Megan Pan | Industrial Design

About

Syntrum

Digital Trumpet

Timeline

12 weeks

Winter 2025

Software

Rhino
Solidworks
Keyshot
Figma
After Effects

Skills

Sketching
Prototyping

Animation

UI/UX

Team

Individual

Redefining Traditional Practice

Syntrum is a digital trumpet that lets professionals practice anywhere. Its flexible and approachable design offers a solution even for days when motivation is low.

Jump to Final Design —>

CONTEXT

A Need for Innovation

Trumpets are one of the most popular wind/brass instrument yet continues to lack flexibility in practicing and skill advancement. The loudness of trumpets requires dedicated practice spaces, and practicing in general is physically tiring on the lips, ears, and lungs.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Why Professionals?

Beginners or amateurs focus on building lip posture and air speed, which needs full sound to build this skill. Thus, designing for professionals was most appropriate as they have already mastered embouchure at this stage in their career.

Professionals focus on song memorization, fingering, tonguing, and ear training

BENCHMARKING

Gadgets, Not Solutions

There is yet to be a device that allows both portable and silent playing intended for serious musicians

RESEARCH INSIGHTS

Physical & Mental Barriers

Practice Overload

Players get caught up repeating the same parts juggling multiple variables at once, leading to frustration and overextended practice

Confidence Drain

Practice can leave players feeling incapable when progress is only rewarded at the end, making improvement feel distant and discouraging

Limited Practice Space

Finding a space that feels calm and doesn’t disturb others is challenging, leading players to put off practice

Lack of Motivation

The repetitive and tiring nature of practice makes it difficult for players to stay engaged, especially without accountability

How might we create a silent practice tool

that minimizes fatigue, boosts confidence, and

makes practice sessions more enjoyable?

DESIGN CRITERIA

The final design should be...

Segmented

Focus on few techniques at a time to make practice more manageable

Reduce fatigue by preventing players from getting stuck on sections

Guided

Break up long, repetitive sessions with variety and guidance

Create more rewarding moments to boost confidence and motivation

Non-Disturbing

Portability will encourage consistent practice in various settings

Should be silent to observers to reduce disturbance and maintain privacy

CONCEPT ONE

Smart MIDI Trumpet

A portable MIDI instrument that guides, tracks, and monitors practice routines and habits. Designed to embody traditional practice but with more ease and trackable progress.

CONCEPT TWO

Pocket Valves

A fingering and ear training device that measures accuracy and timing. This solution would not produce any sound to train the ear to recognize notes, but still provides guidance through visual cues.

Valves light up to indicate misplayed note or when giving hints if player cannot identify notes by ear.

A cool down mode reminds players to take a break

Buttons contract for the ultimate compact form

MOOD BOARD

Sleek, Clean, Fluid

Following a more soothing and inviting form to signal to users "this is a completely new practice experience"

FINAL DIRECTION

Full Trumpet With Removable Valves

A compact, simplified digital trumpet felt most intuitive to pursue. However, I integrated the isolated valve concept into the final direction in order to fulfill the segmented design criteria

PROTOTYPING

Iterating Ergonomics & Sizing

Trumpet Hand Positioning

Crucial touchpoints highlighted
Right hand rests against the lead pipe
Left palm rests flush against valves

First Prototype

– Too tall/big/bulky

– Valves not flush against left palm

Second Prototype

+ Matches hand positioning

+ Reduced uneccessary bulk

Comparison

+ Size greatly reduced

+ Form softened to embody trumpet characteristics

FORM DEVELOPMENT

CAD Detail Refinements

01

Sharp corners interrupted form

Fully rounded edges felt toy-like

02

Rounded corners out

Chamfered edge for variety

Now appeared boxy and bulky

03

Slimmed down inner profile,

while rounding it out

Button Details

Removed buttons from top to keep an uninterrupted surface

INTRODUCING

Syntrum

OVERVIEW

Guided and Silent

Practicing the trumpet still remains loud and exhausting with few flexible solutions. Syntrum creates digital sound for silent playing through headphones—letting professionals play at ease anytime, anywhere.

FEATURES

Segmented Practice

Removable valves enhance portability and make practice more manageable by enabling focused fingering and ear training. No sound is produced, so players play along with the full song by matching fingering to notes recognized by ear. Removing sound production helps build muscle memory, making full practices smoother.

DETAILS

Controls

The top button manages the pace of practice by playing or pausing the backing track, or completely switching the practice intensity.

The bluetooth button pairs a tablet or phone to the device to access the paired app

ANIMATION

Smart Capabilities

Syntrum will analyze timing and accuracy to provide meaningful feedback through light-up valves. They flash blue as a reminder to take a break when sessions run long, and they illuminate misplayed notes when learning by ear without sheet music or sound production.

UI WIREFRAMES

At Home Setting

For additional structure, a paired app helps suggest pieces, track progress, and provide three guided practice modes in increasing difficulty to help break up repetitive sessions.