Comedian Martin Mull is quoted as saying that “writing about music is like dancing about architecture,” to sum up the futility and absurdity of words to describe melodies. I find this sentiment to be very true when I seek to describe MBUX Sound Drive, a revolutionary piece of software. by Mercedes-Benz that allows music to react to the way a car is driven.
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I just experienced this while driving a Mercedes-AMG EQE in a parking lot at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, where MBUX Sound Drive made its global debut, but I’m struggling to pass on that experience. But I’ll try.
First, a bit of history: the generation is the brainchild of musician/entrepreneur/technologist and Mercedes-Benz ambassador will. i. am, a member of the Black Eyed Peas. His concept found an enthusiastic and supportive ear from a member of the Black Eyed Peas. Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG, which put him in touch with the company’s software engineers to extend this desirable generation.
The generation uses sensors from systems found in any vehicle — the throttle, accelerometer, gyroscopes, suspension, idler, brake — and transforms those inputs, as they occur in real time, into tactics for composing, rearranging, and creating the music in progress. transmitted through the vehicle’s audio system. So, for example, when the accelerator is pressed, the bassline of the music increases; spin the wheel and synthesizers come to life; Press the brake pedal and the reverb will be engaged.
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In addition, and this is really cool, the piece of music can be geo-tagged with Easter eggs that come to audible life when the vehicle passes over a designated piece of ground. So, you might get a sampled piece of the Beach Boys when you cruise past a Malibu surf break, or a Beethoven concerto snippet when you go through an old-growth forest.
Make your daily commute. Each time you do this, you can pay attention to the same piece of music, but by slightly adjusting the inputs (throttle, cornering, braking) at the same time, you create a song with another sound at the same time. “In turn, making one and both days at Sound Drive more expressive, more colorful, and more stimulating,” says will. i. am.
Think of it like how a DJ plays the same song every night, but it’s always slightly different each time, as they use different samples and scratches. Same goes for live music, where even though a band may play the same song every night, it is always slightly different and fresh each time.
“You would think this would have been done a long time ago,” will. i. am said at the reveal today at the Mercedes-Benz booth at CES 2024.
However, it may not work with just any piece of music. You can’t put on the Rolling Stones and create your own “satisfaction” with your driving style. Sound Drive only works with music specially created for the system, but this leads to what will. i. am said to be one of the most interesting aspects of the technology.
“The product is rarely just for the driver. It’s also for the community of songwriters, because now we’ve expanded what a song can be,” he explained. “We’re no longer chasing TikTok’s algorithms or jump rates in DSPs. Musicians can now create in a lush environment.
This will change how we make music, how we listen to music and how we drive
Hip-hop producers Hit-Boy and Johnny Goldstein were among the first musicians to create music for the Sound Drive catalog, which now features 16 tracks. And back to the Stones, “Satisfaction” will work on Sound Drive if re-recorded and reimagined for software.
“Netpaintings is already adapting and needs to be developed,” will. i. am said. “We’re going to work hard to make sure we have a lot of catalogs collaborating with labels to have a new economy for musicians. “
Well, it’s very interesting, that’s for sure, and even after my short drive in the EQE, I came to appreciate not only will.i.am’s enthusiasm for the technology, but also its vast possibilities. I wasn’t driving, so there was a bit of a disconnect since I wasn’t the one pushing the accelerator and tapping the brakes. But certainly, when I watched the driver turn the steering wheel I heard how there was a subtle change in the music with the addition of reverb. Turn tighter, and the reverb became more intense.
In my opinion, MBUX Sound Drive may be one of the most important and popular technologies revealed at CES 2024. The software will begin to be rolled out in the middle of this year on new AMG models and will also be available as an OTA. Upgrade for existing AMG models supplied with the latest Mercedes-Benz operating system. And it’s not just for EVs, as it will be presented on petrol AMGs.
As Wiil. i. am said at the end of his appearance at the Mercedes-Benz booth, “this will replace the way we make music, the way we pay attention to music, and the way we drive. “
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