Project
NMC1
Built with
KiNK – Strahil Velchev
A MIDI controller built for the road.
Compact, robust, and mappable to a single performer's live setup. Designed and manufactured with electronic artist KiNK — from first sketch to 120 units shipped, in under six months.
The reality of touring hardware
For years Strahil had been buying different controllers, but none of them fit his setup — or his carry-on luggage. Off-the-shelf hardware ignores the reality of touring: airline cabin limits, unpredictable venue power, a workflow that sits between studio and performance. He needed a controller designed for his signal chain, not someone else's product roadmap.
Every controller on the market was a compromise.
Strahil described his ideal controller in four lines on a napkin. We translated it into a spec, a PCB, and a production run.
Six deliverables
in six months.
Every control on the NMC1 corresponds to a decision made in a live performance — not a checkbox on a feature list. We worked backward from the signal chain to the smallest surface that could operate it.
Custom PCB
Two-layer, STM32F411, DMA-scanned matrix. Three revisions to final.
Machined shell
CNC'd 6061 aluminum. 228 x 94 x 28 mm. 640 g.
Firmware
Class-compliant USB-MIDI with open, scriptable config.
Ergonomics
19.05 mm encoder spacing — traced from the artist's hand.
Field-tested
Two festivals pre-launch. 42 shows across 2025.
Micro-production
120 units. Quality-controlled in-house, shipped direct.
Six months to stage-ready.
The NMC1 has been on every KiNK show since launch. It's survived airline cargo, cramped green rooms, and the pack-in/pack-out of a full touring season without a single hardware failure.
120
Units produced
6 mo
Concept to finished unit
42
Shows played since 2025
For years I had been buying different controllers but none of them really fit my setup or my carry-on luggage. Resonator helped me design the NMC1 exactly the way I needed it — compact, robust, and comfortable to play. Since then it has been with me on stage at every show.
Strahil Velchev – KiNK, Electronic music artist
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