Music - SlashGear

‘Music’ Stories

Spotify less useful than radio says U2 manager

Chris Davies, Jan 30th 2012 Discuss [0]

Secretive licensing deals and "insufficient transparency" could scupper Spotify and other cloud-jukebox services, U2 manager Paul McGuinness has warned, suggesting that "we're unlikely to give [debut records] to Spotify" as the streaming music platform is more promotional than a money-spinner. McGuinness sees "the Spotify model" as part of the future of music, Digital Music News reports, but the supergroup manager also criticized confidentiality agreements between the service and labels as failing to show exactly what the benefits to musicians might be. Read The Full Story

Blue Spark Digital condenser microphone for iPad revealed and detailed

Chris Burns, Jan 27th 2012 Discuss [0]

There's a brand new studio-grade condenser microphone in town for both USB and iPad, and it comes from Blue Microphones. This mic goes by the name Spark Digital and is able to produce darn-near completely excellent sounds with a the same amount of high-quality craftsmanship that went into the company's other excellent comparable mic, the Spark XLR. What this Spark Digital unit does is take the same studio-grade condenser capsule plus hand-tuned components and sets you up for whatever you want to record - be it a podcast, music, location recording and more! Read The Full Story

Google Music manager gets update for downloading all your tunes

Shane McGlaun, Jan 27th 2012 Discuss [0]

If you are using Google Music Manager, you know that it is easy, even if time consuming, to upload all your tracks to the cloud. The thing was that once uploaded if you wanted to download those songs back to another device, like a new computer or mobile, you were only able to do that one track at a time. That was tedious in the extreme. Read The Full Story

Reviews

V-MODA Limited Edition Crossfade LP2 headphones review

Chris Burns, Jan 26th 2012 Discuss [0]

There’s nothing quite a pair of limited edition headphones with interchangeable metal plates on the outsides to get your engine revved up for DJing, gaming, and listening to some death metal on a Sunday afternoon – and V-MODA knows it. What we’ve got here is a the V-MODA Limited Edition Crossfade LP2 model set of over-ear headphones and a full-on review to let you know how seriously excellent they truly are. What you’ve got here is the sound quality of the original Crossfade LP covered with a whole new level of quality in a fine package — the originals have been used by everyone from Deadmau5 and Will.I.Am up to kings like Paul Oakenfold and Tiesto.

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Tenqa Remxd Bluetooth Headphones priced and detailed

Chris Burns, Jan 26th 2012 Discuss [0]

If you thought you'd have to drop one whole heck of a lot of cash on a pair of headphones that work with Bluetooth, you may very well have been wrong - that's what Tenqa is saying this week with their soon to be available Remxd DJ-oriented Bluetooth-capable units. You'll be able to connect to your smartphone, your computer, or whatever else you've got ready to work with Bluetooth and blast your eardrums out with 33 feet of range and 20 Hz - 20 KHz of power. They're also completely wireless and rechargeable for ultimate freeness in the head! Read The Full Story

Moog MiniTaur analog bass synthesizer revealed

Chris Burns, Jan 25th 2012 Discuss [0]

If one small synthesizer with massive power wasn't enough for you today, try on another with the Mood MiniTaur, fully ready to take on classic sounds with a brand new set of modern technology bits for an ultimate combination of beattastic evolution! This new analog bass synthesizer goes by the name Moog MiniTaur and is the very first instrument in the Taurus family that does not need or include foot pedals. The entire unit weighs in at less than 3 pounds and has dimensions measuring in at less than a piece of paper at 8.5-inches by 5.25-inches - hook it up to your MIDI controller or computer and play away! Read The Full Story

Aturia MiniBrute analog synthesizer revealed

Chris Burns, Jan 25th 2012 Discuss [0]

There's a brand new Arturia synthesizer in town, and with it's relatively small form factor and utterly gigantic amount of features built-in, it'll be near impossible for those in the industry in a position to want one not to need one. This little beast is small enough to fit in your backpack, has enough dials and switches to satisfy event the most insane tweaker of beats, and will ring in at $549 when the time comes. Have a peek at not one, but two videos on the device as well as the massive amount of features it's got in one big list. Read The Full Story

Crystal Rocked takes your Beats and Street by 50 headphones to a new shiny level

Chris Burns, Jan 24th 2012 Discuss [0]

There's not a whole lot of devices out there at this point that the group known as Crystal Rocked have not bumped up an ultimate over-the-top level of glitz, and both Beats by Dre and Street by 50 have been caught on the radar and pushed through the crystal machine by the masters. What you'll get with the Beats by Dre set of audio blasters is the "Mixr" model tricked out in 2750 individual Swarovski Crystals. What you'll get with the Street by 50 headphones is two shades of Swarovski Crystals which they've declined to number. Read The Full Story

FiiO E17 Alpen hardcore headphone amplifier revealed

Chris Burns, Jan 23rd 2012 Discuss [0]

There's one whole heck of a lot of iPod opponents out there these days, but not exactly the same amount of contenders in the headphone amplifier world. What we've got here is the announcement for the FiiO E17, made to satisfy, complete with a hardcore body and all the features you audiophiles will love. This device also goes by the name Alpen and is made to work as a headphone amplifier and a USB sound card for ultimate cut-down excellence. You've got a two-color OLED display, brushed metal housing, and two parallel 3.5mm headphone outputs, right out of the box. Read The Full Story

Teenage Engineering Oplab makes music mangling easy

Chris Davies, Jan 23rd 2012 Discuss [0]

Synth manufacturers Teenage Engineering are best known for their OP-1, a compact instrument the sounds from which belie its toylike exterior, but the company has also revealed Oplab. Intended to make experimenting with audio more straightforward and flexible, the MIDI-enabled Musical Experimentation Board allows you to hook up both traditional and unusual sensors - including pressure, CV and more - and outputs and create suitably offbeat audio. Read The Full Story

Years record player translates tree rings into music tragically

Chris Burns, Jan 20th 2012 Discuss [6]

The project known as Years is one by Bartholomaus Traubeck in which a record player has been modified to shine light and receive back signals from slices of trees. What the player receives from the bounced-back light is no less than bits of information translated from the rings made through the tree as it grew from a tiny sapling. In this way, the tragedy that is the fact that the tree had to die in order to tell its story is made quite apparent to the viewer and the listener. Read The Full Story