Every detail,
on purpose.
Drag to turn it. Tap a point to look closer.
Sapphire sun
A sapphire crystal dome over a warm light. Press to play or stop; turn it to change tempo, 50 to 180 bpm.
Four turned rings
Each ring is CNC-turned from one piece of aluminium and rides on stainless bearings with magnetic detents you can feel.
Light track
96 micro-LEDs per ring under frosted glass. Because the light is continuous, any loop length from 1 to 16 fits evenly.
Ports
USB-C for power, audio and MIDI; 3.5 mm TRS MIDI in and out; a headphone and line output. Standard, so it talks to anything.
Base
Four T5 screws. Inside, a 2,400 mAh battery you can replace in five minutes, and a 28 mm driver with a passive radiator.
Four rings, four jobs.
- PulseDrums16 steps by default · 1–16
- RootBass12 steps by default · 1–16
- GlowChords8 steps by default · 1–16
- SparkMelody7 steps by default · 1–16
Turn any ring to move its notes in time. Press and hold a ring to change its length. Every ring can use any voice, so you can have two melodies, or four drum kits, if that's your thing.
Sound, made on the spot.
Five voices, each synthesised as you play: no samples, nothing to download, nothing that sounds the same twice.
Hear them in your browser- Dust
- An analogue-modelled kit: soft kick, papery snare, nine voices.
- Sub
- A round, plucky bass that never muddies the mix.
- Tape
- Warm chords with a little wow and flutter.
- Pluck
- A physically modelled string. Nylon at the bottom, harp at the top.
- Glass
- FM bells that ring out like a wine glass.
Plays well with others.
- Your computer. Plug in USB-C and Rondo appears as an audio interface and a MIDI device. No drivers.
- Your synths. 3.5 mm TRS MIDI in and out, with clock, so it can lead or follow anything with a tempo.
- Your phone or iPad. Bluetooth MIDI, low latency, no app required.
- Other Rondos. Two or more sync tempo wirelessly when they're within a few metres. Instant band.
Specifications
- Size
- 108 mm across, 22 mm deep
- Weight
- 238 g
- Body
- Unibody 6061 aluminium, bead-blasted, anodised
- Rings
- Four, CNC-turned, stainless bearings, magnetic detents
- Sun
- Sapphire crystal dome, press and turn
- Light
- 384 micro-LEDs under frosted glass
- Sensors
- 6-axis motion sensor (tilt and shake)
- Sound
- 5 synthesised voices, 8-voice polyphony, 12 scales, reverb, tape echo, tilt filter
- Speaker
- 28 mm full-range driver with passive radiator
- Outputs
- 3.5 mm headphone / line out
- MIDI
- USB-C class-compliant, 3.5 mm TRS-A in and out, Bluetooth LE MIDI, clock in and out
- Memory
- 64 loops
- Battery
- 2,400 mAh, about 14 hours, user-replaceable
- Charging
- USB-C, 0 to 80% in 45 minutes
- Software
- Rondo OS, open source (MIT). Updates until 2037.
- Warranty
- 5 years, plus a 100-night trial
Why not just an app?
Fair question. Here's an honest comparison.
| Question | Rondo | A music app | A groovebox |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make something in 10 seconds | Yes | Sometimes | Rarely |
| No screen, no notifications | Yes | No | Mostly |
| Fits in a pocket | Yes | Yes | No |
| Real MIDI and audio out | Yes | With adapters | Yes |
| Deep sound design | Some | Lots | Lots |
| Cost over ten years | $449, once | Subscriptions add up | $500–$1,500 |
If you want to design sounds from scratch for hours, a groovebox is a better tool. If you want to make music every day without thinking about tools, that's what Rondo is for.