No, NSynth Super isn’t a boy band – but it is related to music. Short for ‘Neural Synthesizer Super’, the device is an experimental musical instrument that generates unique musical sounds based on the acoustic qualities of other sounds.

Created by Google’s research team, Magenta, the project began with a machine learning algorithm that breaks down the characteristics of sounds, then creates a new sound based on those characteristics. The next step was to create an interface so that musicians could control the sounds… and that’s how NSynth Super was born.

NSynth gives the ability to create music based on four different source sounds. Dials on the device allow the musician to select their four source sounds from sixteen instruments, then the musician uses a touch screen to experiment with different combinations.

The NSynth Super can output over 100,000 unique sounds, and can be played through any MIDI source.

With the current popularity of electronic and house music, the NSynth Super has the potential to have a huge impact. But even if it doesn’t catch on with musicians, it’s still a remarkable technological feat!

The best part? The plans are open-sourced – meaning that they’re available online for free – so that anyone can take advantage of the new technology.