Lumatone is a generalized keyboard controller with 280 colour-changing keys, arranged in a hexagonal grid. The keys -- hexagons themselves -- are arranged in a unique pattern in three-dimensional space for maximum reach and playability.

Lumatone is a spectacular creative tool, powerful for shaking up your musical habits and helping you to generate new ideas. By visualizing the relationship between notes differently from a regular piano, you'll find yourself playing melodies and chords that you never would have by using the things you've memorized on piano or other instruments.
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All of this is thanks to the power of its isomorphic layout. Isomorphism means that you can learn the hand shape for one type of chord, melody, or scale; and that hand shape will be the same in any key across the entire keyboard. This enables much more intuitive and creative playing, rather than having to rely on memorization of non-intuitive concepts like on a traditional piano.

Lumatone also enables microtonality and alternate tunings, for the first time giving you tactile access to the myriad of notes between the notes.

Lumatone makes no sounds of its own, and instead is meant to control any sound-generating device that receives MIDI. For example, DAW-based virtual instruments or analog synthesizers.

The hexagonal grid is what makes Lumatone so powerful for playing in multiple tunings, and enabling the creation of virtually unlimited layouts, which we call mappings. Lumatone’s unique design also makes it ideal for the creation of isomorphic keyboard layouts, which we discuss at length in other articles.

All 280 keys are velocity-sensitive, capable of acting in either note on/off mode or as continuous controllers. Every key is also able to transmit polyphonic aftertouch (poly pressure) over MIDI. Unlike many modern controllers with shallow action, Lumatone’s keys are designed to be familiar to a traditional keyboard player, with key travel similar to synthesizers and other non-weighted keybeds.

Lumatone’s rear panel is outfitted with connectors for MIDI, USB, Power, and Ethernet. There are also 1/4” pedal jacks for both sustain and expression pedals.

A. Rising Hexagonal Keybed

Lumatone was built to control virtually any MIDI-capable device on the planet. While it is designed primarily as a musical instrument, people in non-musical fields such as lighting design and live video have also found power in the simplicity of Lumatone’s MIDI-centric, colour-oriented design.

Lumatone can transmit bidirectional MIDI signals via its USB Type-B port when connected to a computer. It can also be connected to computers and other devices via 5-pin MIDI DIN connectors (via separate In/Out/Thru connectors).

Lumatone is only capable of one MIDI connection at a time, and if a USB cable is plugged in and active, Lumatone will send and receive MIDI via USB and ignore anything plugged into the DIN ports. Therefore, if you wish to use 5-pin MIDI DIN connectors with Lumatone, ensure you do not have anything plugged into the USB port.

Connecting Lumatone to a computer using its USB Type-B port enables bidirectional MIDI communication with a computer. As a Class Compliant USB device, Lumatone does not require any additional drivers or software, and will be recognized as a MIDI device by both Mac and Windows computers upon connection.

On Mac OS, your Lumatone will appear as “Lumatone” automatically as a MIDI device in any MIDI capable software, including in Mac OS’s “Audio Media Setup” utility.

In most recent versions of Windows, Lumatone should also automatically be available. However, if actively connected to Lumatone over MIDI using a windows application, disconnecting the USB cable and reconnecting it may result in the need to resync the device. Selecting Lumatone in the “Windows Device Manager” under “Sound, video, and game controllers” going into the “Properties” window, and simply clicking OK usually results in a resync.

If Windows isn’t detecting Lumatone after a disconnection has occurred turn off Lumatone, reconnect the USB cable, and turn Lumatone back on.