Zen-PCB: Material Honesty and Structural Metaphor in a Naked PCB Granular Looper Instrument

Ryoma Okuda, and Julián Villegas

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

Zen-PCB is a musical instrument conceived as a counterpoint to the over-rationalized world and the passivity fostered by automated systems. It draws inspiration from ancient Japanese religious symbolism, the "kawaii" aesthetic, and the principle of material honesty: utilizing the naked printed circuit board as the instrument's visual and tactile skin. Zen-PCB aims to reintroduce "ambiguity" and "spirituality," qualities often absent in today's functionalist designs. Zen-PCB encourages human initiative and celebrates the act of embracing "aimlessness." It employs low-latency granular synthesis and destructive overdubbing. Zen-PCB features "matrix patching," allowing users to interact with the PCB's traces using conductive styluses. This interaction requires active participation, pushing back against the reliance on automated tools and sparking a creative tension between human and machine. Through structural metaphors, we reframe standard sampler functions as spiritual exercises. By incorporating the Buddhist concept of "impermanence" into its DSP architecture, Zen-PCB encourages users to engage with a continuous cycle of sonic creation and destruction. This pursuit of non-utilitarian experience offers a fresh perspective on creativity. We report on the design, implementation, and the reception of Zen-PCB, discussing how it transcends its function as a simple instrument, becoming a tool for physically embodying the cyclical nature of existence.

Citation

Ryoma Okuda, and Julián Villegas. 2026. Zen-PCB: Material Honesty and Structural Metaphor in a Naked PCB Granular Looper Instrument. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20784507 [PDF]

BibTeX Entry

@inproceedings{nime2026_168,
 abstract = {Zen-PCB is a musical instrument conceived as a counterpoint to the over-rationalized world and the passivity fostered by automated systems. It draws inspiration from ancient Japanese religious symbolism, the "kawaii" aesthetic, and the principle of material honesty: utilizing the naked printed circuit board as the instrument's visual and tactile skin. Zen-PCB aims to reintroduce "ambiguity" and "spirituality," qualities often absent in today's functionalist designs. Zen-PCB encourages human initiative and celebrates the act of embracing "aimlessness." It employs low-latency granular synthesis and destructive overdubbing. Zen-PCB features "matrix patching," allowing users to interact with the PCB's traces using conductive styluses. This interaction requires active participation, pushing back against the reliance on automated tools and sparking a creative tension between human and machine. Through structural metaphors, we reframe standard sampler functions as spiritual exercises. By incorporating the Buddhist concept of "impermanence" into its DSP architecture, Zen-PCB encourages users to engage with a continuous cycle of sonic creation and destruction. This pursuit of non-utilitarian experience offers a fresh perspective on creativity. We report on the design, implementation, and the reception of Zen-PCB, discussing how it transcends its function as a simple instrument, becoming a tool for physically embodying the cyclical nature of existence.},
 address = {London, United Kingdom},
 articleno = {168},
 author = {Ryoma Okuda and Julián Villegas},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20784507},
 editor = {Benedict Gaster and João Tragtenberg and Anna Xambó and Tom Mitchell},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {June},
 note = {},
 numpages = {4},
 pages = {1340--1343},
 presentation-video = {https://youtu.be/n_3g1YXysDk},
 title = {Zen-PCB: Material Honesty and Structural Metaphor in a Naked PCB Granular Looper Instrument},
 track = {paper},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2026/nime2026_168.pdf},
 year = {2026}
}