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Scales - a new device by Playtronica

Weight is one of the oldest ways humans have made sense of reality. Through it, cultures learned to measure force, value, and presence. From markets to rituals, from bodies to gestures, weight has never been just a number — it is a felt condition.

In Japanese sumo tradition, this condition reaches its peak. Tanikaze Kajinosuke — one of the first yokozuna, from what is now Sendai — embodied not only physical power, but a state of absolute presence. Even toward the end of his life, he dominated the ring. In a print by Katsukawa Shunshō, he is depicted simply walking, yet still commands attention — a center of gravity.

Scales extends this lineage: translating weight from abstraction into experience — where pressure becomes sound, and force becomes gesture.

Scales is a playful weight-to-MIDI instrument that turns everyday objects into musical notes. The heavier the object you place on the pad, the higher the pitch. With five expressive modes, Scales lets you create melodies, drones, arpeggios and textured sounds simply by arranging weight.

• Use any object up to 3 kg as a musical interface.
• Create simple looping sequences in Arpeggio mode.
• Play chords by capturing notes in Hold mode.
• Improvise live by shifting objects on the plate.
• Adjust sensitivity for light or heavy items.
• Set the tempo for Arpeggio mode.

How to get started

1. Connect Scales to your smartphone, tablet, or laptop or a hardware synth using the TRS MIDI output.
2. Open a Web App or any other DAW woth Midi Input.
3. Bring objects of different weights and place them on the plate.
4. Arrange, remove, and combine them while playing.
5. Use the buttons to switch modes, add notes, and shape your melodies and rhythms.

Web settings page

https://settings.playtronica.com/#/scales

Device Manual

Buttons

“O” Button

• Long press — calibrate the scale
• Short press — reset the sequence (in modes 1 and 2)

“+” Button

• Long press — switch mode
• Short press (Mode 1) — add a note to hold (up to 127 notes)
• Short press (Mode 2) — add a note to the arpeggiator sequence
• Short press (Mode 3) — no function
• Short press (Mode 4) — change calibration
• Short press (Mode 5) — lock BPM

“II” Button

• First press — enable mute (only CC90 values sent, LED ON)
• Second press — disable mute (LED OFF)

Modes

Mode 1 — Hold

🟡 ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪

• Short press “+” adds a note to hold (up to 127 notes)
• Notes are saved when switching modes
• Notes play again when returning to Mode 1

Mode 2 — Arpeggio

⚪ 🟡 ⚪ ⚪ ⚪

• Short press “+” adds a note to the sequence
• Sequence must start with a note
• Pauses can be added by removing weight
• Sequence is saved across modes
• Plays in Modes 2 and 5

Mode 3 — Pitch

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• Notes are tuned via BND (bend)
• Best used without additional weights

Mode 4 — Sensitivity

⚪ ⚪ ⚪ 🟡 ⚪

• Cycle weight limits: 250g, 500g, 1000g, 1500g, 2000g

Mode 5 — BPM

⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ 🟡

• BPM increases with weight
• Short press “+” saves BPM
• Plays sequence from Mode 2

Magnetic Ports

• Connect devices only to the right side
• Follow arrows on device
• Max 16 devices
• Each device uses its own MIDI channel
• Max 4 devices per power source
• Use additional power for more than 4 devices

Technical Specifications

• Power: 5V
• MIDI: USB-C, TRS
• Connector: 6-pin magnetic
• Max load: 3 kg
• Processor: RP204

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