Tortaus®: Redefining the Music Box

Tortaus®, the brand new digital-mechanical musicbox from award-winning Swedish designer Arnbjörg Eilert and Handmade Sonics Inc., is ushering in the age of the new classic in music box entertainment.  Blurring the line between designer toy and one-of-a-kind collector's music box, the Tortaus® has been recognized by the international design community as an instant design classic.  Elegant in form and function, Tortaus® gives you a new way to experience your digital music collection.  Users can upload mp3's, wav's or apple's proprietary iTunes format via wifi, bluetooth or USB, and once loaded, these files are then automatically translated by the Tortaus® device into a real mechanical music box performance.  All music box performance files are user editable via easy-to-use software that ships free with every Tortaus® Musicbox.  Each box is hand-made and machined to exacting quality standards out of brushed steel, apple-birch, and frosted glass, giving you a robust object that you and your family can enjoy endlessly.

See Below for photos and a detailed description of  the Tortaus® Music Box functionality.

How Does it Work?

After receiving your Tortaus® Music Box simply remove it from it's packaging and flip on the power switch on the bottom.  Tortaus® comes fully charged and preloaded with 3 songs, so you can starting experiencing the Tortaus® right out of the box.  Tortaus® can store up to ten songs at a time, and songs can be selected for playback by turning the knob on the back of the Tortaus® Music Box from the pause playback position to any of the other ten positions.  To upload new music onto the Tortaus® simply turn on any host computer within a 20 foot radius and you will find that the Tortaus® Music Box is both Bluetooth Discoverable and Wifi compatible (users without a bluetooth or wireless  connectivity option can simply plug-in the Tortaus® via the discreet 4-pin USB plug on the back).  Each time a connection is made, a user dialog will pop up onto your screen allowing you to drag-and-drop new songs (in .mp3, .wav, or any proprietary Apple format) into song storage, change the digital name of your Tortaus® Music Box, or engage password protection to prevent unwanted changes.

As the music plays, super bright LED's behind the Tortaus'® glass shell will pulse and oscillate soothingly between color combinations of blue, red, purple, and yellow, creating a relaxing ambience and visual focus.  Both the intensity and oscillation of the LED's can be modified by turning micro-potentiometers on the bottom of the Tortaus® Music Box.

Our patented audio conversion software, which is stored on the Tortaus® Music Box as firmware, utilizes fast-fourier transform algorithms and poly-phonic pitch-tracking to provide an accurate translation of almost any tonal-musical digital soundfile into a format that can accurately be played by the Tortaus® Music Box as a real, analog music box song.

Order one today, and join us in the evolution of the music box.

For questions and inquiries please email us at handmadesonics AT gmail.com

Workshop Photos
(Taken from the Handmade Sonics workshop after completion of the first Tortaus Music Box)