We’d all love to be able to blast sound to the high heavens, but sadly, most of us lack the space and/or patient neighbors willing to put up with it. Well today, gaming gear giant Razer is announcing new software that it claims will be able to turn your ordinary headphones into a professional-grade set that emulates 7.1 channel sound. And from now until the end of the year, the software is free, so why not give it a shot?
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Windows 8 has built-in search tools for apps, but a tweak in the June update to Xbox Music is making that feature more accessible. The media player now lets you search for songs on both your PC and Xbox Music through an in-app button. If you don’t have any local tunes, you won’t have to sign in to start listening — Music now lets you stream 15 tracks through Xbox Music’s ad-supported free tier without using an account. While other bug fixes and UI enhancements are minor in nature, what’s here is enough to justify a trip to the Windows Store for the new version.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: Windows Experience Blog
If you’ve been interested in social music listening, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of TuneWiki’s lyric syncing and discovery services. Unfortunately, you won’t be hearing about them for much longer — the company is shutting down on June 28th. The firm hasn’t explained its decision, but we wouldn’t count on any content working after the cutoff date. We’ve reached out for more details; for now, the only certainty is that lyric lovers will have to scramble for alternatives.
Filed under: Internet
Via: The Next Web
Source: TuneWiki
BitTorrent announced its new file format, the Bundle, just over a month ago, giving artists new tools to control content distributed P2P. Now, Public Enemy is one of the first to take advantage of those features by releasing its latest single as a Bundle and announcing a BitTorrent-based remix contest. Downloading the torrent gets you a copy of “Get Up Stand Up,” and giving Chuck D and his mates your email address unlocks the Bundle — thereby netting you the song’s music video, outtakes and 37 remix-able multitracks. That last bit is key, as Public Enemy’s encouraging folks to submit remixes of the song to the group using BitTorrent SoShare. From those submissions, Public Enemy will pick the best remix, officially release it, and give the winner recording gear and a smattering of Public Enemy swag. Sound good? You bring the DJ skills, and we’ve got you covered with the source tracks and more info below.
Filed under: Misc
Via: CNET
Source: BitTorrent, SoShare
We have accessed music in many different ways. It’s the 21st century after all. And now UK-based communications agency Uniform has devised a new way to access music. With their interactive Postcard Player.
These music playing postcard prototypes are printed with electronics using conductive inks. These allow users to interact with the flat printed circuit. The postcards can be docked into the Postcard Player to play music. You can control music by touching the paper postcards in the same way you would a touchscreen. Each card has tracks with printed buttons to pause and remix the music. Though it appears that the music itself is stored in the docking station, and the printed circuit only serves to identify which track to play and to control playback.
The Postcard Player is being shown off at Design Museum’s 2013 Designs of the Year show through July 7th, where it is showing everyone what you can do by printing electronic circuits onto unconventional surfaces. Pretty cool. Imagine getting a postcard, then docking it to hear a voice message and a song. Sure, it’s a novelty, but an interesting one.
[DigitalArts via TAXI via Damn Geeky]
Quirky might be the world leader in developing crazy kitchen contraptions
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There’s something quite special about high-end speakers, in the way that they are often able to recreate acoustic performances very accurately, akin to what holography is to visual senses. I’m not sure that these Bowers & Wilkins speakers will do that, but they certainly look the part.
The B&W 805 Maserati Edition Speakers will please audiophiles and car enthusiasts alike. At heart, they are part of the 800 Series of Diamond speakers, adorned with lots of materials that you’d find in any Maserati. They come in maple veneer, black leather, standing tall on the stand that has a Maserati Trident logo.
These speakers are limited and the price hasn’t yet been announced, but given that the regular 800 Diamond Series speakers sell for $23,000(USD) a pair, so you can just imagine how much these will cost. They will be available this Fall, so start saving up now.
[via Uncrate]
Wood is the go-to material when you design speaker enclosures, and these new ones from Neue Werkstatt (German for “new factory”) really let the natural look of wood shine through.
The NW3 speakers are each made by a small carpenters workshop in Germany. The wood used is sustainably-harvested pine, and the interior insulation is made out of a natural wool batting. Surfaces are finished with a solvent-free stain and natural wax, letting the natural woodgrain really stand out. The audio components inside the enclosure come from Danish audio company Peerless.
I haven’t had a chance to listen to the NW3s yet, but I definitely like their style. They look very natural, and offer a nice accent for modern interiors.
[via designboom]
If you’re both a Spotify and a Pink Floyd fan, you’ve likely been disappointed in the past months, with the former offering very little of the latter. That is about to change, however, according to a tweet fired off by Pink Floyd yesterday. Starting now, all streaming of “Wish You Were Here” on the music
Remember Paul Vo? He’s the genius who invented a little black box that makes acoustic guitars sound otherworldly by changing the physics of how strings vibrate
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This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
