[January 17, 2022] With a commitment to providing excellence in audio for today’s creators, Zoom has taken steps to ensure that a number of new products will also include accessibility for those who are visually impaired.
The contributions of blind and visually impaired musicians have always been significant. But historically, it has been the responsibility of the artist to overcome challenges in recording their music.
“I’m thrilled that Zoom is dedicated to recognizing and empowering these musicians,” says Scott Goodman, CEO of Zoom North America. “It started with a call from Stevie Wonder, who’s been a fan of Zoom products for many years. He wanted to encourage us to make recording more accessible.”
“Years ago, when we first started developing control apps for our products, the idea was to design a more seamless audio experience,” said Goodman, “but, after our conversation with Steve, we were convinced that we needed to start working on this now.”
The B6 Multi Effects Bass Processor was Zoom’s first product to integrate accessibility features. After downloading its custom control app to an iOS device, users can enable VoiceOver and VoiceOver Gestures technology to provide accessibility for each of the processor’s functions.
Goodman explains: “We’re now going to debut our second accessibility-powered control app, this time for the R20 Multi Track Recorder. The R20 presents a new set of engineering challenges. When you create a recorder that’s this robust, there’s numerous features to consider when making the editing experience fast and intuitive. Every effect, built-in synth sound, and ways to cut and loop, all have to be reflected with audible descriptions, which is incredibly complex.”
“Designing a new product is always exciting, but when you can find ways to make them more inclusive, that takes the process to a whole new level.” Goodman concludes, “You start focusing more on doing the right thing, which makes us all very proud.”
About Zoom North America:
Zoom North America is the U.S. affiliate of the Zoom Corporation (Japan). The company prides itself on offering its customers the very highest level of service and support.