Category: Audio

Out of the box, iOS devices can only play a handful of audio file formats. But if you’ve got files in other formats, you have to convert them, then bring them into iTunes, then sync them to your devices.

In general, I prefer the big, speakerlike sounds of full-size headphones that cover the ears. But when I’m traveling, I usually bring along a pair of in-ear headphones in order to cut down on the bulk.

I’ve long been on the hunt for a pair of noise reducing headphones with good audio and build quality, and that are wireless as well. I’ve tried some pairs from Bose before, but both pairs I owned ended up cracking irreparably.

A few days ago we talked about Mogees, a tiny digital musical instrument that triggers sound by vibration. The Motus is another unorthodox yet intuitive portable instrument. It lets you create or trigger sounds by motion.

Back in April we checked out a 3D printed violin that looked more like a Predator’s weapon than a musical instrument. But 3D printing isn’t just about making new physical forms. The technology can be tuned for very practical purposes as well, as exhibited by violin maker Hovalin.

Behold the cutest little Star Wars bluetooth speakers in this galaxy or any other. Judge them by their size do you? Well don’t. They can crank up the volume, despite their size. You can choose from goofy looking versions of Boba Fett, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, or Captain Phasma.

There are different gadgets that can turn bodies, steering wheels or food into musical instruments. Now you can turn pretty much any rigid solid object into an instrument using just one device: Mogees. Mogees consists of a very sensitive contact microphone and an iOS app.

NuForce recently became part of the Optoma family of products, and is now offering the first of its new headphones, the BE6. These compact earphones offer Bluetooth connectivity, so they’re great for athletes and anyone else who doesn’t want to be bothered by a cord when listening to their tunes.

Dolby was kind enough to invite me into their brand new headquarters building in San Francisco. The 16-story, 300,000 square foot building brings together research, engineering, marketing, business and operations teams in a single location, and is packed top to bottom with scientific labs for creating the next generation of audio and video technologies.

Artists usually place a hidden track or two in their albums. The upcoming three EPs of electronic artist Captain Credible on the other hand will each have a randomly generated track. The Dead Cats EPs are based on an ATtiny85 microcontroller and Captain Credible’s Arduino sketches.

Synthesized music can now sound less synthesized with the latest voice bank for Yamaha’s Vocaloid software. Announced earlier this year, the Cyber Diva is the first library to have an American English female voice. Here’s a sample of a song created with the Cyber Diva and the new Vocaloid 4 Editor: While she still doesn’t sound like a real person, Cyber Diva is still a massive upgrade to earlier Vocaloids like Lola… or Miriam: Yamaha also said that the voice bank comes with a feature called Growl Expression that gives the samples a “harsher, gruff tone.”

For starters, the Wren V5US is one of the most beautiful wireless speakers you can buy. It’s built into a stunning wood enclosure with a flowing sort of organic form, and will look great sitting on any desk or bookshelf.

If you’ve ever wanted to sing in public, but know that your voice is a little pitchy, then this is the gadget you need. Singtrix is a karaoke machine on steroids, not just capable of removing vocal tracks so you can sing along, but actually improving your voice.

Last month, I had the opportunity to test out the Ruark Audio MR1 Bluetooth audio system, and thought it offered very good sound for its size, and an excellent, substantial build quality. Now I’ve got the Ruark Audio R1 MK3 Tabletop Radio sitting on my desk, and it’s equally as compelling.

Sony recently set me up with a couple of pieces of audio gear from their Hi-Res Audio line, so I could hear first hand the differences between typical digital music players and the higher quality sound one can expect from their product line.

A drum trigger is a device that converts hits on an acoustic drum into electronic signals that activate digital sounds. You can use them to achieve a cleaner sound in live performances or use sound effects without resorting to electronic drums or synthesizers.