If you're like me and have trouble sleeping at night, listening to relaxing music, nature sounds, or spoken-word materials can be a real sleep aid. The thing is, using headphones and earbuds while lying down gets uncomfortable quickly, especially if you prefer sleeping on your side. This is where AcousticSheep's SleepPhones come in. They're basically a soft fleece headband with two embedded…
Those of you unafraid to show off your love of musicals will appreciate this Singin' in the Rain print by Brazilian illustrator Niege Borges. Even if you're not a fan, you gotta admit she really nailed the water effects. The print is unframed by default, with prices ranging from $17 (8" x 10") to $50 (28" x 38"). They do offer frames…
Electronic music duo George & Jonathan recently released their fourth album, simply titled III. I would describe their style as infectious, funky-yet-mellow, and just plain fun. Their melodies are simple and catchy on the surface, but they layer instrument samples so densely (and yet never overpoweringly) that every song is a lush soundscape. I have a feeling I'm going to have this…
I don't often write about music albums, but it's kind of a chill Saturday for me and it feels fitting to mention my soundtrack at the moment, the recently-released Honestly by singer-songwriter Gabe Bondoc. I've been following this guy on Youtube for a while—starting with this video, if memory serves—and I always enjoy his music, which is especially good for driving with…
Plex is one of the better solutions out there for organizing and streaming your movies and music between devices. Sign up for a Plex account, put the Plex Media Server app on your Mac, and then you can use the iOS app to stream your stuff from anywhere in the world. The iOS app also allows you to control the media being…
Chicago Avenue Moon is an unexpected new app from Junecloud—the studio behind Delivery Status Touch—that blows my mind a little. It's designed to generate a personalized soundtrack for the listener as they move about, but that description doesn't tell the whole story so I'll just quote the source: “Chicago Avenue Moon is a responsive, generative music app that gathers a set of…
I've been a Spotify subscriber for a while (going on something like 2.5 years now), and although I've always loved the service, their iOS app has consistently felt a little lacking to me. I've tried Rdio as well, but never found a compelling enough reason to switch. But now I've had a chance to try out the new Beats Music iPhone app…
I own a set of Skullcandy headphones and I've also listened to friends' sets, and while they usually look pretty cool, I would never have describe them as having "top-notch" sound. So when I heard about the Skullcandy Aviator Headphones and their supposedly awesome sound the other day, I was a little dubious. But apparently these things really do sound good! The…
Learning how to play guitar is something I've always wanted to do, but like so many skills, getting started from scratch seems daunting. The gTar (pronounced with a soft 'g') aims to make this part of the experience a lot more fun. It's like a real-world version of Guitar Hero that actually teaches you something. What you do is dock your iPhone…
A couple days ago, Andrew Kim published his review of the BeoPlay H6 headphones, and I was taken aback by how beautiful they are. I recommend heading over there to read the full review and check out the hi-res photos, but here are some of the highlights that stood out to me: These are gorgeous headphones. The audio cable can be detached…
If someone were to ask me what the best AirPlay speaker setup is, in most cases I would point them to the Sonos system. It's super easy to set up, especially if you want multiple speakers throughout your house. But if you only need a single speaker and you want the best sound from it, it's hard to beat the current deal…
TC-11 is a trippy, fully programmable, multitouch synthesizer app for iPad. Rather than fiddling with a bunch of knobs, you interact with the app by tapping and dragging your fingers around the screen. The sounds produced by the synthesizer depend on where you touch the screen and how your fingers move in relation to one another. Even the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass…
This one's for the musicians out there. ScoreCleaner Notes allows you to play, hum, or even whistle a tune, and it will write out the musical notation for you, including the correct time signatures. It can even pick apart multiple voices at once and arrange them in the proper order of lead voice, second voice, and bass line. After these notation sheets…
It was two summers ago that we remodeled the basement to make space for my new office. My old office was upstairs, where you'll now find my son's room. My downstairs office is a bit smaller than my previous one, and so in the move I got rid of my old, bulky Sony stereo which was plugged into my computer. I haven't…
If music is supposed to make a statement, shouldn't instruments have a voice, too? The $30 Pick Punch helps even your guitar picks pack a message. It can be used to create Standard 351 Shape guitar picks out of just about anything, including credit cards, IDs and even photos of past lovers.
10 years ago, I was a junior in high school. It was a very influential year in my life, and much of the music that I listened to while driving my first car around town still resonates with me. The Postal Service's Give Up was on constant rotation, first as a CD then on my first iPod. The poppy tech-laden tracks with…
We've already featured one speaker from this year's CES, but couldn't resist pointing out another upcoming item: the OD-11 Cloud Speaker. Astute audio enthusiasts may notice that both its name and design are an homage to the original Carlsson OD-11 hi-fi speaker released in 1974. The new design is absolutely gorgeous — combining a minimalist retro aesthetic with a powerful modern sound…
If you're looking for a special gift for the guitar player in your life, the Three Little Pixies Boutique on Etsy has you covered. For $21, they will ship you a brass guitar pick with a custom message engraved in the brass. Sterling silver is available for an additional charge.
John Roderick & Jonathan Coulton have come together to make a great album of Christmas music. The record is 10 tracks long, and features all-new tracks; there aren't any of your run-of-the-mill Christmas hymns on this thing. It's a lot of fun, and if you like Roderick or Coulton, you'll love this disc. You can purchase the album online starting at just…
Before the USB Stratocaster Guitar, hooking up a guitar to a Mac or iOS device required a USB-ready break-out box, but no more. This $200 axe includes a regular 1/4-inch passive output, but also a Mini-B USB port, so plugging right in to a computer or iOS device is a snap. The high-quality headphone amp lets you listen to the output without…