sound
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Bose patent app sees electroacoustical transducers in our chairs
While finding hidden speakers tucked neatly away in one's headrest, rocking chair, or gaming seat isn't exactly surprising, Bose is hoping to integrate the technology one step further by getting "surround sound" into practically every seat imaginable. According to a patent application filed by the company, it's hoping to develop an audio system that includes an "electroacoustical transducer mounted in the back of a seat" so that surround sound is radiated and focused around the ears of the listener. Obviously, said technology could be placed into cars, recliners, office chairs, and beach loungers with relative ease, and while musical entertainment is clearly the primary candidate for use in such a system, the filing also mentions possible telephone integration. Unsurprisingly, Bose didn't mention any details surrounding RMS ratings, frequency ranges, or driver sizes.[Via Wired]
Wired EIC talks Halo 3, voice acting
You probably wish you had Chris Anderson's life. Not only is the guy the head of Wired Magazine and the author of best-selling book The Long Tail, but he also got a sneak peek at Halo 3 through connections with Bungie Audio Director Marty O'Donnell. Oh yeah, Anderson also got to lend his voice to a few nameless grunts in the game. Jealous much?Anderson unfortunately can't reveal much new information about the game because of a non-disclosure agreement, but he did say in a blog post that he was particularly impressed with the game's previously-discussed replay function. He was also able to share scans of a couple pages of dialogue from the game, including such scintillating bombshells as "Ooh-rah! Damn right!" and "There! Over there!" Wow! Who says video game script writing sucks?
Baby Grand Master piano packs full-blown sound system
We've seen overkill in just about every venue imaginable, but just in case owning a pearly white Baby Grand wasn't superfluous enough, Gardner Post has made sure that its rendition is undoubtedly over the top. This beauty forgoes the typical keys for a swank AV system, as users will be graced with dual Pioneer DVJ-X1 DVD Players, a trio of Marshal LCD monitors, and an Edirol V-4 video mixer -- and that's just the video front. As far as audio is concerning, you'll find an Allen and Heath Xone 92 audio mixer, dual 15-inch subwoofers, an 18-incher to handle the low-lows, a 12-inch subwoofer strictly for bragging rights, three Bullet tweeters, and an AB 1,100-watt amplifier to provide the juice. Furthermore, these bad boys can be customized to the hilt for those willing to pay the price, as deep-pocketed customers can add hydraulic legs and lid, neon accents, personalized paint jobs, and fog / laser adornments. Unsurprisingly, you'll have to contact the manufacturer and maintain a serious line of credit before you'll get a price range on this thing, but if you've got to ask, you know it's out of reach. Click on for a few more shots.[Via The Raw Feed]
Follow the bouncing ball with Ontama
Ontama is a new rhythm game for the DS. Which is, really, all we needed to know for our hype-generating machine to go into full power. In case you hadn't noticed, we tend to get worked up about the music games. Rather than telling little mini-stories like Elite Beat Agents, Noise Factory's new game seems to be a somewhat more stripped-down, arcade experience, with characters that seem to be limited to describing gameplay. We don't exactly know how the game works, but we can tell that you touch little round creatures (probably the Ontama themselves, since that translates to "sound balls" or "music balls") to send them into icons on the top of the screen; you then hit directions and buttons that correspond to those icons at the right moment, like Parappa the Rapper. Enjoy the trailer after the break, and see if you can figure out a little bit more of what's going on.
Sierra Sounds' iN STUDIO 5.0 iPod-friendly speakers
We must admit, it's somewhat refreshing to see a set of Made for iPod speakers hit the marketplace that could potentially sound better than a poorly-amplified glorified tweeter, and Sierra Sounds' iN STUDIO 5.0 set is looking to up the ante by catering to the more discerning set. The pair of monitors are purportedly best matched in one's recording studio, as they feature an integrated 50-watt dynamic amplifier, built-in iPod dock, a pair of auxiliary inputs, S-Video output, and a fully enclosed power supply to boot. Additionally, users can control the action from afar with the wireless infrared remote, and Pod owners should be delighted that they can pick a set up in a black, red, or the oh-so-trendy white color scheme. Set to ship later this month, the iN STUDIO 5.0s will run you just under four Benjamins.[Via iLounge]
Game Boy sound comparison delights musicians, confuses others
More geeky than most of us can handle, musician Herbert Weixelbaum has an in-depth analysis of the sound output for every Game Boy system, including both Nintendo DS models. He even included minor upgrades to the line and tested systems with backlighting both on and off. The guide is aimed squarely at chiptune musicians who want to get the most out of their performances. Everyone else, just smile and nod.The results? The original Game Boy has a "warm, bassy sound", the Game Boy Color produces a lot of background noise, while the Game Boy Advance SP has the best display. According to Herbert, however, the original Game Boy is the best of the lot with the all-important "retro feel".[Via GameSetWatch]
Microsoft developing virtual headphone algorithm
Considering that Vista isn't exactly getting perfectly positive praise, it looks like Microsoft is looking into other ways to bring cashflow to Redmond. While we already know the firm is diving head first into the VoIP handset market, it looks like it'll also be involved with a new virtual headphone. In an effort to allow VoIP / computer-based communications to be handled without tethering yourself to your PC and also allow you to hear ambient conversations around the office, researchers at Microsoft have "developed an algorithm that adjusts the timing of sound waves emitted from each speaker in an array, creating a focused beam of sound that acts as virtual headphones." Essentially, the speakers would create a "sweet spot" so that computer users could hear the audio perfectly, while individuals just inches away from the sound zone wouldn't hear much more than a peep. Furthermore, the focused wave technology could even bleed over into the tracking realm, which could actually allow the tones to follow one around as they move. Ideally, the creators want to conjure up a beamforming system that is easy to configure and relatively inexpensive, but we're hearing (ahem) that it'll be at least three years before these aural luxuries break into the corporate sphere.
Groovy sound-reactive PSP LED mod
The incredible team at AcidMods has done it yet again: they've ripped apart another PSP (this time, including the motherboard!) to create a totally awesome, innovative mod for the system. Today, they're showing off a sound-reactive PSP, one that lights up according to the beat of the music. By combining the visualizations of 3.0, a funky beat, and the hypnotic LED lights, your PSP can turn into the ultimate groove machine.
Pentagon plans ultrasonic curtain to muffle loud tanks
Although Macroswiss' giraffe pole could certainly lend our soldiers a hand in peeking across enemy lines, someone with a good bit of execution authority would rather we take a more direct approach to encroaching on the baddies. A Pentagon-based budget layout has revealed plans for an "ultrasonic curtain" to be constructed in a presumed attempt to "significantly" muffle vehicles and loud machinery in order to get our troops closer to foes without being noticed. While the actual construction plans aren't entirely laid out, the device will purportedly use "directed ultrasound technology to enable the capability to significantly reduce sound emissions from large scale tactical military hardware," and they hope to lower noise by "at least 30-decibels" in order to allows troops to operate in close proximity to the enemy without being detected aurally. Of course, cracking trees and unforeseen sneezes could still remain a problem, but there are already plans in place to "validate the theoretical models in laboratory settings," estimate the power required to sustain such a sound shield, and to design a finished product that can cover "a truck-sized vehicle." Sadly, it doesn't seem that this project will be integrating the invisibility cloak already discovered, so a flurry of bubble boy jokes is bound to arise. Wired]
TUAW Tip: Use ambient noise reduction for chats and sound recording
I do a decent amount of audio recording and chatting, but I don't ever remember seeing this option in System Preferences until last night. Turning on the "Use ambient noise reduction" feature under the Input tab of the Sound pane can help cut out the TV or dogs barking in the background, though it obviously isn't an end-all solution. A quiet, sound proofed setup is still ideal, but this setting should help for those times when 'ideal' just isn't possible. The setting should work with your Mac's built-in microphone, as well as any external mics you plug in.[Update: From the comments, it sounds like this might only be an option on Apple's Intel-based notebooks. Readers are reporting that PowerBooks, iBooks, G5 iMacs and even Core Duo Mac minis (an Intel non-portable) don't have the feature. This is very interesting, and suggests that it could be due to an actual update to the microphone hardware in the MacBook/Pros since, as far as I know, noise cancellation typically involves a dedicated chip for this kind of functionality. Only certain mobile phones, for example, actually have noise cancellation, and I believe that is also due to the presence of a specific chip.]
USB Sound Flash Drive packs integrated speaker
If picking up a Les Paul-inspired, iNAND embedded, and aromatherapeutic flash drive still hasn't quelled your cravings for more of that USB key love, here's yet another spin on plug 'n play storage. While the average consumer might not view an integrated, USB-powered speaker flanking the end of a thumb drive an actual "necessity," the eNECESSITIES USB Sound Flash Drive might very well be a priority in an advertisers bag of tricks. Designed to make promotional managers and marketing gurus drool, this device is ideal for loading up "10 to 20 second" WAV, AIFF, or MP3 sound clips which play back when connected to a computer, essentially leaving users no choice but to hear your plug every time they insert the drive. Sadly, you aren't likely to pick one of these up on your own, as the 250 piece minimum order quantity eliminates just about everyone except those running a business, but if you dear readers want to get a group buy started in the comments, be our guest.
DS Daily: Headphones?
The DS Lite's speakers are certainly nothing to be ashamed of. They deliver fairly crisp sound (Elite Beat Agents is a wonderful example) at a decent volume. Still, is this enough in public places? Or are you simply too embarrassed for some games' vibrational happiness to be transmitted to the people around you?Certainly, headphones can offer a more immersive experience in a game. However, the inconvenience of having to carry around an extra device may outweigh the benefits for some. Do you use headphones, and if you do, are they a quality set? How often do you use them? Let's hear it, people.And if a tree falls in the woods, it totally makes a sound. That question is ridiculous.
Kunihiro Tsuji's water-based MODAL loudspeaker
We've seen our fair share of strange, outlandish, overly heavy, and even ocean-related speakers before, but Japanese "sound space designer" Kunihiro Tsuji has crafted a sound reproducing medium that just might make the fishes a bit envious. The MODAL Water Speaker will be presented at this year's Milano Design Week, and aside from belting out tones, it sports quite a peculiar (albeit impressive) design scheme. The presumably monophonic speaker "transmits sound via a resonance box filled with water," and features four surrounding support beams that hold a long vase of liquid, topped off with a loudspeaker that sits atop the water's surface. Although we're not savvy on the RMS rating, price, or availability outside of the design show, we appreciate the ingenuity if nothing else, but just thinking about how our favorite artists would sound gargling a mouth full of water while singing certainly gives us pause. Click on through for the full, unadulterated (and uber-lengthy) photo.
RFID Audiobar brings enjoyment to audio art
While today might not seem all that out of the ordinary, it's not everyday that we find not just one, but two cases of folks using RFID technology to enhance our lives and bring excitement to otherwise mundane exhibits. Following up on ET's playful garb, Mogens Jacobsen has crafted the Audiobar (Hørbar), which is a "physical bar-like social environment that enable visitors to interact with sounds via RFID tagged bottles." His was recently commissioned by The Museum for Contemporary Art Roskild to come up with a new and varied way to present the museum's "vast archive of sound-art," and is now garnering worldwide attention for his success. Each tagged RFID bottle responds to the reader installed in the table, and the housed computer channels the appropriate audio clips to correspond with the bottle movements. While it still might take a bit more pizazz to get a gang of second graders to listen to anything on a museum field trip, this is most certainly a step in the right direction, and can be checked out now if you're stopping through Denmark.[Via Textually]
ET wearable RFID gear turns everything into toys
While the bandwagon approach would be to develop an anti-RFID device to eliminate RFID invasions from our lives altogether, a mysterious Japanese website spells out an interesting take on making wearable RFID, dare we say, enjoyable. The ET (Everything Is Toy) is a "wearable computing system designed to change our daily lives into play," basically transforming the RFID tags on everyday objects into random bits of fun. The video demonstration showcases the system determining that the user picked up an umbrella, but rather than sulking about how rainy it is outside, he proceeds to bust out a few ninja-like moves while the integrated speaker on his person translates the motions into sword clanging sounds. Other examples are a thrown orange becoming a whizzing fireball and your average desk chair revving up like a race car when wheeled around. Of course, the idea is still a prototype, and it won't do us much good without a whole lot of RFID-enabled goods at our disposal, but this looks like a surefire time waster when bored at the office at the very least. Click on through for the sound-filled demonstration.
iPod owners report whining sound emanating from 2G nanos
In a thread over at the Apple Discussions forums, dozens of iPod owners are reporting high-pitching whining and / or buzzing sounds emanating from their 2nd Generation iPod nanos. Many of the owners cite that their units are fully functional despite the whining, although the volume of the unwanted sound varies between each report; for example, russgra states that the whining sound was the first thing he noticed after picking up his 8GB nano, although Energie claims that he wouldn't have noticed had he not seen the problem popping up in forums. There doesn't seem to be any correlation to any particular model within the range either, with 2, 4, and 8GB owners all reporting the annoyance -- notably, none of the reports notice any sound on their previous generation nanos, leading some to suggest that it's caused by a new or upgraded component such as the backlight or battery. In the interests of investigating the problem ourselves, we commandeered a nearby 2GB nano -- although we could hear a faint whining sound once pressed to our ear (which oddly changed tone after we shook it), we found the whine to be inaudible unless we practically lodged it in our ear. Could it be that this encounter is simply a reverberation of the post-Consumermas hangovers, or is this scenario a repeat of the whining problems with the MacBook? If the latter case is true, then it's worth noting that Apple was relatively quick to fix the problem and silence the buzz, along with the vocal minority of people who had brought the issue to the attention of everyone else.[Thanks, David B.]
Bongiovi Acoustics unveils miracle DSP chip for car audio
If there were ever a time where we'd need to hear it before we believed it, this would be it. Tony Bongiovi, an audio engineer who's been around the block a time or two (read: he worked with Hendrix), has finally crafted the miracle chip he's been missing for decades. Dubbed the Digital Power Station (DPS, not to be confused with DSP), the microchip is described as a "very sophisticated equalizer," and while it was originally "the size of a refrigerator," he looked to Glenn Zelniker, a specialist in digital signal processing, to program a wee chip to do the same thing. The result is a dynamically programmed microchip based on an off-the-shelf DSP from Freescale Semiconductor, which is housed in special headunits (like JVC's KD-S100) and has more than "120 points of adjustment" to tune the tunes to fill each vehicle perfectly. Reportedly, the chip even turns factory speakers into high-fidelity drivers, as it calculates the dimensions of the vehicle and the abilities of the cones while outputting the audio. The JVC unit will cost "between $700 and $1,000 installed," since you'll have to schedule an appointment with your service department to get the correct software installed for your make and model, but we'd suggest a trial listen before you plunk down your one large.[Via PhysOrg]
Ravezooka will blow away your friends with sound
Ladies, gentlemen, meet the Ravezooka. This sound bazooka will apparently shoot "hardcore" audio (whatever that means) at varying wavelengths based on how far away your laser-targeted destination is from the sound gun. According to We Make Money Not Art, the trigger controls the auditory distortion effects, which are generated from MIDI data played through a guitar amp. We're a little wary that this is bazooka enough to keep our enemies at bay -- but you can check it out at the NYU ITP Winter Show on the 17th and 18th. Just look for the building downtown with glass blasting out in all directions.[Via Slashgear]
iPod DJ Mixing Studio scratches it up for $40
If it's audio related, and can in any way, shape, or form be associated with Apple's gem, it will be. Consequently, we've even seen the turntables so adored by DJs everywhere taken to the white side, bringing us everything from Numark's duo of offerings to some alternatives that we'd probably shy away from. Hitting the low-end level once again is the iPod DJ Mixing Studio, a halfway decent looking creation that connects to an iPod (or any other DAP, to be fair), and allows you to "create your own digital mixing effects." For those into experimenting rather than buying pre-packaged remixes, you can utilize the scratch, "digi-sound," and voice mods via the two rotating discs. You can also toss in background rhythms and drumrolls as well as adjusting the volume and tempo. Per usual, the device can be attached to your Mac or PC for recording purposes, but we're a little wary of how sophisticated this gizmo really is considering the $39.95 pricetag and "four AA battery" operation.[Via BookOfJoe]
Ingemi kicks out volume-constraining iHearSafe earbuds
Listen up folks, while you might look mighty trendy rocking those headphones 24 / 7, you should be well aware by now that prolonged periods of heightened volumes can lead to embarrassing moments of near deafness in the future. While one (probably over concerned) citizen in Louisiana and a swarm of French folk both sued Apple for not providing volume limiters on its earbuds, your kid (or you, too) could be harmfully cranking it to eleven if your DAP doesn't sport any kind of volume controlling functionality. Ingemi Corp. -- where "kids comes first," mind you -- have unveiled the iHearSafe 'buds which "have patent pending technology to keep the volume below 80 decibels," regardless of how far you jam that volume knob or incensed you become. Featuring a standard 3.5-millimeter jack, the earbuds are reportedly compatible with any major MP3 player, but priced at just $24.99, we can't imagine any sort of remarkable sound quality being emitted from these guys, quietly or otherwise.[Via Techie Diva]
