Project Xylo Midi Device

Project XYLO was conceptualized to democratize music creation by bridging the structured world of MIDI with the intuitive, playful nature of gaming. The journey began with a desire to make music-making less intimidating—transforming what is often seen as a technical or niche skill into something engaging and accessible for users of all levels.Drawing inspiration from retro handheld consoles and rhythm-based games, the design introduces familiar interaction patterns—such as swappable cartridges, element-based controls, and portable form factors—that help lower the learning curve. The integration of harmonic and tempo consonance provides users with immediate musical feedback, allowing them to create coherent sounds without prior training. This fusion of gaming and music creation formed the foundation of XYLO: a series of tools that simplify beat-making while encouraging experimentation, collaboration, and joyful learning.

I’ve always been a huge fan of old handheld consoles—their portability and ability to transform any moment into a fully immersive experience left a strong impression on me. The sense of being “in the zone,” wherever you were, became central to XYLO’s design. The semi-transparent shell and Game Boy-inspired aesthetic pay homage to that era, creating an immediate emotional and visual link to classic gaming.The fusion of MIDI functionality with the visual language of handheld consoles was also inspired by the educational rhythm games I grew up with—particularly titles like Rhythm Heaven. These games simplified complex timing and musical ideas into tactile, joyful experiences. By echoing that form factor and nostalgia, XYLO not only spoke out design language visually, but also lowers the intimidation barrier, making music-making feel playful, accessible, and deeply personal.

The swappable cartridges concept was envisioned through a mix of nostalgic practices—drawing from the “burning” culture of the disk era and the “sharing and renting” habits common in the early retro gaming era.With XYLO, my aim for the cartridges is to let users share not just finished tracks, but the actual components that build music: a beat, a rhythm pattern, a timbre, a melody line. Each cartridge holds a unique piece of the musical puzzle. Some carts also contain user-customized instruments, “burned” and fine-tuned like collectible assets, echoing the spirit and physicality of music socializing.