To set the mood, it’s necessary to combine sound and good lighting for that special someone. Now you can control both with one easy product: LumaPlay Speakers. These speakers allow you to play HD music as well as control light shows from your smartphone. The LED lights can change color and always go along with the beat of the song. For $399, backers can enjoy these decked out speakers. For diehard music and lighting fans, these speakers may just be the way to go, if you’re willing to spend the money. LumaPlay hopes to raise $75,000 on Kickstarter.
Category: Music
From the mixtape maker to the part-time party planner, everyone has an inner DJ just begging to mix songs together to make people smile and dance. But DJ equipment is expensive, large, and difficult to set up, so it’s no good for the impromptu get-together.
Openmix is the world’s smallest audio mixer, roughly the size of an iPod Mini. It has microphone jack plugs to connect to phones or MP3 players and controlled via the small dial fader on the front of the device. Openmix also features a third port for input, allowing a tablet or simple synthesizer to be connected to provide sound effects or other audio options. This allows devices to be swapped in and out easily, allowing for an ever-changing library and selection of tracks to be at the fingertip of the Openmix user.
In terms of features, that’s where Openmix really stops. It’s not meant for professional grade mixing or complicated techniques, it’s just something that can take a party from the groundswells to the dance floor. Openmix is a device built around fun, and so it’s simple enough for anyone to use and flex their DJ skills with before passing it along. Invented by New Yorker Gabriel Danet, it’s going to take $65,000 to bring Openmix out of the functional prototype stage and into full production and availability. Party people can lay down tracks with Openmix in January 2015 for $34.
Does Openmix fill a need in the market, or revolutionize its industry? Certainly not, but with its presentation, price point, and feature set, it’s clear that Openmix is just about accessible fun and sharing music. When viewed in that light, there’s no reason not to have an Openmix on hand just in case.
Lights that dance around to music are always pleasing to the eye. They let the listener hear and see the music at the same time. Epsuss is one such LED light that moves to the rhythm of the music. It connects to several different devices and has different modes of lighting. This is a product for music lovers who can’t get enough of those speakers that show a song’s balance when playing. One Epsuss will cost backers €69 from Poland and comes in several different colors. This dancing light hopes to raise €1,200 in two months on Indiegogo.
Every truly legendary party needs an in-house DJ, but transporting all that equipment and setting it up, or even just learning how to use it properly can be a major hurdle. Tuna Knobs combines the accessible, portable world of digital applications on touch-screen devices like tablets with the tactile, precise knobs of a physical device. These knobs can be affixed to a screen and twisted like the real thing to offer a more realistic feel. Tuna Knobs will be a great pickup for the casual music enthusiast, but those who are serious will scoff at this stopgap in lieu of a real deck. Tuna Knobs are €9 and launch in November.
Built in speakers for modern gadgets are finally getting some needed attention as the technology revolution continues to light up display screens across the land. Mini Bluetooth Speakers are one of the newer focuses. These gadgets are being redesigned to provide a music experience of multilayered listening pleasure for those who are fed up with the muddy music that oozes through the typical lame excuse for gadget speakers. While this project seems reminiscent of the HiddenBluetooth and Radio Speaker, the Mini appears to have more color options and be more compact and portable. Early-bird backers can get theirs for £40, with an expected delivery of October 2014.
The Premise. The primary necessity for any home situation is adequate lighting. Plain light bulbs are so 20th century. Why not have customizable, smart light bulbs that can stream audio throughout the home?
The Product. Whome is a Wi-fi enabled system of LED light bulbs that can be controlled using a proprietary app. Designed for customization and sharing, each Whome supports 256 LED bulbs to fine-tune the color and intensity of the light to fit any room, mood, or social situation. Additionally, each bulb also comes with a built-in speaker, and audio can be streamed to the Whome to provide a whole-home output for party music or ambient backgrounds for relaxing in bed. The app allows users to set timers that will change the bulb’s settings for different times of day and allow easy management of all networked lights in the home, no matter which room.
The Pitch. Whome is a trendy idea, and so Whome developer WaveBomb has framed its product as young and fashionable in its campaign video. Viewers get a glimpse of the product in action from friends watching a soccer match in proper team lighting to a suggestive bedroom encounter complete with mood lighting and appropriate soundtrack. The Whome’s ease of use in on full display, with simple examples of controlling the light in real-time through the app and connected the bulbs to streaming audio featured. With a goal of £20,000 in place, WaveBomb is hoping to raise the funds necessary to begin mass production and get all the necessary certifications.
The Perks. A single Whome is available for £60, set to launch October 2014. Those who want more than just black or white can get a two-pack in any color for £155. Additional tiers offer quantities of five or seven bulbs.
The Potential. Similar products have been introduced already, either taking the smart light bulb route or the music-powered light approach. Whome feels less like a novelty because it tackles both of these concepts in one device. The design makes the bulbs look a bit like ultra-modern salt and pepper shakers, but being able to stream audio and control lighting color and intensity using a phone and being able to program it to act as a much more pleasant form of morning alarm make this a very appealing product for those that have an easier time rising and shining to their favorite music.
It’s a question as old as time itself: how does somebody stranded on a desert island with only a book of matches and some dry timber enjoy their music with Bluetooth speakers? Pelty is the answer, and also the world’s first fire-powered Bluetooth speaker. By lighting a candle and enclosing it in the Pelty casing, the thermal energy from the candle is transferred into electric energy that powers the speaker, providing great entertainment during camping, outdoor activities, romantic moments, or as a neat party trick. Pelty will be shipping out to consumers in November 2014, and is available to those that pledge $199 or more, with bonus scented candles included.
For those who understand that overnight success generally takes several years and have the bank account to prove it, BAT D-1 offers a distortion peddle built to compete with the big names in every way – except price. Through the use of two double triode valves, the makers of the distortion pedal boast of not only 100 percent valve distortion, but also harmonics that have an unusually rich quality combined with high gain for a great rock sound. For wireless control and fourth wall freedom, Soul Pedal may be another option that holds appeal with rockers. As for BAT D-1, backers get one pedal for £150 with an expected delivery of September 2014.
Even though audio technology has taken leaps and bounds over the past half-century, it seems to move more towards convenience and away from the pure listening experience. Audiophiles are all too commonly putting on their boxy retro headphones and dropping the needle on a vinyl record to get the sound they want. Sprout is a simply designed, intuitive stereo amplifier that features all the necessary inputs in the back, but just two dials and a headphone jack in the front. Working with both home audio systems or simple headphones, Sprout is designed to bring back powerful audio fidelity into homes around the world. Sprout takes the stage in October 2014 for $499.
What if it were possible to listen to music on a personal gadget without the hassle of earbud wires getting tangled or kinked? With Earin, that idea is a reality. The two earbuds function as Bluetooth headphones that feature balanced armature speakers. These are the same type of speakers used in professional in-ear monitors and hearing-aides, so the best sound experience is offered without a great deal of power consumption. The wireless earbuds are rechargeable when stored in their capsule. For £79, early bird backers get one set with an expected delivery of January 2015. The earbuds are expected to retail for £159.