Artinoise, the Italy-based team behind the hybrid re.corder and its smartphone-driven ZEFIRO concept, is back with a new instrument it says you can pick up and start playing instantly: Trillo, a palm-sized digital flute that just hit Kickstarter.
The pitch is simple: Trillo aims to feel like an instrument first and a MIDI controller second. It ships with onboard sounds, LED-guided controls, and sensors designed to translate breath intensity and hand movement into more natural phrases — without forcing you to plug into a laptop before you can make a note.
Under the hood, Trillo is also built for the kind of setups modern players actually use. Artinoise says it supports MIDI over both USB and Bluetooth, and includes a standard audio output so you can monitor through headphones or a speaker without juggling extra adapters. The optional companion app expands the library with additional downloadable sounds, lets you load backing tracks to practice or jam along with, and can even import MIDI tracks and fingering patterns as part of a guided learning path.
That mix of “instant gratification” and deeper configuration is the real play here. Beginner-friendly digital instruments often lock users into toy-like presets, while pro-focused wind controllers can be intimidating if you’re not already fluent in MIDI routing. If Trillo lands the balance — approachable out of the box but flexible enough to grow with the player — it could be a compelling new option for creators who want expressive wind input without committing to a full-sized electronic sax or a studio-centric controller.
Pricing is positioned to pull in curious first-timers. Artinoise is offering an early-bird tier for the first 200 backers at 69, followed by a Kickstarter-only price of 79 (tax excluded), according to the campaign details shared with TechPlugged.
One-line background: Artinoise is an Italian music-tech startup known for the re.corder, a modern take on the classic school recorder, and for experimenting with smartphone-assisted digital wind instruments.
