Welcome to Earth, Whimsical Raps Atrium: This five-voice, gesture-controlled analogue synth looks like it landed from another planetSome instruments demand you play them. Others, like Whimsical Raps’ new Atrium, practically beg you to interact, experiment, and occasionally just marvel at their glowing, alien-spaceship-like control surfaces.
Described as a “new instrument, where playful gestures meet dynamic systems”, Atrium isn’t a synth you sit behind politely – it’s a console you hover over, twist, tap, and probe, with every gesture sparking new sonic possibilities.

READ MORE: Get your hands on a synth used on Kraftwerk’s Autobahn – Florian Schneider gear collection to be auctioned next month

To start, Atrium is a five-voice analogue polytimbral synth built for composers, performers, and sound designers who like their gear a little… otherworldly.
Drawing on a decade of modular experimentation, Whimsical Raps rethinks how polyphony and polytimbrality can be expressed with the Atrium. Each voice is shaped by its own harmonic energy while three core timbre modes offer everything from simple sub-octaves and noise wave, through FM, to a reimagined formant synthesis. The voices are then filtered through a lowpass/gate system, keeping the sound grounded while allowing bursts of character and emphasis to emerge organically.
Credit: Whimsical Raps
There are no digital multi-effects hiding in the back either. Instead, Atrium’s lush character comes from a tactile, hands-on combination of three filters, two delays, and feedback.
Everything is designed to respond intuitively to gestures, and just about every parameter is mappable to every other, encouraging playful experimentation. In addition, gestures can be recorded across five recorders, stretched in time, and dynamically phased across voices.
Connectivity is comprehensive: USB, MIDI, and CV inputs make Atrium extensible, while its spaceship-inspired interface, with glowing touch-sensitive surfaces and ergonomically placed controls, invites exploration while keeping performance immediate.
“This resonant body is meant to be played,” says Whimsical Raps – and it certainly shows.
Priced at $1,600, Atrium launches for pre-order on 31 October. Those in Los Angeles can try the synth in person at official unveiling events on 31 October and 1 November – details are on the Whimsical Raps website.

The post Welcome to Earth, Whimsical Raps Atrium: This five-voice, gesture-controlled analogue synth looks like it landed from another planet appeared first on MusicTech.