MXP4: Beyond MP3?

MXP4: Beyond MP3?

3 November, 2008 | 12.00PM

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News: musinaut, mxp4

French start-up, Musinaut, has some big plans in store for the music world.

Plans that could fundamentally change the way music is enjoyed - and even more importantly to us, DJed.

Their format, MXP4, takes the MP3 concept, improves the encoding quality, then splits the whole thing into layers and tracks – allowing users to create their own remixes on the fly.

Right now, the format is proprietary and in its early stages, but with the right momentum, it could be a real paradigm shift – even beyond the electronic music community.

Let’s take a closer look.

The Musinaut platform currently consists of two components, as follows.

MXP4 Player

The MXP4 player allows music fans to “play” .mpx4 files made by any artist/producer and to switch between variations available (remix, alternative vocals, more electro or acoustic versions and so on) in real time while listening to the same song.

An MXP4 file may also contain multimedia information such as visuals, text, etc – each linked to any given variation.

MXP4 Editing Tool

The artist can record a track and its possible alternatives in any sequencer (ProTools, Live, Logic), then export the components into the MXP4 editor.

From there, the artist defines all possible playing combinations of his track with audio parts made available. 

Once done, the file is converted to .mxp4 format.

If the artist decides to update the .mxp4 and incorporate additional audio content (for example a new version of his track selected from a remix competition), it can also be done within the MXP4 Creator.

You can download a preliminary full version of the Creator - with all features included - at this link.

That said, exporting to .mxp4 file will be disabled after December 31st 2008, so be careful about falling in love too soon.

Since no final price for the editing tools has been provided, we hope that Musinaut makes it affordable.

After all, if it’s that cool, it really could become a the next big thing - but only if it’s priced within reach of a wide audience.

The MXP4 FAQ has lots more info.

As with any new technology, there are many pros and cons to its adoption, so bring on the comments!

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