Musinaut Claim to Revolutionize Digital Music via the MXP4 Format

The MP3 audio format is still the king of the hill: AAC and WMA have done their best (so far) to undermine this super-strong position, but with minimal success. It looks like the format developed by the Fraunhofer institute has become so popular that shaking the foundations it resides on is almost impossible; tracks with digital rights management (DRM) or without such “protective” associations, downloadable for free and with paid subscriptions alike and by all means one of the most dynamic types of files over the P2P networks, the MP3s are at the top.

There has been more than one attempt to destroy this almost perpetual balance but with the same poor results. It's now time to speak about another “new kid on the block” threatening to shatter the present rankings and make the MP3 obsolete once and for all: the MXP4.

OK, this file hasn't any resounding name like I first expected, but that's just a minor detail, because the fun is just beginning. So, what does the MXP4 have that could ever dethrone the MP3? The creators of this new file format call them “skins” and no, it's nothing that visual if you're thinking about skinning a digital player.

The skins of an MXP4 file refer to the multiple variations the artist can make for that particular song. Call them remixes if you want... after all, that's what everything is about. The MXP4 skins represent additional musical data associated with the “original” version of a song and are either user-selectable or randomly-selectable by the special MXP4 player.

Things are way simpler than they appear: just imagine playing the MXP4 track of Britney's “Oops, I Did It Again” in the original version and then, as you select the “Trance skin” (of course, there is no limit to naming these skins), you get pretty much the same track but with some additional sound, beats and trance-approved production. Well, it seems that the guys at Musinaut are really looking forward to remixing again and again the same tracks and this could be a very nifty idea if we stick to music created to be remixed.

As for the metal bands, using the MXP4 would most likely result in some pretty ridiculous stuff. Why? Because most of the metal bands that plan to go easy on the audience at certain moments will surely enter the studio again and record the acoustic versions of the tracks in question. Could you imagine very brutal death metal bands like Cannibal Corpse or even worse - gore/grind bands like Last Days of Humanity using the MXP4 format? Why and how? Adding some harp passages over a 240 BPM sonic massacre?

Now, on the innovative side, I must openheartedly admit that the MXP4 is one hell of an IT engineering endeavor, bringing a breath of fresh air in the realm of music formats and redefining terms like interactivity between listeners and their music, adding a serious “web 2.0” note to the present music potential.

I wish  good luck to the new format as the battle which lies ahead will be terrible and no prisoners will be taken. Personally, I really doubt that the MXP4 will overthrow the MP3 and its supremacy but nevertheless, you can learn more about this interesting technology (available for both Windows and Mac) by downloading the software from Softpedia, the first online software library to spread the MXP4 Creator in style.

Also, get the MXP4 player for free here (Mac) or here (Windows).

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