Auro Mea Ta'alo · 2025

Project Xylo Masini Midi

by Kevin Yang

A' Design Award Auro 2025 in Mea Ta'alo
CLIENT: Royal College of Art
Estimated Number of Design Views: 119,603
Verification code EABB9A7B67 · Verify this award

View at A' Design Award Press Release

Colors

About Project Xylo Masini Midi

O le Project Xylo e toe fa'afouga le fesoota'iga midi e ala i se tulaga fa'ata'aloga ma fa'aagafesootai mo le faia o musika. E avanoa i tulaga tomai uma, ma fa'afaigofie ai le faia o fati ma le fa'atino fa'atasi o leo ma le saoasaoa. O katiresi e mafai ona sui ma masini e mafai ona fa'apipi'i vave fa'atasi e lagolagoina le galulue fa'atasi, ae o le mamanu tuai ma vaevae e fa'aleleia le fa'aogaina ma le aulelei. O le Project Xylo o se fa'asologa o masini midi fe'avea'i ua fuafuaina mo le faia o musika i aso taitasi, ma e ofoina atu i lapopoa e tolu: sample, tote, ma midi.

About the A' Design Award Auro

O le A' Design Award Auro na manumalo ai Project Xylo Masini Midi, o se faamaoniga matuā mamalu e tuuina atu i mamanu o le tulaga muamua, matagofie ma maoaʻe. O ē manumalo i le Auro o galuega fou tele, matuā vaai i le lumanaʻi ma susulu e faaalia ai le atamai, le poto ma le tomai o tagata mamanu. E faamoemoeina Project Xylo Masini Midi e avea ma mea fou e matuā vivii, e faatulaga ai uiga fou ma tetele, e tuuina mai ai se tau e leʻi iai muamua. O lenei mamanu na manumalo i le A' Design Award Auro o se galuega ofoofogia, ua faaaloalogia, e aogā tele ma tuleia atu tapulaʻa o le faatufugaga, saienisi, mamanu ma tekonolosi. Project Xylo Masini Midi e fatuina ai lagona malosi o le manaʻo, faaosofia le tuinanau, faalauiloa le fatufatuaʻi ma faamalosia i tatou.

Press Kit

Unique Properties: Project xylo is a series of portable midi devices designed for everyday music creation, offered in three sizes: sample, pocket, and midi. The goal is to gamify music composition, making it a social and accessible experience.

Design targeted to simplify beat-making with harmonic and tempo consonance, bridging knowledge gaps. Its nostalgic trading cartridges let users share custom sounds and compositions; devices sync to create collaborative music, turning users into part of a band's performance.
Dimensions & Packaging: XYLO Midi (Large Size): 195mm W x 92mm L x 20mm H
XYLO Pocket (Medium Size): 60mm W x 92mm L x 20mm H
XYLO Sample (Mini Size): 30mm W x 92mm L x 20mm H
Tags: Midi Device, Game, Nostalgic
Production Technology: Project XYLO undergoes prototyping using FDM printing to refine form, button layout, component placement, and device co-collab precision. The final SLA-printed model was sandblasted for a semi-transparent, Game Boy-like CMF, it went through multiple resin transparency tests to balance component visibility while maintaining the surface texture. Transitioning all electronics into the compact housing was challenging. The prototyping program, built via GODOT and run on Raspberry Pi Zero (ARM64), it faced limitations but was tested for basic functions and graphic capability.
Design Challenge: First, achieving the nostalgic semi-transparent shell required multiple CMF testing to balance resin transparency and sandblasting.

Second, developing the program and structuring the BOM to fit components was difficult due to housing size.

Third, balancing appearance with performance was tough—ESP32 lacked graphics power, leading to a switch to Raspberry Pi Zero.

XYLO underwent rapid iterations to address these, though production remains uncertain due to design complexity.
Research: XYLO’s research simplified music composition by categorizing sound into SFX, beats, chords, and melodies. The goal was to create an intuitive tool that ensures harmonic and tempo consonance for easy beat-making and collaboration. Through sound collection, prototyping, and applied to cohort surveys, insights showed that structured tempo enhances harmony and rhythm accessibility, forming the foundation for XYLO.
Inspiration: Project XYLO was conceived to democratize music creation by transforming MIDI operations into an engaging, portable, and social experience. Inspired by the desire to lower barriers in music composition, XYLO aimed to gamify the process, making it accessible to enthusiasts of all skill levels. Design focused on integrating harmonic and tempo consonance to facilitate intuitive beat-making. Additionally, nostalgic trading cartridges reference classic game consoles, making it fun and easy to share.
Project Duration: The project started in March 2024 and prototyped in May 2024, it is a student project at Royal College of Art, London, UK.
Operation Flow: XYLO makes music creation fun and accessible by transforming complex MIDI operations into an intuitive, hands-on experience. Users record, mix, and shape beats using simple button and slider controls, with harmonic and tempo frameworks ensuring accessible music-making. Swappable cartridges add a nostalgic touch for easy sound sharing. Devices snap together for instant sync, turning solo play into a collaborative jam—like forming a digital band anywhere.
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Yunmu Bai and Yan Qing, XYLO, 2024.
Image #2: Photographer Yunmu Bai and Yan Qing, XYLO, 2024.
Image #3: Photographer Yunmu Bai and Yan Qing, XYLO, 2024.
Image #4: Photographer Yunmu Bai and Yan Qing, XYLO, 2024.