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MEMLNaut

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Submitted By: Emute Lab Instruments

Elevator Pitch

MEMLNaut

Bring your sounds to life with MEMLNaut, the first neural symbiotic controller for synths and effects: discover new sounds instantly, live, with any rig.

Product Description

How It’s Innovative

Developed and field-tested over the past year at the University of Sussex, the MEMLNaut runs low-latency, on-device machine-learning on a $5 Raspberry Pi RP2350 microcontroller – slashing component cost and putting real-time machine learning-based sound design within reach of every artist. The neural symbiotic interface automatically maps simple digital interfaces such as joysticks and sensors to MIDI parameters, sequence parameters, or sounds and effects in the built-in stereo audio processor. Both hardware and code are fully open-source, inviting third-party mods and fostering an ecosystem of users and tinkerers. Buy it, build it, or hack it: MEMLNaut is the first truly affordable, maker-ready AI/ML engine for music, where artists own the data, train their own models, and access machine learning on their own terms.

See MIDI Innovation In Action

Most Inspiring Use Cases

Glide a joystick and hear voices shimmer, chords bloom, and fresh tones emerge in between your favourite presets. Train MEMLNaut’s interactive ML to recall those sweet spots, or let reinforcement learning uncover new ones with the neural algorithm exploring under your guide. This approach already powers the performances of brass virtuoso Tom Manoury (sold-out show at Mengi, Reykjavík) with a custom-made modified tuba, and of looping artist Bunty, who uses wearables to guide vocal effects. Field-tested across vocals, winds, strings, and even the synth collection at the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio, MEMLNaut is already redefining live sonic discovery.

Expansion Plans

The final version of the MEMLNaut will expand on the functionality of the prototype to include machine listening algorithms, which will enable the sounds from the musical instruments themselves to control the ML engine. A new firmware release in Q4 2026 will add full MIDI 2.0, adding MPE and per-note control to incoming MIDI so any keyboard or interface plugged into MEMLNaut gains next-gen expressivity instantly through ML.
The same low-cost symbiotic neural engine will power a generation of upcoming smart preamps, to be released in Year 2, extending the ease of use of the MEMLNaut to smart digital audio interfaces and mixers. Our technological advantage will give us a faster time-to-market than incumbent analogue audio giants, giving us access to a market worth $820m (2024, CAGR 7.3% [2]).

[2] https://www.researchnester.com/reports/mixing-console-market/5398

Commercialization

This academic project has exciting commercial potential, which we will exploit through the spin-out company Emute Lab Instruments. A £266k AHRC grant has underwritten all core R&D, letting MEMLNaut hit higher projected margins and accelerating the route to market. Twenty-five beta units are already in daily use on four continents, including at the landmark Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio, giving us a content reach of over 100,000 followers, for a strong built-in promotional channel. we will ship the first MEMLNauts in Eurorack module format through UK/EU/US distributor Thonk, targeting 500 units by Q3 2026. That beach-head addresses a $694m global electronic-instrument market (2024, CAGR 4.2% [1]), before rolling out a desktop version and future expansion into verticals.

[1] https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/electronic-musical-instruments-market

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