An Audio Player for One Person (me)
There are certain audio files that, when listened to, make me feel like being human isn’t so bad after all. They can be anything: songs, recordings from a friend, sound clips from a movie, or Formula 1 team radio exchanges.
However, the interfaces and procedures to access these files are dehumanizing and everyday, conveying no sense of occasion (e.g. below). I want to build a player that lets me play these files in a human, simple, clear way. Additionally, I want there to be a physical interaction that allows me to find a ritualized focus on the sound, with minimal distractions from UI’s and screens. Vinyl, cd’s, and cassettes provide such an interface, but are laborious to produce and record your own content onto. My device will utilize micro SD cards so files can quickly be loaded on using Finder, a nice calm place.
Notice below how when trying to listen to this one specific file, while fast and convenient, I get bombarded by all these other distracting messages that have nothing to do with the actual thing I’m trying to hear.
Form: I found these screenshots on Simone Reubadengo’s Are.na and they really inspired me. Since an intensely personal project, I don’t mind just having the form given so that aspect is fixed. I want this prototype to focus on me building a high craft, actually working product with high fidelity electronic prototyping. This area is definitely still open to interpretation, below are my initial cad models. The red top pieces would be interchangeable cartridges that would contain MicroSD cards, connecting to an arduino inside the device through pogo pins when they are inserted.
Additionally, I want to test my ability to interpret something fairly abstract such as these forms into a fully working electronic device.
