Muse
A New Stage for Sound
Timeline: 12 weeks“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” - Plato
As someone whose life has been deeply affected by music, it only felt natural that I base my thesis around it and as someone who does their best to implement joy, thoughtfulness, and inclusivity I found it necessary to abide by these personal design principles. The combined result of these two passions is Muse: an audio-visual based stereo system designed to bridge the gap between accessibility and immersion.
Music is Art
Unlike most other mediums of art, music is not experienced through our eyes. Due to its widespread and intangible nature, we may often forget, or downplay its artistic aspects. Despite this, its effects are still impactful to us.
I sent out a survey to better understand other people’s perspectives about music. I asked a variety of questions, both qualitative and quantitative.
Do you feel a personal connection to the music you listen to? Please explain your answer.
“It reflects my emotions and helps me better feel and understand them.”
“Yes, in terms of vibes, not lyrics. The vibes, [and] rhythms could match how my brain feels or wants to feel. Makes me feel understood.”
“Yes, I think good art needs to communicate something, creating a connection between the viewer and the art.”
How often do you listen to music at home?
How often do you listen to music on a speaker/with a speaker system?
Which best describes your current living situation?
What is a rough estimate of your monthly income? (USD)
What takes away from your music listening experience?
Social Pressures
“...other people listening and not enjoying the music, I’m enjoying.”
“Not feeling comfortable enough to sing or dance.”
Acoustics
“Surrounding noise.”
“Having to turn up the volume really loud just to hear it.”
Headphones
“Headphones dying...”
“Uncomfortable headphones...”
What is the furthest you have traveled to see a live show?
Miles
“...50 miles max”
“300 miles”
“500 miles”
Hours
“6 hours”
“3 hour plane ride; 3 hour drive”
“7 hours”
Limited Access to Immersive Music Experiences
One instance where music can be seen in its artistic form is at a live performance. Whether it be a classical symphony or a rock concert there is nothing like experiencing live music. Through my research, however, I found that live music is inaccessible to a large group of people.
Location Bias
image by: Pablo Rosenberg from NounProject
Odds are if you do not live in or around a major city you will have to travel far to see your favorite artist perform. Travel alone is a hassle whether it be by plane or car, but moreover, it is costly.
Income Bias
image by: Solikin from NounProject
Production costs, artist popularity, and general demand for live performances all have a role to play in the increase of concert ticket prices. Furthermore, companies like Ticketmaster which holds majority control over the market, are able to raise the price of tickets that are in high demand.
The Spectrum of Experience
I noticed a gap in the ways music is experienced. Having an interest in experiential design, I saw an opportunity to incorporate immersion in my solution.
This led me to ask the question: How can I provide an immersive music-based experience that is not only accessible but presents music in a more visually engaging way?
When designing with a focus on making immersive experiences it is imperative to address the senses. I chose to focus on 3 of the 5 main senses: sight, sound, and touch.
Sound
The driving sense of my thesis, the sound needed to be demanding and at the forefront of whatever concept I pursued. Everything needed to be based on the auditory experience.
Sight
Outside of aesthetics, it was important for the product to capture the visual attention of the user. It has to be able to appeal to a wide range of people but still be driven by the music.
Touch
The sense of touch is very grounding and acts as a connection between the user and the product. Whatever my product was it had to be tactile, playful, and have some connection to the music.
images by: Jens Tarning from NounProject
Ideation & Prototyping
Ideation
I went through a lengthy and repetitive ideation process. I played with form, and function sketching any concepts that came to mind using my criteria of customization, repairability, and cost-effectiveness to guide me. I ended up taking aspects from many of the other concepts I had come up with and applied them to my final design.
Your music follows you. No matter where you are in your house your tunes will be there with you.
Functional furniture with a built-in stereo to play your music. Saves space and integrates music into your environment. Opportunity to have connectivity with multiple furniture pieces.
An audio-visual experience that is unique to you. This concept generates art that is personal to your listening experience, based on your brain activity.
Prototyping
Prototyping went alongside my ideation process. I would sketch an idea and then build small-scale rudimentary models to better understand it. My prototyping was not constrained to physical models; I also tested the digital aspect of the concept. I experimented with what technology already existed and shaped it to fit the concept.
3 Main Components
Speaker
A lightweight DML speaker designed to be mounted on the wall like a work of art. It has the option of a wired or Bluetooth connection allowing the user to put it anywhere in their home, personalizing it to their environment. It uses a music exciter attached to the back of PET felt and an oak wood frame to complete the body. Its simple construction makes it easy to disassemble to replace a part or change the artwork.
Slide
Twist
Replace
Visualizer
The visualizer projects dynamic images on the wall that move to your music. It can be positioned at 90 degrees for an 8.5” x 11” image or 180 degrees for a 19.5” square image. The computer uses a combination of user input, artificial intelligence, and the music itself to create the images and due to the randomness of AI, no two experiences would be the same.
Artwork inspired by Hymn for the Weekend - Coldplay (feat. Beyonce) made using Midjourney and Photoshop
Audio-visualizer of Latch - Disclosure (feat. Sam Smith) made using Blender
Amplifier
The amp is the brain of the system controlling the other components. It plugs into the wall and can provide charge to the other two components when necessary. It comes with standard features: master volume, treble, mid, and bass adjustments, and a left/right balance slider.
This is an ongoing project for me, and I plan to continue building upon what I have done thus far. I had so much fun getting to this point and can’t wait to see how Muse evolves from here.
To be continued…
User Interactivity
pendant
motion sensors
share experiences
Artist Collaborations
limited edition visualizers
concert sync
Compatibility
stereo compatibility
color changing lights
Further Customization
speaker art
size options