Meta Says AI-Powered Audio Codec Offers 10x Compression Over MP3

Meta has announced an AI-powered audio compression method that supposedly delivers ten times better compression than the MP3 format. The audio compression method is called ‘EnCodec,’ which Meta debuted on October 25 in a paper titled by &#8…

A Quick Buyer’s Guide to Acoustic Guitars — Here’s What to Know

Whether buying your first acoustic guitar or your tenth, the decision is always unique to the sound you want. Have questions? Check out this acoustic guitar buyer’s guide with some recommendations from Sweetwater’s vast inventory. The follo…

Spotify Car Thing Suffers Brutal Hack With Root Achieved — Company Says It’s “Unsupported and End-of-Life”

Spotify’s discontinued Car Thing accessory has been hacked and root achieved thanks to security loopholes. The Car Thing is ultimately a failed experiment from Spotify to try and give those with older cars easy access to music streaming. The devi…

Reprtoir Evolves: New Solutions and Pricing Plans Focused on Facilitating Labels and Music Management Companies

Reprtoir is now simplifying its multi-product offering and switching to plan-based pricing with four major tiers. With the B2B shift, Reprtoir’s CMS is now courting bigger companies. Juggling a list of digital chores can quickly become overwhelming for…

Amazon Echo Buds Are Overheating Because of a Firmware Update

So much for our ‘amazing’ wireless future. Amazon Echo Buds are overheating due to a firmware update. Remember the last time your 3.5mm headphones overheated while charging? Me neither. Amazon has issued a dire email warning to owners of th…

Gibson Offers $59,000 Reward for Missing Paperwork – ‘No Questions Asked’

Guitar maker Gibson is seeking the public’s help in locating a lost shipping ledger – with a $59,000 reward. The missing Gibson ledger is shipping paperwork on rare Gibson guitars from the late 1950s. The ledger contains authenticity-verifying in…

New HomePod Beta Adds Option to Choose New Default Music Player

The latest Apple HomePod beta brings an option to choose a new default music player. The update arrived yesterday as part of the iOS 14 beta 2. iOS 14 has been making waves after new privacy features revealed shady behavior from apps like TikTok. Now A…

AirPods 3 Will Feature SiP Technology, Much Like AirPods Pro – Report

Apple’s next-generation ‘AirPods 3’ will feature system-in-package chip technology – like the AirPods Pro. Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared the prediction via Twitter. The AirPods 3 featuring a SiP chip would replace the surface m…

Sonos Layoffs – 12% Reduction, NYC Store Shut Down, Executive Pay-Cuts

According to a new filing with the SEC, Sonos plans layoffs of 12% of its global workforce. Sonos says the layoffs are meant to reduce operating expenses and “preserve liquidity.” It directly cites the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for th…

AirPods Update – Automatic Switching and ‘Spatial Audio’ Feature Incoming

Apple announced two new features in an AirPods update at WWDC this year. Automatic switching between devices and a new “spatial audio” feature for 3D sound will come to AirPods Pro. The new automatic switching feature will come to a variety…