A new music service started by rapper will.i.am to appear in Mercedes vehicles starting this summer may revolutionize music in the car, according to reports.
Receiving an enthusiastic thumbs up from leading tech outlets, the service breaks down music in a way that corresponds to the speed and motion of the car.
It draws on data from the car’s sensors and then adds and subtracts elements of a song to correspond with the car’s motion.
At low speeds you only get part of the musical tracks, say the background. Then as you pick up speed you may get more bass with the full effect of the music kicking in at highway speeds, said Engadget in a near gushing review. As you slow down again, the musical layers fade away.
TechCrunch likens it to a DJ, but instead of turntables and a mic, it uses foot pedals and a steering wheel.
The system is based on a startup called Sound Drive by will.i.am (musician/producer well known for his role with the Black Eyed Peas) and adopted by Mercedes in what it calls the MBUX SOUND DRIVE.
It takes ten inputs from the car to correlate to the music.
Engadget notes that with EVs, you lose the engine noise in acceleration, but Sound Drive replaces that engine rev in a sense.
MBUX SOUND DRIVE will launch mid year on Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Benz vehicles and will be offered through an over-the-air update for models equipped with the second-generation MBUX system, said Car and Driver.
Source: Engadget, TechCrunch, Car and Driver
Is it April 1st already?
LOL. Maybe you have to blow through the stoplight at 60 MPH to hear the rest of the verse.
Chrysler had that same thing built into their cars years ago. People couldn’t stand it then.
Chrysler had that same thing built into their cars years ago. People couldn’t stand it then.
They had this in cars in the 1920’s. I saw it in the film called Johnny Dangerously.
Always ‘somebody’ who wants ‘in’ on the tech/software app realm, and who seeks + promises to ‘deliver’ THE “next big-thing”… Premium auto brands ‘love’ to tout the benefits of their latest ‘tech’ — no matter it’s actual validity, especially if it somehow adds to their much desired marketing ‘mojo’ and profitability.
I hope that can be turned off. I’m an AMG guy and that would turn me off from buying the car if it couldn’t be.
That may literally be the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in the CE business.
Agreed