What Is NSynth Super?

NSynth Super is an experimental physical instrument for making music with sounds generated by NSynth, a machine learning algorithm. It was created by Magenta — a research project within Google that explores how machine learning tools can help artists create art and music in new ways — in collaboration with Google Creative Lab. It is open source, and it was shared as an experience prototype with a small community of musicians to understand how they might use it in their creative process. It is not a commercial product, so the site presents it as an ongoing experiment rather than something you can simply buy and play.

What the instrument actually does

NSynth Super gives musicians a hands-on way to explore more than 100,000 sounds produced by the NSynth algorithm. Instead of combining or blending existing sounds, NSynth synthesizes an entirely new sound from the acoustic qualities of its inputs — the site's example is a sound that is part flute and part sitar at once.

The prototype is built around four source sounds at a time:

• Dials select which source sounds you want to explore between. Each dial is assigned 4 source sounds.
• A touchscreen lets you drag your finger across it to navigate the generated sounds that combine the acoustic qualities of those 4 source sounds.

How the sounds were made

For this experiment, 16 original source sounds across a range of 15 pitches were recorded in a studio and then input into the NSynth algorithm to precompute the new sounds. The outputs — over 100,000 new sounds — were then loaded into the experience prototype. That precomputation step is why the instrument can respond as a playable interface rather than generating each sound live.

Who it is for

NSynth Super sits at the intersection of two audiences:

• Musicians who want to play with timbres that don't exist in physical instruments, and who are comfortable with an experimental interface rather than a finished product.
• Builders and researchers interested in the open source design and in how Magenta approached making algorithm output playable.

Because the experience prototype was shared with only a small community of musicians, the site frames it as a study of creative use, not a released instrument with a support path.

How to get one

The site addresses this directly in its "How can I get an NSynth Super?" section, but the supplied page content does not include that answer. What is confirmed is that the instrument is open source and experimental. For availability details, check that section of the site directly rather than assuming it can be purchased.