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Roli is no stranger to quirky musical instruments. After all, it pioneered the idea of a squishy MIDI controller. The companys latest tool, however, could be its weirdest. The Roli Airwave is an AI-infused piano teaching gadget that also doubles as a digital theremin. Yes, the same high-pitched theremin that has appeared on hit records like The Beach Boys Good Vibrations and Erykah Badus Incense. The Airwave is basically a tall stand with a camera on top. This camera points downward to track the players finger movements on a connected MIDI keyboard. Movements are tracked in real time and beamed to a tablet, which then displays visuals to teach users how to correctly play a song and fix any mistakes they are making. It'll even try to fix bad playing posture. The Airwave uses machine intelligence and computer vision to track the players hands and to offer its advice on where those hands should be placed. Theres some machine learning baked into this system when analyzing live footage to come up with accurate teaching methods. The affiliated app also integrates with ChatGPT, allowing for natural language queries. For instance, users can ask relevant questions about the song being learned or general-use queries about music theory. Being as how a players hands would be occupied when in the midst of a piano tutorial, these questions can be asked by voice instead of by typing into a virtual keyboard. This wont beat interacting with a real piano tutor, but itll likely be easier than hunting for a needle in the YouTube video haystack. Basically, 100 percent of your time when you practice, you're going to practice correctly now, Rolis CEO, Roland Lamb, told Wired. So you'll be developing good habits over time. The Airwave isnt just for students. The device is also being marketed as an outlet for experimental music-making. There are five inputs that adjust various parameters via hand movements. This means that players can use one to radically change the sound of the instrument being played. With the simple raise of their hands, creators can transform a piano into a full orchestra, just as a conductor would, or morph mellow synth pads into searing leads with a tilt of a wrist, Roli wrote in a press release. Now onto the caveats, and there are a few. This is nifty tech, of that theres no doubt. However, theres a significant barrier of entry. First of all, the Airwave itself will cost $300 when it releases in February. The device cannot be used on its own. It requires a pre-existing Roli keyboard, like the $1,400 Seaboard Rise 2 or the much cheaper Lumi (now called the Piano M.) Also, to access the teaching tools, users will need to bring in their own tablet. There are apps for both Android and Apple devices, but only newer iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab models will be supported. Finally, budding piano players will also have to fork out $15 a month to access the Roli Learn music education subscription service. If moneys no object, this looks like a fairly novel way to learn the piano. Roli says the Airwave is just the first release in what its calling its Music Intelligence (MI) platform. The company writes that the Roli MI platform will be the foundation of a roadmap of future intelligent products, starting with Airwave. Preorders for the Airwave are available right now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/the-roli-airwave-is-a-high-tech-keyboard-teaching-tool-inspired-by-the-theremin-172342147.html?src=rss
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Its Prime Day again, and Amazon has the Sonos Era 100 speaker, the critically acclaimed successor to the Sonos One, on sale for $50 off. The deal could be worth a look if youre eyeing a terrific-sounding home speaker or want to expand your existing Sonos setup. Usually, it is $249, but you can order the Sonos Era 100 today for only $199. If home theater is your priority, you can also save up to $110 on the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) or Ray soundbar. The Sonos Era 100, which only arrived last year, sounds better than its successor and has more convenient controls and easier TruePlay tuning. The latter automatically adjusts its sound based on your rooms acoustics. Previously requiring a phone (and iPhone only, leaving out Android users), the feature now uses the speakers built-in mics for Quick Tuning. (iOS device owners can optionally still use the more advanced TruePlay tuning for a more thorough setup.) The speaker is surprisingly loud and has more potent bass than the Sonos One lineup it replaced. It has two tweeters for better high-end output. Engadgets Nathan Ingraham found the speakers sound quality to surpass that of the One, offering a full-bodied listening experience. You can optionally buy two (or a second while on sale if you already own one) for a stereo pair. Use the Sonos app (which has had problems lately, but the company is working to improve it) to link your two speakers, providing a richer listening experience with stereo separation. It also supports Amazon Alexa and Sonos assistant for voice control. If you have a Sonos soundbar, you can set it up as a rear speaker for surround sound while watching TV or movies. Speaking of soundbars, Amazon Prime Day also has a couple of those on sale, too. The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) soundbar, typically $499, is available for $399. The speaker has a compact design and enhanced sound quality with Dolby Atmos support. The Sonos Ray, the companys entry-level soundbar, is on sale for $110 off. An upgrade over your TVs built-in speakers, the solid speaker is good for TVs in smaller spaces. You can get the Sonos Ray for $169 (typically $279). Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.This article originally appeared on Engadge at https://www.engadget.com/sonos-speakers-and-soundbars-are-up-to-20-percent-off-for-prime-day-162830423.html?src=rss
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Prime Day is here and we've been busy rounding up the best deals we can find. There's an iPad offer in particular that matches one we've seen before, but it's definitely worth highlighting. The 9th-gen iPad has dropped back down to $199, which matches a record low. That's 40 percent off the regular price of $329. Let's be very clear: this iPad is quite old at this point. Apple released it in 2021 and the company has since rolled out another base iPad, along with several mini, Pro and Air models. If you're looking for a more recent model that Apple will support for longer, you can check out our guide on how to pick the best iPad for you. This sale feels very much like a case of trying to clear out old stock, but there are plenty of valid reasons to opt for the 9th-gen iPad instead of a more powerful model. We gave the 9th-gen iPad a score of 81 in our review, due to its solid camera, performance and base storage (64GB) upgrades and the solid battery life. It lasted for 14 hours on a single charge during our initial video-streaming tests. It even has a headphone jack, which is a definite plus point. The tablet will certainly do the trick if all you really need is a tablet to catch up on reading, browse the web, handle some emails and watch videos more so if you're already in the Apple ecosystem. You'll be able to doodle on this iPad with the original Apple Pencil, but this model is not best suited for professional-level design work or productivity. Apple tends to support iPads for at least five years in terms of iPadOS updates, so it's likely (but not a sure thing) that you'll be able to install up to iPadOS 20 on this thing. As such, you should be able to stream video via the likes of Netflix to this tablet for several years to come. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-9th-gen-ipad-returns-to-an-all-time-low-of-199-for-prime-day-155016921.html?src=rss
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