It happens to many people: they wake up one day with a melody in their head that they cannot identify. A song from decades ago that evokes special memories. An advertising slogan, the main theme of a movie or a TV series.
But no matter how much effort is made, there is no way to remember the name, much less the interpreter. But that is no longer a problem, thanks to the applications to recognize songs.
To find a song on the Internet, either on Google or any other search engine (including YouTube), just write a part of the letter and press "enter". It doesn't even have to be an exact transcript. Even with very popular topics, they apply searches like: “Ta ta ta taaaaa”. This is enough information to locate on the network The 5th Symphony of Beethoven.
But for even more imprecise searches, some of song recognition applications offer results just by "hearing" a whistle. The accuracy of several of these platforms does not cease to amaze us. And naming those morning tunes that tirelessly sound in many people's heads is extremely simple.
Sound Search for Google Play, because Google also “listens” to you
The "intuitive" option within Google and YouTube search engines to track a certain topic is well known. But, for the specific task of recognizing songs, Google Search for Google Play is the official widget.
Available on all mobile devices with Android 4.0 or higher. This tool, which works as a Google Play plugin, automatically offers the option to buy the recognized theme. Successful searches are stored in a list for easy download later.
Siri, the personal assistant who knows everything
The popular personal assistant developed by SRI Venture Group and owned by Apple, it is capable of many tasks. From reserving a table in a restaurant to knowing your user better than anyone else in the world. also can recognize songs.
Its operation is basic. A melody is played on a compatible iOS device. For this you can use any player (iTunes or some other). The wizard is activated and asked: Siri, what song is playing?
Once the topic is identified, the user will have at his disposal all the information he wants. In addition to the name, the list of interpreters who have recorded it, the composer, the lyrics and other options.
SoundHound, one of Spotify's "partners"
SoundHound is a music search engine, in the exact sense of the term. To use it, users can simply type or “dictate” the information they have into the microphone of the device in use. It can be the name of the song, artist or composer. You can also add details such as year of publication, genre or album where it was included.
Similarly, is able to successfully search for songs just by “hearing” someone sing or through sounds present in the environment. Also to decipher the vaguest of the whistles or the most inaccurate and out of tune hums.
It is one of the most popular plugins used by Spotify users. Its interaction with the popular streaming audio application allows the lyrics of the songs to be displayed on the screen during playback. Available on computers under Windows or Mac environment. It is also iOS and Android mobile devices.
Shazam, the most popular of the apps to recognize songs
It was one of the first applications of its kind to hit the market. It was founded in the United Kingdom still in the 1998th century (2002) and began operating in XNUMX. At first, it was known as 2580. This was the number that users had to dial from their cell phones to request recognition of a song.
The search result was sent via SMS, which was received approximately 30 seconds after the call was hung up. The text included the title and author of the topic in question. As technology evolved, messages began to include links from where users could download music files.
Despite its popularity, it has some important limitations, when compared to the supply of SoundHound, one of its most important competitors. It only works with prerecorded files and is not able to recognize whistles or hums.
It offers a free version, with the counterpart of including advertising messages during the interaction. A paid version called Shazam Encore, which, despite acquiring a membership, is not 100% ad-free.
In 2014, it was involved in a controversy, after it became public that, from the application's servers, user information was being shared with some digital marketing agencies. Available for iOS and Android. In December 2017, it joined the list of Apple subsidiaries. It remains to be seen if it will become an exclusive application for devices of the bitten apple.
Snapchat also identifies music
Users of the popular "ghost" social network also have a function to recognize songs. And it is that, inside the package of Snapchat, a version of Shazam, with all the functionalities of this tool.
To be used, only just press the camera screen on “Snap” while listening to a song. In a few moments, all the information related to the search will be available. All the files that have been identified are kept in the history.
Music ID, for full identification
Another of the most popular solutions to recognize songs from mobile devices. It uses reproductions captured in the environment to locate from the name or the letter of a musical piece, to the video on YouTube. It also works with files that are played from the user's own gadget.
Offers a notepad, designed for those who like to point out the feelings that a certain song evokes in them, and provides direct access to web pages and official profiles on artists' social networks. Additionally, it frequently offers previews of upcoming topics to be released on the market.
Image sources: El Musiquiátrico / Gizmodo / Downloadsource