Music startup Thoughtful Things has opened a Kickstarter campaign for Engram, described as its first instrument. Engram is a sampler and groovebox that uses AI to distort incoming audio and generate entirely new sounds. According to the listing, it is not designed for push-button song creation aimed at mainstream radio; instead, it targets experimental and uncanny audio by pushing AI models beyond their usual limits. Rather than relying on cloud services, Engram runs a small AI model locally and is not connected to the internet. The company states the model was designed in-house and custom-trained.
Why it matters
Engram positions AI “hallucinations” as a creative feature rather than a flaw, and its offline, on-device approach contrasts with cloud-based generative music tools.
Who should care
Experimental musicians, sound designers, and hardware synth enthusiasts interested in local AI audio generation may find the device relevant.