Omnichord

The Omnichord is an electronic musical instrument introduced in 1981 by the Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation. It allows users to play harp-like arpeggios produced through an electronic strum plate, simulating the experience of playing a stringed instrument. Conceived as an electronic autoharp, the Omnichord found popularity due to its portability, unique timbre, and kitsch value.

The various Omnichord models feature a touch plate that the user strums, organ-like chords, preset drum rhythms and auto-bass line functionality. A grid of buttons allow the user to select major, minor, and 7th chords to be triggered by the strum plate, chord buttons and bassline accompaniment.

Production ceased with the OM-300 model in 1996. In later years, it underwent a resurgence in popularity due to renewed interest in vintage electronic instruments. A new model, the OM-108, was released in 2024.

The Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation released the first Omnichord, the OM-27, in 1981, alongside another instrument, the Tronichord (also known as the Portachord). It was aimed at people without musical experience who might be intimidated by traditional keyboard instruments.

The OM-27 featured 27 chord buttons, a strum plate, preset drum machine rhythms, controls for volume, tempo and sustain. It featured only one sound, "harp". In 1984, Suzuki released the OM-36, with 36 chord shapes, and the OM-84, with 84 chord shapes, both with an improved strum plate.

The next model, OM-100, repositioned the strum plate to make it more comfortable to play, and added guitar, piano, banjo, jazz organ, flute, organ, chime, brass, vibraphone and synthesizer sounds. The OM-250, introduced in 1989, added a MIDI out port to enable connectivity with other electronic instruments. The OM-300, released in the early 1990s, added a MIDI in port, a chord sequencer, and different sounds. In 1999, the Suzuki rereleased the Omnichord as the Q-Chord, with a redesigned body, additional sounds, an improved speaker, and an expansion slot for song storage.

Around the 2020s, interest in the Omnichord grew with the rise in experimental music genres and interest in older electronic instruments. In 2024, Suzuki announced a new model, the OM-108, with analoge circuitry, emulations of previous models, new sounds and drum presets, and the ability to play the chord buttons like a keyboard or drum pad.

Omnichords feature preset rhythm patterns with tempo and volume control, as well as an auto-bass line feature, which the player can combine to use as a musical accompaniment. The Omnichord's most unique feature is the Sonic Strings strum plate, that allows the player to 'strum' arpeggios like a guitar. Several later models of the Omnichord added MIDI compatibility, a greater selection of sounds for the Sonic Strings, vibrato, and chord memory, called Chord Computer.