Artificial intelligence is not just about flashy, cutting-edge generative models running on extremely powerful enterprise hardware, churning data and answering life’s big (and not-so-big) questions. Just as important is a concept called on-device AI. The name sums the idea up quite succinctly: it’s all about running AI models right on end-user or edge hardware instead of relying on cloud servers.

Arturia is an interesting company. Entering the scene back in 1999 and focusing on software instruments for the better part of a decade, the company branched out into hardware by late 2000s, announcing the Origin hardware synthesizer and the Analog Factory Experience software/controller combo.

There is absolutely no doubt that teenage engineering’s OP-1 is one of, if not the most influential, synthesisers of the decade. However, as we’ve already seen multiple times with the Swedish brand’s products, trying to fit them into a single conventional category doesn’t do them justice.

Each time we get a bit of teenage engineering kit, it takes us on a journey during our review. The Swedish company seems to make just about anything they feel like making – which includes everything from serious, albeit quirky music devices – to adorable record cutters and singing dolls.

And now for an unexpected demo…
… we are an engineering magazine, after all, so we wanted to create a bit of a crossover project to finish this review off. We grabbed one of our favourite MCUs – the SAME51-based ATMEL ATSAME51J19 and got to work!