Alright, I admit it, I was a Britney Spears fan. It’s not that surprising really. I was 14 and already entertaining grand dreams of being a pop star when one of the greatest pop sensations of all time debuted her first album. How could I resist? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with dreaming big, and I’ve found my own nerdy way of making that dream come true.

In addition to embarrassing me, Greg also offers a great synopsis of how LaDiDa’s AI works: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20002465-261.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

Some of the most rewarding moments of our media outreach efforts are when journalists create original songs using LaDiDa, and then post them along with rave reviews Nate also does a great job of explaining why AI-music technologies like ours are important, along with coming right out and saying it — LaDiDa is cooler than Songsmith:

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/04/ladida-how-an-iphone-app-can-replace-your-backing-band.ars

Had a lot of fun demoing LaDiDa on Atlanta’s local NPR station, WABE. Very cool to hear our own voices cast in the characteristic NPR reporting style Jim Burress also sang his own rendition of the “Caveman Song”: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wabe/news.newsmain/article/223/0/1629010/WABE.Features/%27LaDiDa%27.iPhone.Application..Developed.in.Atlanta..Makes.Anyone.a.Star

We ran into Eliot Van Buskirk from Wired at SXSW and had a long chat with him about AI and music. As always, Parag impressed him with his horrible singing…or was it LaDiDa that impressed? http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/03/sxsw-ladida-iphone-app

My new favorite fruit.

LaDiDa gets a 4-star rating from ComputerWorld. The article includes a great summary of how the app works, along with a request for more styles New styles are on the way!

This iPhone app is an entertaining way to turn your normal singing voice into something that replicates today’s music stars.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9173118/Refresh_your_iPhone_while_you_sleep?taxonomyId=165

The venerable Paul Lamere gave us a shout-out on his blog musicmachinery.com yesterday. We had the opportunity to catch up with Paul at SXSW after his awesome presentation on remixing songs like “Bad Romance” using the EchoNest API. The guys at EchoNest are paving the way for MIR upstarts like us, and we’re excited for their continued success!

http://musicmachinery.com/2010/03/17/how-music-information-retrieval-can-help-you-get-the-girl/

John Brandon did a great round-up of recent tech advances in Digital Trends, which included LaDiDa. Most tech coverage these days centers around companies that are already successful (safe territory!), so it’s cool to see a journalist that has the confidence and foresight to pick early winners: http://www.digitaltrends.com/gadgets/unheralded-tech-advances-for-2010/3/

Priya Das, who describes herself as “an avid follower of world music”, wrote an awesome review of LaDiDa in India Currents this week, referring numerous times to the app’s addictive qualities Below is an excerpt. Full article available at http://indiacurrents.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=25a06dcc76bf52b2e56f930dc5d3a91f

So, how does it work? LaDiDa is like singing karaoke, but in reverse. And it is utterly simple to use and to get addicted to from the get-go. Downloading it from the iTunes store is a breeze. The first aha! moment is when you figure out that the shadowy picture on screen is that of the “real” microphone in a recording studio.

You choose your style (there’s a default “E Piano Pop”). A little ticking metronome keeps beat. You hit the record button. The adrenalin does a little jig when you see the countdown “Start to sing in 4…3…2…” and you sing the first Bollywood number that comes into your head. And just like that, you’re a musician, even though the first time feels strange — who sings to a phone?

There’s like a second’s wait before you can hit play. Out floats a voice that’s yours, but with professional music backing it. It’s a feeling few of us have experienced, and oh-so-different from hearing your voicemail greeting playback, even if you may have sung it!

The second time, you try another style, say “Rhythm Synth Pop,” at say 100 BPM (it doesn’t take long to figure out that BPM stands for Beats-Per-Minute). Next, you decide to try out the Dub Tone. Then it’s time to experiment with folk with the Dirty Rap Beat set to 155 BPM. You get the picture — it’s addictive, and sure to surprise joyful mirth. Not because you’re sounding bad, but because it’s so cool.