Although I now own a very respectable record collection, to be honest: carefully pulling the LP out of its case, opening the turntable cover, putting the record on the disc, and finally carefully inserting the needle – these are too many steps. Just a song for me to listen to.
And then you’re usually limited to one album by an artist instead of jumping between them like you’re used to from your favorite playlist. Because pressing the play button on Spotify is much more comfortable.
Smartphones become record players
But it is this age-old approach to playing music that a producer now wants to translate into modern times. Yamaha Design Lab has developed some exciting concepts for this purpose under the principle of “Stepping out of the Slate”.
In recent years, thanks to advances in information technology, new music experiences and music accessories have been offered through various smartphone applications. While these services are widely accepted for their convenience and for replacing traditional devices, we believe there is still a desire for a more substantive and tactile interaction that cannot be achieved through touch panel operation.
It includes the “TurnT”, which is reminiscent of a classic turntable. Here a stylus is placed on a smartphone screen to play back a specific point in an album.
Game box with distorted words
Then there is a small play box that can be faithfully linked to a single song and play it if you want. The sound is even slightly distorted to better match the model.
Candles play music
“Musiclight” plays with the elements and acts not only as a loudspeaker, but also as a container. Music plays only when candles are lit. Not only that: “The sound sways subtly as the flame flickers, and the music fades with an afterglow as the flame goes out.”
By the way, these are not just the wild imaginations of bored designers. All prototypes will work, according to Yamaha and can be tested and evaluated for actual use. You can find other ideas originating from the Design Lab Official website Find out. What do you like the most?
