Hasta La Gadget!

Blue Microphones is known for its top notch USB microphones. Heck, the Yeti is a staple around the Engadget compound for recording podcasts and voiceovers. The company’s latest, Nessie, continues the audio maven’s fascination with cryptozoology while delivering some interesting new features along with another fantastic retro design. At the top is the mic itself, which looks quite a bit like the Snowball. It sits at the end of a long arm with some slight articulation. The small extension allows you to either focus Nessie up for tall casters or down for recording the occasional acoustic guitar track. At the opposite end is the round, surprisingly heavy base that is home to the headphone volume knob as well as a few other controls.

Around back is the 3.5mm jack itself, right above the three postion mode switch. The first position is raw audio, which applies no effects at all. Second is vocals, which boosts mids and applies a slightly agressive compressor and limiter to beef up recordings of people speaking or singing. Last is music mode, which pulls back on the compression and boosts the highs to add a bit more brightness. The knob on the prototype was quite stiff — in fact it was alost impossible to turn with one hand — but the company says the final version wont suffer such issues. Lastly, at the bottom of the neck is a red capacitive button that mutes the mic. Simply brush you finger across it and the blue LED in the base gently pulses to let you know it’s muted.

Inside the housing is some specialized circuitry that helps mask the most basic common mistakes you make while recording. The processor dynamically alters the EQ and levels, while also applying a de-esser to keep your latest bedroom podcast crisp and clean. The pop filter and shock mount also helps keep noise from shaking and plosives to a minimum. Most importantly, Nessie also keeps Blue Mic’s history of affordability with a price of $99. Head on after the break for a video tour of the hardware along with an audio sample.

Continue reading Hands-on with Blue Mics’ Nessie: a USB mic that masks your flaws (video)

Filed under: Peripherals

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Sound quality matters most for headphones, but we won’t lie: we’ve got a soft spot for a slick design. Eskuché is undoubtedly trying to play that opening like a fiddle with its just-launched Control v2 (left) and 45v2 (right) sets. Both evoke the feel of vintage studio monitors through their 1970s-era finishes while including a decidedly non-vintage microphone and remote combo for iOS devices. The two styles share a 20Hz to 20kHz frequency range, 32-ohm impedance and 40mm drivers, although there’s an incentive to splurge: the $60 Control v2 is the baseline for casual listening with its nostalgic colors and 3.5mm cabling, while the $129 45v2 is tailored to DJs through its titanium drivers, rotatable aluminum cups and a detachable cable system that works with 6.3mm (quarter-inch) plugs through an adapter. iPhone owners eager to recreate a first Led Zeppelin listening will have to trek to Apple’s online or retail stores for a Control v2 during the holidays; they’ll have more shopping choices for the studio-friendly 45v2 arriving at the same time.

Continue reading Eskuché intros Control v2 and 45v2 headphones, melds ’70s chic with 2012 tech for iOS listeners

Filed under: Apple

Eskuché intros Control v2 and 45v2 headphones, melds ’70s chic with 2012 tech for iOS listeners originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Nov 2012 08:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo took to UStream again to announce even more details for its impending new console. The company’s CEO was on hand to detail exactly what comes in the box with a very official-looking opening (Yep, Iwata-san just unboxed his own console.) It’s some pretty familiar packaging, but we noted that the AC adapter appears to be a weighty block separate from the main console. Alongside the main unit and the GamePad, the process also gave us a glimpse at the rest of the premium package, including a charging stand for the Wii U GamePad, console stand, HDMI cable, more cable twists, packaging and a beta test for the new Dragon Quest title. White-gloved console handling aside, the CEO had plenty more to explain — and some of it involved karaoke.

Continue reading Nintendo Wii U unboxed alongside more details: Multiple users, ‘karaoke’ microphones and Wii U Chat (video)

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Nintendo

Nintendo Wii U unboxed alongside more details: Multiple users, ‘karaoke’ microphones and Wii U Chat (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 07:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What do you get when you attach a point-and-shoot, display, microphone, RFID reader and a bunch of big buttons to a clear plastic box and stick it all in a classroom with a bunch of three- to five-year-olds? Carnegie Mellon’s CREATE Lab calls the creation Message from Me. It’s a way of engaging early education students with technology, developing language and social skills and helping keep parents abreast of their school day activities.

The tool encourages kids to record a thought or take a picture and send it to a parent by pulling a card with their face on it down from the wall and scanning on the RFID reader. Parents can get updates via text message or email from kids who are often unable to pass along such information at the end of the day. According to the lab, the machines have already been installed in nearly a dozen schools in the Pittsburgh area — and from the looks of the boxes on the floor in the CREATE Lab, plenty more are on the way.

Continue reading Message from Me offers dispatches from early education, we go eyes-on (video)

Filed under: Displays, Networking

Message from Me offers dispatches from early education, we go eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has included a lot of cool features with the iPhone 5, but one of the more interesting talking points is that the iPhone 5 comes complete with three microphones. One of these mics is located on the front of the device, another on the side, and the final one has taken up residence on the back. So, why does the iPhone 5 need three microphones?

Apple has equipped the iPhone 5 with three mics to aid in noise cancellation. This will come in handy for both voice calls and video, and they will also help in a big way with voice recognition. To complement the multiple mic setup, Apple has made a few improvements to the speakers and earpieces, bringing the size of both down by a significant 20%. As an added bonus, Apple has also announced that Wideband audio will now work with more frequencies.

So, with the iPhone 5, we can expect audio quality to be a bit better than we’re used to with other smartphones. This is on top of other improvements already announced by Apple, including the iPhone 5′s lightweight and thin design, a 4-inch screen, and the addition of Retina Display. Be sure to have a look at our liveblog of Apple’s event for details as they’re revealed, and also stop by our Apple portal, where we’re posting all the news you need to know from today’s event!

iPhone 5 comes equipped with three microphones is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
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