This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.
1. THE BEGINNING
This innovation came to life when…
The founder, Joshua Young, moved to Berlin, where his love of acoustic music – rooted in the very immediate connection between musicians and their instrument – led to frustration when he came into contact with the city’s electronic music scene.
Because of the indirect physical relationship between these electronic musicians and their sounds, he couldn’t tell if they were performing live or checking their email!
This inspired him to start tearing apart old music hardware to build interfaces that would give electronic musicians a more expressive physical way of shaping their sounds, ultimately leading to the AUUG Motion Synth design which was launched in 2013.
2. WHAT & HOW
The purpose of this innovation is to…
Allow first-timer players to enjoy an expressive experience of playing music within minutes rather than months of practice time, and provide professional musicians with a deeper level of interaction with their sounds and connection with their audience.
It does this by…
Transforming your iPhone or iPod touch into an intuitive and expressive motion-controlled musical instrument, through the combination of a tactile hand grip attachment and iOS app that converts motion and touch into signals for controlling other sound apps, laptop sound software, or MIDI gear.
We have video demonstrations on our website.
3. PURPOSE & BENEFITS
This innovation improves on what came before because…
By being a ‘virtual instrument’ (i.e. incorporating free motion for control) this makes its use extremely configurable, allowing beginners to keep things very simple and engaging to start with, and then increase the level of complexity as soon as they feel ready for the challenge of greater expressive control, providing a low barrier-to-entry path to mastery if desired.
Its various benefits to the customer/end-user include…
Being a way of playing sounds that is more intuitive, easier to learn, and far more engaging for the professional musician and their audience due to the compelling connection between sight and sound.
4. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
In the past, this problem was solved by…
In the music market, example competitors are modifications of the piano keyboard where the key layout becomes a continuous two-dimensional playing surface. Two‑dimensional keyboard surfaces implemented on touch screens could also be considered competitors.
While no one else has combined software/hardware in the way the Motion Synth does, others have tried to use motion sensors in smartphones for music.
Its predecessors/competitors include…
The MIDI keyboard (through its use of a modulation wheel), the Leap Motion controller, the MYO armband, and data glove type devices.
5. TARGET MARKET
It is made for…
Professional musicians who use music software on their laptops or mobile devices (predominantly men under 35 who already own an iPhone or iPod touch), professional singers who want to control real-time harmonies of their own voice as well as beginner musicians who already own an iPhone or iPod touch and want to learn a musical instrument for the first time.
It is available for sale through…
Pre-order here and we currently negotiating with distributors for specific countries.
Our marketing strategy is to…
Market predominantly through online videos and social media, live-performances, and word of mouth. We were recently featured in Apple’s latest iPhone ad. We also successfully crowd-funded the product in 2013.
Your Turn — VOTE!
The Readers’ Choice Index was created to provide an opportunity for Anthill readers to vote on SMART 100 applications, in one of three ways:
- Tweet it: Top left of each page (3 points)
- Trigger a Reaction: Facebook ‘Like’, etc (2 points)
- Leave a Comment: Anonymous comments excluded (1 points)
We’ll use your vote to create the 2014 SMART 100 Readers’ Choice Index.
FINE PRINT
This SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity.
