Concept
Motivation
Competition
Requirements
Tech Specs
Architecture
Presentations
Photos
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TEAM 9: SymphonicHarmonics
Spring 2011

MEMBERS

Neereja Sundaresan (nsundare)
Surekha Muralidharan (surekham)
Vikram Rajkumar(vrajkuma)
Wayne Chiang (wchiang)

PROJECT CONCEPT

This project aims to create a portable, flexible, and easy to use musical keyboard that lets users play sounds from many different instruments. In addition, users should be able to save compositions and play them back when desired. The prototype integrates common embedded components such as an Arduino prototyping board, tactile switches, and a Bluetooth modem, along with using an Android phone to play and record music.

MOTIVATION

Many different musical synthesizers and keyboards offer a fun and educational musical experience to both amateurs and experts, but most such devices are often heavy and cumbersome, very limited in functionaliy, or lacking in an enjoyable user interface. This project aims to provide a portable, extensible, and easy to use musical experience that will integrate with your existing smartphone for recording and playback functionality.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Yamaha Keyboards

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical-instruments/keyboards/digitalkeyboards/
Yamaha Keyboards are popular music synthesizers that allow users to play a wide range of instruments along with using different recording and playback options. In comparison, our product is simple, portable, and works with your smartphone.
Roll-able piano keyboards

Roll-able piano keyboards are a class of simple keyboards which focus on mobility and flexibility and allow users to synthesize a variety of instrument sounds. In comparison, our product can be extended to support more instruments, provides more tactile feedback, and interfaces with your smartphone for playback and recording.
Smartphone piano applications

Smartphone piano applications offer users a simple music composition experience directly on their smartphones with decent sound quality and recording capabilities. In comparison, our product provides tactile feedback and provides a larger, easier-to-use interface.

REQUIREMENTS

Lightweight and flexible design
Shall provide at least 3 different types of musical instruments, with the capability to add more
Allow user to record and playback compositions