Aodyo Instruments has confirmed that its long-awaited Loom MPE controller has reached what the company calls its final hardware revision — version 2.1 — clearing the way for the first production batch to begin assembly this autumn. For backers who have followed the project since its Kickstarter debut, the update is the clearest sign yet that a physical, shippable Loom is close.
What changed in revision 2.1
The bulk of the changes in this pass are refinements rather than a redesign. Aodyo reworked the unit's silkscreen layout for clarity, renaming a couple of touch zones along the way: what was previously labeled the "action zone" is now the "action pad," and the "bar" is officially the "tap bar." Small naming tweaks, but they reflect months of user testing feedback about how players actually talk about the surface while performing.
More substantively, the team repositioned the LEDs along the touch slider and tap bar for better visibility during live use, and made mainboard-level improvements alongside adjustments to the touch slider's sensing. The most notable functional addition is new connectivity: Loom now includes a TRS MIDI input in addition to its existing USB-C and TRS MIDI output. That input isn't just symbolic — Aodyo says it opens the door to future firmware features such as receiving MIDI clock for upcoming rhythmic generation modes, meaning Loom could eventually sync its internal sequencing ideas to an external clock source rather than only acting as a controller for other gear.
Why a hexagonal, multidimensional layout matters for MPE
Loom's pitch has always been about layering multiple gestures onto a single isomorphic, hexagonal playing surface: pressure, slide, and tilt, all translated into full MPE per-note expression across channels. Where a lot of MPE hardware asks players to relearn a keyboard-like layout, Loom leans into an isomorphic grid, so a given chord shape stays the same shape no matter where it's played on the surface — a feature much more common on instruments like the Lumatone than on typical velocity-and-aftertouch pad controllers.
Timeline and pricing
Aodyo is targeting completion of R&D and the start of production before the end of autumn 2026, with a first batch of 500 units planned. Original retail pricing remains unchanged at 400€ for the 2-octave version and 570€ for the 3-octave version. Kickstarter backers face a choice familiar to anyone who has backed hardware crowdfunding before: pay an extra 100€ to guarantee a place in that first-batch priority queue, or wait for the company to work through new retail orders first.
The project's path hasn't been entirely smooth — Loom has seen its share of development delays since its original crowdfunding campaign — but its 2025 acquisition by INODESIGN appears to have stabilized the manufacturing side of things. Backers and prospective buyers can follow ongoing updates on the project's Discord server, and general information remains available at aodyo.com.
The bigger picture for MPE controllers
Loom's progress is a useful data point for the broader MPE hardware market: purpose-built expressive controllers remain a small, specialist segment, where even well-funded projects can take years from prototype to shipping unit. For players comparing options, Loom sits alongside grid-based instruments like the Lumatone and Intuitive Instruments' Exquis as an isomorphic alternative to keyboard- or ribbon-style MPE surfaces such as Expressive E's Osmose or the Haken Continuum.
Whether Loom ships to backers before the end of the year or slips further into 2027, the finalized hardware revision is a meaningful milestone — it means the remaining work is largely about manufacturing execution rather than further design iteration, which is typically the harder problem to solve for a small hardware team.