Stepping Out of the Slate Project is a set of proposal concept music devices that works in harmony with smartphone apps. Due to advances in information technology, we can enjoy new and different music experiences through various smartphone applications. Unfortunately, it also means that they are slowly replacing traditional devices. Yes, they are convenience and most people love them, but there are those who still longing for tactile interaction, something that can’t be experienced through touch panel operation.
Yamaha designers have many experiences in designing musical instruments as well as audio equipment, they are very much aware of the value that substantive and tactile interaction can create. This project is a design study of creating new functional beauty that deepens our true experiential value while coexisting with today’s evolving IT technology.
Yamaha Design Laboratory made an attempt to reintroduce optimal parts of music equipment that lost their physical presence due to the shift to GUI. All of these instruments are built to work and tested for their actual use.
TurnT – It’s a turntable that works with smartphones, the smartphone screen works as a kind of magic record. Place a stylus on it, it starts plyiang, you can change the song by swiping or reposition the stylus. The fact that you need carefully place that stylus on to the record brings back a nice nostalgia when you pay respect to the music you are about to play.
Winder – Yes, it is what it is, a key, dedicated to just one song just like a music box. When the key is wound up, the song from the connected smartphone begins to play. It feels like interacting with a clockwork object.
MusicLight – listen to your music as you gaze into a beautiful candle flame. When you light up the candle, the music starts playing from your smartphone. When the flame goes out, the music fades away with an afterglow. That beautiful flame flickers in unison with the sound, very hypnotic.
RhythmBot – This instrument is an evolutionary form of metronome that supports your performance with rhythm. It has four small robots that play unique acoustic sound and they can be linked together to your smartphone to play rhythms to the tempo you are playing. These four little robots can create a rhythm through a session-like style.
