From Idea to Innovation: The Muro Box Development Story
Experience the inspiring evolution of the music box, from a spark of imagination to global production.
Muro Box-N20
20-Note Smart Music Box
Since deciding to launch a business centered around music boxes in 2016, N20 underwent five years of development and overcame numerous challenges. In 2021, it finally entered stable mass production and was successfully exported to 50 countries around the world.
Muro Box-N40
40-Note Smart Music Box
With the launch of the N40, it received high acclaim from music box collectors and arrangement performers around the world. In 2024, the N40 officially entered mass production, opening a brand-new chapter in the history of music boxes.
The Product Development Journey of Muro Box N20
Welcome to read our product development journey stage by stage!
This story shows why we decided to move back to Taiwan after having a startup dream in the US, and how we found the market potential of innovating a mechanical music box with modern technology.
Dr. Feng shares his maker’s story, which records how a firmware engineer, without any prior knowledge in mechanics, designed Muro Box from scratch. This story focuses on the design process of the mechanical part of Muro Box from zero to one.
After the mechanical design was settled down, we spent a lot of time designing the prototypes to preserve the unique resonance of the traditional music box. This story demonstrates how constructive feedback from potential customers helped us design the prototypes of Muro Box in 2017-2018.
We have studied users’ needs and habits carefully when designing our mobile app for Muro Box, the world’s first “app-controlled” music box. This story explains how our UI designer and music composers helped us define and refine the features in developing our app.
After the first crowdfunding success, we have collaborated with factories to refine each part of Muro Box in order to enhance its sound quality. This story records the various obstacles we overcame when producing Muro Box, a smart but sophisticated music box.
Muro Box has broken through the traditional limits of melody speed and single-note repetition in music boxes. After more than a year of experimentation, we have unlocked the secret behind the “damper” design!
Everything happens within a delicate 0.1mm range at the tip of the comb, and the human ear is sensitive enough to detect this 0.1mm difference.
In order to meet the dual requirements of strong shock absorption and low noise, we continuously worked on development. This technology has elevated Taiwan-made music boxes beyond global durability standards, allowing them to withstand more than 1,000 hours of continuous playback.
We designed a secret device, “the pin stopper,” to maintain the sustaining sound effect of Muro Box. With this special device, Muro Box can play unlimited fast melodies and keep each note sound longer. This story explains why designing a good pin stopper is a great challenge.
Muro Box, the world’s first app-controlled music box, is developed and produced in Taiwan.
You may not know that, in the past, about 40 percent of music box movements in the world were actually made in Taiwan.
The function of the metal base in Muro Box is to “transmit” the vibration from the comb to the wooden box. It significantly affects the sound quality, therefore, the material, size, shape, and thickness of the metal base went through a series of experiments.
The following story tells you the dilemma that the Muro Box team was facing between 2018, when Muro Box had the first ZecZec crowdfunding campaign in Taiwan, till 2021 the last batch of Muro Box was shipped to our Indiegogo backers.
Our music arranger, Ms. Hung-Yin Liu, has produced more than one hundred melodies for Muro Box customers, with challenges and emotional moments along the way. After receiving feedback from the customers, and reading the stories behind their customized melodies, Ms. Liu then realized that what she did was not just arranging music, but recreating the special memories to help customers convey their love for their loved ones.
N20 Lite Go Update#1
The upcoming new N20 model in our 2025 crowdfunding campaign will introduce even more creative features, redefining what a music box can do! Discover new and exciting ways to enjoy music, bringing surprise and delight to your everyday life.
N20 Lite Go Update#2
This update includes the points:
1. Explanation of the current design direction for the new N20 model (N20 Lite Go).
2. Summary of the results from the previous Update #1, presenting overall opinion trends from both existing and potential customers, including responses from both Chinese and English-speaking audiences.
N20 Lite Go Update#3
Whether you want to take the music box on your travels, gift it to someone special, are an engineer or teacher looking to design new ways to interact with music, or a maker who wants to DIY your own music box design, the all-new N20 Lite Go is here to make all your wishes come true!
N20 Lite Go Update#4
The Muro Box-N20 Lite Go’s wooden case and resonance box are crafted for both portability and rich sound. Using birch plywood for better resonance and stability, the design reflects our commitment to quality and detail in app-controlled music box innovation.
N20 Lite Go Update#5
The development story of the Muro Box-N20 Lite Go music box reveals the challenges and reflections behind our pursuit of an affordable version. From the idea of a built-in battery to NFC features, touch controls, and LED lighting, we strived to create an emotionally resonant and innovative experience. Although the product was ultimately canceled due to high production costs and insufficient pre-orders, this journey helped us clarify the future direction of the Muro Box brand and deepened our appreciation for the trust and support of every user.
The Muro Box N40 will have 40 notes on a chromatic scale to become your ideal music box instrument! Check out our previous and latest updates about Muro Box N40 to understand how we designed it based on our customers’ suggestions.
This new model is expected to start its Kickstarter campaign in 2023! Welcome to sign up its news from the box below.
N20 Lite Go Update#3
Whether you want to take the music box on your travels, gift it to someone special, are an engineer or teacher looking to design new ways to interact with music, or a maker who wants to DIY your own music box design, the all-new N20 Lite Go is here to make all your wishes come true!
The Product Development Journey of Muro Box-N40
Welcome to read our updates to understand how we designed Muro Box N40 based on our customers' suggestions.
Update #5
Crowdfunding Campaign Plan in 2023, Survey #4 Results (Price Range and Exterior Design)
Update #6
Focus on N40 Standard Model, Survey #5 (Sound Box Design and Music Range)
Update #7
Summarize the findings from the Survey#5 about the sound box design. We design the N40’s body part and its resonance box separately to meet different customers’ needs.
Update #8
How we decide the music range for Muro Box-N40; the survey for adding the sublime harmony sound effect and guitar-shaped resonance box.
Update #9
Check out the music range, sound quality, wood box design, and battery compartment of 2 Muro Box-N40 models: N40 Sublime vs. N40 Standard.
Update #10
Muro Box-N40 live streaming is now online, and the App has released N40 composition /performance features. Let’s try them out! We’ve also introduced the N20 Lite Battery Edition and invite you to provide feedback.
Update #11
Welcome to listen to the sound of N40 Sublime and Standard. Learn more about the unique comb design and its speed limit as well as its production method to ensure durability.
Update #12
We designed a new resonance box for Muro Box-N40 and added a sound post for enhancing its sound’s transmission. This new design also serves as the product’s packing box to protect the precious N40 music boxes. The audio pickup will be moved from the N40 Music Box to its resonance box.
Update #13
We have completed shipping for N20 Lite backers in Dec2023. The current status of N40 production plan. The inventor of Muro Box went through a surgery and has come back to work now.
Update #14
This update includes two key highlights:
(1) Check out the first prototype of N40 Resonance Box made with pinewood to hear its sound quality.
(2) Let’s see the N40 metal plate’s new frame designs and tell us which one you prefer.
Muro Box-N40 Update #15
This N40 update introduces:
(1) 4 resonance boxes made with Japanese Cedar, Millettia Laurentii, Taiwan Acacia, and
Pinewood to compare their sound effects when using Muro Box-N40 Sublime music box to play the same song, “The Girl Who Fell from the Sky” (a theme song from the famous Japanese animation “Castle in the Sky”);
(2) report the final decision based on N40 backers’ feedback for the new metal plate designs.
Muro Box-N40 Update #16
This update includes the points:
(1) Let backers confirm their N40 resonance box options and shipping information.
(2) Call for 10 customer-arranged melodies to present in the default N40 offline playlist (Reward: $40 USD per melody).
(3) Showcase the final N40 product appearance and their sound effects by recording the live performance of a melody arranged by our No.1 Kickstarter backer (Daniel M.) from the US.
Update #17
This update includes the following points:
(1) TheN40’s PCBs started to be manufactured on March 12, 2024. We visited the production line at MightyNet Electronics to document the production process.
(2) Due to insufficient weight on the vibration plate for the lower notes, we have redesigned the tuning weight and recorded how it is produced.
(3) N40 Shipping plan is explained.
Update #18
This N40 update shares:
(1) N40 will start shipping next week: We record the production process of the first 3 units of Muro Box-N40 Sublime.
(2) The Winners of Call for N40 Melodies are announced: Welcome to listen to the efforts of the creators.
(3) New App Feature: Notification
Let’s enable your Muro Box App notifications to receive the first notice when your creations are saved into someone’s playlist!
Update #19
This N40 update shares:
(1) N40 music box unbox video,(2) the current production status and problems to be solved,(3) how we will arrange the following shipping queue,(4) product tutorials about the app connection and MIDI input.
Update #20
What’s in this update:
(1) The current shipping schedule for the N40 music boxes.
(2) An explanation of the reasons behind the current slow production progress.
(3) Our team’s arranger provides her personal recommendations for keyboard and software tools, based on our customers’ inquiries.
Update #21
This N40 update explains why we slow down the N40 music box production and shipping because the tiny and complex damper on the comb requires meticulous craftsmanship.
Update #22
This update highlights the various experiments we’ve done with the comb’s damper until reaching a satisfactory solution to speed up the production and shipping of the N40 Music Box. We’re excited to announce that the N40 Music Box will be available in a Japanese campaign called GREEN FUNDING starting October 2024.
This article introduces the differences between music box arrangements and regular arrangements, and shares some important points to pay attention to. Whether it’s the difference in music range or how to express melody and accompaniment, both present some interesting challenges. I hope these small tips will inspire more creativity in your music composition!
This article introduces how we visited many manufacturers to study the characteristics and limitations of different materials to create a melodious tone for the music box. We finalized the design of the N40 music box’s wooden case by referencing instruments like guitars and kalimbas, and incorporating customer feedback.
This article shares the development history of the Muro Box-N40 music box from 2022 to 2024. It explains why the founder, Chen-Hsiang Feng, decided to focus on developing the more advanced N40 models, how he made the crucial decisions for the brand, and how he conquered the various challenges.
This article introduces the differences between music box arrangements and regular arrangements, and shares some important points to pay attention to. Whether it’s the difference in music range or how to express melody and accompaniment, both present some interesting challenges. I hope these small tips will inspire more creativity in your music composition!
Update #21
This N40 update explains why we slow down the N40 music box production and shipping because the tiny and complex damper on the comb requires meticulous craftsmanship.