel that’s 12mm deep (hence the name, I suppose), Plinky 12 contains a hardware base and three different touchscreen panels, called Blocks, Chords, and Toadstep. You buy one, and the other panels are available separately. Swap in the new panel with a few screws and the instrument transforms automatically.
Although functionality changes depending on the panel, the core DNA is the same, that being touch-based interaction and a polyphonic synth engine that “can turn samples from simple sounds to frozen wavetables,” according to the developers. Other features and parameters like presets, system settings and certain control styles such as LFOs and envelopes are shared across panels. There will also be a web-based editor for designing and auditioning sounds.
In terms of hardware, the new Plinky offers a stereo microphone, accelerometer, four tactile side buttons, and 16×16 RGB pressure-sensitive capacitive touch pads under the panels. Inside, there’s an RP2350 microcontroller with 512K RAM storage plus an SD card slot for presets, samples, and songs.
The Plinky 12 base is well-endowed in terms of connectivity, with CV Clock In, CV Reset In, CV Clock Out, 2 × CV In (-5V to 5V), 2 × CV Out (0-5V), 1 × TRS MIDI In, 2 × TRS MIDI Out, USB MIDI in and out and audio out, and stereo unbalanced Audio In and Out. It’s also monome grid compatible.
Let’s look at each panel in turn, as this is where it gets interesting.
Plinky 12: Chords
Chords is a play-focused instrument with six chord voices plus six melody voices. It offers 13 palettes with 45 chords each that you can use across four polyphonic melody surfaces that dynamically adjust to match the harmonies. There’s a polyphonic arpeggiator with 32 x 16 step patterns that you can edit on the fly, circle of fifths transposition, and a 128-step sequencer to sequence the shape of your chords.
Making Sound Machines Plinky 12 Chords · Source: Making Sound Machines
In terms of sound, Chords uses the Plinky 12 sound engine to create bass, treble and melody sections, with XY modulation for morphing between sounds. There’s also an FX section with delay and reverb that can also process external audio.
Chords can also act as a MIDI controller for external synths.
Plinky 12: Toadstep
Toadstep, made in collaboration with Toadstool Tech, is a four-track MIDI/CV sequencer and groovebox. According to Making Sound Machines, inspiration for the sequencer came from the RYK M185 and Intellijel Metropolis/Metropolix sequencers, “but with its own unique twist on the core concept.”
Making Sound Machines Plinky 12 Toadstep · Source: Making Sound Machines
The sequencer offers step repeating and ratcheting for extending sequences past 16 steps, per-step slides, probability, velocity, gate length, and randomization with eight patterns per track. You can use it to control external instruments via CV or MIDI, or the internal Plinky 12 engine polytimbrally with a different sound on each track. It also features XY modulation and the FX section. You can also save presets to the SD card.
Plinky 12: Blocks
Designed by mmalex, the original creator of Plinky, Blocks allows you to play polyphonically, with a six-stringed play surface on the left plus a clip launcher and XY pad on the right. Each of those clips is a full 128-step polyphonic sequence with performance-oriented muting, shuffling, per-step probability, and more.
Making Sound Machines Plinky 12 Blocks · Source: Making Sound Machines
“The panel is also almost entirely distraction- and label-free,” says Making Sound Machines. “This makes it the perfect panel to make use of Plinky 12’s monome grid compatibility, as well as the forthcoming web-based coding environment.”
About that. You’ll be able to design your own panels in a web code editor.
Plinky 12: Pricing and Availability
This all looks very exciting. I love the way it sounds and am excited to hear more. The team will be showing Plinky 12 at Superbooth 2026. Hopefully we’ll have more demos and information then.
In terms of pricing, Making Sound Machines has yet to make that information available but promises that it will be “as competitive as we can make it.” Unlike the original Plinky, this will be sold preassembled. They’re shooting for a summer 2026 release.
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More Information
Making Sound Machines Plinky 12 product page
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