Lumen Handpan Source: Lumen
Lumen Handpan Source: Lumen
Lumen Handpan Source: Lumen
Technology and tradition come together in this electronic recreation of a traditional handpan percussion instrument. Can you feel the vibe?
Lumen Hand Pan
The handpan is a beautiful instrument; it embodies a world of ambient sonic textures, tripped beats and sound baths. But is it the acoustic properties of the instrument that make the handpan so great, or the physical nature of the interface? Lumen is convinced that the interface is what inspires creativity, suggesting that it can be used in a variety of places beyond its playful, gong-like sounds.
Lumen Handpan Source: Lumen
As an electronic instrument, its shape is inviting to touch. There are nine pressure-sensitive pads around the top surface. Around the central pad is a circular touch strip control, where all the important things like changing timbre, scale and tuning can be done. The device has a sound engine with 4GB of samples. There is a wide selection of traditional sounds, including hang, halo, marimba, mbira and gamelan. It can also play flute, piano, breakbeats, sound effects, orchestral stabs and vocal performances. Don’t be fooled by appearances, this is an electronic instrument that can play anything.
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Inside the aluminum case is a 16-core audio processor with 4GB of NAND memory. It has a diameter of 19 inches and weighs 9kg. An internal 30W RMS driver shoots sound out of the Lumen in all directions. On a charge, it can play as a regular handpan for about 4 hours, after which it needs more power. At the bottom, there’s a stereo line out, MIDI, and USB. You’ll probably need to keep it off your lap or desktop to stow those cables.
Lumen Handpan Source: Lumen
A technical victory?
This is definitely a great thing. I can’t decide if the extra features like sampled sounds, different scales, MIDI, etc. make it better than a traditional handpan. Does it feel more authentic or just an approximation? Does the atmosphere you get from playing it induce a more expressive MIDI performance? The retail price of $1,599 (currently 10% off) is on par with a quality acoustic handpan.
In fact, the product was first funded on Indiegogo in 2016, but this is the first time it has been commercially released.
Lumen did a demo at NAMM, captured by Sonic State, that was as good a demo as any I’ve seen, and just from this it looks like a great product.
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