Learn how to use a synth with this Ableton interactive tool

If synthesizers confuse you, this new interactive browser game from Ableton will help you sort things out. The electronic music company uses fun illustrations and widgets to make it easier for beginners to learn the basics of synthesizers. It teaches everything from the basics of amplitude and pitch, synth concepts, envelopes, LFOs, and oscillators. There are drag-and-drop sliders that are adjustable so you can find the sound you want. The culmination of Learning Synths is the Playground, where users can play with presets and sequences. According to The Verge, this tool is a great way to learn how synthesizers generate certain tones and visually match waveform shapes to their sound.

Hans Zimmer will be designing the sound for BMW’s futuristic concept car

For motorheads, the silence of electric vehicles can seem deafening, especially when compared to traditional cars. But now, BMW’s future electric vehicles, more specifically, the Vision M Next concept sports car will have a unique soundtrack, courtesy of award-winning film composer Hans Zimmer. Zimmer has worked on iconic sci-fi films including Interstellar, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Blade Runner 2049, and Inception. Zimmer will be working with BMW sound designer Renzo Vitale to make the “drive sounds” and “sound signs” for the Vision M Next, which will debut this week at BMW’s NextGen event.

Zimmer’s work will also be part of “BMW IconicSounds Electric,” which is a sound offering for future electric cars. The hope is it’ll help drivers feel less “alienated” from their vehicles. As Quartz points out, BMW has been working on the sounds for electric cars for around a decade now. But this collaboration means the German automaker wants to create more distinctive sounds for its EVs.

Google tries to make an AirDrop competitor called Fast Share

It looks like Google wants to build its own take on Apple’s AirDrop feature. Called Fast Share, this will take the place of the deprecated, NFC-based Android Beam. The aim is to simplify file sharing between devices, including Android phones, Chromebooks, and possibly even iPhones. Everything from photos, files, to URLs and text snippets are supposedly going to be shareable to nearby devices without using the internet. According to 9to5Google, it’ll use Bluetooth with Location enabled, having physical proximity factored in. It can be accessed through the Share menu or by heading to Settings > Google > Fast Share. And you can give frequent senders “Preferred Visibility.” This feature seems to in testing right now. But if it goes public, do you see yourself using it?

Publishers reportedly concerned over revenue it’s gained from Apple News+

Apple News+ seems to be off to a rocky start and the publishers have started to notice. According to a report from Business Insider, multiple publishers have expressed their concern about the early numbers and revenue they’re getting and how it isn’t living up to what Apple promised. The subscription revenue they’ve gotten from the service was reportedly underwhelming, based on the first two months of data after the trial ended. According to the report, one publishing executive said Apple projected publishers would get 10 times the revenue they made from Texture at the end of the first year of Apple News+. But it’s “one-twentieth of what they said” and “it isn’t coming true.” And that the subscription revenue right now is lower or on par with what they got from Texture, which is a small subscription driver to begin with.

Another issue is that the layout and magazine structure doesn’t seem to be conducive for news and that users are getting confused over the free stories and the new paid content. Apple is said to be taking on the feedback from its publishers and will use this moving forward. There isn’t any concrete plan yet, but Apple certainly has its work cut out for it.

Source: iMore