Part of the cartoon ideals of home automation that sell it to so many buyers is the discreet, sometimes imperceptible way that a homeowner interacts with his or her property. The M1 Speaker from Nepsu is designed to follow that philosophy of being functional yet not take up space. These tetrahedral speakers can fit into the corners of any room and mount snugly, working with Bluetooth devices and Android and iOS apps to allow home automation control and audio enjoyment without being bulky and taking up space. However, these speakers are wired, as the out of sight/out of mind design would be compromised if the speakers needed to be repeatedly charged. Alas, Wi-Fi support would allow for longer range for nifty multi-room audio. The M1 speaker will fill rooms with sound in September for $199 CAD.
Category: Music
The Premise. Though the guitar is one of the easiest instruments out there to learn, the hardest part of playing it well is coordinating chord changes with rhythm. When a person is just learning, there is a lot of stopping, looking at finger placement, and then playing is resumed. With persistence and patience, the instrument is eventually learned if a person has any musical ability at all. But for those who don’t really have any musical propensity and wish that they did, a potential solution is in the works.
The Product. MiKord is a learning aid/connected assistant for those who’d like to be able to play guitar chords, but would rather skip to the part where the glamour and riches ensue. The product gets strapped to the neck and makes the actual chords as the user presses down on it, while the digital readout tells a person what strings to play and what chords are being used via preprogrammed music downloadable from the MiKord website. Unfortunately, there’s no missing its white, brick-like protuberance from the fretboard for anyone hoping to pass as a calloused guitar deity.
The Pitch. The video for the $65,000 campaign demonstrates placement of the product on the guitar neck and the digital music readout, but it seems strange that the campaign doesn’t include a person actually playing a song while using the product. The background music used suggests that a person could potentially play just as well, but there is no clear indication that the background music is provided by someone who is actually using the product.
The Perks. There are eight tiers from which a backer may choose. For $165, a backer gets one product with an expected delivery of November 2014. An additional $20 needs to be included for shipping.
The Potential. For those who have a disability in their left hand or fingers, have severe arthritis, or just aren’t musically gifted but wish they were, something like this product may be of benefit. A sense of rhythm is still required to make this product work, as well as a good enough ear to know when the chord changes need to happen. Picking patterns will still require agility and dexterity in the right hand. There will also still be a certain amount or coordination required for the flow of the song as chord changes and rhythm take place, but it may not require as much effort as if one actually had to form the chords on their own. This item will not actually help a person to learn to play the guitar, but it may help them to make music. There is no substitute for an actual teacher and being patient enough with oneself to just learn to play the instrument and practice, not even with something like ChordBuddy.
The Premise. Musicians have trouble spending time away from their instruments. But bulky instruments, especially guitars, aren’t very portable and cannot be left in cars or public places where they may be stolen. Those with busy lives who like making music are left with few options.
The Product. The FretPen allows traveling musicians to travel easier. This mini guitar has one string and uses an app and electronics to allow the user to make music on the go. With the iOS app, users can add effects to their music and play with either an acoustic or electric guitar sound. The FretPen is the size of a normal pen and even comes with a pen attachment so it really delivers on its name. This product uses Bluetooth technology to deliver wireless music to your smartphone. Using the app, the FretPen user can then edit the music they’ve made however they wish.
The Pitch. Fret’s video shows a rocker guy using the FretPen in transit which is a great example of the product’s versatility. The rest of the campaign shows screenshots of the app in action as well as the mechanics of the product. The creators use photos comparing the product to common objects to demonstrate how small it truly is. FretPen hopes to raise $35,000 in its 30-day Kickstarter campaign.
The Perks. For early-bird rockers, FretPen will cost $99 at the “Front Row” price or $119 at the “Second Row” price. The regular or “Main Floor” pricing is $129. Reward tiers go up to $1,499 and all have an estimated delivery date of November 2014.
The Potential. FretPen is a small, fun and easy way for musicians to make music while they’re touring or even just at their day jobs. Of course, it won’t match up to an actual guitar, but seems to be able to do a decent job at creating some cool music. We’ve seen guitars that hook up to smartphones and tablets in the past, like the IGI Smart Guitar and the relatively portable Jamstik, but none so tiny and wireless as the FretPen. This product is perfect for amateur guitarists or busy rock ‘n’ rollers and will certainly find success in the smartphone-meets-guitar market.
Advances in Bluetooth and personal Wi-Fi have benefitted the musician, but rarely their team of supporters. Producers or live sound engineers alike now have a new tool to work with in the UMMU Box v2. Like its predecessor, the UMMU Box v2 controls an audio console through a proprietary app, moving faders and changing the sound using a smartphone, as well as converting MIDI signals to UDP and vice versa. What the v2 adds is OSC compatibility and the ability to operate over a wi-fi network and without the assistance of an external wired router. Combined with products like the PUC, this can allow for a fully wireless MIDI studio. The UMMU Box v2 will be ready by the end of the year for those who pledge £130.
While there may be certain musicians that every musician respects and wants to sound like, the creative aspect of music means that each musician is most likely to take various elements of those favorites to create their own unique style and sound. Anima X offers a fresh opportunity for musicians who really enjoy tinkering with how their instrument is made to get a desired sound. The new bridge system includes features such as a bell brass baseplate, as well as saddle body assemblies that can be made of stainless steel, aluminum, or brass to create enhanced sustain, resonance, sonic, and tonal characteristics for the instrument. For $100, backers get the items for their own saddle assembly, or $250 for the assembled, six string bridge unit. Anticipated delivery is July 2014.
As the internet of Things continues to grow and encompass more objects, it’s no surprise that headphones are looking to turn to a standalone experience. Following in the footsteps of Streamz, which focused primarily on the online experience. Vow wants to master online, offline, and social. The Vow headphones themselves are a little chunky, but the inventors assure that it’s because these speakers can deliver a quality sound as well as they stream. Even more intriguing is the screen that allows for others nearby to see what users are listening to. The Vow is shipping in September for $399.
Musicians who travel around must bear the weight of their instruments constantly. Drum sets in particular can be cumbersome to tote around and a pain to set up. DrumStooled combines a stool with a bass drum so that musicians who are so inclined can play the guitar and the drum at the same time. It cuts down on luggage for bands that travel around. One of these French instruments costs rockin’ backers €600 with an estimated delivery date of September 2014. DrumStooled hopes to raise €30,000 in its 60-day Indiegogo campaign.
It would be difficult to find someone without a device that can use headphones on their person. Yet many don’t, partially due to personal preference, but also largely in part because of the inconvenience of carrying headphones all day. Not to be confused with the Twig stand that evolved into the Torso, the TWIG is an earbud-compatible cord wrap that is simple in design yet capable of revolutionizing the way headphones are transported. The earbuds slide into each side of the TWIG’s y-shape, and the cord can be wrapped 8 times, leaving the volume control always in a snug, natural position. TWIGs will be sent out in July 2014 to backers who pledge a minimum of $7.
The Premise. The beauty of streaming music is that listeners can enjoy the music they love, no matter where they are. Transferring that access to an audio system worth listening to, on the other hand, often proves to be more difficult.
The Product. The Gramofon is designed to take all the accessibility of a Wi-Fi hotspot, and put that to use to stream music in the home or office. By using Facebook credentials instead of various wi-Fi passwords, it’s easy to use the Gramofon app to connect and start pumping music through any stereo equipment. Right now, the app supports Spotify natively, but there are many other streaming services expected to be added later. AllPlay technology, also supported by Musaic, provides compatibility with an emerging set of music sources.
The Pitch. With one of the more slickly-produced Kickstarter videos in recent memory, Fon CEO Martin Varsavsky and his team take viewers through Fon as a Wi-Fi hotspot company and how the idea of turning hotspots into music players led to the development of Gramofon. The entire campaign smacks of the same trendy, simple design that the device itself supports, and the confidence the developers have in the product will likely carry over to those supporting it. Gramofon needs $250,000 to start the party, increasing the number of support services, finalize the design, and go into production.
The Perks. Getting a Gramofon will take a pledge of $50 for black, or $60 for white. Both products are expected to arrive in July.
The Potential. Devices like these are starting to crop up, combining the ease of having thousands of songs streaming from any device with the enjoyment of sounds through proper audio output channels. The modern design is similar to the Aether Cone, but the Gramofon really only provides the phone connectivity – more pieces required, but a better sense of control. Also similar is Apple’s Airport Express, but this device only handles music instead of full network sharing like the Airport, although that device has become a bit more streaming-friendly with the launch of iTunes Radio. Fon is also promising backers will get full free access to their millions of hotspots by supporting the Gramofon, so that can be an added incentive to pledge. All in all, the Gramofon is an inexpensive option that offers the quirky benefit of joining into a Wi-Fi-sharing network further along in Europe, but those who want a device that does more won’t yet be satisfied with what this product has to offer.
Whether on the commute to work or while doing chores around the house, listening to music on a good set of headphones seems to make the world a better place. It can be relatively cumbersome, however, to keep headphones handy and use a smartphone music player or app to get to those favorite tracks. The Streamz smart headphones have an Android processor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, enabling it to function as the music player itself, even for streaming services such as Pandora. While there have been other music players built into even lighter weight (albeit non-networked) headphones, Streamz features navigation buttons on the side of the earcup, as well as intended voice control integration, Streamz allows users to get great sound quality and waste no time in setup. The basic 4GB model is available in August to backers who pledge $299.