Tag: Music

Tech Review – Naenka Runner Pro Bone conduction Open Ear Wireless Headphones

Bone conducting headphones are now a more common sight these days and becoming more visible in store and are a new approach to the audio experince we have tested several now at this stage and the latest offering from Naenka deliver here with their higher end model and are ideal for those who jog,cycle, do fitness and even swimmers they have a simple product with simple to use controls and overall makes it a simple product to use and enjoy no matter the use case you might want them for.

How Bone Conduction Headphones Send Signals to Your Brain?

Some creative minds found a way to make the sound waves pathway much easier, i.e. through bones. They are transmitted directly to the cochlea when the sound waves cause the head’s bones to vibrate, which further transmits the electrical impulses through auditory nerves to the brain. The impulses that reach the brain are the same that reach the ear. The technology has proven to be effective for people who have hearing impairments. The technology is even used to treat hearing loss in the medical field. 

On board you get 8GB of storage which is a first I have seen in such headphones and this is great meaning whilst out on a jog or down at the gym you do not need your phone with you, they do have a proprietary connector which is always a bug bear for me mostly seen on smartwatches but you can forgive this caveat with all the other features on offer.

The build quality is great here and robust and will last after putting them through their paces for about a month they have been in the rain, in the gym and out on my bike and have not had one issue given they have been dropped a few times. Also worth noting they are great to have in your car too. Battery life is decent enough with around 240 hours of standby time and 6-8 hours of play

The sound quality is also quite good offering several formats of music files such as WAV FLAC APE WMA and MP3 with up to 1500 songs storage which is quite good if you ask me and more than enough for a few hours use doing workouts and so on.

You can also listen to your surroundings here to which is important for many these days but with the brighter nights now upon us it will not be that much of an issue, if you are with a group of friends out jogging or walking you can listen them and your music and podcasts on the go.

Naenka Bone Conduction Runner Pro Open Ear Wireless Headphones techbuzzireland

The 16mm drivers deliver decent sound too and one of the better of the few I have tried here in recent times and they do not annoy your passenger seated beside you on the bus or train for example. They are comfortable to wear to and after a few minutes you would forget they are there in fact.

The controls are great and simple here you have two buttons basically and you can take calls,higher and lower the volume skip and reverse tracks and also use your chosen voice assistant and the tactile buttons work really well all on one side making it super easy to use and easy to make the right selection.

Overall these are a well made easy to use product with and IP68 rating making them usable anywhere and easy to do so at that.

Check out the Naenka Lite Pro real hands on review where we show you the product and how they work and no stock images for context

Features

Runner Pro Bone Conduction Bluetooth Headphone

Born for sports   

IP68 Professional sports waterproof bone conduction non – ear black technology             

can be wear while swimming and bathing 

Built-in 8G memory card

16mm large speaker driver, sound quality is shocking and layered

33g Lightweight device 

The signal is as stable as wired

Comfortable wearing

plus size speaker drive

A new generation of vibration reduction technology   

high performance of Sound.

Multiple layers of protection to maintain performance in harsh environments.

Seamless injection molding, integrated molding, to avoid water seepage magnetic suction contact charging change the traditional charging interface without liquid accumulation, anti-oxidation nano-coating on the chip to isolate water vapor

One-key switch between memory mode and Bluetooth mode

8G large capacity storage 1500+ music

WAV, FLAC, APE, MP3, WMA music format support

13mm high frequency resolution is thorough  13mm low and medium frequency dive surging

*The above data comes from laboratory tests, and the actual use environment and equipment are different, there will be slight differences

Naenka Website

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How has Song Streaming Changed the Music Industry?

Whether you like it or not, streaming has certainly completely changed the music industry. When you look at services such as Spotify or even Apple, you will soon see that they have made music far more affordable and that the way we listen to songs has also changed. If you want to find out more about that, then simply take a look below.

Song Writing

An increasing number of artists are now creating songs that jump right into the chorus. There are no instrumentals, beat drops, bridges or anything else of the sort. This is efficiency at its finest and it is because artists know where you are going to fast forward to hear the main part of the song. Back in the day, things never used to work this way. People had set structures that they would work to when creating songs and this would help them to make sure it had a solid structure. Now things are far different.

Content Delivery

Streaming has also changed the way that we access music. At one point, if you wanted to hear a new CD, you would have to go to your local shop and hope that they have it available. You would also have to wait until the shop opened before you could even make your purchase. Now things have changed and you don’t need to wait until a store is open. You can access what you want, at the time of its release, wherever you are. The casino industry for example has changed a lot because of this movement as well. You once could only gamble at a licensed stone foot establishment, but now you can play a huge range of games online – at sites such as the online casino Netbet platform – instantly.

Social Media

Communication, especially on social media, is very quick. This trend is having a huge impact on the way that various artists interact with their audiences. If you look at the opening track on the latest Kanye West album, you will soon see that it is called “I Thought about Killing you”. It sounds like it is an Instagram story, but in the first half of the song, it would seem that Kanye is not speaking in time or following the beat. He’s thinking out loud, and it is no surprise that this trend is catching on quickly with millennial rappers. The SoundCloud movement is big, and it’s taking over far faster than you think.

Smaller Streaming Profits

When you stream something, the artist will get way less when compared to if you bought their CD. Lil Uzi Vert actually only got around $.005 every time the song was streamed. His hit song XO Tour Llif3 was streamed a total of 1.3 billion times. With streams paying such small amounts of profit, musicians no longer have the motivation to create long songs, and this is really working against everyone in the music business. It is certainly a new movement, and it looks like it’s sticking around for a while.

Deezer releases Christmas Flow Mood Wheel

The holiday season is finally upon us! Music fans are getting ready to sing along to their favourite Christmas tunes. Deezer is here to help you get into the  festive spirit, so we’ve added a brand new seasonal ‘Christmas’ mood to the Flow Wheel. All you have to do to get an endless stream of holiday-themed tunes that are tailored to your unique taste, is bring up the Flow Moods wheel, select “Christmas” and enjoy*.

To find the Christmas mood, first select ‘Flow’ in the Deezer app. Then simply tap the Flow Moods rainbow wheel icon above the cover art to bring up the seven different mood options, pick “Christmas” and let us do the rest. Oh, and there’s snow. To help you dream of a white Christmas, Deezer has made sure that the snow is falling in your player as long as the Christmas Flow mood is on.

“We know that music helps our listeners make the holidays feel special. But it’s easy to get stuck listening to the same Christmas album over and over again. Our new Christmas Flow mood lets users enjoy an endless and varied stream of holiday tunes that is in sync with their personal taste. It’s one of the ways we wish Happy Holidays to all of our listeners and thank them for their continued support,” said Deezer’s Head of Product, Alexandra Leloup.

In addition to the new Christmas mood, Deezer’s Flow Mood Wheel offers listeners six different options to tailor their personal stream of music to their mood:

  • You & Me – Helps to set the mood for romance with feel-good tracks that you and your partner will love
  • Motivation – Make workouts a joyful experience with a power mix to keep you pumped
  • Chill – Let your favorite artists help you unwind and relax
  • Melancholy – If you’re in the mood for a good cry or are feeling blue, these tunes will help you get through it
  • Focus – Let us help you stay in your zone and avoid distractions with the right kind of music to help you concentrate
  • Party – Get in the spirit with an endless mix of crowd-pleasing music to get you dancing.

If you prefer the comfort of an expertly curated musical Christmas, have no fear! Deezer’s editors have made you a channel with the best tunes for the upcoming Holidays. Here you’ll find everything from playlists made by artists like Michael Bublé, Mariah Carey, Sam Smith and Leona Lewis, and a curated selection of podcasts and albums. The Christmas Channel is available now for all Deezer users. And don’t forget, it’s easier than ever to sing along to your favourite snowy tunes thanks to Deezer’s synchronised lyrics feature in the app!

* The Deezer Christmas Flow Mood is available to all Deezer users on iOS from 6 December. We will roll-out the feature to Android users between 13 and 20 December. IOS users need version 9.1.0 of the Deezer app to enjoy this feature, while Android users will need version 6.2.42.

The Future of Music Curation Is AI! #NEOSAI #Music

Innovative AI platform is pioneering the music industry through its proven ability to combine music and tech like never before
It’s no secret that digital streaming platforms are currently dominating the music industry. But for record labels, music aggregators, and distributors alike, it can be both time consuming and expensive to handle massive album releases. Enter NEOS-AI: A unique B2B concept platform designed to revolutionise the music industry, which successfully automates the entire curation and distribution process – meaning labels and distributors can focus on signing and marketing more content, generate more revenues for their music catalogues, and ultimately increase visibility of their music titles worldwide.

 

“Curating music and artwork for distribution is a hassle,” says Bob Shami, CEO of NEOS-AI. “Our platform uses artificial intelligence and best-in-class machine learning algorithms to create products for digital streaming platforms. NEOS-AI takes away all the heavy lifting, ultimately reducing costs and driving efficiencies for distributors.”

NEOS-AI utilizes artificial intelligence to scan and analyze information received into a database, which assembles and organizes all of the metadata with its corresponding assets. Essentially, the tool is designed to replace human tasks such as sorting, organizing, and structuring music libraries for distribution with maximum accuracy and efficiency.

For those wondering the value of automating album distribution, consider the following statistic: RIAA’s semi-annual Music Revenues Report revealed that 80 percent of total industry revenue, or approximately $4.3 billion, is generated through digital streaming platforms. Playlists, particularly on Spotify, constitute a major stake in that game. And, with more than a billion people using audio streaming services and counting, the technology utilized by NEOS-AI is estimated to be worth more than half a billion dollars.

Platform users will be monetized via all streaming and download royalties, which are paid out quarterly. And because NEOS-AI isn’t a service, but instead a partnership between catalog owners (labels) and music distributors, users won’t be charged a fee. Individuals and artists cannot work directly with the platform, however. In order to be eligible to submit a catalog to the platform to be distributed as compilations, all partners must have at least 5,000 tracks.

How exactly does it work? The platform first analyzes a music library and sorts its metadata by genre, mood, and moments. Once NEOS-AI has learned the content, everything from tracklists to song titles and artwork are curated based on predetermined settings. The platform delivers full performance with the ability to customise and tailor settings according to clients’ needs.

“Such new revolutionizing technology has the potential to save all major companies with massive catalogs more money than they make in a year,” says Mr. Shami. “No more music curators, no more graphic designers, no more title curators, no more uploading albums – all of this is done on its own.”

https://www.neos-ai.com/assets/images/NEOS_AI_Final_small.mp4?_=1

NEOS-AI utilizes five different algorithms to automate the entire curation and distribution process:

 

  • AI-Pilot: Analyzes and sorts metadata by genre, mood, and moments in order to create album tracklists.
  • AI-Art: Designs artwork according to album title, using a library of more than 50 million images and artist-curated templates.
  • AI-Codes: Generates ISRC and UPC codes in a split second using custom or default prefixes.
  • AI-Agenda: Schedules automated tasks with the ability to work months in advance.
  • AI-Release: Distributes albums via API to more than 300 digital streaming platforms worldwide.

 

In addition to data indexing, NEOS-AI is capable of creating curated albums in a matter of a split second. The tool is extremely customizable, with the ability to generate albums based on genre, mood, artist, tempo, and more. Utilizing user behavior analytics to determine which tracks to include on each release, the platform assigns the best choice for commercial success in music distribution.

Album artwork for these curated compilations can be designed intuitively as well. NEOS-AI has a powerful function built in, developed exclusively to generate artwork automatically according to each album’s theme. With access to a library of more than 50 million licensed images, the system is able to select a photo, font, and color scheme based on a smart-keyword driven search.

After compilations are created, all albums are submitted for digital distribution, making them available for streaming and downloading. NEOS-AI boasts a robust outreach of music marketplaces worldwide including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

“Let your money work for you,” says Mr. Shami. “Digital streaming platforms offer the opportunity for massive streaming revenues. Many companies focus on a handful of releases, and forget about the rest of the millions of songs in their catalogs that could be generating millions of dollars in revenue on a monthly basis. These companies can now schedule releases months in advance with a click of a button.”

For more information, visit www.neos-ai.com.

Mictic – Create Music With Your Movement, Wearable device hits Kickstarter. #Mictic #Music #Tech

Mictic is the Swiss-made XR wearable that turns movements into sound. It doesn’t matter if users already have ten Grammys or have never picked up a musical instrument, with Mictic they’ll be expressing themselves the minute they put the wristbands on and connect via Bluetooth. Now Mictic is inviting the Kickstarter community to participate in the launch and become the first to get their hands on the product’s limited edition first run in September at special prices.

Mictic has worked with major label artists and professional dancers in every genre to get here. Centuries of Swiss engineering has inspired us: Our patented technology detects movement with supremely accurate sensors, and translates and transmits the music as sound to your smartphone within milliseconds.

And now we want to see what people will do with it out in the real world, with initial included instrument sounds like electric guitar, drums, cello, and genre-based soundscapes like EDM, Trap  and Hip Hop. Users can even play with our sci-fi, Kung Fu and game experiences. More instruments and sounds will be available for download all the time, including in partnership with major artists. We’re not just another MIDI controller, like some other devices out there, but, yes, Mictic can work with your favorite digital audio workstation such as Ableton, Logic, Pro Tools, Garageband or 100s of other MIDI-compatible apps.

“Whether you perform on a stage, in a studio, or on TikTok, you’ll be able to incorporate Mictic into what you do before anyone else,” said Mictic CEO Mershad Javan. “The artist in you will love experimenting with this new musical tool with literally no rules, no one to tell you what you can’t do.”

Mictic has been featured in Billboard, BBC, Sky News, New Atlas and on Protocol (which called it “The wearable for dropping beats not pounds”). The product will launch worldwide in Q4 at a suggested retail price of $139 a pair.

Kickstarter premiums include price reductions on packages of controllers starting at $89 a pair– and the excitement of being the first to get the limited run before anyone else. The VIP package gets the supporter a professional video team flown to them, and a fully produced video using Mictic, along with massive social media support for their creative product. 

See the complete Kickstarter campaign with demo videos and product schematics here:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mictic/1035237421?ref=bo6m4d&token=5b5c4227

Redison announces Senstroke app 2.0 #Redison #Apps #Music

Redison, the French startup company that specialises in connected music, announces its latest app update – Senstroke 2.0. Available on iOS and Android the app works with the Senstroke music sensors to provide extra features to drummers who want to play anywhere, on anything.

Senstroke are the first Bluetooth enabled sensors for percussionists that allow drummers to reproduce the movements and impacts of authentic drumsticks as well as the footwork of a real drum kit. The Senstroke sensors allow amateur and professional drummer to practice their scales anywhere.

The latest app now includes a new play feature ideal for beginners – the learning mode. This mode allows users to have an in-app lessons as they play with a drum track that scrolls across the screen to aid learning. Users can practice being in sync with the drums and are then given a score at the end of the performance. Drummers can keep returning to the tracks to improve their skills.

Ready, get set, play

The Senstroke 2.0 application features an improved playing system allowing users to set up and be drumming quicker than before. Drummers can choose between a pre-configured drum layout to get going straight away or customise the kit to suit their needs.

In addition to this the app allows users to change the drum kit: simple snare drum, basic or complete kit, it’s now easy to create a drum kit that suits you and change it as needed.

A new pairing screen

When you connect a Senstroke sensor to the application in version 2.0, the pairing of the sensor has been improved to provide a more ergonomic set up.

A new setting screen now allows users to change the sensitivity of the sensors according to individual playing style.

New Generation Musical Instrument – Oval hits #KickStarter by @Tiwaash #Music #StartUp #MusicalInstrument

Technology is evolving at the fastest rate ever since humanity was introduced to it helping us do our work with ease and in a more sophisticated manner and today we are here with something very innovative, thanks to the innovations in technology we have Oval. Sound confused? Read on…

ABOUT OVAL:
OVAL is a new generation electronic musical instrument which allows you to play, learn and perform music with any sound into it.
The Oval is both an electronic musical instrument and an open-hardware music controller linked to a smartphone, tablet or computer. It allows you to change and create sounds and is also a tool for playing and learning music, sharing your compositions and performing live.

DO YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT IT?
Inspired by the HandPans family of acoustic instruments, the Oval provides total freedom to create sounds and it’s a tool geared towards music learning and performing.
There are more ways of enjoying music besides listening. You are never too old or too young to experience the awesome feeling of playing an instrument and creating music. We believe that learning music should be fun and that you can play an instrument right away. The Oval speeds up your music learning curve, leveraging the power of technology, gaming and sharing with others.


Ovalsound was founded in 2014 by Ravid Goldschmidt and Alex Posada in Barcelona (Spain), to provide everyone with the opportunity to find a way to express themselves musically, pushing the boundaries of traditional music to new ways of interaction.
Most traditional instruments are linear, think of a guitar, a flute or a violin. The handpan is meant to be performed in circles. The interface doesn’t have a beginning or an end, so you can join musical notes together in a fluid way. The notes have a radial position and are equidistant from the Ding, the central note that sets the tone of the scale. No matter how you play, you are able to perform beautiful melodies every time.


The Oval takes the design, ergonomics and musical qualities of the handpans as an inspiration to create an electronic instrument that can be as simple for a beginner to start exploring music as a means of expression, and as complex as a professional musician wants to make it, as it allows to change sounds and scales, layer samples, real time looping and go wherever the imagination takes you.

SPECIFICATIONS:

  • The Oval is ergonomically designed and can be played in many ways. Highly sensitive, intuitive, easy , durable and (children-proof) resistant!
  • The external case is made of Solid Surface composed by natural materials –minerals like bauxite, marble and quartz–, natural resins and acrylic.
  • Carefully designed, the Oval is light, portable, durable, minimal, simple and energetically self-sufficient.
  • Easy as a backpack, you can get an additional case beautifully made of wood to take it comfortably anywhere you want and never leaving your Oval at home.
  • Designed, engineered and made with care in Barcelona.

WITH OVAL : PLAY, LEARN, SHARE, CREATE: IT IS ALL IN YOUR HANDS

Grab your Oval right now from Kickstarter capaign I’m pretty much exited about this wonderful project, so all the musicians out there check this awesome gadget.

Stay tuned for more tech buzz.

#Shazam gets OK Google support by @Tiwaash #Android #music

OK Google has off course made life simpler and now combining with third party apps it is simplifying the tasks and making Android platform on par. The latest addition to this ever growing collection is the support for Shazam. All you need to have are the latest version of the Google app and the most up-to-date versions of the Shazam app from the Google Play Store.

You can get started with Shazam by simply saying “Ok Google, Shazam this song,” to have it search for a song immediately. This will save a user from opening the app and manually tapping the Shazam button to recognize the song. Now cards provide Android users with automatic Shazam updates through the Google Now feed. The Google Play integration makes it easier to play and buy music that users have discovered with the app, allowing direct purchasing from the online store. Users with a Google Play All Access subscription can also instantly stream Shazamed songs right from the app.

So recognising music is just ” OK Google ” away.

Stay tuned for more tech buzz.

Enjoy your music collection anywhere from #OneDrive with #XboxMusic app in selected regions by @Tiwaash #Microsoft

You can access all your personal music collection from OneDrive with Xbox Music app starting from today across all Windows devices by uploading music files to a new “Music” folder OneDrive and access them on Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 devices along with Xbox 360 & Xbox One.

Anyone having a Microsoft account in selected regions can add music to OneDrive and play over Xbox Music. The selected regions are:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France,  Germany,  Ireland,  Italy,  Mexico, Netherlands,  New Zealand,  Norway,  Portugal,  Spain,  Sweden,  Switzerland,  United Kingdom,  United States.

You don’t need a music pass subscription to play your music from OneDrive instead if you do have an Xbox Music Pass, you will get an extra 100GB of storage on OneDrive for free for all your music. You may need Xbox Live account in order to have your music from OneDrive show up in the Xbox Music app for Windows Phone 8.1.

So enjoy your music and let us know how do you find this new experience in the comments below or tweet us using #TechBuzzIreland.

Stay tuned for more tech buzz.