About
About Matter Squared
The violin is one of the most acoustically refined instruments ever made. It took centuries to get there, and the tools we use to play it evolved alongside it.
The chin rest appeared in the early 19th century. The shoulder rest followed in the 20th. At each step, an unrecognized potential was filled: a way to hold the instrument more freely, more comfortably, with less tension. Better tools made better playing possible.
The ASR is the next step in the evolution of practice tools for classical string players.
Founded by an ASU Professor
Matter Squared was founded by Dr. Seth Thorn, a violinist, researcher, and Assistant Professor at Arizona State University — NSF Principal Investigator, PhD in music technology from Brown University, and alumnus of the Vamos studio at Northwestern University. He has participated in workshops with the East-West Divan Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim, published research in MIT Press and Cambridge University Press, received awards at leading international conferences in music technology, and his creative work as a composer and technologist has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
The ASR grew out of a simple question: what can a shoulder rest become? What are its potentials not yet realized?
The ASR grew out of a simple question: what else can be done with a shoulder rest?
It began as an experiment in transmitting digital sound through the body of the violin, a way of making the instrument itself the speaker in experimental digital performance. Over years of prototyping, user testing, and research, it evolved into something more considered: a suite of practice tools that leverage the tight coupling between sound and touch that is fundamental to how musicians learn.
The research is clear: haptic feedback deepens sensorimotor learning. Feeling the beat through the instrument is not a shortcut, but simply a different and complementary channel for your nervous system. The ASR is not a tool that notifies you when you are playing "incorrectly." Rather, it generates physical vibrations that make it impossible to ignore when you are out of tune or out of step, and deeply satisfying when you are on the mark.
Clean technology
Matter Squared does not build distracting tools or collect analytical data. The ASR Studio App has no pings, no notifications, and requires no subscription. It is a tool that quietly disappears into your practice.
Designed at Arizona State University. Made in the USA.
The ASR was developed at ASU's School of Arts, Media and Engineering in collaboration with PADT Inc., the Southwest's premier product development firm. It is protected by issued and pending patents, and was recognized as a finalist at the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition at Georgia Tech, one of the most prestigious venues for musical innovation in the world.
The Founder's Edition is hand-assembled, limited-run edition of the ASR, engraved with a serialized plate. For the price of a few private lessons, it will improve your practice every day.