audio

Korg Mini Kaoss Pad audio clips

Last month I wrote about the release of Korg's mini, battery-powered version of their Kaoss Pad audio effects processor. Well, I finally got my hands on one, and I'm happy to report it is every bit as cool as I had hoped. To refresh your memory, the Korg Mini Kaoss Pad is a palm-sized, battery-powered effects processor that lets you warp and remix any stereo line signal. My full review (with video) of the Mini Kaoss Pad posted on CNET this week, but it didn't have any audio samples to let you hear what it can do. … Read more

Can the cell phone become a boombox?

As mobile phones grapple with their identity crisis as MP3 players, handset makers have worked themselves into contortions trying to provide decent sound quality--creating some ugly accessories in the process.

The Chinese-made "Super Audio Phone" aims to change all that by building in a speaker that's much larger than today's standard sizes in the back of the handset, where a second, smaller LCD screen that provides song titles and other audio information, according to Slashphone. The front looks like a regular phone, with a larger display and buttons.

We have no idea how its music actually … Read more

DRM-free iTunes songs boost the appeal of non-Apple music streamers

It's the digital equivalent of the first few cracks in the Berlin Wall: soon EMI will be offering the bulk of its music catalog free of DRM restrictions. Steve Jobs was on hand at the press conference to enthusiastically endorse the idea--he did, famously, suggest as much in an open letter just a few short weeks ago. But is Apple simply fashioning its own hangman's noose? If the other major record companies follow suit, the one big advantage of the entire Apple "digital ecosystem"--iTunes, the iPod, and Apple TV--essentially becomes null and void. Jobs says Apple's superior design will keep the company's software and hardware at the top of the must-have list for digital media. For the iPod, maybe--but for the just-launched Apple TV, the answer isn't as straightforward. … Read more

An FM radio with creative license

For those who like manually tuning in FM radio stations instead of using the automatic scanner, this stick-shift FM radio is the way to go.

According to Tokyomango's translation of the vendor site, you shift left and right to change stations and up and down to adjust the volume. You just throw it in park to turn off the unit.

The product page also shows a couple of output ports on the shifter radio, although it's hard to tell what they are. Ideally, one of them is an audio-out port, because I'd imagine the sounds coming out … Read more

New DLO TransDock outputs video to your car

OK, even I have to admit this is kinda sweet. DLO has upgraded its excellent TransPod FM transmitter to include video output to your in-car entertainment system, making it simple to play iPod content on all those handy screens mounted in the backs of headrests and flipping down from the ceiling. That's a bit overstimulating for me, but if I had kids--and an iPod, for that matter--I'd find this accessory hard to resist. The new TransDock, which will retail for $99.99, will continue to play music over the car stereo and charge the iPod. Here are some … Read more

Hands-on with YouTube's remixing and real-time chat tools

YouTube went offline last night for updating. The new version is live now. Features include the capability to customize the colors and content on your personal profile page, and a new Google Labs-like feature, TestTube, where you can experiment with new YouTube features. The TestTube projects are the interesting thing here.

For example, TestTube has the new Audio Swap feature (previous coverage), which lets you replace your video's audio with a music track from one of several artists that YouTube has made arrangements with. The interface to make the swap is easy, and the selection of musical themes is … Read more

News Roundup: Original Signal, Google Mobile, eJamming

Original Signal rolls out meme tracker. The single-page aggregation service has added a new front page to their Web section. The page displays the top 10 most popular stories at any given time. The new service uses an algorithm that decides when a story is worthy of being on the front page without any additional user interaction required beyond browsing the site. Something similar was done with Spotplex, which we checked out last month.

eJamming launches. The virtual garage for musicians to 'jam' in different geographical locations launched their AUDiiO service this morning. The app has versions for both Windows … Read more

MP3 player bulks up, dives in rough waters

Sometimes it seems that there's some kind of competition to see which gadget can be subjected to more abuse, especially of the water-torture variety: the MP3 player or the USB drive.

Although the latter gladiator seems to be well ahead in the games, a tough new media player has entered the contest--a 1GB version of the "Freestyle Audio Digital Music Player." (A 512MB model had been promised to come out this year as well, affixed to a helmet.)

Chip Chick says the 1.3-ounce player can be submerged up to 10 feet in water and last for … Read more

49 speakers, $30,000

What would it take to flood sound into every inch of a 7,500-square-foot home? Try 49 speakers and $30,000.

That's how Marge and Chuck Dushek did it with their Midwestern home, where "even the steam shower and walk-in closet have their own speakers," according to Electronic House. "There are absolutely no dead zones in this house," Ken Walker of Sound Design Systems says.

Top-grade Sonance speakers were built into walls and ceilings of the great room, master bedroom and an area adjacent to the kitchen. Alas, compromises had to be made in the … Read more