Waves Consumer Ships Waves Nx 3D Audio on Any Headphone Set
Waves Consumer, the consumer division of Waves Audio, announced that it has started selling and shipping its first direct to consumer product. Waves Nx, is a completely new, user-centric listening experience that enables 3D audio on any headphone set with any content. The company also unveiled a website, www.waves.com/nx, where the general public is invited to learn more about 3D audio and purchase Waves Nx for $79.
Apple Unleashes Round of Thunderbolt 3 Announcements
Apple’s announcement on October 27, 2016, of a new generation of MacBook Pro laptops will be remembered obviously for the company’s “courage” to disrupt the traditional function keys on the keyboard, and the introduction of a fully programmable touch-screen called the Touch Bar. But more importantly it was the first confirmation that Thunderbolt 3 - the USB-C That Does it All, as Intel calls it - will be the future. And that’s what the industry was waiting for.
Skybuds Truly Wireless Earbuds with NFMI Are Now Available
Alpha Audiotronics announced the general availability of its Skybuds truly wireless earbuds, offering an entirely new experience for travel, commuting, exercise and everything in between. Combining seamless Near-field Magnetic Induction (NFMI) connectivity and premium audio quality, Skybuds are designed to fit any lifestyle and feature four hours of listening and 24 hours of additional battery life via the sleek and portable Skydock charging case.
New and Improved Jaybird X3 Wireless Sport Headphones Now Available
One of the first brands to bring wireless sport earbuds to the world, Jaybird now announced its new Jaybird X3 Wireless Sport Headphones. These next generation wireless in-ear buds are sweatproof, use Bluetooth 4.1 and offer a universal secure sport fit with improved sound and customizable audio options, including Voice Prompts. More importantly, the improved eight-hour battery now allows for longer wireless sessions.
Qualcomm’s NXP Acquisition and Impact for the Audio Industry
With rumors already circulating for some time, on October 27, 2016, Qualcomm announced a definitive agreement, unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, under which Qualcomm will acquire NXP Semiconductors. With the acquisition, Qualcomm gets access to a vast portfolio of solutions from the Dutch giant, which was once Philips Semiconductors and remains until now a leading supplier of key technologies for mobile devices and wireless and wired audio applications.
Audinate Announces Dante Via and Dante Virtual Soundcard Bundle
Audinate, the creators of industry-leading audio networking technology Dante, announced the immediate worldwide availability of the Dante Software “Combo Pack”, combining licenses for Dante Via and Dante Virtual Soundcard. For only $59.95, Audinate will now provide the ultimate in flexibility for computer-based audio networking with a bundle that represents a 25% savings over purchasing the software separately.
New PAcalculate Mobile App Sponsored by Powersoft
Powersoft has announced that it is sponsoring the multi-platform PAcalculate app, which runs on mobile devices such as Android, iOS, Windows-Phone, and Blackberry — including smartphones and tablets. Developed by Brusi Acoustics, a consulting firm for electroacoustic and an independent laboratory for loudspeaker directivity testing, it is marketed by Doctor Pro Audio, a leading Spanish-speaking web portal.
3D Sound Labs Launches Spatial Audio SDK High-Order-Ambisonics Solution for Mobile 360° VR Player
3D/VR audio specialists, 3D Sound Labs, announced the availability of the latest version of its VR Audio Kit, an Ambisonics SDK optimized for 360° mobile players. This technology has been jointly presented in September at IBC 2016 in Amsterdam together with solution provider for content delivery Viaccess Orca. The demo of a 360° VR mobile video player with High-Order Ambisonics (HOA) audio, running on a smartphone, was playing a 4K 360° video along with a compressed 3rd order Ambisonics audio stream.
Microsoft Introduces Surface Studio for Creative Professionals Ignoring USB-C and Thunderbolt 3
On Wednesday, October 26, Microsoft made a series of impressive announcements, revealing ambitious plans to make its Windows 10 ecosystem more attractive to creative professionals, announcing the Windows 10 Creators Update and a series of impressive new hardware options. Microsoft introduced the new Surface Studio all-in-one desktop PC, designed to turn the desk into a creative studio, with an impressive 28” 4K touch-screen display, working in tandem with the also-new Surface Dial programmable knob.
Audionamix Releases Speech Volume Control (SVC) Speech-Specific Separation Plug-in
Audionamix, renowned audio source separation experts, and creators of ADX TRAX Pro software and the ADX VVC plug-in, released its new Speech Volume Control (SVC) plug-in, paving the way for new advancements in the field of post production audio. The new plug-in is an evolution of Audionamix’ state of the art technology, which automatically separates a master recording’s vocal track from its accompanying music track. With a simple interface, the new SVC plug-in focuses on speech volume control over background elements in mono or stereo recordings.