N40 Sublime Shipping Prepration; New N40 Official Playlist and App Notification Function Are Released
Muro Box-N40 Update #18
Hello everyone, I’m Dr. Chen-Hsiang Feng, the inventor of Muro Box. I am delighted to announce that we will start shipping the first three units of Muro Box-N40 Sublime next week (the second week of April, 2024) for backers located in Taiwan. This N40 update serves as a documentation of the process and explains to everyone why its production process takes time and effort as well as when we plan to accelerate it. The following is the detailed report.
開箱影片
以下是我們用量產的零件做的開箱影片，讓各位事先了解收到產品後會看到的品項：
We strive to perfect every design detail, so please do not hesitate to share any suggestions with us. We will tirelessly work to make it even better. Especially, as you can see in this update, the final production version of the vibrating plate’s tuning weight. The golden color of the brass is believed to be a unique design never seen before, a crystallization of the efforts of countless people is truly dazzling…
About the Production Progress
We are collaborating with Kyooh Precision Industry Co., Ltd.: Our team is responsible for assembling all of N40 Sublime units in our Taipei office, while Kyooh is responsible for assembling all of the N40 Standard units in their Taichung factory.
The actual plan is to use the first shipment of three Mufeng units from Taipei as a total test of the assembly process. Then, I will replicate the process to Kyooh in Taichung, allowing them to begin assembling the standard version of the N40 music box at the same time when our team continues assembling N40 Sublime units.
The result of the Muro-Box N40 Sublime assembly test has left us dumbfounded. The N40 Sublime version is indeed too difficult to assemble. The brass metal parts are easily damaged with just a slight scratch, and oil stains and fingerprints are everywhere and hard to remove. It was manageable during the sample stage, but it’s entirely different in mass production. Our current design is too crazy and hard to achieve by other service providers. No wonder pure brass products are so rare; usually, products are just brass-plated at most.
Fortunately, with the assistance of Kyooh Precision and Airwise (the manufacturer of Muro Box cylinder’s metal parts), as well as many predecessors in hardware production, we managed to complete the entire assembly process smoothly even when everything seemed chaotic. Everyone should not be overly anxious because the components of the N40 Standard version are primarily made of stainless steel, reducing the assembly difficulty by at least half for Kyooh Precision Industry Co., Ltd. in Taichung. Moreover, with so many experienced predecessors’ participating and helping to solve problems, all difficulties can be quickly overcome.
As of April 1, 2024, according to our statistics, we currently have a total of 221 N40 units that need to be assembled and shipped for orders from the Wabay/ Kickstarter/ Indiegogo crowdfunding platforms. Among them, there are 117 units of N40 Standard and 104 units of N40 Sublime. Due to the shortage of production operators at our Taipei office (one senior operator will be on maternity leave starting this April), and the N40 Sublime version requiring more detailed quality control inspections, its assembly process will be slower, resulting in delayed shipments. We kindly ask for your patience. Currently, it is estimated that with all assembly manpower at our Taipei office dedicated to assembling the N40 Sublime from April to May, we can only complete the assembly of two N40 Mufeng units per work day.
The test of the newly equipped tuning weight is validated with the N40 Sublime’s live performance in our office. Since the vibrating plate is currently the most lacking component, the Taipei team will concentrate on producing more vibrating plates next week (4/8~4/12). Therefore, shipping for N40 Sublime backers will be temporarily suspended for 1 to 2 weeks. (Note: 4/4-4/7 are our national holidays in Taiwan).
I will bring the entire assembly process with me to Taichung on 4/8 to assemble the first batch of 50 units of N40 Standard music boxes together with Kyooh’s team. Due to Kyooh’s extensive production experience in assembling our N20 products and sufficient manpower, we anticipate that once Kyooh starts assembling, the assembly speed of the N40 standard version will quickly pick up, and it will be completed before the N40 Sublime version.
Please be patient.
It is inevitable to encounter problems during production, especially in the development of new products. It is basically impossible to achieve success on the first attempt. We won’t pretend that everything is going smoothly to avoid issues, but we ask for your patience.
The shipping sequence we arranged has clear reasons. If you receive consecutive emails from us urging you to confirm your N40’s metal plate design or asking you to pay the price difference the N40 Resonance Box upgrade fee/shipping fee, it means your order has been placed in the upcoming week’s shipping que. Please reply to our email timely and submit the required forms to help us shorten the data entry verification process.
The N40 resonance box is the packaging wooden box used for shipping N40 music boxes, with a total of 4 variations available. We have asked the manufacturer of the N40 Resonance Box to prepare a small quantity for each variation of our 4 Resonance Box options so that we can pack and send goods according to the resonance box option specified by the customer. If a customer has not responded to our resonance box form to confirm which option they prefer for arranging shipping, we will temporarily skip their order until we receive a confirmed response and then slot it back into the shipping queue. We prioritize processing orders from customers who have promptly responded to all of the required forms.
As long as the N40 music box he/she purchased is ready (including customized engraving/content review is completed) and the chosen resonance box option is available in stock, we will arrange shipping as soon as possible.
Thank you for your support, let’s complete the final mile of Muro Box-N40’s birth together.
The Result of Melody Selection from the Last Call for N40 Official Playlist
The call for N40 melodies has concluded successfully, and we extend our gratitude to music box enthusiasts from around the world for providing wonderful pieces. The official N40 playlist is the default playlist we present to all of the Muro Box-N40 customers. This offline playlist includes 10 songs submitted by N40 customers and 5 songs provided by Muro Box music arranger, Ms. Hung-Yin Liu, totaling 15 songs of diverse styles spanning various genres. These include classical pieces rearranged for the music box version as well as many original compositions.
| Song Title | Composer/ Arranger |
|---|---|
| 01. Chopin - Valse du Petit Chien | Muro Box / Hung-Yin Liu |
| 02. My Grandfather's Clock | Muro Box / Hung-Yin Liu |
| 03. Annen-Polka, Op.117 | Meng Ling, Chuang |
| 04.Londonderry Air (Danny Boy) | Mickaël Ourghanlian |
| 05. Le Carnival des Animaux | Hanneke Debie |
| 06. The Hawthorn Tale | Edwin Lucchesi |
| 07. Opening a New Chapter | Muro Box Hun-Yin Liu |
| 08. Forever Sleep | Joshua Keeler |
| 09. Handel - Partita 19, 2. Allemande | Daniel McConnell |
| 10. Night with the Zombie Moon | Brandon Parkhurst |
| 11. Chopin - Nocturne Op.9 No.2 | Muro Box / Hung-Yin Liu |
| 12. Alchemelic - Universe | Alchemelic |
| 13. A Dream I Wished Had Come True | Silent |
| 14. Shall We Part | iammeaccho |
| 15. Galaxy Ballad | Muro Box / Hung-Yin Liu |
The offline playlist will be the default playlist being played from your Muro Box-N40 when using its knob’s one-press to play function, so when arranging the playlist, we have taken into consideration the rhythm, style, and tempo of each song. This arrangement allows listeners to be carried along by the fluctuations of the music, indulging in various auditory pleasures while experiencing the spacious sound range of the N40, and enjoying its alternating splendid and serene performances.
Feel free to download the Muro Box App for free and search for “Muro Box-N40 Official Playlist” to preview the official playlist in advance. In our future N40 updates, we will gradually introduce the background of the song selection or composition, arrangement ideas, and brief introductions of the creators!
(Note: If your order includes a customized service arrangement, you can choose whether to add this official N40 playlist right after your customized melody.)
App’s New Feature: Notification
In our music library, every day we have contributions from music box enthusiasts around the world, offering their arrangements and compositions for everyone to enjoy. The small response from the listeners can bring a great joy for motivating the creators. When creators receive more appreciation, they produce more songs, leading to a continuous update of good melodies in the music library. Listeners also have the privilege of frequently discovering new pieces arranged by the creators they love. We hope this virtuous cycle continues to operate in the Muro Box music library, and therefore, we are introducing the “Push Notification” feature in the app.
Follow the instructions page to enable notifications. Currently, creators will receive notifications in the following five situations:
(1) When someone likes your music.
(2) When someone adds your music to their playlists.
(3) When someone leaves a comment on your music.
(4) When your music enters the top 5 popular melodies.
(5) When someone follows your playlist.
Welcome to follow the instructions below to complete your Muro Box App notification setting:
We also welcome all users of the app. When you come across a song you like in the music library, please don’t hesitate to click the smiley face or leave a comment to share your listening experience. The creators will receive our app notifications, letting them know that their work is being appreciated!
Moreover, in the future, the app notification feature will continue to evolve towards optimizing the user experience. For example, notifications may include when your favorite creator releases a new song, updates on songs/playlists you’re interested in, or the latest features on the app… and so on. We are continuously developing in this aspect. Feel free to enable this new notification feature and join the positive interaction among creators and listeners in the music box enthusiast community. We hope this app creation platform will continue to grow, bringing more beautiful melodies to everyone. If you have any ideas or suggestions for the types of notifications, please feel free to leave a comment and let us know!
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