GEAR + TECH
Spotify Patent Filing Signals New Karaoke Feature
While digital streaming platforms have given us music to sing along with, it’s not often that the technology sings back. That might change with a patent recently filed by Spotify for a “Karaoke Query Processing System.” The news follows a September discovery by reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong, who found an unreleased in-app feature that would allow users to adjust the vocal levels of songs. Paired with this patent request, it seems Spotify is making serious plans to extend their reach into karaoke, though the company has not publicly addressed its plans for the technology. According to patent application, which was submitted on June 24th, this system is capable of matching audio clips of songs with their instrumental versions in order to play a ...
This Techno Artist Is Releasing His New Album As a Game Boy Cartridge
Fans of techno artist Remute may have to dig deep into their keepsakes for the proper modality to play his latest album. The innovative chiptune artist is set to release his upcoming Living Electronics album as a physical release exclusively playable as a cartridge on Nintendo’s iconic 8-bit Game Boy console. Remute is no stranger to porting his musical works on retro hardware systems, frequently retrofitting his sounds to work within the limitations of old technologies. His 2019 Technoptimistic album saw its physical release on the Mega Drive and The Cult Of Remute landed on the SNES a year later. “As with all systems I’ve done albums on before, it was quite challenging to compress my vision down to its pure essence,” Remute told NME. ...
Watch Carl Cox Work With Sensorium Galaxy to Create Cutting-Edge Virtual Avatar
Carl Cox‘s storied career is about to traverse this plane of existence. The veteran producer has effectively been immortalized in the metaverse with the help of Sensorium Galaxy. Ahead of its launch later this year, the cutting-edge VR platform has been aggressively courting dance music’s finest producers, signing them to residencies within their digital concert platform. That list includes David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, Black Coffee, and Cox. Ahead of his debut at the PRISM metaverse venue, Cox has been in Melbourne working with the team to help create his virtual avatar. In a new behind-the-scenes video, the fabled techno producer and DJ shares his insights on the exciting new technology and his impressions on how this venture will reshape the live music...
Latest Splice Update Features Three Exciting New Plugins
Esteemed music production utility Splice has just released its latest update, and it’s making integration with digital audio workstations (DAWs) easier than ever. Sounds+, Creator, and Creator+ subscribers will gain access to three new plugins after the platform shared the first major update to its playable sample library. Among the new plugins is Bridge, a tool that deepens Splice integration with DAWs. Bridge is built for streamlining sampling and enabling a new function that allows users to “audition” samples directly from the Splice browser. Samples can be transposed and synced to the user’s project before being dragged and dropped into the project, saving time and making it easier than ever to select the perfect sample. Splice has also introduced a new mu...
You Can Make Beats By Bouncing This Innovative MIDI Ball
The music hardware market isn’t lacking in creative instruments that make for a unique songwriting experience. A few years ago, Roli delivered their modular Songmaker Kit, which included their Seaboard Block, Lightpad Block, and Loop Block. This time around, ODD has developed a feature-packed MIDI instrument that provides a unique beat-making experience. The ODD Ball is fairly self-explanatory. It’s a spherical device that can be tapped, hit, or bounced to produce a sound. It connects via Bluetooth to a compatible device and is controlled by its own proprietary app. Through the app, users are able to record samples such as kicks, claps, and snares as well as loops or entire beats. Those songs can be shared with other users, allowing for easy and efficient c...
AI-Powered “Passion Flower” DJ Art Car Coming to Austin, Texas
After first debuting at Burning Man 2019, the technologically advanced, AI-powered vehicle known as Passion Flower will go back out on the town for the first time in Austin, Texas. The roving car is capable of effectively delivering a multi-sensory experience through the use of AI. Decked out in layers of dichroic film, the colored glass mirrors the vehicle’s surroundings vibrantly. However, it’s getting even more of a read on its audience than some bystanders may initially realize. The AI-powered Passion Flower art car and multi-sensory mobile DJ platform. c/o Shore Fire Media The internal workings of the vehicle’s music and visuals are governed by AiMi, a platform with the ability to generate an endless stream of AI-crafted electronic music in a variety of moo...
Amazon Music Launches “DJ Mode” Experience With Debut Takeover From Billie Eilish
In a possible bid to compete with competitive hosted listening services such as Apple Music’s Apple Music One, Amazon Music’s newly launched “DJ Mode” function finds a balance between the modalities of yesteryear’s radio and today’s on demand streaming. “DJ Mode” has launched with an offering of four curated listening experiences, each led by DJs, artists, and music commentators. This most notably includes an artist takeover channel piloted by none other than the barnstorming Billie Eilish. Titled “The Billie Eilish Takeover,” the playlist—curated by the Grammy-winning pop star herself—brings listeners closer to her music than ever before. Eilish shares her favorite songs, stories, and influences behind her music during a...
How to choose a sleeping bag: a buying guide
Our comprehensive guide on how to choose a sleeping bag will ensure a cosy night’s sleep whatever the temperature Whether you’re a weekend warrior making a dash for the hills or preparing for a multi-day trek through the Himalayas, choosing the right sleeping bag can make or break a camping trip. It could be the difference between waking up fully recharged and ready for another day on the trail, or utterly exhausted and set to pack it in and head home to the comfort of your own bed. With this in mind, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide on how to choose a sleeping bag. How to choose a sleeping bag We’ve broken down our guide into the following subsections. Where will you use your sleeping bag? The first question to ask is ‘where will I use my sleeping bag?’ I have two sleeping bags. O...
Sony Launches Wearable Motion Sonic Wristlet, Allowing Musicians to Apply Effects Live
Sony’s new Motion Sonic technology is bringing an added level of sophistication to live music performance. Imagine being able to apply effects to live instruments on the spot through the use of gestures alone. This handy piece of wearable technology allows musicians to do just that, applying delays, filters, pitch bends, and much more with just a wave, flick, or roll of the wrist. Motion Sonic allows users to map custom movements and effects all within the native app, then apply the effects by way of plugging their mobile device into an audio interface. Sony/Motion Sonic The technology is fully customizable to one’s desired method of performance. Through use of the Motion Sonic native app, users can map specific types of movements with a desired effect, then simply route ...
Kaskade and Chad Knight Release Digital Sculpture Garden as NFT
The hottest acronym of 2021 just picked up a major dance music player to add to its digital dominance. For his first NFT, Kaskade has teamed up with renowned digital artist Chad Knight for their “//SEASONS//” collection. NFTs have become saturated in recent weeks, but this collaborative drop is unique in that it contains an interactive, virtual reality-powered sculpture garden that anyone is free to explore. Set to the hypnotic sounds of Kaskade, the NFT drop allows fans to beam into the app and explore a virtual art gallery inspired by the collection. With four distinct areas representing each season, the experience helps tell the story of their audiovisual release. Kaskade and Chad Knight’s “//SEASONS//” NFT collection was released on Friday, May 2...
Headhunterz, Da Tweekaz Top “Defqon.1 at Home” Lineup, Streamed Exclusively On New Q-dance Network
It’s been a landmark week for Q-dance. This week, the famed hardstyle music brand announced their forthcoming digital broadcast network, Q-dance Network, and they’ve now slated its first exclusive block of programming. Q-dance dropped their hotly anticipated Defqon.1 at Home festival lineup today, and it’s a formidable showcase of the latest and greatest in hard dance. Headhunterz, Wildstylez, Frontliner, Angerfist, Da Tweekaz, and many more will be igniting the stages of this four-day livestream event, to air exclusively on Q-dance Network in June. Q-dance The platform is launching with a DEDIQATED Membership subscription option as an alternative to just purchasing a ticket for Defqon.1 at Home. The company states a membership plan will pro...
Still Confused About Audius? Here Are 3 Takeaways From Their Revealing Reddit AMA
Despite a highly competitive battleground for users, blockchain-powered music streaming platform Audius has held its own thus far against its massive competitors, like SoundCloud. That is impressive in itself, but it’s important to remember that Audius offers a value proposition unlike any other streaming platform out there: the promise of a decentralized network governed by blockchain technology. While the Audius team is no doubt discovering the benefits and limitations of this decentralized future as they go, it’s clear that artists and fans are eager to help fulfill their vision. Here are some of the takeaways we took from the leadership team’s recent Reddit AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) published on r/electronicmusic. Audius Audius’ Approach To ...
