Meng Qi Music - Cricket

Cricket from Chinese designer Meng Qi sits somewhere between experimental noise maker, electronic pet, and avant-garde fashion statement. This beetle-shaped synthesizer runs entirely on solar power, chirping to life when exposed to sunlight and responding to your touch through capacitive sensors scattered across its hexagonal surface.

The Cricket houses three oscillators within its compact insect form. One is for the actual sound generation and the other two function as modulation sources. The large black panel serves as both solar collector and visual centerpiece, while three touch-sensitive areas let you manipulate pitch, modulation, rhythm, and there's a glitch parameter on the back. Touch the main sections on the front to alter Cricket's behavior, or reach around to the "antennae" on the back for timbral interference effects. Three tiny adjustment screws on the rear fine-tune each oscillator's sensitivity to your touch.

Don't expect conventional melodies from this electronic arthropod. Cricket specializes in chirps, clicks, and pulses that feel more like communication from another species than traditional music. The sounds evolve based on light conditions and your interaction, creating an unpredictable sound companion that seems almost alive. A clip attachment transforms Cricket into wearable sound jewelry, letting you carry your noisemaking friend wherever natural light can reach it.

Cricket shows Meng Qi's talent for making instruments that mix musical tool, art, and play. You can wear it as a rather unique sound accessory, or set it by a sunny window to fill your space with ambient sounds. Either way, whatever you choose to do with it — it's a cute rethinking of what a synthesizer can be.

Features:

• Experimental Noise Maker
• Solar-powered operation with no batteries or external power required
• Three oscillators plus noise generator
• Four capacitive touch areas for pitch, modulation, rhythm, and glitch control
• Three rear-mounted sensitivity adjustment potentiometers
• Hexagonal beetle-inspired housing
• Wearable clip attachment for use as sound jewelry
• Built-in piezo speaker
• Light-responsive behavior variations
• On/off switch