Doppler Labs teamed up with National Sawdust to bring Here Active Listening, the world’s first in-ear audio system that enables you to adjust real-world sound to your liking, to the first “Here Sound Experience.”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Bassist and Doppler Labs Head of Music, Michael Thurber curated the event that took place on December 5 in Brooklyn along with National Sawdust Artistic and Executive Director, Paola Prestini. The event is memorable as it marks the first time Doppler Labs’ piece of wearable tech was used in this context. To demonstrate how Here Active Listening works in a live musical experience, Mr. Thurber performed along with celebrated violinists Tessa Lark and Charles Yang, renowned jazz pianist Kris Bowers, award-winning composer and percussionist Andy Akiho.
“What Doppler Labs has created with Here is a leap forward in how we experience live music and also how we experience the world around us,” explained Paola Prestini. “National Sawdust is a place for dreamers to dream and explorers to forge new ground. We love how Doppler Labs is reimagining listening and pushing the boundaries of what it means to experience live music. We spend a lot of time curating our schedule and selecting our partners, and we could not be more excited to work with an artist like Michael Thurber and the Doppler Labs team to create an unprecedented and forward-looking musical experience.”
The Here Active Listening System, which was announced by Doppler Labs back in June, includes two wireless earbuds and a companion app that enables the wearer to control and modify the surrounding live audio on the fly. The companion app gives access to volume sliders, and equalizer and various effects that really alter live music experiences such as the one that took place at National Sawdust.
“Our technology is grounded in our belief that audio can be transformative,” added Noah Kraft, CEO and Co-Founder of Doppler Labs. “The ears are powerful tools, and we hope our tech will be used as an instrument to bring out the true potential of human hearing; we want to give every listener personalized control. Here Active Listening was designed to help enhance life’s greatest moments, and live music experiences are just the beginning of our long term vision. We could not be happier to showcase Here in the incredible room at National Sawdust and create a magical acoustical experience that brings our technology to life.”
Only 10,000 pairs of the Here Active Listening in-ear audio system will be made in the initial production run, and these will be distributed to the backers of the Kickstarter campaign that ended about two weeks ago, as well as to selected musicians and people working in this industry.
It’s also possible to join a waiting list on the Here Active Listening website, in case Doppler Labs decides to expand the production. Of course, that will also depend on how the music industry perceives this piece of wearable tech. At $199, which is how much it cost during the crowdfunding campaign, Here Active Listening isn’t exactly cheap, but this kind of innovation is well worth the money.
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