Magneto is about to come back to the big screen in Avengers: Doomsday, and if anyone ever wanted to see what it would be like to make music with his magnetic powers, the Haloplane from KOMA Elektronik and Passepartout Duo is the move.
This micro-loop sampler and wavetable synthesizer is powered by an electromagnetic sound field. The UI has seven different options for magnetic fields that users manipulate using electromagnetic pickups.
Simply run a sound out of the compact device, move the two pickups around its frame, and hear how the audio changes with every slight motion. Users can rest the pickups on the device to keep the sound stable, or move them near and far in any sort of pattern they want to make more complex sequences.
The Haloplane can work as a performance instrument and send sounds into a DAW. It ingests sounds with a built-in microphone or a line-in for immediate playback with its attached speaker. From there, users can play back the samples and manipulate them in real time to be enjoyed live or rerouted to another destination for recording.
The Haloplane also has built-in wavetables. They can be selected with the same buttons as the electromagnetic fields or through its companion app for clearer specifications around the different parameters at play. The Haloplane has its own Wi-Fi network as well, so it can be used anywhere.
The release of the Haloplane also comes with the Doppeldisk pickup. This larger pickup fattens the sound possibilities for the Haloplane while also serving as an electromagnetic sound source when it’s hooked up to audio outputs for any device.
The Haloplane is currently available on a tiered pre-order system. 30 units will be available for €486; 50 for €505; 100 for €532; 200 for €550. The Doppeldisk runs €65 flat. Both are expected to ship early 2027. Learn more via KOMA Elektronik & Passepartout Duo.
Harry Levin is a freelance journalist with credits in SPIN, Billboard, MusicTech, Grammy.com, Los Angeles Magazine, and more. His musical journey began 20 years ago with a Led Zeppelin CD. He played jazz trombone through college, produced large-scale electronic music events, and now spends his professional time writing and editing.
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