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Indemand

Muro Box-N40: Programmable Mechanical Music Box

This music box plays unlimited melodies you create/collect like your exclusive pianist!

2 Campaigns |

New Taipei City, Taiwan

$242,116 USD by 193 backers

$186,372 USD by 157 backers on Nov 25, 2023 with another platform

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FAQ

Updates 16

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Highlights

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Since the invention of the music box 200+ years ago, countless effort has been invested in creating music boxes that can change tunes, but no one has been able to design a truly practical mechanism for changing songs. As a result, the selection of music box tunes was limited and unable to meet people's diverse listening needs nowadays.

It wasn't until the first-generation Muro Box-N20 was born that its patented mechanism broke the limitation of traditional music box design.

By pairing the Muro Box (music box) with our exclusive app, you can now search for songs, create your playlists, and compose new music to be played live by the music box. You can even schedule the music box playlists to play at different times as you wish!

Our previous N20 campaigns in Taiwan, US (on Indiegogo in 2020), Japan and Korea have reached 500 K USD!

The first-generation Muro Box-N20 (with 20 notes on a diatonic scale) cannot fully present the beauty of people's unforgettable melodies that require flats and sharps. Due to petitions from our global customers, we decided to develop the Muro Box-N40, expanding the range to 40 notes to accommodate all of your favorite songs from different generations.

The N20 Lite Battery Version will not be available during this Indiegogo indemand campaign. This new model will be our future product after we complete shipping for all of the N40 backers.

Top-tier music boxes often utilize multiple combs in order to create the effect of simultaneously producing two tones with the same pitch, differing by 14 cents in frequency. (100 cents = 1 semitone)

Due to the physical properties of sound wave interference, the combined sound will continuously fluctuate in volume based on the difference in frequencies, creating a perceived tremolo effect.

This is the unique effect known as “Sublime Harmony”, exclusive to top-tier music boxes.

We place an additional comb on the opposite side of the cylinder, designed to move downward, both combs—one moving upward and one moving downward—will be activated simultaneously.

Like the sound of heavenly music, each note is played simultaneously by 2 combs (vibration plates) differing by 14 cents. We meticulously remastered the premium mechanical musc box with 4 combs to showcase its exquisite craftsmanship.

The wood grain of Acacia is prone to warping due to its spiral structure, and it’s difficult to be shaped due to its hardness. However, after undergoing heat modification to prevent deformation, it emerges as the optimal tonewood choice, distinguished by its high strength and density.

The box is crafted from thermally modified Taiwanese Acacia Confusa wood, aged over 60 years, paired with hand-applied wood wax to preserve its naturally emanating caramel aroma.

With a minimalist design, the entire base is crafted from solid brass, harkening back to the authentic origins of music boxes from two centuries ago. The warm-toned metallic texture exudes understated luxury, embodying the charm of classical simplicity.

If customized music arrangement still cannot convey your feeling thoroughly, we employ personalized laser engraving design to fulfill your wish.
The N40 Sublime edition is our flagship version, and its price encompasses a customized laser-engraved metal plate and a customized two-minute-long music arrangement service.

Using 2 combs (vibration plates) to cover notes in a chromatic scale to truly satisfy musician's composition needs and faithfully representing meaningful songs in your memories.

The traditional music box base is crafted from zinc alloy to produce warm and mellow sounds.

Following the N20 series, classical maple wood is chosen for N40 Standard to provide a neutral sound without adding extra tonal quality. You have the freedom to choose your own resonance box that meets your expectation, allowing the N40 to showcase your unique taste.

Both N40 Sublime and N40 Standard support Din 5 midi and USB-C midi signals, offering greater convenience for music enthusiasts to create their own music!

The N40 scale spans nearly 4 octaves. Every whole tone and semitone are continuously included from D4 to C7, while the lower range part F3-C4 is discontinuous, and some semitones (F#3, G#3, A#3, and C#3) are not included. To understand why we chose to exclude these four semitones, please refer to this Muro Box-N40 update #8.

Want to know the sound quality? How to use our app? What are the songs in our library? Everything you wish to know is answered in the following online testing instruction.

You will be surprised to see how you can remotely control the prototype of Muro Box-N40 Sublime/ Standard in our office located in New Taipei City, Taiwan!

1. Download our FREE app “Muro Box” from App Store or Google Play.
2. Login the App with Account and Password shown in the stream.
3. Remember to turn on your speaker from the screen of the live stream window. Check out thousands of melodies shared by our global music box community.

** To get the best experience, use a desktop or second phone to watch the live stream video when your mobile is operating the Muro Box app.

Complete 360-degree close contact, where all the mechanisms’ mysteries are touchable by your fingers.

Continuing the classic imagery of “square within circle, circle within square” from the N20 series. All-metal mechanism and one-piece solid wood box form the impressive 3.5kg (N40 Sublime) and 2.4kg (N40 Standard) music boxes!

After our Muro Box-N20 was released in the market, we came to understand that due to the profound historical and cultural significance of music boxes, musicians from all around the world are seeking programmable music boxes as a medium for their creative endeavors.

Due to the limitations of the mechanism, arranging music for music boxes is a task that is nearly impossible to accomplish in reality. It is expensive and comes with numerous compositional constraints.

Both N40 models come with the DIN 5 MIDI input and USB-C MIDI input (Host/Device Mode), allowing you to connect the Muro Box-N40 to any MIDI devices.

All Muro Box models support MIDI signal transmission via Bluetooth.

By using a designated free app, you can turn your phone’s keyboard into a controller and enjoy improvising on the music box!

You can also use music composition software on your computer to wirelessly control the Muro Box via Bluetooth: https://murobox.com/en/faq/app-tutorial-07/#Bluetooth

Watch a live demo video of this function:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79RfnLmwjLU

I’m a diamond/multi-platinum and award-winning music producer from Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. I have a few music boxes here in the studio that I would use to sample because I like the sound.

But a traditional music box isn’t flexible. I couldn’t play the melodies I was hearing in my head with a traditional music box. Having a Muro Box is handy, and makes my job in the studio way easier, because I can play exactly what I am hearing.

Hi, I’m Shawn from Lullatone. My wife Yoshimi and I make music as Lullatone. We’ve released a ton of albums and also recorded songs for films and videos.

I’m a big fan of the Muro Box – the amazing electro-acoustic mechanical music box that lets you play your own melodies on its tines. You can connect MIDI keyboards, use their app or even send the notes to play from your DAW (like Ableton, etc). The new Resonance Box makes your music box melodies louder, deeper and richer. You can check out the videos I made with my own Muro Box here.

Muro Box App supports searching tracks from Music Box Maniacs (MBM) for free! The rich music collection made by global music box fans can be found easily in our app.

Muro Box -N40 can access thousands of free melodies shared on Music Box Maniacs Library.

Press the knob, music box can play an offline playlist without Internet connection!

All of the family members who have paired with the same Muro Box can edit an exclusive offline playlist for this music box. You can add or remove songs and adjust the order. Press the knob, and the music box will play songs in the offline playlist without Internet connection!

Turning the knob to select the songs. It's so easy!

If you haven’t ordered our customized music arrangement service, the music box will include 30 official complimentary tracks in the offline playlist. There will be famous classical music and children’s songs as well as some original music.

If you have ordered our music arrangement service, the melody you requested will be added to the offline playlist, while the initial 30 complimentary tracks we made will be stored in the online playlist for you. This allows you to directly play your customized melody by pressing the knob after you or the gift receiver unboxes the product. Your customized melody playing from the music box will touch his/her heart with a surprise!

15 free songs for Muro Box-N40 music box as the default official playlist

After you select the add-on for customized melody/engraving service, we will email you a survey form to submit your requests.

Developed and manufactured by Tevofy Technology Ltd. located in Taiwan, the product has achieved stable sales in over 50 countries worldwide and deserved your trust.

Every Muro Box is a unique piece of craftsmanship that deserves your close appreciation.

Each vibration plate (comb) contains 20 different notes, and each note’s plucking action requires the precise assembly of 6 intricate components to control its movement. 120 tiny components form a 20-note cylinder, and one unit of Muro Box-N20 product comprises over 500 components.

You may not know that, in the past, about 40 percent of music box movements in the world were actually made in Taiwan. Starting from producing music box movements for a Japanese brand as their OEM partner, Kyooh Precision Industry Co. Ltd. has absorbed the Japanese brand’s technology and know-how, allowing Kyooh to develop more intricate models.

Thanks to Kyooh’s mentorship on music box movement design and production, we (Tevofy Technology Ltd.) can invent the world’s first and only app-controlled music box and bring it to life.

My dad purchased the Muro Box for me as a wedding present for my wedding in June 2019. The Muro Box came ready to play “You’ll Be in My Heart” by Phil Collins, our special song since I was a little girl. He would always play Phil Collins’ CD in the car; my dad, sister, and I would sing along, driving with the windows down in the summertime. We had every word memorized!

I’m willing to pay as much as an antique or modern big music box (which also comes around 2000 euros or more) for Muro Box-N40! I’m going to try to convert some of my songs into N40 format in the coming time.
As for arranging songs, I’ve written guides on how to arrange songs (plus some basic music theory). With some adjustments it could be usable to share with future N40 users as well. The guide was co-written by Musicboxrox, and reviewed by several music box enthusiasts.

*Shipping fee will be charged after campaign ends based on actual quote.
*VAT import tax is not included. If you need additional assistance regarding import tax, please email us.

We offer a one-year limited warranty, which covers the product itself but no other accessories. The one-year warranty period is calculated from the product shipment date. The one-year free warranty only covers product material or assembly defects and does not cover damage repairs caused by improper use by consumers. We offer a three-year limited maintenance. Freight and maintenance fees will be calculated separately based on actual conditions.

Please note: If you need maintenance and inspection, please do not disassemble the music box by yourself. Please take photos/videos and send us a letter to inform us first to evaluate the cause of the problem. If you need to send it back for repair, we will first check your purchase and shipping time, and tell you whether it falls within the scope of the one-year and three-year warranty. The one-year warranty and three-year limited warranty service of this product are only available to customers who purchase it through our company or designated cooperative channels.

“Telling Your Stories with Technology” is our vision because we hope that technology not only brings us convenience in life, but also shortens the distance between people. Therefore, we invented the music box that can play your own memories. We hope the music box will become each family’s heirloom to preserve their own unique memories.

Dr. Chen-Hsiang Feng & Dr. Shiao-Chen Tsai

After receiving our doctoral degrees in the US, we decided to integrate our expertise in engineering and education to start our own company. A tiny music box we bought in Austria when we first knew each other was the seed that inspired our startup dream. While we were recalling our shared memories in the past 10 years, we decided to redesign its cylinder to let it play more melodies of our own choices, and then our product development journey began in 2016.

My first job after getting my doctoral degree in Electrical Engineering was at Intel's headquarters in Silicon Valley. At that time, I didn't really know what entrepreneurship was all about. I had a close colleague with extensive work experience who would often talk about the various adventures he had experienced in a startup company. Compared to the stable nine-to-five life in a big corporation, the stories of startup companies were incredibly intriguing to me.

Since the project I wanted to work on was related to hardware, I made the determined choice to return to Taiwan, my home country, to start my own business. From the very beginning, I was focused on combining technology with culturally meaningful themes.

Coincidentally, my wife, Dr. Shiao-Chen Tsai, and I had bought a music box when we first met during our summer exchange program in Austria. It could only play a short segment of Mozart's "Eine kleine Nachtmusik," and we couldn't change the song, so it was a bit disappointing. This memorable music box was forgotten in our storage for many years. Because of this connection, we wanted to make the music box play songs that held our shared memories.

The journey of the app-controlled/MIDI controlled music box, Muro Box, is far from over. We hope that you will join us in the next phase of our adventure: the development of the N40!

Read Our Tech Crunch Report: http://techcrunch.com/2019/05/31/muro-is-a-retro-style-cylinder-music-box-you-control-with-an-app/

Welcome to email us to get your media kit: support@tevofy.com

Feel free to share the videos and images published in our Muro Box Global Facebook page and Instagram for spreading the news of our Kickstarter campaign.