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CanOpener is an excellent app for listening with headphones on iOS
There have been several apps designed to enhance the experience of listening on headphones, using a variety of digital manipulations of the signal. CanOpener is a new entry in the audio app derby, and it's a solid debut. CanOpener is a US$4.99 universal app with an extensive feature set. A Crossfeed feature lets your headphones sound a bit more like speakers, by blending the separation in adjustable amounts. An equalizer gives you a large range of settings to fit the music to your preferences, and a Dosimeter lets you know how loud the audio is to protect your hearing. The app also supports gapless playback, and can handle sample rates up to 96 kHz. Channels can be reversed, along with phase, something I don't see in similar apps. It's usually not needed, but it's a thoughtful addition. How does it sound? Excellent. I listened on a B&W P5 headset, a Sennheiser HD600 and the stock Apple EarPods. The app had presets for the Sennheisers and the Apple product. Listening to rock, symphonic and jazz, I found the presentation improved without setting the aural image to unrealistic extremes. The music never sounded over-processed, which happens with some audio apps. The changes were subtle, but always an improvement over flat response. There is a handy on-screen switch to take all the EQ and crossfeed settings out. One of the best-sounding soundtracks of late is the music from the film Prometheus. It has prodigious bass, delicate highs and great-quality audio throughout. It never sounded better on my iPhone 5. The GUI is intuitive and attractive, not an afterthought. It's easy to navigate, and that's a plus because there are so many options. There are two things I'd like to see in this app. Volume is controlled through the iPhone physical buttons, and an odd control on screen. There is a volume control, done with a circular motion, but I don't think it's intuitive or obvious. I also think some additional explanation of the settings would be welcome. A similar app is MyTunes Pro from SRS labs. It's a free app, but when you add the premium package, it costs the same as CanOpener. The range of audio manipulation is greater in MyTunes Pro, but it is easier to get into trouble and make the sound unnatural. Some people will prefer the MyTunes Pro approach. Others will like the CanOpener approach that is more subtle. CanOpener is a great debut for a new app in a competitive field. It requires iOS 6 or later, worked fine on the current iOS 7 beta and is optimized for the iPhone 5.
The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the best combat feel?
In my informal survey of comments on Massively, one of the common dealbreakers that I see for MMOs is a combat system that just doesn't feel right for the player. Maybe the animations are off, the sounds are too wimpy, or the pacing is annoying. Whatever the case may be, the art of war isn't enjoyable and that pushes a player away. But what about the flip-side? I'd like us to examine MMOs that get combat right and provide that "feel" that hits a sweet spot in your gaming pleasure center. I love it if weapons sound the way that I think they should, that there are reactive effects when I hit the enemy, and that skills go off more or less right when I activate them. So which MMO has the best combat feel? Let's duke it out! Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Dr. Amar Bose, audio visionary, dies at 83
Opinions about Bose's consumer audio products aside, there's no discrediting the extensive contributions its founder added to the world of amplified sound. On that note, we're saddened to report that its Founder, Chairman and Technical Director, Dr. Amar Gopal Bose, has died -- this, just two years after donating a majority of Bose Corporation shares to MIT. According to MIT News, after earning degrees in Electric Engineering at the college, he taught there from 1956 until 2001. While teaching, he studied physical and psycho-acoustics, which resulted in his patents in "acoustics, electronics, nonlinear systems and communication theory." In 1964 he founded the company, Bose Corporation, that would bring us the well-known noise-cancelling headphones and audio systems that many have come cherish. An official statement from Bose Corp. and more info about the man himself can be found at the source links.
ASRock Purity Sound motherboards come with better audio shielding, headphone amps
Not that we were necessarily asking for it, but we now have another spec to weigh up when choosing a new Haswell motherboard. ASRock's A-Style Z87 mobos will come with a bunch of audio-related features collectively called "A-Style: Purity Sound", which the company claims will result in a better signal-to-noise ratio (115dB) compared to regular onboard 7.1-channel circuitry. The boards will also come with a dedicated headphone amp that should be able to high-impedance drive cans up to 600 Ohms, plus DTS Connect for converting PC audio to the DTS codec for optical out. There's some extra shielding around the components, which lends plausibility to the better SNR and the promise of better sound quality -- so Purity Sound probably can't be dismissed as Purity Marketing. In any case, just make sure you also pay this much attention to your next power supply.
This is what the Xbox 360 Achievement sound looks like
Whenever you hear that "boop-boop" drop-chime of Achievement on the Xbox 360, picture this floating, green jellyfish-like image, because that's what it looks like. This is according to design company Born of Sound, which makes noises into "sound-forms," or physical art.
Sony patent claims touch force detection via microphone
In the annals of "clever patents that may never amount to anything," we now have an entry from Sony: a method of sensing touch strength with sound. Since capacitive touchscreens can't detect pressure on their own, a second film is needed that can add weight and cost. Sony's freshly granted patent claims that a microphone can take on that job instead by listening to the sound your finger or stylus makes when it hits the screen and deducing force from that. It could also be used with a camera-based position detection system as shown above, meaning your finger's location and force could be calculated on a non-active surface like an ordinary table. Obviously such a device would only detect taps, not presses, and Sony has claimed a calibration method that the average user may not want to bother with. It probably seemed like a good idea at the time of filing (2009) when other force-sensing options had yet to hit market, but this one seems unlikely to see daylight -- though, you never know.
HTC says One's dual-membrane microphones block bad vibes
Nobody expects studio quality recording from a smartphone, but the technology in HTC's recently launched One at least allows distortion free audio to be nabbed in the quietest or loudest environments, according to the company's blog. Describing BoomSound tech, HTC says the system brings two dual-membrane MEMS microphones to the handset, one of which is focused on sensitivity and the other on high decibel sources. The two signals are then combined electronically, resulting in whisper-level tones that are free of hiss along with concert level blasting that won't clip or distort. By HTC's reckoning, that means the audio that goes along with those UltraPixels will be clear whether you're capturing a physics lecture or death metal concert.
Modded Nexus 7 shows why some phone and tablet loudspeakers are better than others (video)
We never used to take the speakers in phones or tablets very seriously. Frankly, we're not sure manufacturers did either. But the old assumption that tiny = tinny is starting to seem a bit unfair. Last year, Dutch chip-maker NXP released a new type of mobile audio component -- the TFA9887 -- that allowed a mobile device to monitor its speaker system in real-time in order to max out volume without risking damage to the driver. Although NXP is way too modest to confirm it, we happen to know that this chip made its way into a number of HTC devices, including the new One, One X+ and 8X, where it's been described as "feedback" speaker technology. The extra voltage delivered to speakers by this generation of component hasn't been especially wild -- just a couple of volts above the industry norm of around 3V. But what you're about to hear after the break is the next-gen TFA9890, which is expected to appear in devices around the middle of this year, and which racks things all the way up to 9.5V. This promises to be a much more audible leap relative to traditional no-feedback speaker systems, and you should be able to spot the difference for yourself after the break.
Sound Uncovered is a gateway to the fascinating world of sound
The San Francisco-based Exploratoruim has a long history of promoting science, arts and hands-on learning. The science museum has a physical location with more than a thousand exhibits, a website with more than 50,000 pages of content and now it is launching its second interactive iPad app, Sound Uncovered, a follow-up to its successful Color Uncovered iPad book. As its name implies, Sound Uncovered lets you explore the wonderful world of sound. There are articles that'll explain how a blind person can ride a bike and why gum chewing drives some people crazy. There are also interactive exhibits that'll have you questioning what you hear and why you hear it. These interactive elements are reminiscent of the cool science exhibits you would see at a physical museum. Sound Uncovered is not only fun; it's also informative. The app doesn't water down the science and introduces the concepts of interference and illusions like Shepherd tones and the McGurk effect. While elementary school kids will enjoy playing with the science experiments, the science explanations are definitely geared towards upper-middle school and above. The science, though, shouldn't deter you from downloading Sound Uncovered. Even if you are not a science-minded person, the experiments are practical and fun. Starting today, Sound Uncovered is available for free from the iOS App Store.
Chaos Theory: Sounding off on the influence of ambiance in The Secret World
From chirping birds and swooshing swords to background music for different areas, MMOs are rife with in-game sounds. Yet plenty of folks actually opt out of the original game sounds and music, shutting them off in favor of personal soundtracks. I myself usually turn game sounds down to around 3% because I often find the sounds too overpowering. Doing so never seemed to affect games much -- until now. Sounds make The Secret World. By now, you've all heard me rave about the ambiance in TSW, either in my Why I Play, here in Chaos Theory, or during my livestreams on Massively TV. I've repeatedly said that the spooky atmosphere that pulls you right into the game is one of its greatest features. Yet it actually goes deeper than that: The ambiance is more than just added frosting that can be scraped off without affecting the main treat; it is completely integral to the game. Thanks to an unplanned "opportunity" this past week, I can tell you without a doubt that if you remove or turn the sounds in TSW down too low, you are doing yourself a huge disservice. In fact, you are actually missing out on the game.
Soundmatters' $250 Dash 7 portable Bluetooth speaker to debut at CES 2013
Shortly after revealing the foxLv2 aptX Bluetooth speaker, Soundmatters is adding another member to its foxL range with the Dash 7. This pocket-friendly soundbar doubles up as a speakerphone and carries a $250 sticker, boasting pristine omnidirectional sound and also bundling an angled stand for direct on-axis listening. Tipping the scales at 200g, the Dash 7 stands just about 18mm tall and is designed to be nestled below your slate without restricting the view. The speaker plays well with the diminutive foxLo subwoofer too -- a pairing that promises to add some punch to impromptu parties. The Dash 7 will come in red, white, black and silver when it lands later this month, but the core specs are currently MIA -- a problem we expect to resolve as early as next week when we encounter the accessory at CES.
From mind to ear: The journey of sound creation in WildStar
A rustling of brush behind you. The click of a gun safety switching off. A low growl off to the side. While seemingly minor details, even the smallest of sounds give us important information about the world around us, especially when we're playing our favorite MMOs. Two weeks ago, WildStar's weekly dev blog delved into the pairing of sounds to actions in-game. Today, WildStar Wednesday revisits the realm of audio to discuss the actual process of building the sounds that bring the sci-fi game to life and enhance the player experience. So how do the distinct in-game sounds come about? They start with an idea. WildStar Audio Director Charley Lanusse detailed how the team members move from idea to reality: They take smaller sound bytes from a large collection of sounds, manipulate them, and then arrange them together to create the more complex and organic soundscapes. He also explained how the game engine will rearrange the sounds into different orders to change how the sound effects play depending on the exact real-time situation in game. You can read up on more details -- as well as get a few hints from Lanusse if you want to break into sound production yourself -- in the blog.
WildStar explores the nuance of sound
Sounds aren't often something you think about within a game. A one-second audio clip that plays when an ability activates isn't a major draw of your attention. But it's also more relevant than you might think in the long run -- that sound is what draws your attention, lets you know what's going on, and creates the illusion of the world around you. It's also a very complicated process to build sound effects for a game, as demonstrated by WildStar's Senior Sound Designer Greg Meader in this week's WildStar Wednesday. Meader uses a specific ability to walk through the process of making a sound to fit the on-screen action, in this case an ability deployed by the Skug Queen. The process starts by identifying individual sounds that fit the overall theme, then layering them together and adding additional effects as needed until the whole package sounds right. For all that it's easy to miss in the midst of the action, it's clear that the designers are paying a lot of attention to what you hear during battle and elsewhere.
Hitman Absolution dev diary lets us sample the dynamic audio
Ask any professional assassin and they'll tell you, the most important thing besides not getting caught when killing someone is the sound. Can anyone hear me? Does this ambient music set the right mood? Is the treble turned up too high?
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to receive the Dolby Atmos treatment
The CinemaCon crowd may not have been keen on 48fps footage of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, but we defy anyone to say they don't want the best sound possible. A select few will get just that, as Dolby and Peter Jackson's own Park Road Post Production have announced the film will be mixed for the speaker-packed Atmos technology. If you're lucky enough to live near one of the select establishments it's installed in, we doubt you'll be grumbling about the immersive audio, even if the frame rate makes those orcs look unsettlingly real. Update: That link of "select establishments" is somewhat out of date and, although the official list of locations you'll be able to see The Hobbit in Atmos has yet to be released, Dolby says there should be between 80 and 100 screens capable of delivering the over-the-top audio experience by the film's debut.
Beats by Dre Pill portable Bluetooth speaker officially drops, we take one per the Dr. and go ears-on (video)
It's official. Aside from letting loose its first set of headphones post-Monster for the Executive types, Beats Electronics has set its sights on nabbing the portable Bluetooth audio crown from Jawbone's Jambox. You'll recall this hitting the FCC a bit ago, but today the Dr. is officially ready to offer you his remedy for on-the-go wireless audio with the $200 Pill, an NFC-equipped portable Bluetooth 2.1 speaker. Coming in your choice red, black or white, the cylindrical system is loaded with a quartet of 1-inch drivers, and supports codecs including Apt-X and AAC. An internal battery is said to provide about seven hours of listening at around 75-percent volume (80 decibels), and the unit can be charged via its Micro-USB input. Notably, an auto-off feature turns the unit off after 30 minutes if no audio is streamed to it. As you'd expect, the Pill features a front-facing on-board mic for use as a speakerphone, physical volume buttons and power button, as well as a 3.5mm input if you'd like to play sans Bluetooth. We're also pleased to notice that the diminutive system also features a 3.5 output if you'd like to send the audio out to another audio ware. The Pill comes with a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable, a USB to Micro-USB cable for charging with an included wall adapter and, lastly, a carrying shell case that can be hooked to a bag. We've been able to spend about an hour with the system, and we've frankly come away very impressed. The unit feels very sturdy, with a stiff metal grille and soft-touch coating around the rest of its exterior. It feels very comfortable to hold in a hand, and will easily fit in a jacket pocket. Actually, one of our only initial complaints is that the included carrying shell doesn't leave any room for the included cables. All of the buttons have a soft, slightly clicky tactility, which also aids to its premium feel. Using it initially alongside one of Beats' on-hand Jamboxes in a wired A/B comparison, the Jambox came out sounding like a distorted, rumbling mess up against the Pill -- we even had a rep bring out a second unit confirm that it wasn't a dud. If that wasn't enough, the Pill also managed to get much louder, staying fairly clean (in comparison), and without rumbling on the table as the Jambox did very slightly. As a triple-check measure, we later came up with a similar outcome with our in-house unit of Logitech's $99 UE mobile boombox -- a speaker we find comparable in sound, if slightly better, than the Jambox. %Gallery-168433% In what could be viewed as slightly ironic, the Pill has a voicing that edges toward the flatter side of things, rather than pumping out exorbitant amounts of bass. It's not to say that it can't reproduce bass at all, it's just not the focus here. This flatter output seems to be a big part of what keeps it from distorting, but we should be clear, that the audio here is many times better still on the Pill. Pleasantly, the speakers are also angled up slightly, which makes for a noticeably more natural listening experience. Our only other concern for the time being is that the Bluetooth connection with our iPhone 5 did crackle occasionally like a vinyl record, but it's too early to say if the issue will be consistent during future use. We're still a ways off from being able to definitively give you a thumbs up on the Pill, but -- at least, initially, it seems like it's easily blowing the Jambox and similar speakers out of the water. Like the Executive headphones, the Pill is available today at Beats stores and other retailers -- check out our video hands-on after the break for a better look.
Acoustic barcodes store data in sound, go on just about anything (video)
Technologies like NFC, RFID and QR codes are quickly becoming a normal part of everyday life, and now a group from Carnegie Mellon University has a fresh take on close-quarters data it calls acoustic barcodes. It involves physically etching a barcode-like pattern onto almost any surface, so it produces sound when something's dragged across it -- a fingernail, for example. A computer is then fed that sound through a microphone, recognizes the waveform and executes a command based on it. By altering the space between the grooves, it's possible to create endless unique identifiers that are associated with different actions. It's easy to see how smartphones could take advantage of this -- not that we recommend dragging your new iPhone over ridged surfaces -- but unlike the technologies mentioned earlier, not all potential applications envisage a personal reading device. Dot barcodes around an area, install the sound processing hardware on site, and you've got yourself an interactive space primed for breaking freshly manicured nails. We're pretty impressed by the simplicity of the concept, and the team does a good job of presenting scenarios for implementing it, which you can see in the video below. And, if you'd like to learn a little more about the idea or delve into the full academic paper, the source links await you. [Thanks, Julia]
V-Moda's M-100 audiophile headphones get ready for mass production, we go ears-on
V-Moda's been seriously edging for the audiophile crowd lately -- namely with its Crossfade M-80 on-ear headphones, the VAMP headphone amp for the iPhone 4/4S, and a soon-to-be disclosed followup dubbed as Vamp Versa. That brings us to its soon-to-be released M-100 headphones, which haven't really been a secret since their inception, making them a special set. Unlike many companies who strive for secrecy in regards to upcoming products, V-Moda's taken a drastically different approach with its latest cans, with owner Val Kolton stating that they're effectively the first crowd-sourced set of headphones. Many headphone lovers out there likely know that Kolton's been heavily in contact with the Head-Fi community, hoping to craft the best sounding, looking and fitting ear-gear possible. As he puts it, "the easter egg and inside joke is that the [M-100 headphones] can actually stand up. It is the first headphone that we know of that 'stands above the rest' and all others fall down/crawl. It also can stand on top of a few other new brand's models almost like Cirque De Soleil." It may be hard to tell based on the fashion-focused looks, but the company is adamant that its audio gear goes through more stringent research and testing than some of the biggest names out there, and that it'll show in the end products. Most notably, its TrueHertz testing where, for the M-100, "six points from 5hZ to 12kHz are measured to be within [its] obsessive quality control levels." According to Kolton, most companies only check at 1Khz, and allow for much wider variances. He followed up stating that "like fine wine, a headphone is only as good as its fit (taste buds) and its driver variances (grapes/cork). To us, all brands advertising 'HD' sound [aren't being forthright] unless they believe or even know these key components are "'fugazi.'" For perspective, the M-100 is essentially the third iteration of the Crossfade LP over-ear headphones. Aside from a few tweaks to the design, it's packing an audiophile-focused tuning (rather than DJ) that's based on blending the voicings of its M-80 on-ears and the LP2 over-ears. It wouldn't be unfair to say the company is aiming for a flat, yet fun sound -- all in a package that's fit to take to the streets like its earlier offerings. Those familiar may know that just under 150 of the first 200 production-quality models are currently floating around as early stock and test units for a final bit of real-world feedback before mass-production begins -- and this editor's been lucky enough to get his mitts on a set for some initial impressions. So, is the product shaping up to match all the hype? Click on past the break for our take.
Pioneer XDJ-Aero review: a DJ controller that loves music, hates physical formats
Pioneer has enjoyed a fairly tight grip on the upper-end of the DJ market, but if you step out of the professional DJ booth, and into the bars and bedrooms, the competition starts to heat up. So when we heard about the XDJ-Aero and its curious new WiFi functionality, we were interested to see how this $1,399 controller would be received. That's not to say the DJ mainstay doesn't hold its ground in this busier market -- it does -- but as the far more frequent product release schedule will attest, the industry standard crown is still up for grabs. There's the other issue of software to consider, also. Pioneer has remained fairly neutral so far, releasing controllers for the big two platforms already, with the paint barely dry on its latest addition. The XDJ-Aero, however, hints at a new approach. One where you don't need to choose your software gang colors to be involved. This isn't the first bit of kit that lets you play direct from USB drives or skip the laptop, but it's the first from Pioneer that clearly heads out in its own direction. Ditch the Traktor, wean yourself of Serato, even forget CDs and just get on with the mixing. That seems to be what the XDJ-Aero is about, but does it hold its own? We popped a few of our favorite ditties on to find out.
Pioneer cues up DDJ-SX Serato controller, adds performance pads to the mix (video)
Pioneer's had a little bit of a new-product spree of late, and it isn't over yet. The latest slab-o-buttons? The DDJ-SX. For those of you familiar with the firm's naming convention, this means it's a software controller with a Serato flavor. As such, integration with the popular DJ application is tight, and includes dual deck, slip mode, FX mode and hot cue functionality. The four-channel mixer section can be used with external hardware, which you can hook up via a pair of phono inputs, and, as usual, the DDJ-SX can be used as a MIDI controller with other software should you so desire. As for outputs, you've the choice between XLR and RCA, as well as a separate output for the DJ booth, and as it has its own audio interface, there's no need to bring anything else in there with you. The DDJ-SX will be ready to play in November for a bass-heavy $1,199, but if you're quick to the game, the first 10,000 buyers can snag a free license for the Serato Video plug-in. Nice. Bewildered by all those pots and faders? Then shuffle past the break for the official tour.
