Many brands are looking to capitalize on electronic music's rise in popularity, but McDonald's Netherlands branch is pushing the idea to more creative and engaging levels. They recently unveiled a fully functioning midi-controller placemat that people can use to produce their own original beats.

Sure there are loads of music production apps available, but McDonald's has developed something completely new and original with their placemats. Made with conductive ink on an ultra thin circuit board with 26 digital touchpoints, the placemat acts as a mini studio with a keyboard, effects touchpad, and audio recording.

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“The paper of the placemat is what makes this technique so innovative,” said digital design lead Jan Jesse Bakker and TBWA creative technologist Radha Pleijsant. “The phone merely acts as the speaker and screen, which is easily connected to the placemat via Bluetooth, making the sure you can hear the music on your speakers.”

Watch the video below to see how it works.

[via: Adweek]