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Social Audio Began As A Pandemic Fad. Tech Companies See It As The Future
Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Technology

Social Audio Began As A Pandemic Fad. Tech Companies See It As The Future

Live conversations on Clubhouse and Twitter took off during the pandemic, connecting people online when they couldn't in real life. Now social media companies are scrambling to launch audio features.

Social Audio Began As A Pandemic Fad. Tech Companies See It As The Future

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There's A Better Way To 'Dub' Movie Audio For Visually Impaired Fans

Actors Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver in a scene from Marriage Story. The award-winning 2019 film can be watched with audio description that conveys scenes to viewers who are visually impaired. But Parasite, another popular award-winner, has not included such descriptions. Wilson Webb/Netflix hide caption

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Wilson Webb/Netflix

Shots - Health News

There's A Better Way To 'Dub' Movie Audio For Visually Impaired Fans

Most non-English films made outside the U.S. are inaccessible to many of the 26.9 million visually impaired Americans. "Dubbing just tells us the dialogue," one disability rights activist explains.

There's A Better Way To 'Dub' Movie Audio For Visually Impaired Fans

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OK Google: Where Do You Store Recordings Of My Commands?

You can find your audio commands by visiting your Google voice and audio activity history page. Ariel Zambelich/NPR hide caption

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Ariel Zambelich/NPR

All Tech Considered

OK Google: Where Do You Store Recordings Of My Commands?

Here's something to keep in mind when using the "OK Google" voice command feature on Android phones: Google keeps an audio archive of your requests.

OK Google: Where Do You Store Recordings Of My Commands?

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Obituaries

Remembering NPR's Bill Deputy, A 'Guardian Of Sound'

Sound was serious business for Bill Deputy, an audio engineer and All Things Considered technical director for many years. Deputy died Sunday at the age of 58.

Remembering NPR's Bill Deputy, A 'Guardian Of Sound'

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Did You Hear? Going Viral No Longer Just For Videos, Memes

While viral videos are a common feature of modern Internet life, recently a few audio clips, including sounds from a comet, have become popular. Underwood & Underwood/Corbis hide caption

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Underwood & Underwood/Corbis

All Tech Considered

Did You Hear? Going Viral No Longer Just For Videos, Memes

Sure, the Internet is littered with viral cat videos. But recently some bits of audio have drawn millions of listens. Yet it may be too soon to say we're entering a new age of viral audio.

Did You Hear? Going Viral No Longer Just For Videos, Memes

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What Does A Song That Costs $5 Sound Like?

Cookie Marenco records musicians on a small remote recording console live at the California Audio Show in August. She'll demonstrate the quality of DSD to the audience by playing back her recording. How close will it sound to the live performance? Very close, according to people present. Cindy Carpien hide caption

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Cindy Carpien

The Record

What Does A Song That Costs $5 Sound Like?

The label run by engineer Cookie Marenco sells super high-definition downloads — a development even she thought impossible 15 years ago. The downloads may be expensive, but she says, the sound is superior to current popular audio formats like MP3.

What Does A Song That Costs $5 Sound Like?

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Making The Olympics Sound Right, From A 'Swoosh' To A 'Splash'

Inspired by the movie Robin Hood, Olympic sound man Dennis Baxter places microphones along the path to the target to capture the sound of arrows in flight. Paul Gilham/Getty Images hide caption

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Paul Gilham/Getty Images

The Torch

Making The Olympics Sound Right, From A 'Swoosh' To A 'Splash'

The clashing of swords, the tick-tock of the table tennis, the robotic "Take your mark!" before the swimmers launch from their blocks — it's one man's job to make sure we hear all those things.

Making The Olympics Sound Right, From A 'Swoosh' To A 'Splash'

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