Introduction to Muro Box App Features
Arrange Your Own Melodies
Still struggling to turn your favorite melodies into music box tones, or to create punched paper scores for a traditional paper-strip music box? With the free Muro Box App, you can create arrangements and export them using only your phone.
This tutorial will help you master:
- Basic Operations and Techniques: Quickly get familiar with interface gestures and the Mute Mark feature.
- Model Specifications and Limitations: Understand the differences in pitch range among N20, N40, and the paper-strip model, along with the maximum number of simultaneous notes and restrictions on repeated strikes of the same note, to avoid stuck notes.
- Free Export and Preview: Supports exporting MIDI, PDF, and DXF files; even without purchasing a Muro Box, you can connect to a cloud-connected physical music box for real-time preview.
Whether you are a beginner in music theory or a professional creator, you can get started easily by following the steps.
Download the Muro Box App for free:
Table of Contents
Initial Settings
Add Arrangement
Open the Muro Box app, tap the pen-and-staff icon in the bottom menu to open the "Compose" page, tap the plus sign in the upper-right corner, and select "Create melody in the app".
Song Information Settings
① Enter the song information and specify an image.
- Enter the song title and description, and select a song image.
- The song image will appear in two places: as the “song preview image” and as the “background” during song playback.
② Select the Melody Scale
Different pitch ranges correspond to specific music box models and their melodic expressiveness:
*Middle C = C3 = 261.6 Hz
- Muro Box-N20 Programmable Music Box, the Grand Illusions 20 paper-strip music boxes (20 notes)
- Natural notes from C3 to A5 (white keys only).
- Suitable for most pop music.
- Natural notes from C3 to A5 (white keys only).
- Muro Box-N40 Programmable Music Box (40 notes)
- F2 to C6 (includes semitones, but excludes F#2, G#2, A#2, and C#3)
- It is suitable for most popular music and offers a wider range. It can also be used to play more complex pieces, such as classical music, modern pop songs that require key changes, and film scores (only the lowest four semitones are missing; the rest is a continuous scale).
- F2 to C6 (includes semitones, but excludes F#2, G#2, A#2, and C#3)
- Grand Illusions 30-Note Paper Strip Music Box (30 notes)
- These are the notes marked on the paper strip, making it easy to sight-read and punch directly while referring to sheet music in C major.
- Range: C2–E3 (naturals only) + F3–B4 (fully chromatic) + C5, D5, E5 (naturals only)
- Suitable for most pop music and film scores.
- These are the notes marked on the paper strip, making it easy to sight-read and punch directly while referring to sheet music in C major.
Grand Illusions 30 (F Scale)
This is the actual sounding pitch produced by the Grand Illusions music box. Applicable uses: as a reference when playing in an ensemble with other instruments, using MIDI software to transcribe, tuning, or confirming the actual audible pitch.
Range: F2 to G3 (Natural notes) + A3 to E5 (Full chromatic scale) + F5, G5, A5 (Natural notes)
Suitable for most pop music and film scores.
💡Why does the Grand Illusion 30 music box come in both F and C versions? See the appendix for an explanation.
- Kikkerland 15 punched paper strip music box (15 notes)
- C3 to C5 (Natural notes only).
- Suitable for simple melodies and children’s songs (no semitones).
- C3 to C5 (Natural notes only).
- Wintergatan 20 (20 notes)
- C3 to A5 (Natural notes) plus A♯3 and A♯4.
- This corresponds to the “Giant Marble Music Machine” (Marble Machine), hand-built by the Swedish electronic folk band Wintergatan. It is a special-purpose device that is not commercially available, so its range is not listed in the table below.
- C3 to A5 (Natural notes) plus A♯3 and A♯4.
- For detailed range information, see the table below:
▲Click the image to enlarge
③ Set Style and Rhythm
Music style: If you select a suitable style, doing so can increase the chance of your work being found under that category after publication. Multiple selections are allowed.
Set the rhythm (time signature) and tempo (BPM) for this song to establish its basic musical groove.
- Because the arrangement interface in the Muro Box App is inherently based on the number of beats as its fundamental unit, we have simplified the time signature setting to the two most common options: four-beat and three-beat. This setting serves only as a record of the creator's song information; it does not affect how the arrangement screen is displayed, nor does it affect the actual performance of the song in any way.
④ Enable Length Limit
Once you enable the “Enable Length Limit,” you can set a custom length for the piece (for example, set it to 2 minutes). For any notes that exceed that duration, the app will automatically mark them as “red notes,” and they will not be played.
When Would You Use the “Enable Limit”?
Exporting Punched Paper Strip Creations: Physical paper strips involve length and cost considerations, so setting the total duration helps you accurately calculate paper strip usage and the punching range.
Planning for Specific Playback Scenarios: For example, when creating music for short videos, wedding background music, or performance segments, you need precise control over the exact point at which the piece ends.
Reminder: The Muro Box N20 and N40 themselves have no length limit whatsoever during playback.
With its patented movement design, the Muro Box Programmable Music Box completely breaks free from the constraints of piece length and number of pieces, delivering a playing experience with unlimited length and unlimited repertoire. This is the product’s most essential innovative breakthrough.
The “Enable Length Limit” built into the app is a flexible auxiliary tool designed specifically for punched paper strip production or other special arrangement needs, allowing you to flexibly control and manage the length of your work.
⑤ Visibility
- Public:
- Everyone can search for and view them in the App’s public music library.
- You can use Share feature to generate a dedicated link that can be opened and listened to.
- Everyone can search for and view them in the App’s public music library.
- Unlisted:
- You can use the share feature to generate an exclusive link and open it to listen.
- Invisible protection: This song will not appear in the public song library, so no one can find it by searching.
- Only those who receive the exclusive link (for example, friends you send it to in a private message) can open it to see and hear it.
- When to use: Set this when you do not want to make it public to the entire world but want to share it with a select few.
- You can use the share feature to generate an exclusive link and open it to listen.
- Private:
- Only you can see it.
- Even if you generate a dedicated link for someone else, it will be invalid or show nothing when they open it.
- Only you can see it.
⑥ Save
Once you have confirmed that all song information has been set, simply click the "→" icon in the upper right corner to save and exit the settings page and proceed to the song editing screen.
After entering the editing screen, you can return to the settings page at any time to change the settings.
Understanding the App’s Arrangement Interface
On the arrangement screen, you will see a grid packed with cells. There are two aspects to keep in mind:
① Vertical Direction — Pitch
The left side displays letters and numbers (for example, C3 and D3). In the world of music arrangement, we use note names: C = Do, D = Re, E = Mi, F = Fa, G = Sol, A = La, and B = Si. The larger the number beside the note name, the higher the pitch.
② Horizontal Direction – Beat
The ruler-like scale at the top represents the progression of time. The numbers on the scale indicate the beat number (for example, 1 indicates beat 1, and 2 indicates beat 2). The finer grid lines between each beat further divide a beat into smaller subdivisions.
The arrangement interface provided by the Muro Box App supports subdivisions as small as 1/16 of a beat (in a typical song in 4/4 time, this is equivalent to a 64th note), allowing for very fine rhythmic control.
Important note: if you usually use a DAW for arranging, be aware that the numbers here indicate the beat number, not the measure number commonly shown in DAW interfaces.
Introduction to the Toolbar
The toolbar above, from left to right, contains the following items:
① ✕ (Leave)
② ↶ ↷ (Undo / Redo)
③ ▶ (Play, Pause)
④ ♬ (Triplet Mode)
After entering Triplet mode, the grid will switch from the original 16 divisions per beat to 12 divisions per beat, allowing rhythms to be arranged in three equal subdivisions.
⑤ 🎚️ (Settings)
After entering the track settings page, you can reconfigure a track's cover photo, title, description, musical range, style, rhythm, tempo, total duration limit, and permission settings, as well as delete the track.
⑥ Save
Edit Notes
Arrange music on your phone: with just a few gestures, you can record inspiration at any time.
① Add and Delete Notes
Click directly on the grid to add a note; click the note again to delete it.
② Drag to Move
Press and hold the note, then drag it freely to a different point in time or pitch.
③ Mute Toggle
- Double-click (tap twice) on a note to switch it from a normal note to a ⬜ gray muted note; double-click again to restore it.
- Muted notes remain on the screen as markers but are not played, and both undo and redo are supported.
- Applicable use cases:
- Auditioning and comparing
During the arrangement process, if you are unsure whether a note or a melodic passage is needed, there is no need to delete it outright. Set it to muted and play back the piece to quickly compare the difference between having that note and not having it. - Drafts and placeholder markers
When jotting down an idea or reserving a position for a note, you can first switch the notes you are not yet sure about to gray. This preserves your creative inspiration without affecting the current playback. - Preserving layout and structure
When adjusting the beat or copying a passage, muted notes can serve as visual reference points for alignment, so that you can avoid deleting them outright and losing track of the original time position.
- Auditioning and comparing
④ Select, Copy, Paste
Select
Click the timeline to select a short segment. The first click on the timeline selects a one-beat range (the numbers on the gray horizontal axis indicate the number of beats).Select a Larger Range
Clicking elsewhere on the timeline selects a larger range in units of beats.Copy
Click “Copy” to copy all notes contained in the selected range. The clipboard records the content and length of the copied segment.Paste
Clicking “Paste” pastes the content of the previously copied passage from the starting beat position of the current selection. This action replaces this segment’s original arrangement.Deselect
Click outside the selected range to deselect it.
⑤ 🟥 Red notes (invalid-note warning)
When a drawn note exceeds the physical limits of the music box mechanism, the app automatically marks it in red as a reminder. Red notes will not be played.
Red notes appear mainly in the following situations:
A. Exceeding the "maximum number of notes that can be played simultaneously"
The number of sounding teeth on a music box comb is limited, so there is an upper limit on the number of notes that can be played simultaneously at any given moment. The specification limits for each movement are as follows:
- Maximum of 7 notes: N20, K15, WG20, GI20, MB20
- Maximum of 10 notes: N40, GI30, GI30F, MB40
B. Insufficient Spacing Between Notes of the Same Pitch
- Muro Box and most paper-strip models: (Muro Box N20, N40, Grand Illusion 20, Kikkerland 15, Wintergatan 20)
- Consecutive-strike limit: up to 5 per second (300 per minute).
- Risk of missed notes (♩ ≥ 75 BPM): at a tempo of 75 BPM or higher, repeated 16th notes on the same pitch may be missed because the mechanism cannot return in time.
- Consecutive-strike limit: up to 5 per second (300 per minute).
- 30-note paper-strip models:
Grand Illusion 30, Grand Illusion 30 F scale- Consecutive-strike limit: up to 2 per second (120 per minute).
- Risk of missed notes (♩ ≥ 60 BPM): at a tempo of 60 BPM or higher, repeated eighth notes on the same pitch may be missed because the mechanism cannot return in time.
- Consecutive-strike limit: up to 2 per second (120 per minute).
※ Note on software alerts: The App’s consecutive-strike detection warning currently uses a threshold of 5 per second. If you are using a 30-note paper-strip model, the App will not proactively display a warning, but during physical operation the hardware still has return-time limits; when arranging, please pay particular attention to the tempo setting.
C. Maximum song duration exceeded
If you have set a "Maximum Song Length" for a song, any notes that exceed this limit will be marked in red, indicating that they will not be played.
Arrangement Notes: The Physical Limits of a Music Box
Whether traditional music boxes that play punched paper strips or the Muro Box, the core of sound production is a physical mechanical structure. Understanding each model's pitch-range specifications and physical limits is the crucial first step in perfectly transforming a musical piece into crisp, clear tones.
Performance Limitations by Music Box Model at a Glance
*Middle C = C3 = 261.6 Hz
| Model Name | Pitch Range Specifications | Pitch Range | Same-Note Repeat Limit | Simultaneous Note Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muro Box 20 / Grand Illusion 20 | 20 notes | Natural notes from C3 to A5 (white keys only) | At most 5 times per second (approximately once every 0.2 seconds) | 7 notes |
| Muro Box 40 | 40 notes | F2 to C6 (includes semitones, but excludes F#2, G#2, A#2, and C#3) | At most 5 times per second (approximately once every 0.2 seconds) | 10 notes |
| Grand Illusion 30 | 30 Notes | C2–E3 (naturals only) + F3–B4 (fully chromatic) + C5, D5, E5 (naturals only) | Up to 2 times per second (approximately once every 0.5 seconds) | 10 notes |
| Grand Illusion 30 (F scale) | 30 Notes (Key of F) | F2 to G3 (Natural notes) + A3 to E5 (Full chromatic scale) + F5, G5, A5 (Natural notes) | Up to 2 times per second (approximately once every 0.5 seconds) | 10 notes |
| Kikkerland 15 | 15 notes | C3 to C5 (Natural notes only) | At most 5 times per second (approximately once every 0.2 seconds) | 7 notes |
| Wintergatan 20 | 20 notes | C3 to A5 (Natural notes) plus A♯3 and A♯4 | At most 5 times per second (approximately once every 0.2 seconds) | 7 notes |
Comparison Table of Musical Ranges by Music Box Model
Volume and sustain duration: cannot be changed through arrangement.
In the world of music boxes, volume and sustain are determined by the physical impact between the mechanical plucking pins and the metal comb. For this reason, these two parameters are not set during arrangement. You may also notice that in the arrangement interface of the Muro Box App, every note is of equal length; this is the reason.
Save, Share, Export
Once you have completed a melody to your satisfaction, the Muro Box app provides comprehensive saving, sharing, and export features. Your musical creations can not only be stored in the cloud and shared with friends and family at any time, but also be transformed at any time into the crisp tones of a physical music box.
Save Arrangement
Once you have finished arranging the notes, press “Save” in the upper-right corner to save the file.
Arrangement Sharing (Generates an Online Song Library URL)
Would you like your family and friends to hear your work? You can share it easily through the online song library URL:
- Leave the editor and return to the “Compose” list. Tap the menu to the right of the song (the three-dot icon) and select “Share this Melody.” The system will automatically generate a dedicated URL.
Before sharing, go to the song settings and set the privacy setting to “Public” or “Anyone with the link” so that sharing works properly.
If you want to pause sharing later, select “Stop Sharing.” The link will become inactive, but the song’s permission status will not be affected.
To hide the song completely, change the permission to “Private.”
💡What can song sharing be used for?
- Romantic confessions and holiday gifting: On a birthday, Valentine’s Day, or an anniversary, personally compose a song with special meaning for that person, include the URL on a card or in a QR code, and give it to them. When they open it, they will hear a heartfelt music box melody made just for them.
- Community interaction and showcases: Share the link to your work in music communities or player groups to exchange arrangement ideas with Muro Box creators around the world and collect comments and feedback.
- Convenient Remote Listening: Even without a physical Muro Box on hand, you can send the link to a friend at any time and let them listen to your latest musical ideas directly on their phone.
Free export in multiple formats
Go back to the “Compose” list, tap the menu icon (three dots) on the right side of the song, and select “Export Song.” Audio files created within the app can be exported for free in the following formats:
- MIDI file: Import it into professional music software (DAW) such as Ableton Live or Logic Pro for more complex instrumental arrangement and mixing.
- PDF, DXF: Designed specifically for players of traditional paper-strip music boxes, these formats allow you to print the pattern and punch the holes by hand.
Listen to an Actual Muro Box Performance
Once you have completed a melody to your satisfaction, the Muro Box app provides comprehensive saving, sharing, and export features. Your musical creations can not only be stored in the cloud and shared with friends and family at any time, but also be transformed at any time into the crisp tones of a physical music box.
For Non-Muro Box Owners (How to Preview)
Click a song to open its song screen and operate it intuitively, just as with a standard player. You can press Play or Pause. Using the options on the screen, you can freely switch between two preview modes:
- Web Mode (Default): Quick Melody Preview
The system uses the N20 music box as a tone sample for digital playback. This mode is ideal for quickly confirming the melody and arrangement style when browsing a large number of tracks. - Live Music Box Mode: Authentic Resonance Across Space
Would you like to hear for yourself the stirring sound of the comb striking the cylinder? You can click the option below to connect to the physical music box located at our office in Sanchong, Taiwan, and have it play for you in real time: - N20 Standard: Experience the crispness and purity of the classic 20 notes.
- N40 Standard: Experience the rich nuances and emotion made possible by the 40-note chromatic scale.
- N40 SLM (Sublime): Listen to the vastness of the broad 40-note range and the magnificent resonance achieved through faithfully recreated, master-level craftsmanship.
- N20 Standard: Experience the crispness and purity of the classic 20 notes.
For Muro Box Owners (How to Play on Device)
Once your phone is connected to your Muro Box, return to the “Compose” page, tap a song to open its playback page, and then tap the “speaker” icon in the center of the screen to switch freely between playback on your “phone” and playback on the “Muro Box” itself.
Conclusion: Let the Melody Convey Your Heartfelt Sentiments
The Muro Box team has always placed great importance on every user’s creative experience. From the earliest basic playback to today’s highly flexible “Melody Arrangement” feature on mobile, every feature iteration and optimization has incorporated valuable suggestions from countless creators.
We carefully record each customer’s feedback and continually improve the App’s user experience, hoping to enable both musicians with a knowledge of music theory and beginners new to arrangement to transform the inspiration in their minds into the crisp tones of real strikes in an instant.
If you have any suggestions while experiencing the all-new Free Arrangement feature, or if there are new features you would like to see in the future, you are welcome to write to us and share them at any time (support@tevofy.com).
Open the Muro Box App now and begin composing your first music box piece.
I Arranged Over a Hundred Pieces with the App — Yen-Ting Chen
Our long-time customer, Yen-Ting, has arranged and shared over a hundred songs in the song library through the app. From basic note entry to capturing ideas as they come, the app is not only his portable music workstation; it also accompanies his whole family through countless warm moments. His children request songs, and his wife serves as music consultant. This story with Muro Box is full of surprises and warmth.
Read about his creative journey and how he makes the most of the app, and enjoy several of his beautiful arrangements:
I Arranged Over a Hundred Songs with the App — Yen-Ting Chen
Appendix
- Is the Grand Illusions 30 actually in F or C? Clarifying the difference between its labeling and its actual pitch:
There are two common claims about the key of the Grand Illusions 30: the key of C and the key of F. In fact, the hardware movement has only one version, and it actually sounds in the key of F.
The reason for the C labeling is that the manufacturer, to lower the barrier to sight-reading and punching holes, transposed the note names and numbered notation on the paper strip uniformly to the key of C, the key most people are familiar with.
Paper-strip marking (key of C): a transposed notation for visual reference. When creating your own music by punching holes, simply refer to the numbered notation in C on the paper strip.
Actual pitch (key of F): the true pitch as heard, a perfect fourth above the paper-strip marking. For transcription, tuning, or ensemble playing with other instruments, the key of F must serve as the reference.