Musini - MagicSensor
by Toys

Our Price: $39.98
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Toy
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Product Summary

• Additional music cartridges for Musini are available and sold separately

Toys and Games Reviews of Musini - MagicSensor

Customer Review: Gets the kids moving, but...
Summary: 4 Stars

However, let's not go overboard on the praise.

Musini is a "dance synthesizer". It creates patterns of music based on sensors that track vibrations on the surface on which the device is placed. While the ads would have you believe it is truly a sophisticated movement tracker, it is limited to just picking up footsteps - no amount of arm waving or hand flapping will be picked up. Sensitivity to footwork is adjustable.

The Musini has five major settings (on a twist dial in the center of the unit) for types of music: "Bach", "Child's Play", "Latin Jazz", "Carnival!", and "Orchestral Overture". Within each type it is possible to isolate particular instruments in the polyphonic sound by pressing four colored buttons on the unit. This provides quite a bit of variety. Neurosmith promises additional sound cartridges that can be plugged into a connector on the side of the unit, too.

The sound of the Musini is very good, driven through two stereo speakers. Sound is adjustable in two spots. In the battery case is a parental control that can select a high and low range for volume. This can then be tweaked from a volume control on the top of the unit. We found the low range to be nearly inaudible. The unit does conveniently include a headphone jack that might function better with this lower range of volume. Otherwise, on high the unit sounds nice. (One caveat with our unit: the higher the sensitivity setting for footwork, the more prone the speakers were to static - an annoying problem.)

The unit takes four "C" size batteries. We would recommend using rechargeables as this device does not cycle power like some of Neurosmith's other toys. Kudos to the designers for including a connector for a (not included) AC power adapter.

Working, the Musini does get people moving. It plays patterns of synthesized music based on speed and styles of footwork. The unit will increase or decrease tempo and it is possible to get it to play single notes drawn out over time. The tempo sensing lags a bit, perhaps by about five seconds, but it is still fun to get it to speed up and slow down.

The Musini isn't perfect, though. Those hoping that it functions like a children's theramin will be disappointed. One day an advanced version of the Musini will use some kind of infrared sensors to provide input via other kinds of motion, not simply picking up stomping feet. And I wonder how long the toy will remain novel for most kids - it's tough to predict, and at its price it's a potential parental heartbreaker and walletbreaker.

Overall, I give it about three and a half stars.

Description of Musini - MagicSensor

Learning & Education Toys

• Categories > Electronics for Kids > Educational Computers & Accessories