We are a team of three students from NITNC (National Institute of Technology, Nagaoka College, in Japan). In July 2023, our team was formed and started a project “Developing a device that adds various sounds to daily life”.
By September, our project was selected for “ETSUZAN”, which is one of the IT engineer discovery and development programs led by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
With the theme of “Synthesizing Sound with Everyday Life”, we have been creating prototypes that add sound effects to various scenarios, including everyday actions like walking and running, as well as during presentations, comedy, and cheering moments.
Here is a brief introduction to our team members:
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Rin Watanabe
NITNC, Electrical and Mechanical Systems Engineering Advanced Course, 2nd grade
Software designer, Audio engine
Keisuke Shimada
NITNC, Mechanical Engineering, 5th grade
Software designer, motion detection
Seitaro Fujimoto
NITNC, Mechanical Engineering, 5th grade
Hardware designer
Shotaro Kataoka
Project Manager, Software designer
The pivotal moment came with the creation of a music-oriented prototype. Rin, a dedicated team member, brings a fervent passion for music and a background in music production.
Reflecting on the experience, Rin shares:
“Traditionally, there have been two main avenues to music production: playing an instrument or using music production software. Playing an instrument requires not only a financial investment in the equipment but also a significant time investment to master the necessary skills. I am one of many who have experienced the frustration of trying and failing to acquire these skills. Consequently, I turned to the second option: purchasing music production software and mastering the art of digital composition. Although I devoted considerable time to learning this craft and was able to shape my ideas into music, the process was time-consuming. Capturing fleeting musical ideas that come to mind can be incredibly challenging, and it often led to painful struggles. These conventional methods present high barriers—they are either too expensive, not intuitive, or both, making music production inaccessible to many. Indeed, I've seen numerous individuals around me, interested in music creation, give up for these very reasons. The joy of expressing emotions through an instrument and the pleasure of conveying one's thoughts in the form of a song should be experiences shared with more people. With this belief, we were compelled to develop 'Synthevery,' a new approach to music production. It is our conviction that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy and share the delight of creating music. And so, with 'Synthevery,' we are determined to make that possibility a reality.”
Guided by our firm belief, we developed a music-oriented prototype that earned high praise from our team and the "ETSUZAN" community. Discovering that our device could spread the joy of music-making to a broader audience, we felt compelled to share our creation with the world and thus launched a crowdfunding campaign.
"Synthevery" marks our first product, and we are excited to share it with everyone!
