Plinky+ — Deluxe Touch Polysynth

For those who love esoteric design and unconventional sound, Plinky has been a dream instrument. Now, Making Sound Machines takes that dream bigger — literally. Meet Plinky+, the deluxe version that maintains everything special about the original while expanding it into a more playable and stage-ready format.

What Makes Plinky+ Different

Plinky+ is not just a size upgrade. While it keeps the same beloved sound engine from the original, the hardware improvements are substantial. The play surface has doubled in width, with 22mm spacing between strips — similar to keyboard spacing. This makes chord playing much easier and gives you better control over pitch and pressure sensitivity.

The display has grown significantly larger, making it readable from a distance. The whole thing now sits in a rugged black powder-coated metal enclosure that weighs under 1 kg. A translucent dust cover protects it when not in use.

Sound and Features

At its heart, Plinky+ remains an 8-voice polyphonic touch synthesizer that specializes in fragile, melancholic sounds. Each voice can have up to four oscillators — choose between pulse, supersaw, or wavetable modes. You can also work with granular samples, all detunable by finger movements on the touch strips.

The synthesis architecture includes white noise generation, two ADSR envelopes per voice, a resonant 2-pole low-pass gate, and distortion/saturation. On top of that, you get global effects: delay, reverb, high-pass filter, limiter, and saturation. Built-in arpeggiator and sequencer round out the feature set.

Professional Connectivity

One of the biggest upgrades is the output stage. Plinky+ now offers three simultaneous audio outputs: symmetric 6.35mm main L/R jacks on the back, 3.5mm Eurorack outputs, and a headphone jack. The analog output stage has been redesigned for better sound quality, and there's a dedicated volume knob on the front panel.

All connectivity has moved to the rear panel: four CV modulation sources (A, B, X, Y), MIDI I/O, and audio inputs. The device draws 400mA at 5V via USB-C. Optional battery operation is possible through a retrofit installation.

Who Is It For

Plinky+ measures 21 × 22 × 3 cm, making it portable yet substantial. It comes with a 48-page printed manual and maintains firmware compatibility with the original Plinky. You can buy it fully assembled or as a solderless DIY kit from retailers in the UK, EU, US, and Canada.

If you're drawn to instruments that encourage exploration over convention, that value character over perfection, Plinky+ offers a unique path into polyphonic synthesis. It's not trying to be a traditional keyboard or a modular staple — it's its own thing, and that's exactly the point.