Adobe Audition, Audacity, and other audio editing software have tools to isolate vocals and instruments in regular songs so that you can get an instrumental track for karaoke, vocals for an a capella version, or solo drums, bass, keys, etc. that you can use to learn the song yourself. The software is mostly for desktop computers, and it doesn't always do a good job, but that's where Moises comes in. In 2019, the research team at Deezer, the popular music streaming service, created Spleeter. It's an open-source, MIT-licensed tool to help with music information retrieval (MIR). In Deezer's own... more

In recent weeks, Google managed to capitalize on the hype surrounding the Star Wars streaming series The Mandalorian with an AR app that was not only exclusive to Android but also available only for 5G-equipped devices. Now, Google has partnered with Red Bull to launch an AR experience that syncs with The Last Ascent, a documentary film about Canadian climber Will Gadd's 2014 and 2020 expeditions on Mt. Kilimanjaro and the impacts of climate change observed between the trips. While the experience runs on ARKit-capable iPhones and iPads as well as Android devices that support ARCore, in this... more

No matter how expertly crafted a playlist is or how long your favorite album runs, they all come to an end eventually. And nothing quite kills the vibe like your DJ suddenly running out of steam. But a feature in Apple Music for iOS and Android will continue playing songs after an album or playlist is over, choosing tracks that fit perfectly with what you were just listening to. First introduced on iOS 14, then added to Apple Music version 3.4 on Android, "Autoplay" allows you to continue playing music after an album or playlist has ended. The feature intelligently analyzes what music you... more

You shouldn't care what other people think, but sometimes, it's unavoidable. Take your music tastes, for instance. Sure, you might want your friends to think you only listen to the coolest songs, but we all have our guilty pleasures. If you're uncomfortable with your peers seeing your listening history in Apple Music, know there's something you can do about it — on iOS or Android. In the Music app, tap the "Listen Now" tab if not already there, then your account icon in the top right, then your name up top. If you don't see your name, you haven't created an Apple Music profile yet and... more

Next Reality is where we help you literally 'see' into the future of augmented reality, and to help with that mission we're offering three free pairs of Snap Spectacles 3 to three lucky readers who sign up for the Next Reality daily AR email newsletter. Look into the new year with fresh eyes, courtesy of the most fashionable wearable camera on the planet, brought to you by the brilliant minds at Snapchat. Scroll to the very bottom of this page to sign up for our daily email newsletter or CLICK HERE to ENTER NOW! Video: . __ One more thing… While you're here, if you want to learn how to... more

At the opening of its virtual Lens Fest, taking place Dec. 8-10 and open to the public, Snap is furthering its facilitation of AR development with new tools for Lens Studio version 3.3 and a planned investment into its AR creator community. The unifying theme for Lens Studio 3.3 is making the creation of AR experiences easier for developers and artists with a pair of new features. First, the addition of a Visual Scripting tool enables users to build AR interactions without coding with a graphical interface and node-based scripting. Second, the Building Blocks tool provides prefabricated... more

We're still awaiting the arrival of consumer-grade AR smartglasses from the likes of Apple and Facebook. But that doesn't mean there aren't AR products out there to try this holiday season. The year 2020 marked the arrival of mobile devices equipped with sensors that are designed for augmented reality. That's right, 3D displays that make the holograms of science fiction a reality are now priced to move. Even the AR toys have gotten better, bringing video game classics from the screen to your living room. Then again, 2020 has been a rough year, so no one will blame you if you just decide to... more

Dark mode is simply a way of life these days now that both Android and iOS officially support it. Most major apps now use the system-wide setting on Android and iOS, and many had their own dark themes in-app before Google and Apple got with the program. But the social media giant Facebook took forever to implement a night theme, and some of you still may not be able to access it. Facebook is one of the last major players to give its users a dark mode, and it seemed unnecessary to wait so long since its other properties — WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger — supported dark modes for at least... more

The latest generation of Spectacles aren't AR smartglasses per se, but Snap is intent on demonstrating that the wearables are capable of storytelling powered by augmented reality. On Thursday, Snap released a short film by artist Lauren Halsey that she shot entirely with Spectacles 3, with some AR effects thrown in for good measure. Don't Miss: Snap Finally Enters AR Smartglasses Territory with Spectacles 3 The film Summaeverythang documents Halsey and other members of the South Central Los Angeles community as they deliver fresh produce to the neighborhood. Video: . "Shooting with... more

Sure, you could leave a random monolith in Utah and get some notoriety for your street art. Or, you can let others put your art anywhere they'd like with augmented reality so they can appreciate it where they are. That's what artists like Marina Abramovic, Anish Kapoor, Jeff Koons, KAWS, and others are doing with the Acute Art app. Don't Miss: Indie Artists Invade MoMA with Augmented Reality to Reimagine Jackson Pollock's Works The Acute Art app, which is available for iOS and Android, lets users view digital works of art in their physical environment, alter shadows and lighting (even with... more

One of WhatsApp's best features is being able to change the default wallpaper for all chats. There's no reason to stick to the default WhatsApp backgrounds when you can be texting over an image of literally anything. In a newer WhatsApp update, you can go a step beyond that by setting custom wallpapers for individual chats, personalizing every text thread you have. You'll find the individual chat wallpapers in WhatsApp version 2.20.130 for iOS, which was released on Nov. 30, 2020. So if you use an iPhone, make sure your app is updated to the latest version to get this new customization... more

If you're like me, you enjoy using your phone's dark theme at night and light theme during the day. When switching from dark to light and vice versa, many of the UI elements in supported apps adjust accordingly, but you have no control over what does and doesn't change. WhatsApp, on the other hand, does give you some granular control by letting you pick a chat wallpaper for each theme. The feature is new to WhatsApp as of version 2.20.130 on iOS, released on Nov. 30, 2020, so make sure to update WhatsApp in the App Store to take advantage of the dark and light theme customization. If you're... more

Apple no longer has an exclusive province to LiDAR for the purposes of augmented reality. This week, headset maker Varjo unveiled its new VR-3 and XR-3 headsets, the latter of which includes LiDAR sensors and stereo RGB cameras to enable depth sensing and inside-out tracking of real-world environments for "pass-through" mixed reality experiences. Don't Miss: Hands-On: The Varjo XR-1 Developer Edition has Seamless AR to VR Imaging & Low-Latency Both the XR-3 and VR-3 are capable of 115 degrees field of view, "human-eye resolution" (more than 70 pixels per degree, or 8K resolution), and color... more

In response to Sony unveiling its own holographic display back in October, Looking Glass Factory CEO Shawn Frayne quickly penned a letter welcoming the electronics mainstay to the field, with a post-script teasing the reveal of their own for December of 2020. That day is finally here, and so is the Looking Glass Portrait, the latest iteration of the company's holographic display technology, which is now priced for the consumer market. Don't Miss: Hands-On with the Looking Glass Pro, An Easy Alternative to AR for Interacting With Virtual Content Weighing 1.3 pounds, or about an ounce lighter... more

Next year, fans of Mario Kart will be able to experience the game in real life with the assistance of augmented reality. On Feb. 4, 2021, Universal Studios Japan in Osaka City will open its Super Nintendo World mini-park, which will immerse visitors in all things Mario. Don't Miss: Nintendo Crafts AR Content for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp The main attraction of the park is "Mario Kart Bowser's Challenge," a rollercoaster that pulls riders through a physical replica of the villain Bowser's castle. To add realism to the experience, riders will wear AR headsets (adorned with Mario's familiar... more

The movie theater business is hurting due to the pandemic, but that hurdle is actually the perfect set of circumstances for movie studios to lean hard into augmented reality marketing. That's what's on the menu this week as Dreamworks teamed with Snapchat to launch a special Lens for the sequel to the blockbuster animated hit The Croods. • Don't Miss: Snapchat Gives John Wick Fans the Tools to Build Their Own AR Effects via Lens Studio The Croods: A New Age, hit theaters on Friday, and in conjunction with the release, fans have been given the ability to take AR selfies with the franchise's... more

In the realm of social media, all roads lead to one destination: cracking the code of continuous partial attention dopamine hits. We learned this back in the days of Vine, before Twitter foolishly killed it. And I pointed my lens at the emerging trend back in 2016 when I highlighted Musical.ly for Mashable, just before it was snapped up by China's Bytedance for $1 billion and merged into what is now TikTok. What isn't often mentioned is the fact that, after Twitter dropped the Vine ball back in 2017, Snapchat was left as the lone, most prominent purveyor of sticky, addictive multimedia mobile... more

Quietly, while the rest of the world was engaged in pandemic and political concerns, a few weeks ago Facebook casually upgraded its Spark AR platform with what it calls Unified Effect Publishing. The change now enables developers to submit AR effects once for publishing to both Facebook and Instagram. On the surface, this is an improvement to be celebrated. "Now you can submit your effect once, and upon approval, publish it simultaneously across Facebook and Instagram. That's right — one submission, one review process, and you can then publish your effect to all supported platforms in the... more

With the new season of The Mandalorian underway, Google has launched a new AR app that enables some Star Wars fans to connect with virtual characters in between new episodes. That is, as long as you have an Android smartphone. Check that...a 5G Android smartphone. Don't Miss: The Porgs from Star Wars Are Coming to Magic Leap One Available now in the Google Play Store, the app puts the titular character in your physical environment. The app is compatible with 5G Pixel devices and other select 5G Android devices from Samsung, LG, OnePlus, Motorola/Levovo, Oppo, Sharp, Sony, and Xiomi. The... more

In this year of everything going virtual and remote, it makes even more sense now that Hollywood is leaning heavily on augmented reality. In this case, it's HBO using AR to promote its highly-acclaimed original programming. After developing a series of AR experiences via Snapchat to promote Season 1 of His Dark Materials, HBO has tapped Yahoo to create a web-based AR campaign for the second season of the show. Don't Miss: Magic Leap Releases Game of Thrones Experience for All Magic Leap One Users The web-based AR experience is fairly straightforward. Scan the QR code below (or just click... more