GuidesOrb

Orb on iPhone: play chords in the air with your hand

Orb is an instrument in Musaic that you play in the air, without touching the screen. Open your hand in front of the iPhone's front camera and a chord starts. Raise the hand for the next chord and close it to stop. In a video project the camera films you at the same time, so the take is a video of you playing and not only the sound. You can sing while you play, and your voice lands on its own layer called Voice. Orb is free and marked Beta.

Download on theApp Store

Musaic - Recording Studio is free for iPhone and iPad. Where a step needs Musaic Pro, the guide says so.

You need: The front camera, your hand in the picture and some light. Put the phone down so you have your hands free.

Steps

  1. Open Orb

    In a project, tap the red Record button, then Orb in Add a part.

  2. Set your chords

    Tap Notes in the recorder and list up to six chords. Chord 1 is the lowest step. A challenge with Orb brings the song's chords.

  3. Show your hand

    Until the camera sees a hand, the recorder says Hold a hand up to the camera.

  4. Play and sing

    Record while you play. The instrument and your voice can land as two layers: the instrument, and a layer called Voice with your singing.

How Orb is played

  • Open your hand

    An orb forms on your palm and the chord starts. Close your hand and it stops.

  • Higher is higher

    The height of your hand picks the chord. Raise it to climb your list, lower it to go back.

  • Your chords

    Under Notes you pick up to six. Song key, Pentatonic and Custom play single notes instead of chords.

  • Two hands, two orbs

    Hold both hands open at different heights to play two chords at once.

  • Challenges with Orb

    A challenge can open the recorder on Orb, with the song's chords already set.

Good to know

  • Where did Theremin, Penta and the other Air instruments go?

    Since Musaic 2.1 a new take in the air is Orb. Theremin, Handpan, Penta, Halo, Bellows and Rails are now in HoverSynth, a separate app that is not in the App Store yet. Chords is no longer offered for a new take. Takes you already recorded keep playing and exporting, and a re-record stays on its own instrument.

  • Is this the Gesture Synth from Instagram?

    No. Gesture Synth is a browser instrument by Eric Wei, where hand shapes choose the chord. In Orb you set the chords first, and the height of your hand picks one. Orb and Gesture Synth compared.

  • Which camera?

    The front camera, so you see yourself while you play. No Face ID sensor or extra hardware is needed.

  • Is there a theremin app for iPhone that I play with my hands?

    Theremin is in HoverSynth, which is not in the App Store yet: one hand slides left and right for the pitch, the other lifts for the volume. Handpan is there too. Musaic has only Orb.

  • Does it film me while I play?

    In a video project, yes: the camera records the picture together with the instrument, and the take becomes a layer like any other. In an Audio project only the instrument is recorded.

  • Does the camera picture leave my iPhone?

    No. The hand tracking runs on the iPhone itself, with Apple's Vision framework.

  • Does Orb cost extra?

    No. Orb is free, like the other instruments.

Try it

Musaic - Recording Studio is free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, and so is Orb. Musaic Pro removes the watermark from the exported video and adds lyrics, animations and chord detection.

Download on theApp Store

Related guides

Written for Musaic 2.1.0.