Suara Lifestyle: July 2023

Monday, July 31, 2023

5 audio accessories that improve headphone sound for $50 or less - Tom's Guide

iFi Audio GO Link conncted to lap top and a pair of wired headphones

(Image credit: iFi Audio)

There was a time when you had to splurge on expensive headphones and earbuds to get the absolute best sound quality. Not anymore.

For every luxury pair of over-ear headphones like Bowers & Wilkins PX8 or top-tier wireless earbuds like the new Sony WF-1000XM5 flagships, there are numerous bargain alternatives that deliver satisfying sound for a much lower price. Look at the recommendations on our best cheap wireless headphones and best cheap wireless earbuds lists. Many of these models carry impressive specs and sound customization tools via companion app that enhance audio output. However, certain accessories provide an upgrade path to help give a sonic boost.

You may be thinking, “must I go broke on professional audio gear to give my headphones and earbuds even greater sound performance?” Well, that is one route you could go. The other is investing in headphone accessories that can get the job done for under $50.

Here’s a breakdown of the most popular headphone accessories available at this price point, as well as our expert picks.

1. Portable DACs under $50

iFi Audio GO Link placed in hand — (Image credit: iFi Audio)

Perfect for computers, laptops, MP3 players, smartphones, and tablets, these portable hi-fi solutions significantly raise the sound on your go-to media devices via wired connection. Our audio editor found one that served as the best iPhone upgrade ever, sonically that is.

DACs convert a digital audio signal (like from a streaming service) and convert it to analog, which is then outputted to your wired headphones. They’re available in different sizes and at different price points, though you can find a few high-quality options for a fraction of what today’s best audiophile headphones cost.

Before grabbing a top seller from Amazon, know what you’re buying and what’s needed to get the most out of your wired headphones.

Look for DACs that support Hi-Res Audio up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM, DSD, and MQA (Master Quality Authenticated), the latter being a Tidal-exclusive format that plays CD-quality lossless audio up to 9216kbps. Multiple input ports should also be accounted for, including 3.5mm aux, Lightning, micro-USB/USB-C, and Optical.

Our top recommendations: FiiO JadeAudio KA1 $49 at Amazon; iFi GO Link $49 at Bloom Audio; FiiO D3 (D03K) $30 at Amazon.

2. External sound cards under $50

Creative Audio Sound Blaster 3 plugged into laptop — (Image credit: Creative Audio)

Experts have multiple products listed under this category, from amplifiers to audio control boxes to DACs. Many of these share similar features such as compact designs, multiple input ports, and noise-reduction technology. However, a noteworthy external sound card offers its own set of distinctive features that elevate headphone sound.

They come with a built-in DAC chip engineered to produce rich and immersive sound. Some models offer /24-bit/96kHz sampling rates for both playback and recording, and some come with EQ switches for bass and treble adjustment. Broad compatibility also comes part of the package, meaning you can connect these to different devices supporting different operating systems: Linux, macOS, Android or Windows.

Our top recommendations: Creative Sound Blaster G3 $44 at Amazon; Ugreen USB to Audio Jack Sound Card Adapter $13 at Amazon; StarTech.com USB Sound Card w/ SPDIF Digital Audio & Stereo Mic $33 at Amazon

3. Audio transmitters under $50

AirFly fitted to in-car entertainment system — (Image credit: twelvesouth.com / AirFly)

These Bluetooth devices do more than just grant you wireless audio access to out-of-date entertainment systems on flights or your gym treadmill. The latest models feature excellent audio codec support that isn’t even available on many of the best wireless headphones. We’re talking aptX Adaptive for 24-bit CD-quality audio, aptX HD for minimal sound distortion, and aptX Low Latency for improved audio and lip synchronization.

Products like the AirFly Duo also let you share audio between two sets of headphones or AirPods, creating a more intimate listening experience for couples flying out on their honeymoon. These might seem like small enhancements, but any listener with detailed hearing will appreciate the increases in sound and streaming quality that audio transmitters provide.

Our top recommendations: Creative BT-W4 $34 at Amazon; AirFly Duo $44 at Amazon; Avantree Relay $39 at Amazon

4. Headphone jack optimizers under $50

Satechi USB-C PD Audio Adapter connect to a MacBook Pro and Yamaha headphones — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Adapters, attenuators, optimizers or whatever you choose to call them, these plug-and-play audio devices are the most portable-friendly accessories for your headphones. They’re compatible with everything and perform a variety of services. For instance, they can deliver up to 24-bit audio quality, expand volume range, and restore bits of resolution lost at regular/low volume. Some of them even work with MFi-certified Lightning headphones (e.g., Apple EarPods, Beats urBeats3).

Each headphone jack option offers their own set of audio advancements. It’s more a matter of preference and what you feel works best for your primary media player.

Our top recommendations: iFi Audio iEMatch+ $49 at Amazon; Anker USB-C audio adapters $18 at Amazon; Satechi USB-C PD Audio Adapter $24 at Amazon

5. Memory foam ear tips under $50

Foam ear tip color options for AirPods Pro — (Image credit: ADV Sound)

Memory foam tips are an inexpensive must-have for music lovers that desire more bass from their wireless earbuds. Brands like ADV and Comply Foam built their businesses off this one product category and have performed enough R&D to determine whether foam tips improve true wireless sound.

We had a positive audio experience when pairing foam tips with the AirPods Pro 2. They not only provided a stronger low-end presence, but solid comfort and a strong seal that reduced the amount of ambient noise entering the soundscape. Comply Foam even developed WaxGuard technology to prevent earwax and debris from entering the sound port. These are pretty good perks from an accessory that costs as little as $11.

Our top recommendations: Comply Foam Tips $24 at Amazon; JLab Universal Cloud Foam Mnemonic Earbud Tips $11 at Amazon; ADV Foam Tips $19+ at ADV Sound.

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A lifestyle journalist with an affinity for consumer products, Alex has over a decade of experience and has worked with popular publications such as Complex, Thrillist, Men’s Health, Gear Patrol, AskMen, and Hoop Magazine. He currently focuses on audio, reviewing the most coveted headphones in the market for both Tom’s Guide and Laptop Magazine.

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Movie magic: How Foley artists create the sounds behind your favourite films - Euronews

Unsung heroes of the movie industry, Foley artists create much of the sound heard in films and TV shows. A Dutch artist shows us how it’s done.

If Ronnie Van der Veer does his job well, his work will be nearly imperceptible. It’s what every Foley artist aspires to – making the audience forget that much of the sound in a movie is added afterwards.

Foley technique is named after the American sound effects pioneer Jack Foley (1891-1976) who developed unique methods in synchronisation with picture and post-production.

“Sound works very unconsciously in a movie,” Van der Veer told Euronews Culture. “That’s what I really like about it. We create all kinds of little details that make you feel closer to the characters, make you feel more in the scene. Even though people don’t realise it’s created by us and not by the actor, it’s still a very valuable addition to the movie experience.”

From his studio in Haarlem, just outside Amsterdam, Van der Veer has created sound effects – or Foley – for films and TV shows like Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster, Dutch war film The Forgotten Battle, and Netflix Original series “Love & Anarchy”.

He’s made sounds for huge battle scenes, anxiety-inducing horror films, nature documentaries and everyday human interactions between characters. He’s even created sounds for make-believe creatures like dragons too.

Van der Veer says Foley comes down to striking a balance between realistic, believable sounds and over-the-top movie magic.

“Very often we try to recreate reality by adding details, so you feel like what you’re hearing is really connected to what you’re seeing,” he explained. “It could be exactly that shoe on that surface in that specific room with that reverb. But we’re also making a movie, so sometimes we’re trying to make something that’s bigger than life.”

For example, in real life, guns don’t rattle: “That would mean your gun is broken, right? But in films, it’s a movie cliche that when someone grabs a gun, it rattles a bit. Or when a soldier is running with a rifle, it will rattle a bit as well.”

One of the most fun parts of his job, Van der Veer says, is creating a presence for things that don’t normally make a sound.

“When an ant is walking on a leaf, in reality you don’t hear it,” he says. “But when it’s a very close-up shot, we need to make those footsteps. And the ant is maybe eating something, so suddenly I’m eating something to create the sound of the ant eating something. That’s very funny, because in real life you would never hear that.”

How Foley sounds are created

The first step of making Foley, according to Van der Veer, is watching the source material.

“Normally I would always watch the movie first to have an idea of if I need to get any props I don’t have in the studio,” he says. “I’ll talk to the sound designer to see what’s the style of the movie. I ask if there are any specific sounds that are important, that the director maybe wants to hear.”

Van der Veer’s studio is chock full of props – stored in different containers with labels, hanging from the walls. He has different types of floors for different situations. He has more shoes than you can possibly imagine. He even has a small car he uses for scenes that take place inside vehicles.

“It might look like an exploded thrift shop or something, but I actually know where everything is.”

After gathering all the props he needs, the recording begins. Van der Veer will play the source material and begin to act out the sounds in each scene.

“We use a lot of layering in the recording process,” Van der Veer says. “So in a scene where someone is walking with a bag, we would first do the footsteps and then we do the rattling of the bag. We’d do a take also with the clothes rustling. Maybe someone’s wearing jewellery, so that’s also something we would record. It’s nice also for the sound designer to have that separately.”

Van der Veer almost always works with a sound engineer, who records and can change the mix to add nuance to the finished product.

“The Foley mixer I work with could make a perspective change in the sound,” he explains. “So when someone is walking from further away, closer to the camera, he can change the mix of the microphones to create that effect, which sounds very natural.”

Sound as a vehicle for emotion

Van der Veer says he prefers to record the sound of a film chronologically because it helps him experience the film the same way the audience would.

“Normally, we watch the first scene and we do all the sounds for that scene and then we move on to the next scene,” he explains. “What I like about that process is that we kind of go on the same journey as the viewer and the characters. So maybe, halfway through the movie you might decide to change the shoes, for instance, because the character has more confidence or walks in a different way.”

Footsteps are some of the most common and complex sounds that Foley artists are asked to create. After finding the right shoe and the right floor for the scene, Van der Veer says he also has to get into the skin of the character to get the sound exactly right.

“There’s a reason why you cannot use (pre-recorded) sound effects for footsteps, because every character walks in a different way,” he says. “Even in the same scene, someone might be in a different emotional state and so they’ll walk in a different way. The camera might be further away or suddenly very close. All those things we incorporate into the recording of the Foley.”

“It’s a very human thing. Sometimes they call us actors of sound, because like an actor we also play with emotion.”

Working so intimately with sound has made him see the world differently, Van der Veer says. He’s more in tune to the sounds around him in everyday life – while sitting in his garden, for example, he’ll hear all the small sounds around him made by the wind, the birds, the insects.

When shopping for props at second-hand stores (used items sound better, he says), he often chooses objects not by their practical use, but their sonic potential.

“It’s happened in the past that I’ll be sitting on a chair in someone’s house and be like, ‘Hey can I buy this chair?’ Because it has such a good squeak,” he said.

“There are chairs in the studio that I got in this way, because they had a very nice squeak and people didn’t mind getting a new one. It’s very hard to shut off, because it’s something I’m aware of all the time, all the sounds around us.”

To see for yourself how Foley is created, watch the full episode of Creators in the player above.

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How To Sound Hip in Sound Engineering Circles - gearnews.com

How To Sound Hip in Sound Engineering Circles · Source: Sayla Brown / Unsplash

Tired of feeling like a complete noob in forums, comment sections, and IRL? We’re going to teach you exactly how to sound hip in sound engineering circles, so your opinion will no longer be left out of crucial conversations.

The solution is hardly as complicated as you might think. All you need to do is keep a few guidelines in mind, and you’ll be going back and forth with industry bigwigs in no time.

How To Sound Hip in Sound Engineering Circles

You could start by visiting an actual studio and talking to a real engineer, but everyone knows hit records are made in bedrooms these days. So, instead, let’s go over some must-know essentials to help you stay relevant.

Know Your Gear

You won’t get far in this sect of society without knowing what a “fifty-seven” or an “eleven seventy-six” is. Unlike most guitars or keyboards, mics and outboard gear are most often referred to by their model numbers alone.

You may have never owned, used, or even seen a particular piece of equipment in the flesh, but simply by being able to recognize its designation you are instantly elevated to ITK status.

Don’t overdo it though, there’s no need to “ten seventy-three you later” or anything of the sort. Simply start your sentences with “So, I just plugged it into my patchbay…” and watch their eyes glaze over with wonderment.

Disdain For DAWs

Even if you’re a Gen Z influencer who has yet to touch a tape machine or analogue console, a healthy skepticism for in-the-box music production will take you further in this game than you may think.

Using terms like ‘stagnant’ or ‘sterile’ when describing DAW environments lets other skeptics know you can be trusted. Even though most of the top mix engineers work almost exclusively on software, get to know deep down that hardware will always sound better.

Don’t be afraid to vent your newfound disdain at any given opportunity, you may even find it therapeutic. What’s more, it gives you yet another reason to remember the good old days, even if you can’t.

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Pick A Side

Double down on key manufacturers you believe are “destroying music” and constantly troll their social media accounts and comment sections with your edgy takes.

Embrace the incendiary wave of discomfort that creeps up the back of your neck at the mere mention of certain music tech brands. Being a fan or hater of Roland, Elektron, or Behringer immediately adds depth to your personality.

Only by being triggered in the most honest and transparent way possible can you truly inspire like-minded audio enthusiasts to do the same. Then, wait and watch as others join you to unite against a common enemy.

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Know Thy YouTube Channels

Since the pandemic era, the number of prominent audio influencers has grown exponentially, which is actually a good thing considering some of the content they are saving you from watching.

While many gear influencers focus on demonstrating new, classic, or even bad instruments, other channels might actually have a thing or two they can teach you.

Even though most of the terminology may soar over way your head at first, simply act as if you understand the concepts being kicked around perfectly. Then, leave a comment pointing out an aspect that the video creator blatantly omitted.

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Become a Zealot

Cults abound in the world of musical instruments and production equipment. From vinyl, cassette, and minidisc purists to sampler fanatics who argue over the correct pronunciation of Synclavier, there’s a group for you no matter how niche you may think at first.

It could be decided based on your instrument of choice, your favourite listening format, the style or styles of music you prefer, or even the fact that you like to wear black more than other colours.

Become a Depeche Mode fan (or don’t), as this will open doors in synth nerd circles, especially if your only opinion on the band is that you can’t stand Alan Wilder.

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Have you got any insider (or outsider) tips for assimilating noobs into your respective audio cults? Please let us know in the comments below!

*Note: This article contains promotional links that help us fund our site. Don’t worry: the price for you always stays the same! If you buy something through these links, we will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!

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Sunday, July 30, 2023

How To Sound Hip in Sound Engineering Circles - gearnews.com

How To Sound Hip in Sound Engineering Circles · Source: Sayla Brown / Unsplash

The solution is hardly as complicated as you might think. All you need to do is keep a few guidelines in mind, and you’ll be going back and forth with industry bigwigs in no time.