Here goes the problem of storing music on our hard drives.

Researchers at the University of Rochester managed to digitally recreate a music file that is almost 1,000 times smaller than a regular MP3 file. A 20 seconds clarinet solo that takes less than a kilobyte was possible using a computer that literally reproduces the original performance based on what it knows about the real-world physics of clarinet and the physics of a clarinet player.

Behind the computer model of a clarinet is Mark Bocko, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and two of his doctoral students, Xiaoxiao Dong and Mark Sterling.

“This is essentially a human-scale system of reproducing music. Humans can manipulate their tongue, breath, and fingers only so fast, so in theory we shouldn’t really have to measure the music many thousands of times a second like we do on a CD. As a result, I think we may have found the absolute least amount of data needed to reproduce a piece of music” said Bocko.

Here are the audio files, in WAV format for Web comparison :

Human performance recorded using MP3 format

Virtual performance using Bocko’s new compression

Though not perfect, it is very difficult to tell the synthesized sound from the original sound. Future improvements of the method will include more than just one instrument, and Professor Bocko is confident that the synthesis algorithms will improve and the future of music could be “reproducing performers and not recording them”.

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Gadgets and jewelry, what not to love? Altec Lansing has created the MUZX Series earphones, especially designed for women and decorated with Swarovski crystals. The sparkling earphones retail for $59.95, which I can’t consider too expensive.

The extraordinary design concept joined Altec’s MHP 206 earphones with three Swarovski jewelry pieces. The earbuds were decorated with flowers and you can also observe the stunning butterfly on the choker. Altec Lansing didn’t neglect the technology either. The earphones design provide passive noise reduction and great sound at lower listening levels. I must confess, I really love this luxurious set! Don’t you?

Product page via Popgadget

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Today we have the iPod, but 150 years ago they had the phonautograph. What’s that?! The phonautograph is the first recording device in the world. Invented by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, a Parisian typesetter and tinkerer, the phonautograph had been a mystery. It recorded sounds, but it couldn’t play them.

A team of researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, have decoded the first song ever recorded on April 9, 1860. It is called ‘Au Clair de la Lune’. The discovery is historic, as everybody knew that Thomas Edison was the inventor of recorded sounds. However, Scott’s phonautograph had been invented 17 years before Edison patented its phonograph.

Listen here the first recorded sound that can be played. David Giovannoni, an American audio historian, has also presented recordings made in 1853 and 1854, but those attempts of capturing sounds have a poor quality, because Scott’s machine wasn’t calibrated at that time. How would look gadgets in 150 years from now?

via NY Times

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The recent release of iRiver, is a lovely PMP. The gadget has a smooth line, nothing fancy, but still gorgeous. It comes in several colors (white, black, pink, light blue and chocolate). Nevertheless the Chocolate model tops the rest. iRiver E100 sports a 2.4″ LCD screen and retails in three versions of 2GB, 4GB and 8GB internal memory.

iRiver E100 plays MP3/WMA/OGG/ASF/FLAC audio files as well as MPEG4/WMV9/XVID videos files. Also it supports JPEG/BMP/PNG /GIF files. Although a 8GB version could store a lot of photos, tracks and videos, the PMP features miniSD support.

I should mention here that iRiver E100 features voice recording option and FM tuner. Besides, it has an USB port for faster transfers, but the lack of Bluetooth is unacceptable at this level. It delivers up to 5 hours of video streaming and up to 17 hours of listening. The E100 is available in stores, with prices starting at €79.00 (or $119) for a 2GB model, €99 ($155) for the 4GB version and €129.00 ($194) for the 8GB.

Product page via Akihabara

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Sony PCM-D50 is professional digital recorder. It is a 96 kHz and 24-bit recorder. The device features two Electret Condenser microphones with high sensitivity levels and is able to record in two positions (X-Y and Wide Stereo).

It has built-in flash memory 4 GB and a Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo for extra storage needs. Sony PCM-D50 supports MP3 playback and USB connection for fast transfers. The recorder needs four AA batteries. To minimize the noise, the device was designed with four separate circuit boards to separate analog audio, digital audio, digital recording, and power supply circuits. Besides it has many other features that would pleasure the professionals.

Buy it here for $500.

via Dvice

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