Timewasting website of the day: Tonematrix

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Tonematrix is a site that generates sinewaves in a pattern that you determine. If that sounds complex, then go ahead and click here, then draw something on the grid. It’s far easier to understand if you just give it a try. Far easier than understanding the developer, who says:

“The sound generation is basically a polyphone synthesizer with a simple delay with a variing read-offset to make the tones vibrating in the end.”

Despite the fact that the first thing everyone will do is draw a penis, there’s actually quite a sophisticated synth running in the background. It’s possible to make loops that sound pretty awesome. What would be even more awesome is if you could adjust the BPM on the fly. Or use it to play Battleships with a friend. Either would do.

Tonematrix (via @scdsoundsystem)

iMu Vibrating Speaker – less rude than it sounds

Although the name conjures up memories of the Ohmibod, the iMu is totally safe for work. So long as people don’t get annoyed by you turning the big conference room table into a huge speaker anyway. That’s right – the iMu claims to turn any hard, flat surface into a speaker.

How does it work? Well, it turns music signal into vibrations via a compound called Terfenol-D – developed by the US Navy. Place the Terfenol in an aluminium case, wrap a coil round it and pass a current through, and it’ll vibrate with the current – playing your songs.

The frequency response isn’t great – 70Hz to 30Hkz – but you’ll get 30W out of this thing. I’ve asked if we can get one in to see what it sounds like in person, and how loud you can get it without shattering whatever you’re vibrating. That could be fun. If you’re already convinced, then it’s £50 and available now.

Gadget Shop

Related posts: GEAR4 vibrating your tunes with the BlackBox Micro speaker | NSFW! Video shows Vavoom knickers, which contain front pockets for storing a vibrating phone!

Deafness charity finds 67% of you lot are listening to music TOO LOUDLY

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A survey conducted by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People discovered that two-thirds of us are listening to MP3 players at dangerously loud volume levels that could break our earholes for good.

The RNID accosted 246 people in the streets of Edinburgh and plugged listening gadgets into the headphone sockets of their MP3 players, testing the volume output levels. The level considered safe for blasting music…

Logic3 releases iPod dock with valve amplifier

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iPod docks, as I’ve said before, are ten-a-penny around here. They’re not the most exciting product to write about, and every company in the world makes one. This, however, is something special. It’s got valves.

If you don’t know why that’s good, then go ask your neighborhood audiophile. It basically makes the music sound ‘warmer’, and valve amps have long been praised for the lovely feel that they give to sound and music. Of course they’re not cheap. This model costs £300. For that, you’re getting lovely lovely sound, a pair of 40W speakers (though you can plug in whatever speakers you like) and two auxiliary inputs, for plugging in your TV or stereo. Full specs are over the jump.

Up close with the Sony BRAVIA range: Part 4: Sound

Sony has paid just as much attention to how their TVs reproduce audio as they have with how the picture looks.

If you’ve ever complained that actors seem to be mumbling, or that the background music or noise is louder than the dialogue, then Voice Zoom could be a boon. It allows the viewer to boost the frequencies associated with the human voice, making it much easier to follow conversation and narration.

Most BRAVIA TVs feature Dolby’s virtual surround sound technologies, with top-of-the-range sets also having Sony’s exclusive S-Force Front Surround. Both simulate 5.1 channel surround sound from just the two in-built speakers. Paired with this is the BBE VIVA system which enhances fidelity and dialogue in 3D sound, and reduces echo…