My idea of extreme sports is playing two sets of tennis or descending a Carsten Höller slide. So I haven’t quite envisioned myself using the product that Dr. CultureDaughter has been obsessively working on—GoPro video cameras, those very popular, rugged, waterproof contraptions that are designed to capture thrill seekers’ adventures on land, sea and mid-air.
But now, with my daughter’s help, they’ve made a new version. With one-button operation, it’s simpler to use for my technologically challenged generation and appealingly compact.
An acoustic design engineer at GoPro for the past eight months, my daughter hasn’t been able to share any details about the project that’s been keeping her so late at the office. (Everything they say about Silicon Valley’s tight-lipped secrecy seems to be true.)
Today, though, she surprised me with GoPro’s announcement of its HERO4 Session, “the smallest, lightest, most convenient GoPro yet.”
Here’s what the Proud Mom of a GoPro pro regards as the most important part of the company’s pitch:
“At GoPro, sound quality is as important as image quality and we’re very excited about the stunning audio advancements we’ve made with HERO4 Session during water-based and windy activities. It’s incredible what this little GoPro can capture,” remarked [GoPro founder and CEO Nicholas] Woodman.
The early review in Verge confirms the audio plaudits:
The Session has two microphones—one on the front, and one on the back—and it dynamically switches between them to reduce wind noise. They never get muffled, and they’re built to drain liquid fast, so the audio even sounds good when the camera comes out from underwater.
I wonder if any video artists have thought to use this technology in their projects. From GoPro’s promo videos, it still appears that the target users are largely racing daredevils, surfers, skydivers and bikini-clad women.
If only my daughter could engineer an acoustics fix for Avery Fisher Hall. For now, maybe GoPro should experiment with mounting a “Session” on Alan Gilbert‘s baton!