sound – Earlybirds Invest https://earlybirdsinvest.com Latest Crypto News Wed, 03 Sep 2025 02:28:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.11 https://i0.wp.com/earlybirdsinvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cropped-New-Project-2024-12-17T235703.455.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 sound – Earlybirds Invest https://earlybirdsinvest.com 32 32 240146708 Josh Harmon and Jon Batiste create vintage cartoon sound effects https://earlybirdsinvest.com/josh-harmon-and-jon-batiste-create-vintage-cartoon-sound-effects/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/josh-harmon-and-jon-batiste-create-vintage-cartoon-sound-effects/#respond Wed, 03 Sep 2025 02:28:36 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/josh-harmon-and-jon-batiste-create-vintage-cartoon-sound-effects/

This short video of percussionist and sound effects specialist Josh Harmon (who describes his work as “spreading joy through sound and rhythm!”) collaborating with musician, composer, bandleader and all-around national treasure Jon Batiste to create vintage cartoon sound effects, is exactly the joy-filled experience I needed to witness today.

In the background of the video, you can see a vintage cartoon clip from 1934, from an episode of Popeye called “We Aim to Please.” In the clip, Olive Oyl is busy frenetically making sandwiches. Josh marvels that “it’s amazing to think that these animations were all made by hand without computers,” which is what he recreates in his work. Using tools and materials such as drum sticks, fabric, a slide whistle, and an exercise band, Josh creates sound effects that perfectly match Olive Oyl’s cartoon actions of slicing bread, cutting meat, and more. My favorite part is when Olive Oyl assembles the giant sandwich through a kind of playing card-shuffling move, and Josh flip-flaps his hands back and forth quickly to create the perfect sound.

Of course, I also LOVE watching and listening to Jon Batiste perform just about anything, and his rendition of Scott Joplin’s classic piano rag, “The Entertainer,” is as good as it gets, and fits wonderfully with the Popeye cartoon.

Harmon expresses his excitement about working with Batiste in the video’s caption, stating, “Holy moly it’s an honor to welcome musical icon Jon Batiste onto the channel! The way he thinks about music and sound is so inspiring. Joy levels were reaching unprecedented heights in this room! And his new album BIG MONEY is out now!”

Harmon also promises that next week he’ll be releasing “a long” video that details “the whole process of how we made this, and more!” I can’t wait to see a behind-the-scenes demonstration and learn more about the process of creating cool sound effects!

Enjoy the video, below. I hope you love it as much as I do!

See more of Josh Harmon’s amazing sound effects work at his Instagram or YouTube.

Previously:
• Fred Armisen’s 100 Sound Effects album coming soon!
• BBC sound effect archive posted online
• Don Martin’s sound effects (alphabetical order)
• How some old cartoon sound effects were made
• Watch these fascinating demonstrations of sound effect instruments from the silent film era!

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/josh-harmon-and-jon-batiste-create-vintage-cartoon-sound-effects/feed/ 0 56483 Does the voice assistant on the Galaxy S25 sound natural compared to Gemini? https://earlybirdsinvest.com/does-the-voice-assistant-on-the-galaxy-s25-sound-natural-compared-to-gemini/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/does-the-voice-assistant-on-the-galaxy-s25-sound-natural-compared-to-gemini/#respond Fri, 29 Aug 2025 09:39:18 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/does-the-voice-assistant-on-the-galaxy-s25-sound-natural-compared-to-gemini/

How natural does the voice assistant on the S25 sound compared to Google Assistant?

Best answer: Both Bixby and Gemini let you choose from a selection of voices, but Samsung’s virtual assistant doesn’t sound as natural as Gemini. You can, however, create a custom voice for Bixby using your own voice, but it doesn’t sound as good as the preloaded voices for Gemini.

Does the voice assistant on the Galaxy S25 sound natural compared to Gemini?

It became clear with the launch of the Galaxy S25 series that Samsung is putting more of its focus on Gemini and less on Bixby. As a result, Gemini was the default voice assistant on the Galaxy S25, which users could activate by pressing and holding the power button. It’s not surprising that Samsung has put Bixby on the back burner.

One of the reasons why Bixby continues to feel behind is that the voice assistant constantly reminds you that you’re talking to AI. That’s because it doesn’t sound as natural as Google Assistant or Gemini. While you can choose between several voices, they all sound robotic, and conversations don’t flow as naturally.

On the other hand, Gemini also has multiple voices to choose from, and they all sound very realistic, as if you’re talking to an actual person. This makes it easier to have naturally flowing conversations without feeling like you’re talking to a computer. This is one of the perks of features like Gemini Live, which lets you have free-flowing conversations where you can interrupt the assistant in the middle of an answer, something I can’t do with Bixby.


Gemini Live on the Galaxy S25 and the Pixel 9.

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

One thing that Bixby has that Gemini doesn’t is the ability to use your own voice as an option for the assistant, which you set up by reading a number of prompts to it. This allows it to capture your vocal intricacies and inflections. It works decently well, but it still sounds tinny and robotic.

Still, I prefer using Gemini over Bixby, and the voice is one of the reasons why Google’s virtual assistant is generally better.

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/does-the-voice-assistant-on-the-galaxy-s25-sound-natural-compared-to-gemini/feed/ 0 55693 US Senators Sound Alarm on China’s DeepSeek AI Over Security Fears https://earlybirdsinvest.com/us-senators-sound-alarm-on-chinas-deepseek-ai-over-security-fears/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/us-senators-sound-alarm-on-chinas-deepseek-ai-over-security-fears/#respond Sun, 10 Aug 2025 20:43:49 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/us-senators-sound-alarm-on-chinas-deepseek-ai-over-security-fears/

Several Republican lawmakers are asking the US Commerce Department to look into DeepSeek, a Chinese company that released an open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model called R1.

They are worried the tool could put American data at risk and possibly help China’s military and surveillance operations.

According to a letter dated August 1 and released to the public on August 5, the senators pointed out that DeepSeek allows anyone to access and change the inner workings of its model. They noted that this setup could be used to leak private information or spread harmful content.

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One of the main points in the letter is the lack of safety checks on the R1 model. The senators said it has already been used to generate dangerous instructions, including how to run a social media campaign encouraging self-harm among teens and how to make a biological weapon.

The lawmakers also stressed that the US must stay competitive in building AI for both business and everyday use. However, they warned that allowing unchecked tools from abroad could harm national security.

Those who signed the letter include Senators Bill Cassidy, John Cornyn, Marsha Blackburn, Todd Young, John Husted, and John Curtis. While they did not call for direct penalties, they asked officials to take whatever actions are needed to reduce the risks.

Recently, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning federal use of AI tools seen as politically biased. What does the order include? Read the full story.

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/us-senators-sound-alarm-on-chinas-deepseek-ai-over-security-fears/feed/ 0 52540 Apple teams up with Universal Music Group to add Sound Therapy to Apple Music https://earlybirdsinvest.com/apple-teams-up-with-universal-music-group-to-add-sound-therapy-to-apple-music/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/apple-teams-up-with-universal-music-group-to-add-sound-therapy-to-apple-music/#respond Tue, 13 May 2025 23:10:29 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/apple-teams-up-with-universal-music-group-to-add-sound-therapy-to-apple-music/

May 15 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, and Apple always uses the occasion to highlight some of the new accessibility features coming to iPhones and Macs. This year, Apple’s got another announcement to share: three new Sound Therapy playlists on Apple Music available now.

The South Therapy experience consists of three playlists—Focus, Relax, and Sleep—that play music from UMG artists including Imagine Dragons, Katy Perry, Kacey Musgraves, and others. The songs are special versions, often extended, instrumental, or rearranged to be more soothing. Those songs are then blended seamlessly with specific sound waves that are said to help you get into a particular mental state.

Gamma waves and white noise are supposed to help with focus, theta waves are to help you relax, and delta waves and pink noise are said to help you sleep.

Apple has partnered with Universal Music Group and its music therapy science project, the Sollos initiative, on the feature. Apple’s press release says the feature is “Backed by scientific research and powered by UMG’s proprietary audio technologies,” but the science here is not by any means conclusive. Apple uses words like “could” and “might” in its press release whenever making a claim of effect, and includes a footnote that the feature is designed to “support a person’s overall wellbeing” rather than treat any specific medical condition.

Similar claims have been made about similar therapies, such as “binaural beats,” for years, but research into the effects is often criticized for its lack of rigor or for making grandiose claims not supported by the evidence. Critics often point out that such therapies, when properly studied, show results no better than a placebo, or no better than using any other regular sounds to block out bothersome background noise.

Still, there’s no harm in it, and it’s a new feature included with your existing Apple Music subscription. Regardless of whether there are special sound waves helping you achieve the focus or sleep you desire, you can give the playlists a listen the next time you can’t focus, relax, or sleep, and see if they work for you.

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/apple-teams-up-with-universal-music-group-to-add-sound-therapy-to-apple-music/feed/ 0 36071 Warren, Schiff Sound Alarm on President Trump’s Meme Coin Dinner Offer https://earlybirdsinvest.com/warren-schiff-sound-alarm-on-president-trumps-meme-coin-dinner-offer/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/warren-schiff-sound-alarm-on-president-trumps-meme-coin-dinner-offer/#respond Mon, 28 Apr 2025 15:52:23 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/warren-schiff-sound-alarm-on-president-trumps-meme-coin-dinner-offer/

Democratic Senators, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Adam Schiff of California, have requested an ethics investigation after US President Donald Trump offered private access to holders of his meme coin, OFFICIAL TRUMP (TRUMP).

The promotion, announced on April 24, promised the top 220 holders of the TRUMP token a private dinner with President Trump at his National Golf Club on May 22. The top 25 token holders were offered an extra VIP meeting with him before the dinner.

In a letter sent to the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) on April 25, Warren and Schiff raised concerns that this setup could create a “pay-to-play” situation. They warned that selling access to a presidential candidate could break ethics rules and harm public trust.

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After the announcement, the TRUMP token price surged but quickly fell about 18% the next day. However, after Warren and Schiff’s letter was made public, the token’s price rose again from around $12 to about $15.20.

Warren and Schiff also raised concerns about foreign involvement. Their letter mentioned reports that an unknown investor spent about $13 million buying TRUMP tokens through a crypto exchange reportedly started in China. They warned this could allow foreign groups to gain influence without revealing who they are.

While organizers require attendees to give their real name, contact information, and wallet address, Warren and Schiff noted that this might not be enough to identify who is behind the purchases.

Meanwhile, Trump Media & Technology Group has signed deals with Crypto.com



$1.82B

and Yorkville America Digital, an asset manager, to launch ETFs focused on US-linked assets. What will these ETFs include? Read the full story.

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]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/warren-schiff-sound-alarm-on-president-trumps-meme-coin-dinner-offer/feed/ 0 33288 Hot deal: These $39.95 JBL Tune 520BT headphones sound great https://earlybirdsinvest.com/hot-deal-these-39-95-jbl-tune-520bt-headphones-sound-great/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/hot-deal-these-39-95-jbl-tune-520bt-headphones-sound-great/#respond Thu, 27 Feb 2025 01:58:21 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/hot-deal-these-39-95-jbl-tune-520bt-headphones-sound-great/
JBL Tune 520BT headphones isideways on table

Chris Thomas / Android Authority

Whoever said great audio had to be expensive? Well, that is usually the case, but now and then affordable headphones hit a home run, and the JBL Tune 520BT actually manage to beat many high-end headphones in the sound quality department. They are already quite a deal at their full price, but right now you can get them discounted, for a mere $39.95.

Get the JBL Tune 520BT headphones for just $39.95 ($10 off)

This offer is available from Amazon. The discount is available for all color versions: Black, Blue, Purple, and White.

We know it seems unbelievable that such affordable headphones sound so good they can even beat expensive ones. Hear us out a bit, though. We are not just saying these headphones sound amazing; we have the data to support the claim. Our sister site, Sound Guys, has put these through rigorous tests. Among them is the MDAQS scoring system. Essentially, this tells us how good the audio quality is, based on average listener preferences. It tells us how pleasant the listening experience would be to most people, pretty much.

These are great headphones if you want to get the best audio quality possible, for as little money as possible. They are also very portable, thanks to their folding mechanism, and come available in a nice variety of fun colors.

Another area the JBL Tune 520BT surprised us on is battery life. Of course, these also underwent our standardized tests in that department. We managed to keep them running for a whopping 60 hours and 52 minutes on a full charge! Once again, this is unheard of at this price range, and leaves many high-end models in the dust.

JBL Tune 520BT headphones on table

Chris Thomas / Android Authority

Undoubtedly, there are some sacrifices, right? Of course! These cost only $39.95, after all. We feel the cons aren’t deal-breakers, but you can decide for yourself. For starters, these are mostly made of cheaper plastic. We also found them to be a bit uncomfortable, mostly because of the clamping force, but those with smaller heads might not experience such discomfort. They are also on-ear headphones, which are naturally less comfortable than over-the-ear cans.

Another odd issue is that these headphones require the official app to run on Android and iOS devices. Seriously, it’s not optional; you absolutely need it. Also, we’re sure you’re not expecting this feature, but these don’t have ANC.

All that said, again, these are just $39.95, sound amazing, and even have Bluetooth Multipoint. This allows you to connect to multiple devices simultaneously, and it’s a feature even high-end headphones sometimes lack.

If you can live with those few downsides, these headphones are a steal at just $39.95. They are way too good for the price. Go catch this offer before the price goes back to $49.95! If you miss the deal, though, the full price is still impressively good!

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/hot-deal-these-39-95-jbl-tune-520bt-headphones-sound-great/feed/ 0 22112