Ladies, your audio interface has arrived and it’s called Mirror

Approximate reading time: 3 Minutes

Midiplus Mirror · Source: Midiplus I'm looking so great, let's do another take. · Source: Midiplus The horror... · Source: Midiplus Look it has inputs and outputs and everything · Source: Midiplus





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Fresh from Taiwanese music technology company Midiplus comes an audio interface designed “through a female perspective and taste”. Stay with us here, it gets better. Mirror is a “glossy treasure box” that offers 1 in and 2 out 24-bit 192kHz high precision sampling – but you don’t want to worry your pretty little head about that, just check out these delightful, eye-shadow inspired knobs.

Mirror

Seriously, it’s “designed for females”. Midiplus says it’s “observed the industry and market” and has decided it lacked the “elegance and charm” that a feminine touch could bring. We haven’t got to the really awesome bit yet. The lip that flips up to reveal the 6 muted shades of fashionably coloured knobs doubles as a vanity mirror with a 5500k LED light source. Sorry if I lost the ladies there with the technical jargon – I think it means it’s quite bright but undoubtedly flattering.

Now being a man and devoid of emotional responses I can poke fun at this all day but that wouldn’t do justice to the level of outrage that should be directed at this product, the makers and whoever it was that thought this would be a good idea. So I contacted someone from the target audience to gauge their reaction. Professional musician Catharina Boutari (aka Puder), once we got through the expletives and WTFs, commented:

Honestly I, as a professional musician, feel embarrassed, that some developer thinks that women need

a) something cute that will reduce their fear of handling technology (or help them get interested in technology?) or

b) to check their make up while creating and recording music. It feels like I’m being treated as a puppy that wants to play and not as a musician being talked to at eye level.

And that it, in my opinion, is what we women demand: talk to us at eye level, treat us as pros or future pros, design advertising where professional female musicians present gear in a professional way to other women, and you’re gonna sell your shit.

Twitter has also seen a bit of a reaction:

I’m livid about this! Women in audio are fighting a DAILY battle for equality and you’ve just alienated ALL of us by making us out to be different, inferior, and only caring about our appearance. Shame on you @MiDiPLUS_JAPAN !! — Skylark Audio (@SkylarkMusicUK) November 1, 2018

What a terrible, awful, product – I am literally lost for words, and it doesn’t even match my nail polish.

More information

Here’s where to go to experience the whole horror of it – Midiplus Mirror webpage.

Update: Midiplus appear to have pulled the product from their website. Digging into their recent press releases the Mirror was part of a range of products called “Fancy” – that accounts for the “f” on the front of the box. Other products include a natty retro looking audio interface and a weirdly wonderful Keytar in the shape of a giant tuning fork. So they have the ability to design interesting products and it’s a shame that they were so wide of the mark with Mirror.