Latest in audio

We're going to talk about taking something that you've written or read, and putting it into sounds so that you can either listen to it yourself, or share it with others. You may want to take on the formidable, if not rewarding, task of creating an audiobook. As surely as I sit here and type directly to you, as surely as you read this on technology that could have ended Word War II in its infancy, this task IS within your reach.
Keep Reading »

There's a ridiculous amount of free media content available from the Internet Archive, and the most interesting downloads are often the oldest ones. With masterpieces like Alfred Hitchcock films, gunslinging John Wayne westerns and reels of stock footage and home movies, you'd be forgiven for forgetting the audio archives exist at all.
Keep Reading »

Binaural beats are sounds of different frequencies that play in each ear. The premise is that the brain's effort to sync up the two sounds into one perceived sound eventually "tunes" the brain to operate at a mental state within that range. The makers of binaural beat products tweak each frequency range to create a sort of "resonant frequency" in the brain that matches known frequencies for things like concentration, relaxation, and excitement. In order to test that theory, I decided to do a personal experiment of my own - completely unscientific, mind you - to see if binaural beats would improve my own concentration.
Keep Reading »

So you've transformed your iPad into an endlessly evolving musical instrument, programmed your own tight drum beats and discovered the huge potential of AudioBus. You've sacrificed disk space for samples and your bank balance for virtual analogue warmth - and you're ready to move on to the next stage. Sticking with the theme of iOS music creation, today's article highlights some of the best budget digital audio workstations (DAWs) on the App Store.
Keep Reading »

At some point in your podcasting career, you're going to approach the same point as we have: where do we go from here? You've built up a solid listener base from friends, colleagues, word of mouth and random visitors - but growth has slowed. Now what? What can you do to promote your podcast and take it to the next level?
Keep Reading »

The quest for getting the most from your earphones begins well before you ever buy them. You might be swayed by the fact that such-and-such musician has their name on a certain pair of headphones, or that these particular earphones looks really cute, or dashing, or whatever. Those things just aren't important and won't enhance your music listening pleasure. This is all about the sounds and how they move you.
Keep Reading »

Are you looking for decent home audio? Unsure about spending upwards of $100 for a "reasonable" sounding iPod dock or 2.1 speaker system, but not got the money for a brand new stereo amp? You might just find yourself blown away by the second-hand market. For the money you put in, an old amp has the potential to provide way more bang for your buck than a modern active speaker system.
Keep Reading »

It may have been a while since you made a mixtape for someone. It's understandable, as mixtapes are more closely associated with the '80s and '90s than the '00s and beyond. Having already explained how to create the perfect mixtape in 5 simple steps, it's time to explore great tools available for making digital mixtapes. What follows are five of the best out there, all of which are free, and most of which are available for all to use.
Keep Reading »

I’m a big fan of streaming media. Whether it’s YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, or whatever else is out there, I love being able to stream on demand. It opens up a lot of flexibility - especially in terms of access (streaming media that I don’t have) and schedule (streaming when it’s convenient for me). And now you can stream media directly to your Android device. Smartphones have evolved to a point where they aren’t just "smart phones" anymore.
Keep Reading »

Long, long ago, it was very common to sit around the radio and listen to the latest episodes of old-time radio dramas and serials (like The Shadow). However, when people were able to put a picture with the image, it seemed as though that form of entertainment started to fade. Rather than fictional dramas, radio stations started broadcasting more music and news. However, a select few have taken to the Internet to bring back this old form of entertainment.
Keep Reading »

Your phone is very smart. With Angry Birds, Facebook and mobile office applications, it's all too easy to forget that some of the features we use most were often available on those very old mobile phones as well. Obviously, that includes calling and texting, but recording audio isn't a cutting-edge technology either. Nevertheless, recording audio with your smartphone or tablet hasn't always been a walk in the park.
Keep Reading »

Open source software is just plain great, and in the realm of audio editing, you’ll find no open source program more lauded than the popular Audacity. Truth be told, Audacity is useful for more things than simple audio editing. But the fact remains that Audacity isn’t loved by everyone. If you’re one of those people, be glad to know that there are plenty of alternatives available.
Keep Reading »

Listening to online radio (or even offline) is something I won’t recommend for focused productivity. But I agree…sometimes you just feel like it. I also switch on my favorite online radio station (who listens to offline radio stations these days?) especially when I am doing some ho-hum work on the browser and just want to prevent the yawns. Radio Player Live is an online radio extension for Chrome that has also been recommended on The Best Chrome Extensions page.
Keep Reading »

It could be a curiosity for you, or a serious look at the benefits of binaural tones…either way a fresh new iOS app rather aptly named as AtmoSpheres ($1.99) is interesting in the way it allows us to create our own beats from pre-recorded ambient sound files. AtmoSpheres is a multi-track sound mixer that enables you to bring two or more sound together and create interesting mixes out of them.
Keep Reading »

I’ve got a thing for vinyl, especially white labels. If it’s dusty, dubiously labelled and going for a couple of dollars then I absolutely have to buy it. Digital DJing takes some of the fun out of the pastimes associated with DJing, but then again it also adds another layer of accessibility that manual turntablism doesn’t have. Today we’ll be taking a look at some of the best solutions around, with some impressive free options and slightly more advanced paid solutions too.
Keep Reading »