7 things I learned about audio tech at CES 2018

As a UX Designer at iZotope, a tech company that creates audio-centric software and hardware products for music and film, I had the opportunity to attend the 2018 Consumer Electronics Showcase in Las Vegas. The four-day event was massive, with 180,000 attendees spread out over 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space across the city. Here’s what I learned about the latest in music and sound technology.

“Surround sound” is taking on a whole new meaning.
We’re familiar with “surround sound” in terms of a group of speakers placed around a room. To create an even more immersive experience, speakers (and screens) are now being placed above, below, and everywhere in between users and their entertainment systems.

The LG Oled Canyon featured hundreds of screens and hidden speakers in an enclosed environment in order to create an incredibly realistic simulation of natural wonders. (Image: link)

Talking to inanimate objects is more sane than ever.
Soon, you’ll be able to ask your shower to play your favorite song. Or your refrigerator. Or your toilet. Hundreds of products at CES featured voice-command capabilities.

The Samsung Family Hub refrigerator features an interactive touchscreen, AKG speakers, and voice-command technology that allows users to play music, search for recipes, and more. (Image: link)

Sound systems are hiding in plain sight.
High-quality audio is blending into the home environment more and more as top-notch sound systems are being built into coffee tables, televisions, and stylish form factors.

The BeoSound Shape speakers can be attached anywhere on any wall in your home, in any quantity. (Image: link)

Touring musicians physically follow their data.
At a panel discussion entitled, “How Streaming Saved the Music Business,” thought leaders from Interscope Records, Soundcloud, Nielsen Music, and the London Entertainment Group discussed how touring musicians create their touring schedules and marketing material based on data about their listeners.

Post Malone’s manager Dre London determined the optimal touring schedule for his client by analyzing aggregated age and location metadata from the artist’s latest single on Soundcloud. (Image: link)

Virtual reality can take us backstage with our favorite artists.
At a panel discussion entitled, “How AR, VR and AI Will Reshape Music,” thought leaders from Live Nation, Nexus Studios, Qualcomm, Stashimi, and Pandora emphasized that music will only be successful in a virtual reality environment if it delivers a completely new experience to the user, rather than simulating a traditional concert experience.

NextVR is already working with Live Nation to provide “Backstage VR” access to live concerts, studio sessions, and other experiences to bring us “closer” to our favorite artists. (Image: link)

Hip-Hop is even more popular than we thought.
Data-driven insights were the centerpiece of Spotify’s CES exhibit. According to Spotify,

“In 2017 R&B/Hip-Hop became the most popular genre for the first time — accounting for 25% of all music listening.”

Spotify’s “RapCaviar” playlist is currently “the most influential playlist in music”. (Image: link)

The best products for creating music are “plug and play” — without the plug.
My favorite products at CES related to music creation were the ones that focused on the creative process, not the technical specifications.

Spire Studio, iZotope’s portable recording studio, puts users in the creative recording process with the tap of a button.

Spire Studio was hands-down the coolest product at CES — it even won an Innovation Award! I do happen to be on the team that makes it, so I might be biased.