Carved Culture introduced instrument sound previews to help customers hear what a musical instrument actually sounds like before placing an order. Shopping for instruments online can be difficult when photographs and written descriptions cannot communicate the most important detail: the sound.
Hear the Instrument
Two instruments may look similar but produce very different tones. Adding audio players directly to product pages gives customers another way to compare instruments, explore unfamiliar sounds and make more informed decisions. Whether someone is choosing their first kalimba or discovering a percussion instrument for the first time, hearing a sound sample can be more useful than just reading the product description.
From Studio to Product Pages.
Many of the previews came from recordings we'd already made while demonstrating instruments for our YouTube channel, including daily short-form videos. We extracted the relevant audio and combined it with other professionally recorded instrument sounds to create listening samples for the store. This allowed the work we were doing to educate viewers through video to help customers on our product pages as well.
Carved Culture Audio.
We developed our own audio player to bring instrument recordings directly into the shopping experience. Customers can listen to sound samples alongside product images and descriptions, making it easier to explore unfamiliar instruments and choose with confidence. Building the player in-house also gives Carved Culture greater independence and helps us use our resources more effectively, so we can focus on what matters most: useful tools, educational content and a better experience for musicians.
A Better Shopping Experience.
Instrument sound previews are part of our effort to make shopping for world instruments more practical. Rather than relying on just product photography, customers can listen to the audio alongside descriptions, specifications and learning resources to understand what they're buying.