Whether it’s a matter of getting the best sound out of your Mac and iDevice or putting it in, the Macworld|iWorld 2012 exhibit hall made it crystal clear that this is going to be a great year for audiophiles and audio pros. There were literally hundreds of audio products on the show floor with some of the biggest names in the business taking prominent positions and going to great lengths to get attention, like Polk Audio’s ongoing trampoline act. There are a few products that got ours... MicW debuted a series of broadcast-quality plug-in mics for iOS devices. The new “i" series of microphones snap directly into the headphone jack ...

While Amazon and Google launched their online music services without the backing of the major record labels, Apple has quietly signed agreements with each major label to bring them all on board to its own music service, with Sony the latest to join early this morning, according to Bloomberg If true, the deal would mean that Apple now has agreements in place with Sony, EMI and Warner, and according to an AppleInsider source, is close to reaching a deal with the last remaining major hold out, the Universal Music Group. Assuming that those final negotiations stay on track, sources say the new Apple music service could go on display at the ...

Splasm Software, the creator of Audiobook Builder has announced that they have released an updated version of their audiobook production software for Mac. The software is designed to allow you to take your audio files or audiobook CDs and turn them into audiobooks that are compatible with your iPod. In addition to placing your audiobooks in the correct place and compiling them into a single file, you are also able to group files into chapters with custom artwork, adjust the quality to your preference, and export completed work directly to the Books section in iTunes. The application is Universal but requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later. You ...

Google is set to join Amazon in the cloud-based music service, according to the latest reports. Google is expected to show off the service at its I/O conference later today. Google's service will look mighty similar to Amazon's in several respects: both will rely on music storage in the cloud, and both are launching without deals with the major music labels and publishers. Google's service is said to offer 20,000 songs for free –– Amazon's only allows enough free room for about 2,000 songs though more space can be added relatively inexpensively. To combat the spread of pirated music, Google's service won't allow users to purchase new ...

Google's Chrome team has finally opened up its Chrome Canary browser to the Mac OS X crowd that wants front row seats to the latest features (and bugs) being tested for future Chrome updates. Windows users have had access to Chrome Canary since August 2010. Mac users will get pretty much the same deal –– use of an unstable browser with which Google will test out new features. It's updated frequently and also separately from the stable Chrome browser, meaning you can actually run both simultaneously. Macworld points out that you can sync both versions, however, and share bookmarks, extensions, and themes. Head to the link below to go ...

Considerably sooner than the 30 days promised when it was announced in mid-April, Adobe Systems today announced that its Creative Suite 5.5 line is now shipping and available as a download. With this update, Adobe continues to expand on the suite’s ability to help users design and develop once and deploy on virtually any media. It features significantly enhanced digital and web publishing capabilities (including support for HTML5 and CSS3), improved video production and editing tools, upgraded Flash tools, and adds the first Mac version of Adobe Audition (see our exclusive close-up). According to David Wadhwani, head of Adobe’s ...

With the release of CS5.5, Adobe came one step closer to platform parity (and even made a lot of Windows users happy) by replacing Soundbooth with Adobe’s pro audio application, Audition. Though it was available as a beta through Adobe Labs since last November, today’s release Creative Suite 5.5 marks its formal debut on the Mac. By most measures, Audition sits somewhere between Apple’s Soundtrack Pro and Avid’s Pro Tools (though it does seem to be nipping at Pro Tools’ heels in some respects). Audition focuses on audio editing, mixing and sweetening, performing those tasks at a level easily suitable for a professional shop. As ...

I've always heard that old LPs have an audio quality to them that is lacking in MP3s and other modern audio formats. I'm not sure if Yanko Design's Turntable iPhone Dock overcomes this barrier, but its ambitious setup appears to make that attempt. By connecting a turntable with an iPod, the device is supposed to both play old LPs and encode them into MP3s that are sent directly into a charging iPhone. The boxy contraption also contains a small amp and sound bar to fill a room with your favorite old tunes. I couldn't find a price on the site so the design may not be available for purchase. But could somebody please pick one up and test ...

Both Apple and Google are reportedly thiiiis close to launching their own music streaming service. The holdup appears to be music labels who refuse to sign deals with them –– an issue that Amazon brazenly bypassed last month with its own streaming service. So Google's alleged talks with Spotify makes sense on a number of levels. Like how Spotify wants to break into the U.S., while Google wants its own cloud-based music service. Nothing is official, but this looks like a smart move for both companies. [Gizmodo]

Just as Apple kicks the tires on its new music streaming service (or whatever it is), Google appears closer than ever to bringing its own music streaming service to the masses. It's called Google Music and right now it's being tested by Google employees, a testing phase often called dog-fooding. Insiders say the technology is nearly complete, but the main sticking point remains signing enough record companies so that customers will have enough music to play on the thing. That also sounds similar to Apple's ongoing efforts. So the race could be nearing the end. Who will win and bring music streaming to the people: Apple or Google? [CNET]

Rumors of Apple opening a cloud-based music storage system just won't go away, and now The Music Void says that a "locker" system that sounds very much like what we've heard before is coming with the new MobileMe, which is expected sometime in April. Warner Music Group has reportedly already agreed to get in on the service, with Apple attempting to bring other major music labels into the fold. It's not clear, but this could be the streaming service that would provide backups of downloaded songs that earlier appeared in Bloomberg reports. Whatever it is, the latest rumor says it'll cost about $20. That could be a reasonable price, though it'

Previously if you wanted an AirPlay-compatible audio receiver, you would need to purchase a Denon, Marantz, B&W, JBL, or iHome sound system. Pioneer has announced a new sound system, the VSX-1021, that introduces AirPlay streaming support to their upcoming line of new sound systems. As AirPlay grows, it will become a commonplace feature in many systems - exactly as Apple would desire. It isn't a bad thing, though, because it will hopefully make cheaper options more available, not to knock the high end systems. [via: Engadget]

CNN has reported that Apple is working with record labels to sell 24-bit, high-fidelity audio versions of music on the iTunes Music Store. Currently, the music is sold in 16-bit format, the same format that audio is shipped out on CDs and downloaded in. The higher quality offerings would evidently be sold alongside lower quality audio at a premium price. Music producers generally record music in an uncompressed, lossless, high-quality 24-bit form, but is compressed to 16-bit in order to make file sizes smaller and make it easier for devices to play back the audio. For audiophiles, however, the compressed formats that music come in aren't ...

Next week is the Consumer Electronics Show, and while there are a lot of different things that we expect to see, there is a new device we've heard about that looks particularly interesting, especially after Apple has released the new version of the Apple TV. LG is set to start selling a set-top box that is designed to make dumb TVs smart, and is marketed to offering the same features you might find built into many HDTVs being sold today. It will support DLNA, websites such as YouTube, Netflix, and Pandora, and run Yahoo TV apps. There is no word as to how much it will cost, but we do know that it will ship in the second quarter of 2011. ...

Since iOS 4.2 was released, it hasn't taken long at all for third-party devices to pop up that support the new AirPlay feature. One of the more unique we've seen, however, is the PhotoFast AP1000. The AP1000 is a Wi-Fi host that you plug into your car's audio system. It receives the AirPlay stream from your iDevice or iTunes (if you are really zealous) and plays it through your car radio. This isn't necessarily helpful if you already have a Bluetooth-capable radio, but if you don't it sure beats using an FM transmitter! It isn't available in the US yet, because the Japanese producer (Photofast) doesn't have a distributor outside of its ...

Remember that message on Apple.com that promises today will be a day that you'll never forget? The smart money says that it's a hint that the Beatles catalog is finally coming to the iTunes store. The WSJ and Billboard have reported that Apple and the Beatles' record label, EMI Group, have been working on a deal that is not yet finalized but would finally bring the popular rock band's music to the digital platform for the first time and end an often litigious relationship between the two entities. Will a second Beatlemania make today one you'll never forget? [WSJ]

Straight from the horses's mouth comes word that the next version of Final Cut Studio will be out early next year. The news comes in a characteristically brief email message from Steve Jobs: "A great release of Final Cut is coming early next year," he wrote. The message was prompted by a post-production consultant who asked that Apple share its timeline for the software's updates. This is good news for anyone who relies on the popular editing software, but I'm really curious if Steve Jobs is even capable of stringing more than two or three sentences together. I wonder if he thinks in small bunches or if he is literally too busy to send ...