Schiit Previews "The Gadget"

The Gadget is the first product of a years-long research project into tuning and subjective effects, Schiit's "Manhattan Project." This research began when Mike Moffat began wondering why some older instruments—specifically banjos and mandolins—sounded better than their newer counterparts. This led to the discovery of “tap tuning,” and the increase in tuning frequency over time. After primitive pitch- and tempo-shifting versions were first developed in Summer 2015, Mike brought on a full-time Ph.D to develop new, proprietary, high-quality and efficient algorithms for pure pitch-shifting.

 

"This is not about mumbo-jumbo, mysticism, or conspiracy theories," said Mike Moffat. "The Gadget uses a 100% proprietary algorithm implemented on an Analog Devices SHARC processor, and it's unlike anything that's ever been offered before."

 

Unlike some recent attempts to improve recorded music, The Gadget is 100% single-sided and does not require any encoding or decoding. It does not incorporate DRM of any form, including phone-homes, selective degradation, or device serialization and deauthorization. It does not require licensing fees from recording studios, artists, or end-users.

 

The Gadget being previewed at RMAF is a single-purpose, digital-in and digital-out device. Commercially available versions with multiple inputs are expected to be available in Q1 2018 at a cost of about $200.