Critter & Guitari’s 5 Moons is a wonderfully wooden multitrack recorder

Critter & Guitari has made a name for itself by releasing quirky and highly musical gadgets, like this video-based synthesizer, and now the company is back with a multitrack recorder that prioritizes simplicity and ease of use. The 5 Moons also continues the company’s pristine record of making visually distinct devices, due to its attractive wood enclosure made entirely out of pine. 

Underneath the hood you’ll find a powerful 48KHz 16-bit sampler and enough storage for around 20 hours of samples and compositions, via an 8GB microSD card. As the name suggests, this is a five track device, but don’t let that dissuade you from making complex compositions with dozens of instruments, as you can easily bounce everything down over and over again.

This musical block of wood does not include a screen of any kind, so everything is handled via the sliders and accompanying buttons, but the interface seems easy to use, with dedicated buttons for most tasks like bouncing, looping and perusing sounds. The company says the 5 Moons is great for making simple enclosed loops and for composing long-form pieces. Looping is no great mystery, but creating longer works does require a certain level of expertise regarding various button and slider combinations.

To that end, you can easily send projects to the DAW of your choice via a USB-C connection for finishing touches, and this connection also powers the device. Transfers go both ways, as you can send projects from your computer to the 5 Moons for additional processing, looping and creative tomfoolery. Critter & Guitari says this feature is a great way to start a unique new track or to “re-envision and remix” prior tracks.

You can run external instruments directly into 5 Moons, like the company’s own Organelle S, thanks to a ⅛-inch monophonic input. The rear also includes a ⅛-inch monophonic output if you want to send the signal out for external processing or to speakers when playing live. Playing live with this thing should be a blast, as it weighs only five ounces, though it does not feature a built-in battery.

Critter & Guitari’s 5 Moons multitrack recorder is available now for $325.