The iPod is Alive and Well…For Some of Us

SoundCtrl January 31, 2014

by Jason Epstein

51 million iPhones and 26 million iPads were sold in the fourth quarter of 2013. The iPod, however, moved just 6 million units. And one can only assume that the vast majority of those sold were of the ‘Touch’ persuasion. But despite those fast waning sales figures, I’m here to tell you that the iPod is alive and well. No, not the Touch – the Classic.

I love my iPod. LOVE IT. That’s right – it’s not an iPad, iPhone or even iPod Touch – it’s an iPod Classic 6th generation from the dawn of technology back in 2008. First fire was invented, then the wheel and then the iPod. So why do I love an outdated, obsolete piece of technology? Well, first of all, I’m not your average music consumer. I was a late adopter of the iPod having listened to CDs until 2006 – and yes, I’m gasping and shuddering at that thought along with you. I don’t listen to the radio and I don’t use music streaming services. Instead, I’m all about ownership of actual music files and listening to them as I please – and I own and listen to a LOT of music. I love my iPod because it stores a hell of a lot more content than any ‘Touch’ device or phone does. It doesn’t get bogged down by concurrently running programs or advertisements or incoming phone calls or texts. So I can keep my 11,000+ song music library on it plus multiple seasons of my favorite TV shows. Most consumers aren’t happy unless their music device is connected to the Internet. But to me, that’s what a smart phone is for. Read More →

Paper: Facebook’s Refreshed App of the Near Future

SoundCtrl January 30, 2014

By Ruben Lone

Facebook has announced a new platform for its own creative ambitions, and the first app to go along with it. Facebook’s Creative Labs hopes to be a launchpad for new technologies that could potentially be disruptive to the billion-user base if implemented into the existing framework of the website and app. However, Facebook doesn’t want its foresight to be hampered by its own size, so it plans on using Creative Labs to push the boundaries of the social media network’s current scope.

For the first of Creative Labs’ creations, Facebook has announced a new app called Paper, which is a dedicated news reader for mobile devices. Unlike Facebook’s website, the timeline, photo streams, and updates will be custom-tailored by the user, with varied options for reading, sharing, and photos viewing. In the introductory video, Paper exudes a certain natural simplicity, bringing the social network back to its community roots.

Our Innovative Gear Picks From NAMM 2014

SoundCtrl January 30, 2014

By Carolyn Heneghan

Every winter, the National Association of Music Merchants hosts its annual NAMM show, a 113-year-old showcase of established and up-and-coming creators of musical instruments, hardware, software, accessories and more, all on display for the association members media to see.

Running from Thurs., Jan. 23^rd through Sun., Jan. 26^th, 2014, the NAMM show occupied all 1.2 million square feet of the Anaheim Convention Center, in addition to space nearby hotels. This year, NAMM hosted more than 1,500 companies from around the world who exhibited more than 5,000 brands for over 100,000 peopl, the largest show of the past five years, and one of the largest in NAMM’s history.

Here are a few music-tech standouts of the show, that caught our attention and intrigue.

Moog Sub37

Based on Moog’s Sub Phatty synth circuits, the Sub37 is upgraded with a larger 37-note velocity-sensitive keyboard with aftertouch. It also boasts a paraphonic synth architecture (not fully polyphonic, but able to play two notes simultaneously through a single filter), which is a step in a different direction from all of the other post-2002 monophonic Moog synths, besides the Animoog app. It also has two modulation busses with assignable source and destinations and DAHDSR (Delay, Attach, Hold, Decay, Sustain, Release) looping envelopes with sync.

Rap Genius App Is Delightfully Relevant

SoundCtrl January 29, 2014

by Ruben Lone

The recent debacle with Google SEO spamming gave Rap Genius a run for its money, but as we reported, the founders ‘fessed up and cleaned up their ill-advised internet scheme. Rap Genius has since bounced back with the launch of a new iPhone app, hopefully steering the app away from the browser window and into an independent cloud.

To be honest, I’m not much a fan of the mainstream rap music of our current age, save for a few choice innovators. However, Rap Genius is well-aware that its site could offer interpretations for text beyond the scope of hip-hop, and it’s News Genius and Rock Genius subsidiaries are indicative of a market gap. By calling the iPhone app “Genius for iPhone,” Rap Genius avoids the “rap” association (save for the diamond logo that conjures flamboyant displays of wealth) and offers wiki-like annotations on rap, rock, poetry, and news.

Soundwave Releases New Update with Commenting/Tagging Features

SoundCtrl January 28, 2014

By Kira Grunenberg

Today’s newest rollout for the Dublin, Ireland company comes on the tails of their last update adding YouTube Integration, and it feels like a clever and deliberate one-two punch: commenting and tagging functionality. The ‘musical jet-setting app’ is continuing to grow and change with a new feature that has been awaited by its users over several versions. As such, Soundwave is quite liable to explode even more in app store popularity, if it hasn’t already.

The meat and potatoes of this update are laid out succinctly and immediately opens up chatting and tagging. Operationally speaking, few current social media users will have trouble using Soundwave’s new features.