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Thoughtful Things announced a Kickstarter campaign for Engram, a sampler and groovebox that runs a tiny, locally‑hosted AI model to transform and hallucinate incoming audio. The campaign, reported by The Verge, offers a limited run of the device starting at $675, with the company suggesting a future retail price near $850‑$900. The Kickstarter page includes a video demo where founder Evan King prompts the device for “piano” and receives a distorted, piano‑like output. The company says the AI model was trained on open‑licensed datasets (CC‑BY or similar) and will never be trained on pirated material. Engram’s firmware will be open for users to modify or replace the model, and the hardware is not internet‑connected.
The Verge reports that Thoughtful Things, a music‑tech startup, launched a Kickstarter campaign for Engram, a sampler and groovebox that incorporates a custom‑trained AI model running locally on the device. The campaign video demonstrates the device taking a spoken prompt (“piano”) and outputting a glitchy, piano‑like sound, illustrating its ability to hallucinate new timbres.
According to the Kickstarter listing, the AI model was trained exclusively on open datasets that are licensed for commercial use, such as Creative Commons‑BY. The company explicitly states it will not train the model on pirated or non‑commercial data, positioning the product as ethically sourced in terms of training material.
Engram is sold as a limited‑run Kickstarter reward starting at $675. The company has not disclosed a definitive retail price, but suggests the pledge represents roughly a 30 % discount, implying a future price in the $850‑$900 range. The hardware is not internet‑connected, and the firmware will be released publicly, allowing users to tweak the existing model or load custom ones.
Ay leeral ci cosaan: theverge.com ↗
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The launch marks one of the first consumer‑focused hardware instruments that embeds a model on‑device, sidestepping cloud reliance and privacy concerns. By making the firmware open, Thoughtful Things invites a community of musicians and developers to experiment with AI‑driven sound design, potentially expanding the creative toolkit for experimental music. The product also raises questions about licensing of training data for audio models and the sustainability of small‑scale AI hardware production. If successful, Engram could inspire a new niche of AI‑augmented musical instruments that prioritize artistic exploration over commercial polish.
a model directly in a hardware instrument reduces reliance on cloud services, addressing latency, privacy, and data‑usage concerns that have limited adoption of AI tools in live performance contexts.
The open‑firmware approach could foster a community‑driven ecosystem where musicians and developers share custom models, potentially accelerating innovation in AI‑assisted sound design and expanding the creative possibilities beyond what a single vendor can provide.
By training the model only on openly licensed audio, Thoughtful Things attempts to navigate the contentious issue of provenance in AI, setting a precedent for transparent sourcing that may influence industry standards.
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Which component of an AI application is the machine-learning model itself?
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Future updates from the Kickstarter campaign, including delivery timelines, firmware release details, and any third‑party model contributions. Market response will indicate demand for on‑device generative audio tools and could influence other hardware makers to adopt similar AI approaches. Watch for any regulatory scrutiny regarding the use of licensed audio datasets and the open‑source firmware model.
Delivery schedules and fulfillment details from the Kickstarter campaign, which will indicate whether the hardware can meet backer expectations and scale beyond the initial limited run.
The release of Engram’s firmware and any subsequent community‑generated models, which will reveal the practicality of on‑device AI customization and the level of engagement from the maker community.
Potential regulatory or legal challenges related to the use of licensed audio datasets, especially if third‑party models are shared or if the device is later connected to the internet for updates.