IK Multimedia released a product recently that will prove to bring out your inner composer. Miroslav Philharmonik 2 brings a concert hall full of musicians and allows them to be directed and composed on your computer. The virtual orchestra utilizes over 2700 instruments sampled in high-definition audio. Read on to get more information and check back soon for the review!
Last week at CES I had the opportunity to test out a pair of headphones that are truly ahead of the curve when it comes to audio. With Apple likely to remove the headphone jack from their devices, Phaz Music announced the industry’s first-ever universal headphones in the Phaz Music P5 Headphones. The Phaz P5 Digital Headphones will be the first versions available on the market, but they are truly innovative as they will be the first on the market to pull digital audio content directly from the MicroUSB/iOS Lightning cable on your smartphone. Essentially, the Phaz headphones will simply plug…
My favorite streaming music service, Spotify, is facing a class action lawsuit claiming they violated the copyrights of thousands of artists. If the suit sticks, Spotify could be responsible for millions in unpaid royalties. If this happens, could it be the first in a domino effect for the entire streaming industry? What does the future hold for streaming users?
If you’re looking for an excellent sound system for a space in your home for the holidays, well look no further. I had the opportunity to review the Creative T4 Wireless Bluetooth Sound System, and I’ve been holding off on reviewing the T4 Speakers for a few weeks as I’ve been enjoying them quite a bit in my home, and wanted to give an accurate review of how great they are, both in sound and in overall quality. Now when you first see the packaging, it’s pretty much like all of Creative’s products. They make it a mission to highlight not…
It has been more than five years since I wrote a post stepping through the Beatles musical catalog, which I wrote just before their music came to iTunes. Since then the Beatles music has been available for purchase, but not for streaming. Tonight at midnight that ends, as the entire Beatles catalog comes to streaming services!
Today’s technology brings many ways for musicians to record and play their instruments. These options are often expensive and difficult to use. IK Multimedia has introduced the iRig Acoustic to solve this issue. The iRig Acoustic ($49.99) is a high quality microphone pickup system that allows acoustic guitar and ukulele players to record and play anywhere. Let’s take a look!
The IK Multimedia iRig Acoustic is something totally new and hugely innovative. As the company notes it, “Reinvents Guitar Miking for Mobile” and does so in a smart, innovative way that musicians are going to love. It is the first acoustic guitar mobile microphone/interface for use with iOS devices, Macs and Androids too! It is nicely-priced and easy to use! As IK Multimedia explains, “Now acoustic players can get stunning, studio-microphone quality sound for recording and live performance from any acoustic guitar anytime and everywhere.” iRig is the best-selling mobile interface of all time. With the iRig Acoustic it is,…
When I started playing the guitar in the early 80s, I dreamed of having a cool electric guitar with some cool technology. It is now 2015, and I have played a small, portable guitar that connects to my smartphone and tablet. The Jamstik+ is a wireless, compact MIDI guitar that needs no tuning and costs $299. Let’s take a look! The Jamstik+ is quite unique-looking. It’s like taking a guitar and cutting the heart out to make a new kind of instrument. The Bluetooth-enabled guitar sports real steel strings and frets, giving it a realistic feel. It works with iPhone,…
The NoiseHush i7 Aviator Active Noise Canceling Headphones provide extremely comfortable silence whether you’re on an airplane or trying to get work done in a noisy office. The i7 comes with a flat cable with 3.5mm connector to plug in to your media player to listen to your favorite tunes without added background noise. The i7 headphones retail for $99.99.
IK Multimedia has been a mainstay of iOS music making from the very beginning, and on the vanguard of Android music making since the OS began offering capabilities to make it feasible. Now they are taking the next step with iRig UA, an audio interface that brings the classic iRig/AmpliTube combination to Android devices at last!
Cambridge Audio is back with a 2.1-channel speaker base, the TV5, perfect for a reasonably priced upgrade to your home’s audio system. It’s a sleek speaker base with built-in Bluetooth for wireless music streaming. At $399, it’s a beautiful addition underneath any size TV and you won’t need an external subwoofer to make sure the bass is pumping.
With the Summer in full swing, I’m at the beach or at the pool as much as possible. And as a result, I’m always playing music from Spotify or Apple Music, which can be draining to your battery. But one thing I refuse to do is to set my phone out in the sun and charge it.
What do you do when you have numerous interviews with the surviving members of the Grateful Dead and have only published a small number of them? If you are musician and journalist Alan Paul, you pull the interviews together and publish them as an Amazon Kindle Single. The result? The eBook-only Reckoning: Conversations with the Grateful Dead by Alan Paul.
Last year Mark of the Unicorn announced Digital Performer 8 at NAMM in January but didn’t ship until late September. This year they have turned around the new version much more quickly-Digital Performer 9 is now available with loads of new and updated features to make this an essential upgrade for all owners!
Polk Audio describes the Polk Audio Omni S2 wireless speaker as “The First Great-Sounding Wireless Music System.” That’s a bold claim for a wireless speaker that costs under $180 and comes with multiple grills. If the claims ring true the S2 is a great deal. The key of course is, “If the claims ring true…” According to Polk Audio the Omni S2 offers “unparalleled sound.” As they explain: “The Omni S2 is an ultra-compact speaker that lets you put Polk’s widely respected signature sound in any room of your home. The Omni S2 comes with both black and white swappable…
It’s always fun being able to review Bluetooth headphones over here at Gear Diary, so it was exciting to be able to review 808’s Over-The-Ear Audio Performer BT Bluetooth Headphones. I will be the first to say this…I hate cords. Wearing a sling bag daily to and from work, I really despise having to pull my phone out of my pocket to change a tune or check a notification. Yes, first-world problems. The 808 Audio Performer BT’s are able to be used wirelessly for those of us who enjoy being cable free, or if you just have to have…
While not an homage to Meghan Trainor, this review is all about that bass–specifically, the Infinity by HARMAN Reference 1200S Subwoofer. An award for unique style and design should go out to the Infinity car audio engineers that came up with this unique, space-saving, low-profile subwoofer that brings excellent bass reproduction, selectable impedance, and small enclosure requirement.
It is hard for me to think that it has been nearly 37 years since I was first awed by the guitar playing of Allan Holdsworth on the album ‘Feels Good to Me’ by Bill Bruford. His style was first shown with Soft Machine, and now we get to see it develop as part of the legendary Switzerland 1974 recording!
IK Multimedia ‘s AmpliTube has been the ultimate guitar amp simulator since it was released several years ago, and it just keeps getting better and better! Now they have announced an entirely new version–AmpliTube 4–featuring a computer-grade DSP system, new microphone options, expanded effect sequencing options, an updated look and more! And it’s a free upgrade for owners!
The EasyAcc DP100 Ultra Portable Bluetooth Speaker lives up to its name, since it’s smaller than a can of soda. This tiny Bluetooth speaker puts out decent sound for its size, convenience, and price while its battery lasts up to 20 hours of playback time. This low-energy Bluetooth 4.0 speaker is now available at Amazon for $35.99.
As I mentioned previously in this series on Car Audio, I test a lot of premium factory car stereo systems, and while I am impressed with the quality they achieve I have found they still cannot stand up to the sound quality of aftermarket components installed properly. If you are ready to upgrade that factory stereo system, read on.