A conceptual thesis project by Hauke Scholz, the MusixCube, is shaking up the industry standard by combining a Rubik’s Cube puzzle design with the typical sound/keyboard associated with mixing electronic music and sounds. Unlike the typical Rubik’s Cube, the MusixCube is designed to enjoy every twist and turn while tapping the surfaces will take you down a magical path of musical creation and in the digital music world in which we now live, there’s no reason to stick to the standard model of using knobs and a mouse.
“The MusixCube is a hand-held controlling device for a given piece of digital music production software. It is meant for stuff like Ableton Live, Logic, etc. and combines several hardware items, like drum computers and other MIDI controllers. The aim of the project is to keep the music creators away from the computer and literally give them controls in their hands. Interaction between the device and music creating apps is based on the Rubik’s Tower.”
– Yanko Design
Sholz chose an interactive, social aesthetic for the cube – designed as an interesting variation on the remote control – wirelessly syncing with music production software, allowing you to compose from your sofa.
Is it the most efficient system possible to create music? Certainly not, but that was never Scholz’s intent. In getting producers away from their PCs, Scholz wants to remove the influence of the grids and timelines found in most production software. “It’s more feeling the music than generating and arranging it,” he explains. (Though notably, the mix can always be fine-tuned later at a computer.)
When you first touch the cube, its primary layer is the group (your instrumentation options), then you turn it to find samples (your basic beats). By flipping the cube again and again, you can add more layers of sound (reaching a maximum of five). And by shaking, hitting, or twisting the device, you do things like add effects or access the options. As the mix grows more complex, the once-dark cube becomes a glittering show of light and color.
– Fast Co.
Right now, there are two prototype series of the MusixCube – both containing some of the ideal final product’s core functionality and while the designer recognizes that building the complete MusixCube would be a “great challenge,” but with the right engineering and creative team, he’d like to make that happen.
