Tag Archives: Music

I’m ashamed how much I love Mercedes-AMG and will.i.am’s attempt to turn cars into DJs

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If you’ve ever wanted to turn your car into a DJ, with the sound controlled by how you drive, then you need to buy a Benz, stat. Mercedes-AMG and will.i.am have turned up at CES 2024 in Las Vegas with what they’re calling MBUX SOUND DRIVE (all caps, as if to be bellowed). Sadly, it’s hard to talk about what it is and what it does without robbing it of its mystery, so apologies in advance: It’s essentially a system that pulls data from the car’s suite of sensors, which then helps control a specially-deconstructed music file. But, as joyless as that description sounds, once you’ve experienced it, you’ll wonder why it hasn’t been done before. Not to mention that, at the risk of gushing, it really does deepen the emotional connection between driving and the music you’re listening to.

The announcement came as part of Mercedes’ CES push, which this year is focused on the power of its audio setup. Alongside the announcement of MBUX SOUND DRIVE, it’s boasting of a new partnership with Amazon Music and Audible. That’ll see Dolby Atmos versions of its exclusive audio dramas, podcasts and books come to compatible vehicles. (The highlight of the event was when legendary British audio producer Dirk Maggs took to the stage, the figure responsible for the latter radio versions of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.)

MBUX SOUND DRIVE works by pairing musical elements in a song with ten inputs taken from the car. Start the car and all you get is the track’s bed, so to speak, looping in the background waiting for you to get moving. Push on the accelerator at low speeds and it’ll add some bass reverb to the song, while turning the steering wheel gets you extra effects or the chorus loop kicking in. It’s only when you open the car up on a clear highway and the main music and lyrics will start blasting, rewarding you for moving along. And then, when you’re coasting toward a stop light, the lead vocal and melody will peel away, returning you to the far less intrusive backing track.

If nothing else, it’s a spectacular piece of hardware and software development, given the fact even the fanciest in-car platform wasn’t designed to do this. It’s worth pointing out the extent of the achievement that’s enabled something like this to happen on an existing system. And there are plans to extend it further so, for instance, if the windshield wipers detect rain, the music will change to reflect the mood.

The demo I experienced had 16 tracks pre-loaded, including The Black Eyed Peas’ I Got A Feeling and Le French’s Night Drive. These songs have all been broken down and rebuilt to take advantage of MBUX SOUND DRIVE’s separated format. When you’re just cruising around a Las Vegas parking lot, it’s all pretty restrained, even if you do put some heavy reverb on while you’re parked. In fact, the whole experience at slow speeds could almost be described as teasing, offering you hints of the song you know and love, but never giving you the whole thing.

It’s only when you (or in this case, your qualified driver) puts their foot down and you suddenly start screaming down the road that the whole song kicks in. Even a song like I Got A Feeling, hardly the most bombastic, suddenly feels epic in this format. The closest thing I can compare it to is those moments in Grand Theft Auto when you’re opening it up on the highway and a great track kicks in. Of course, the best example of that would be cruising down the road while David Bowie’s Somebody Up There Likes Me plays. But, despite will.i.am’s promises that when the system arrives halfway through 2024 all genres will be well-represented, I’m not so sure. After all, it’s clear that tracks primarily based on discrete loops are going to be the easiest to translate and the most well-suited to the environment.

In terms of the future, will.i.am shared his hopes that tracks could be hard-coded to reflect a geography. He used the example of a car going through a tunnel, which would prompt a gas car driver to put their foot down to fill the space with engine noise. But in our electric future, where there is no engine noise, users will instead have to content themselves with the jolt from their favourite song. He added that he also dreams of building in easter eggs for songs, which would only start playing when the car reaches a specific location. On one hand, I’m curious how many musicians would take the time to remix their existing songs for the size of the addressable market. Which, in this case, is only Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with a second-generation MBUX system. Then again, money talks.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/im-ashamed-how-much-i-love-mercedes-amg-and-williams-attempt-to-turn-cars-into-djs-023948867.html?src=rss

LG unveils Retrofuturistic Jukebox at CES 2024 with tube amplifiers and a transparent OLED display

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When LG isn’t making televisions that fold into briefcases, they’re working on other oddball projects like this rather eclectic jukebox that simultaneously relies on vintage vacuum tube amps for retro-style warm audio, and a transparent OLED display on the front that lets you view the album art and control playback, but also see the magical hardware behind. The DukeBox, as LG calls it, will make its grand debut at CES this year, along with other new devices that LG has been teasing in the past.

Designer: LG

The DukeBox is a unique proof of concept for a high-end speaker that rivals the likes of Devialet and B&O when it comes to building an experience around listening to music. It’s vaguely reminiscent of the Lyric Speaker from back in 2017, but instead puts a transparent screen in FRONT of the speaker’s hardware, with the ability to adjust the transparency depending on your mood. The speaker’s highlight remains the tube amplifiers encased within it, although it also boasts a large front-facing speaker at the bottom and a set of 360° tweeters on top that fill your room with booming sound. The display on the front can also be used in a variety of ways, ranging from displaying semi-transparent album art and playback information, to something a little more seasonal like a roaring fireplace. There’s no word on the DukeBox’s pricing, although if LG plans on selling it, expect this retrofuturistic audiophile’s dream to cost a pretty penny.

Image Credits: LG

The post LG unveils Retrofuturistic Jukebox at CES 2024 with tube amplifiers and a transparent OLED display first appeared on Yanko Design.

This super-slim, portable Bluetooth speaker is fitting companion for your next travel destination and Harman Kardon portfolio

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There is no denying the profound impact travel and music have on healing the mind and rejuvenating the body. When we travel, a good portable speaker is a necessary companion to enhance well-being and inspire us back to take up the mundane life by its neck, until travel is on the itinerary once again.

Top-notch brands have a range of portable Bluetooth speakers on the market that tinkle the audio senses beyond imagination, but it’s the design that weighs heavier on our choice. To that accord, Harman Kardon has been at the forefront of delivering portable audio equipment that helps us tap the transformative power of music on the go. Case in point the Esquire Mini 2!

Designer: Sunghyun (Teddy) Hwang

Taking a leaf from the design of this ultra-slim and portable Bluetooth speaker, a designer has tweaked the form factor to give us a super-slim speaker that evokes memories of a Sony point-and-shoot camera. Fittingly called the Traveller, the Bluetooth speaker is designed according to the Harman Kardon design language. It has a premium design and a look as iconic as the Esquire Mini 2, with touch control buttons and LED light indicators on the top.

Entrusted with meaty features for a traveler’s liking, the slimy speaker comes powered by a high-density battery offering up to 10 hours of backup for uninterrupted music on the go. Interestingly, the Traveller has reverse charge functionality. So, when your primary device playing music through the speaker dies, you can use the Traveller as a power bank to juice it up back to life.

Since the beautiful and compact speaker has Harman Kardon branding; the range and sound quality are a given. What would stand out for many – who cannot avoid calls no matter where they go – the Traveller features dual microphones with built-in echo and noise cancellation for clarity in calls you take or make. To be delivered in three interesting colors: black, silver and electric blue within a premium quality carry pouch, the Traveller Bluetooth speaker intends to be a suitable companion for your next travel destination and Harman’s portfolio.

 

The post This super-slim, portable Bluetooth speaker is fitting companion for your next travel destination and Harman Kardon portfolio first appeared on Yanko Design.

Master & Dynamic MW75 Neuro headphones analyze brainwaves to optimize your work-life balance

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Master & Dynamic can satisfy the most finicky audiophiles with the highest-quality audio solutions. Already on the high spectrum of the headphones industry, the NY-based company now wants to break the shackles and venture into the new age of music listening experience.

They’ve collaborated with Neurable, a tech company focused on bringing neuroscience to everyday gadgets for user’s well-being. The result is a pair of cans that are smart enough to know when you are stressed or need to focus on the task at hand. In a way these headphones are not just about listening to music, rather they are about optimizing your mental state for peak focus or stress relief to get you through the day.

Designer: Master & Dynamic and Neurable

Dubbed the MW75 Neuro, these high-tech wireless headphones provide precise statistics and graphs for analysis, so that you can plan your day to maximize productivity. This is of course done via the accompanying app that highlights the most productive times to the moments of stress. On their own, the MW75 Neuro can mute notifications, enable Do Not Disturb mode and activate the Active Noise Canceling mode if it determines your brain has too much fluff to filter out in a period of focus tasks. All the fancy tech will be housed in the padded earcups of the headies and they look and feel almost like any other luxury headphones.

As clear from the name, these advanced headphones are based on the brand’s acclaimed MW75 headphones that have class-leading audio performance courtesy of the 40mm Beryllium drivers, ANC capabilities thanks to the 4 microphones that toggle the ANC levels based on the environmental sounds and stellar 28 hours battery life with ANC turned on. The MW75’s Master & Dynamic wants to usher into a new era of BCI-enabled wearable technology with these cans, and this is a clear sign of where the industry is heading toward, taking the next big leap in audio.

As Jonathan Levine, Master & Dynamic founder & CEO put it, “The greatest advancement of audio technology over the last decade has been the migration from analog to Bluetooth wireless devices. Moving now into brain sensing thrusts the industry into a new wave of innovation. We’re proud to lead the charge with Neurable.”

The Neuro variant will be available in four colors (Onyx, Argent, Olive, and Navy) for early adopters in the first quarter of 2024 for a price tag of $649. That’s only $50 more than the standard MW75 version which increases its likelihood of being picked up by geeks who want to experience more than just sublime audio. The M&D headphones will be a game changer for professionals who strive for a balanced work-life regime and audiophiles who are too obsessed with the technical and specifications!

The post Master & Dynamic MW75 Neuro headphones analyze brainwaves to optimize your work-life balance first appeared on Yanko Design.

Microsoft Copilot can now make cute little songs on demand

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Microsoft Copilot just rolled out a new feature that creates songs via text prompt, thanks to a partnership with AI-based music creation platform Suno. Microsoft says it gives users the ability to craft personalized songs, “regardless of musical background.” Suno has long been working with various algorithms to create an AI that can whip up entire songs and it looks like the company has struck gold.

When you access this tool, all you have to do is enter a prompt and let the algorithm do the rest. The end result should be “fun, clever and personalized” songs, complete with lyrics and singing voices. You can also make an instrumental tune, if that’s your bag. AI use has been ramping up in the music-making space, but most of those tools are intended to help musicians. This is primarily for non-musicians looking to make a tune for a birthday email or something.

To that end, Microsoft gives prompt examples like “create a pop song about adventures with your family” and “make a song that captures the spirit of growing up.” It looks like the Suno add-on will have access to any personal data accrued by Copilot during use, so these songs could, in theory, get pretty specific.

The feature begins rolling out today, but it’s a tiered release. In other words, it could be a few weeks before it reaches your update box. In the meantime, you’ll have to make do with the thousand other things that Copilot can do.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-copilot-can-now-make-cute-little-songs-on-demand-182305372.html?src=rss

Apple will reportedly reward artists for offering music in spatial audio

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Apple will reward record labels and artists who offer their music in spatial audio, a relatively new audio format that is more immersive than regular stereo. According to a Bloomberg report, artists who release their music in spatial audio will receive “added weighting” starting next year. That, Bloomberg speculates, could mean higher royalties.

Nearly all of Apple’s audio hardware such as AirPods, HomePod, the iPhone and the upcoming Vision Pro headset, support playback in spatial audio, so the company’s move to incentivize artists is almost certainly to ensure that most music available on Apple Music is available in a format that Apple has positioned as a selling point. Notably, Bloomberg notes that Apple Music listeners wouldn’t necessarily have to stream a song in spatial audio for artists to be rewarded. Simply having their music available in the format would be enough.

Apple added spatial audio, which is powered by technology from Dolby Atmos, to Apple Music in 2021. Most of the company’s original shows and movies on Apple TV+ are also offered in the format. Artists also have the option of mixing their older music in the new format, something that bands from all decades are already doing. Mixing music in the format isn’t wildly expensive, according to Bloomberg; if true, this push could help get independent musicians and smaller acts on board.

Some Apple Music competitors like Amazon Music and Tidal also offer spatial audio on their services. But Spotify, Apple’s biggest music stream rival, is a notable exception, even though rumors about a high-quality music format on the service have swirled for years.

Update, January 22, 2024, 5:07 PM ET: Apple started offering 10 precent higher royalties to artists who offer music in spatial audio on Apple Music from January, according to a new report from 9to5Mac. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-will-reportedly-reward-artists-for-offering-music-in-spatial-audio-183713277.html?src=rss

Apple will reportedly reward artists for offering music in spatial audio

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Apple will reward record labels and artists who offer their music in spatial audio, a relatively new audio format that is more immersive than regular stereo. According to a Bloomberg report, artists who release their music in spatial audio will receive “added weighting” starting next year. That, Bloomberg speculates, could mean higher royalties.

Nearly all of Apple’s audio hardware such as AirPods, HomePod, the iPhone and the upcoming Vision Pro headset, support playback in spatial audio, so the company’s move to incentivize artists is almost certainly to ensure that most music available on Apple Music is available in a format that Apple has positioned as a selling point. Notably, Bloomberg notes that Apple Music listeners wouldn’t necessarily have to stream a song in spatial audio for artists to be rewarded. Simply having their music available in the format would be enough.

Apple added spatial audio, which is powered by technology from Dolby Atmos, to Apple Music in 2021. Most of the company’s original shows and movies on Apple TV+ are also offered in the format. Artists also have the option of mixing their older music in the new format, something that bands from all decades are already doing. Mixing music in the format isn’t wildly expensive, according to Bloomberg; if true, this push could help get independent musicians and smaller acts on board.

Some Apple Music competitors like Amazon Music and Tidal also offer spatial audio on their services. But Spotify, Apple’s biggest music stream rival, is a notable exception, even though rumors about a high-quality music format on the service have swirled for years.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-will-reportedly-reward-artists-for-offering-music-in-spatial-audio-183713277.html?src=rss

Fortnite Festival tries to bring back the heyday of music gaming

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Between Fortnite’s propensity for big-name concerts and Epic’s purchase of Harmonix two years ago, the inclusion of some kind of music-making feature in the game was inevitable. What Epic is releasing today is actually far grander: an entirely new mode called Fortnite Festival, a social space where players can team up to perform their favorite songs or jam together on new mixes.

There are two options, or stages, for users to play in the new mode. The main stage, or championship stage, is basically the Rock Band experience recreated inside Fortnite. You’ll form a band with friends and choose a song to perform. Then you play the song using the standard music game format where notes slide down vertical bars, hitting the correct button when the note reaches the bottom. Players can, of course, hear the song as they play it, which can be embarrassing if you’re not that good. Each performer earns points, which in turn leads to XP and character progression in the greater Fortnite ecosystem.

While the main stage may be old-hat to anyone present during the zenith of music games in the 2000s, the jam stage draws from Harmonix’s more recent (and less popular) mixing titles, Dropmix and Fuser. While both of those games had competitive modes, they were a lot more fun as music-making toys, where players could just throw different parts of popular songs together and see what comes out. Jamming in Fortnite Festival is pretty much that, but collaborative.

Fortnite Festival
Epic Games

When you first drop into a jam, your avatar will be standing in a virtual world full of stages, clubs and green spaces. It has an amusement park-like feel, similar to Disney World’s long-gone Pleasure Island. Despite the world’s appearance, you don’t have to climb on stage to play music, you can start jamming wherever you want by pulling up the emote wheel. The actions here have been replaced with song options. Just pick a song and instrument, and your character will start playing. It’s not the entire song, but rather one particular piece of it. To assemble something more complete, you need to collaborate with other players.

Jamming with other players is incredibly easy. All you need to do is walk up to someone who’s already playing (helpfully indicated by a wavy circle) and activate your own emote wheel. The system will automatically mix the two songs together no matter the genre or style. You want to add the vocals from The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” to the synth from “Gangnam Style?” Go right ahead, and don’t be surprised when someone else drops in the beat from The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.”

Instruments can be swapped out on the fly, and the key and tempo can also be tweaked to make a slow song fast or vice versa. There’s a lot of room for creativity here, as well as cacophony as the levels fill up.

While Fortnite Festival draws heavily on Dropmix and Fuser it has one key advantage over those two titles, one that could lead to success where its predecessors failed: it’s free. All three of the new Fortnite modes will be free, but Festival is a standout since it relies so heavily on licensed music. One huge barrier to entry for music games has always been the additional costs, especially the song packs. $2 for your favorite Nirvana or Bad Bunny tracks might not seem like much at first, but it adds up, and any online cost can be insurmountable to a kid without a credit card. The fact that this is a music game that anyone can download for free on their computer, console or mobile device without being bombarded with ads means it has the potential to make music games popular again.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fortnite-festival-tries-to-bring-back-the-heyday-of-music-gaming-153624729.html?src=rss

Next-gen Logitech G Astro A50 X headphones boast HDMI passthrough switching between gaming consoles and PC audio/video

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Gone are the days when passionate gamers used to swear by only a single gaming console. In fact, in the current age is not uncommon to find gamers have a multi-console setup to keep them covered for all the gaming frenzy the tech world has to offer. If you are from this camp then switching your headphones to connect to the PlayStation or Xbox seamlessly is still a craving.

That’s about to change with the Logitech G Astro A50 X Lightspeed wireless gaming headset designed for this very purpose. Unlike Bluetooth multipoint connection available on most flagship headphones, this one employs HDMI connection routed to a base station to do the seamless switching of audio and video to the TV right from the headset with the touch of a button.

Designer: Logitech

The high-resolution audio headphones designed on the original A50 are the fifth generation of the popular Astro A50 console gaming headsets. That no-nonsense switching between PS5, Xbox series X|S and PC is attributed to the in-house Logitech PLAYSYNC technology. The headphones are as good as they get when it comes to satisfying demanding audiophiles and gamers. The 40mm PRO-G Graphene Driver and 24-bit LIGHTSPEED Wireless technology deliver crisp audio performance that’ll make you hear every minute detail.

This flagship gaming headset with an impressive 24-hour battery life (on a single charge) boasts super comfort with an open-back design that promises long hours of gaming without breaking a sweat. The hub of the headphones is the base station that supports 4K 120Hz HDR, VRR and ALLM. Players can mix the game chat and in-game audio to the preferred levels with the on-ear controls and adjustable sidetone. The headphone base also supports multi-connection Bluetooth so that you can take up calls, listen to music, or attend Discord chats without even moving a muscle.

Logitech is also mindful of the environment, hence it gets Carbon Neutral certification too. The A50 X’s body is made out of 35% post-consumer recycled plastic and the paper packaging is sourced from FSC-certified forests. For $350 the headphones are value for money given it’s also a 3-in-1 HDMI 2.1 switcher with wireless audio output and Bluetooth input. You can pre-order them right away in  Black or White finishes with shipping promised by the end of this month.

The post Next-gen Logitech G Astro A50 X headphones boast HDMI passthrough switching between gaming consoles and PC audio/video first appeared on Yanko Design.

Kiss’ final show ended with a performance by digital avatars made to immortalize the band

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Kiss’ final live performance at Madison Square Garden in New York last night also turned out to be the first for the band’s successors — four digital avatars that will play on in the real members’ retirement from physical shows. Kiss concluded the last show of its “The End of the Road” tour by introducing the new virtual band, which then performed “God Gave Rock And Roll To You.”

The avatars weren’t just straight replicas of the current band members — Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer — but interpretations of them “as fantasy-based superheroes,” said Pophouse Entertainment, which partnered with George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic for their creation. And, it says that’s just “one of the many and varied ways in which Kiss will live on as digital performers through their avatars in the future.” Industrial Light & Magic also created the digital avatars of ABBA (or ABBAtars) for the ongoing ABBA Voyage show in London.

No specific plans for the virtual band have been announced just yet, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see similar Kiss experiences pop up in the near future. Gene Simmons, who founded Kiss alongside Paul Stanley, said the move will keep the band “forever young and forever iconic,” while Stanley called it a way to “see Kiss immortalized” and take the group “to a completely different level beyond being just a music band.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/kiss-final-show-ended-with-a-performance-by-digital-avatars-made-to-immortalize-the-band-210024877.html?src=rss