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Waves audio launches Nx Head Tracker via Kickstarter Campaign
MUMBAI: Earlier this year, Waves Audio announced Nx, a groundbreaking software technology that applies panoramic audio imaging to stereo headphones, opening the door to applications in virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D mixing and much more. Waves Nx lets users hear the same natural depth, natural reflections, and panoramic imaging heard from speakers in a physical room, but on headphones. With Waves Nx, music, movies and games are heard in a revolutionary way as they take on a new dimension of immersive 3D reality – and it all happens inside the headphones you already own. Waves has decided to put significant R&D emphasis on Nx to further develop the technology. Now Waves is reaching out to the audio community to get involved via a Kickstarter campaign beginning June 22. Kickstarter is a way for audio enthusiasts to grab an early stake in this revolutionary set of tools.
Waves is the recipient of a Technical GRAMMY® Award and the world-leading developer of audio DSP technologies. For over two decades, Waves has pioneered the development of psychoacoustic signal processing algorithms that leverage cutting-edge knowledge of human hearing and perception in order to radically improve perceived sound quality.
The perception of spatial sound is a complex phenomenon. It combines the interactions between acoustic sound waves and a room or space, the interaction between the sound waves and the physical movement of our head and ears, the reaction of our middle and inner ear and the audio nerve, and finally our brain’s cognition and interpretation of the acoustic landscape.
The perception of sound over headphones is a completely different experience. Waves Nx bridges the gap by recreating, on headphones, the same auditory cues that reach our ears in the real world. One of the ways it does this is by tracking the user’s head position and positioning the sound in the user’s headphones to match the way the user would hear it in the real world. Waves Nx tracks the actual movements of the user’s head, rendering the slightest nuances that create a real, dynamic and variable sensory experience – appropriately positioning the audio in the left and right headphones to simulate movement through a three-dimensional audio space.
Recently, Waves successfully launched the first product in the Nx family – the Nx Virtual Mix Room plugin, a “virtual monitoring” tool that recreates on headphones the ideal acoustics of a high-end mix room, allowing audio professionals to make better mixing and recording decisions on headphones. Since its release, the Nx Virtual Mix Room plugin has won unanimous acclaim. The next Nx tool coming to market (expected release in September) is the Nx Head Tracker, a small Bluetooth device that latches on to any pair of headphones, tracks the user’s head movements, and communicates with the Nx software. The Nx Head Tracker can be used together with the Nx Virtual Mix Room plugin, or with the soon-to-be-released Waves Nx application, which will allow all consumers to experience 3D audio on their computers and mobile devices. With the help of the audio community via the Kickstarter campaign, Waves will expand its development of Nx, with the goal of heightening the senses and changing the way we all hear the world.
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33 per cent of women believe the salary scale is rigged: Naukri report
Voices @ Work study finds rising calls for equal pay audits and lingering bias
MUMBAI: Progress may be visible in India’s workplaces, but many women still feel the need to tread carefully. A new report by Naukri reveals that one in two women hesitate to disclose marriage or maternity plans during job interviews, worried that such information could influence hiring decisions.
The findings come from the second edition of Naukri’s annual Voices @ Work International Women’s Day report, titled “What Women Professionals Want.” Drawing insights from more than 50,000 women across over 50 industries, the survey sheds light on evolving workplace aspirations alongside the biases that continue to hold women back.
One of the report’s most striking insights is the growing demand for equal pay audits. The share of women calling for regular pay parity checks has climbed to 27 per cent this year, up from 19 per cent a year ago. The demand now stands alongside menstrual leave as the most sought after workplace policy.
Interestingly, the call for pay transparency grows louder higher up the income ladder. Nearly half of women earning between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore annually say equal pay audits are a priority, suggesting that pay gaps become more visible as women move up the career ladder.
At the same time, confidence and ambition appear to be rising. About 83 per cent of women say they feel encouraged to pursue leadership roles, a significant jump from 66 per cent last year. Cities in southern India appear particularly supportive, with Hyderabad leading the way as 86 per cent of respondents there reported encouragement to step into leadership positions. The education sector recorded the highest sense of encouragement at 87 per cent.
Yet the report also highlights a growing trust deficit around pay equity. Nearly one in three women, or 33 per cent, say they do not believe men and women are paid equally at their workplace. That figure has risen from 25 per cent last year, pointing to widening perceptions of disparity as careers progress.
Bias in hiring and promotions continues to be the biggest hurdle. About 42 per cent of respondents say workplace bias is the main challenge for women from diverse backgrounds. The concern is consistent across major metros, with Chennai and Delhi NCR reporting similar levels.
Reluctance to discuss personal milestones during hiring processes is also widespread. While 34 per cent overall said they hesitate to share marriage or maternity plans in interviews, the anxiety increases with experience. Among professionals with 10 to 15 years of work experience, the figure rises to 40 per cent.
Info Edge group CMO Sumeet Singh, said the data reflects both progress and unfinished work. “Behind every data point in this report is a woman who is ambitious. The fact that 83 per cent feel encouraged to lead is something to celebrate. However, the fact that one in two still hide their marriage or maternity plans in interviews tells us the work is far from done. As India’s leading career platform, it felt not just important but necessary for us to shine a light on these gaps through the second edition of our report,” he said.
The report suggests that while ambition among women professionals is growing, structural changes around pay transparency, fair hiring and supportive policies will be key if workplaces hope to keep pace.
