Spotykach is a dual-deck performance looper for slicing, sculpting, and reimagining sound. Feed it any audio — from a synth pad to a field recording — and push it through three distinct modes: Reel (tape-style looping), Slice (rhythmic fragmentation), and Drift (granular textures). Small edits lead to entirely new sonic landscapes, from subtle atmospheres to complex, non-linear rhythms.
Inspired by reel tape (1960s), digital slicing (1990s), and modern algorithmic chaos (2000+), Spotykach is designed for hands-on live performance and studio experimentation. It celebrates the “happy accident” — the beautiful stumble that turns a loop into something unexpected.
The Name: In Ukrainian culture, spotykach is a traditional home-brewed liqueur, famous for making the drinker stumble. The instrument is named for that stumble — the off-kilter, generative moment where accidents become music.
Origins: Developed over four years by Synthux community members Vlad Litvinenko and Roey Tsemah. First shown at Superbooth 2023; released as a finished instrument in 2026.
Features
- Three modes per deck: Reel (tape looping with reverse and overdub), Slice (rhythmic re-sequencing), and Drift (granular pitch/time drift)
- 12 touch pads shaped like spliced tape strips
- 7 CV inputs, 2 gate I/O per deck, MIDI I/O, and analog clock sync mean Spotykach integrates into any rig — standalone desktop or the heart of a modular system
- MIDI PRS input and output for clock and control using MIDI controllers and foot switches
- Built-in dual modulation engine
- Open-source firmware on Daisy Seed – a growing library of alternative firmwares; hackable, updatable, community-developed
- Comes with custom travel case, patch cables, MIDI TRS converter, USB-C cable, and Micro SD Card
