CrystalSound - Detailed Review
Audio Tools
CrystalSound - Product Overview
CrystalSound Overview
CrystalSound is an AI-powered audio editing tool that specializes in removing unwanted noise and distractions from audio recordings, calls, and online meetings. Here’s a brief overview of its primary function, target audience, and key features:
Primary Function
CrystalSound uses advanced AI algorithms to ensure clear and effective communication by eliminating various types of noise. It suppresses background noise, echo, howling effects, and other voices, making it ideal for producing high-quality audio recordings and enhancing real-time audio communications.
Target Audience
The tool is particularly beneficial for several groups:
- Professionals: Those who need clear communication during important calls and meetings.
- Content Creators: Individuals who want to produce high-quality audio recordings for podcasts, videos, or other media.
- Students: Students can improve their audio quality during online classes and lectures.
Key Features
CrystalSound boasts several key features that make it a valuable tool:
- Bidirectional Noise Removal: Effectively removes noise from both the user’s and the other party’s end of the call.
- Clarity Improvement: Enhances the overall clarity of the audio.
- HD Voice Enablement: Ensures high-definition voice quality.
- Audio Loss Concealment: Recreates lost audio packets to prevent choppy audio.
- Acoustic/Room Echo Suppression: Reduces room acoustic effects, also known as dereverberation.
- Personalized Audio Enhancement: Allows users to customize their audio settings for optimal performance.
Additional Features
- My Voice Only: A premium feature that isolates the user’s voice and eliminates unwanted noise, including howling effects. This is particularly useful in noisy environments.
- Adjustable Noise Removal: Users can adjust the strength of noise removal using a simple slider.
- Fun Audio Effects: Options like reverb or a robot filter can be applied to the voice.
- Integration: CrystalSound integrates with various apps that use the microphone, such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet.
Privacy and Security
CrystalSound processes audio and VoiceID locally on the user’s device, ensuring privacy. It collects minimal usage data, and paid users can opt out of usage tracking.
Overall, CrystalSound is a versatile and powerful tool that enhances audio quality and reduces noise, making it an essential asset for anyone needing clear and effective audio communication.
CrystalSound - User Interface and Experience
User Interface of CrystalSound
The user interface of CrystalSound is crafted to be user-friendly and intuitive, making it accessible for a wide range of users, particularly those involved in online meetings, webinars, and audio recordings.Ease of Use
CrystalSound is relatively easy to set up and use. Here are the key steps involved:- Users need to download and install the application on their device.
- After installation, they must select their real microphone and speaker in the CrystalSound main control panel. This step creates virtual microphone and speaker devices that process the sound using AI models.
- To integrate CrystalSound with other applications (like Zoom, Teams, or Meet), users simply need to select the CrystalSound virtual microphone and speaker in the audio settings of those apps.
User Interface Features
The interface is straightforward and easy to navigate. Here are some key features:- Main Control Panel: This is where users configure their audio settings, such as selecting the real microphone and speaker, adjusting noise reduction levels, and enabling features like “My Voice Only” or voice effects.
- Settings: Users can customize various settings, including language preferences (English or Japanese), volume equalization, and the option to launch CrystalSound at system startup. There are also options to adjust the speaker denoise level, pitch shift, and reverb effects.
- Recording Magic: This feature allows users to enhance existing audio files by uploading them to the CrystalSound interface, adjusting noise reduction and pitch shift settings, and then saving the enhanced files.
Overall User Experience
Users have reported a positive experience with CrystalSound, highlighting its seamless integration with other applications and its effectiveness in real-time noise cancellation. Here are some key points:- Noise Cancellation: CrystalSound’s AI-driven noise cancellation is highly effective, eliminating background noises and other audio interferences, making it particularly valuable for meetings, webinars, and online training sessions.
- Privacy-Focused: The application processes audio locally on the device, ensuring user privacy by not sending data to external servers. Users can also turn off usage tracking in the settings.
- Performance: Users have praised the tool for its smooth performance without technical issues, which is crucial for maintaining clear and uninterrupted communication during important online events.
- Customization: While there are some limitations in customization options, users can adjust various settings such as noise reduction levels, voice effects, and volume equalization to suit their preferences.
CrystalSound - Key Features and Functionality
CrystalSound Overview
CrystalSound is an AI-powered audio tool that offers a wide range of features to enhance audio quality, reduce noise, and improve communication in various settings. Here are the main features and how they work:Bi-directional Noise Reduction
This feature eliminates unwanted noises from both sides of the conversation. It uses AI algorithms to identify and suppress background noise, ensuring that both the speaker and the listener can communicate clearly without distractions.My Voice Only
This feature allows you to suppress other people’s voices, making it ideal for crowded co-working spaces or noisy environments. The AI isolates your voice even when others are talking nearby, enhancing your audio clarity.Call Recorder and Screen Recorder
CrystalSound enables you to capture your screen and voice in real-time. This is useful for recording meetings, presentations, or any other online calls. The recordings can be saved locally or used for further analysis.Smart Meeting Minutes
The app generates concise English minutes of your call recordings. This feature helps in summarizing key points from meetings, saving time and improving productivity.Audio File Enhancement
You can improve the quality of your existing audio recordings (mp3, .flac, and .wav) using CrystalSound. The AI enhances the audio files by reducing noise and improving voice clarity, which is beneficial for podcasters, voice actors, and anyone working with pre-recorded audio.Microphone Volume Booster
This feature increases the loudness and consistency of your voice, ensuring that you are heard clearly during calls and recordings. It adjusts the microphone volume to optimal levels, reducing the need for manual adjustments.Acoustic Echo Suppression and Room Echo Removal
CrystalSound prevents feedback and distortion by suppressing acoustic echoes and reducing reverberation. This improves the intelligibility of your voice, making it clearer and more understandable.High-Definition Stereo Voice
The app delivers crystal-clear sound at 48 kHz, providing high-definition stereo voice quality. This ensures that your audio is of the highest quality, whether you are in a meeting or recording a podcast.Noise Reduction Level Adjustment
You can adjust the amount of noise reduction according to your preference using a simple slider. This allows you to customize the noise cancellation to suit different environments and needs.Power-Saving Mode
CrystalSound offers a power-saving mode that reduces battery consumption while using the app. This is particularly useful for mobile or laptop users who need to conserve battery life during extended use.Low Speech Distortion
The AI algorithms in CrystalSound are designed to preserve the naturalness and clarity of your voice, minimizing speech distortion. This ensures that your voice sounds natural and clear, even after noise reduction and other enhancements.Team License Management
For teams, CrystalSound allows you to manage licenses easily. You can give or revoke Premium licenses to your team members, making it convenient to manage access and ensure everyone has the necessary features.Integration with Other Apps
CrystalSound integrates seamlessly with popular communication platforms like Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, and Slack. This allows you to use the enhanced audio features across various apps without any additional setup.AI Integration
The AI in CrystalSound is integrated through advanced algorithms that perform real-time speech enhancement. These algorithms include hybrid Active Echo Cancellation (AEC), howling suppression, dereverberation, target speaker extraction, bandwidth extension, and neural beamforming. The AI models are trained on a large proprietary speech dataset featuring over 100,000 unique speakers across 99 languages, ensuring high-quality and accurate speech enhancement.Conclusion
Overall, CrystalSound leverages AI to provide a comprehensive suite of audio enhancement tools, making it an invaluable resource for anyone looking to improve the quality of their online communications and audio recordings. CrystalSound - Performance and Accuracy
Evaluating the Performance and Accuracy of CrystalSound
Performance
CrystalSound is highly praised for its real-time noise cancellation capabilities. It effectively removes various types of background noise and audio interference, such as traffic noise, ambient sounds, and even loud appliances or animals, ensuring clear and distraction-free audio during calls, meetings, and recordings. Users have reported that the tool integrates seamlessly with existing conferencing tools like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, and Slack, making it a convenient addition to their professional toolkit. This integration does not compromise internet speed or bandwidth, which is a significant advantage. The tool’s performance is also enhanced by its ability to process audio on-device, which ensures user privacy by not sending data to external servers. This feature is particularly valuable for professionals who prioritize data security.Accuracy
The accuracy of CrystalSound’s noise cancellation is a standout feature. It uses advanced AI algorithms to isolate the speaker’s voice and suppress background voices, even in crowded or noisy environments. This results in clear and intelligible audio, which is crucial for effective communication during online meetings and recordings. Users have consistently reported high satisfaction with the tool’s ability to eliminate unwanted noise, even in challenging environments. For example, users have mentioned that it effectively removes sounds like rooster noises or loud computer fans, significantly improving the quality of their audio interactions.Limitations and Areas for Improvement
While CrystalSound performs exceptionally well, there are a few limitations and areas where improvements could be made:Initial Setup Complexity
Some users have found the initial configuration of CrystalSound to be slightly challenging without proper guidance.Limited Customization
Although the tool is effective, there are limited options for tailoring the noise cancellation settings to individual preferences. Users might find it beneficial to have more customizable settings.Sound Leakage
Minor sound leakage has been reported, but the developers are expected to address this issue in future updates.Technical Issues
A few users have experienced technical problems, such as the software stopping and requiring reinstallation, particularly on Macbook Pro devices. However, these issues are not widespread and are being addressed by the developers.User Experience
Overall, users have found CrystalSound to be a reliable and effective tool that significantly improves their workflow and audio quality. The tool’s seamless integration, ease of use, and continuous updates by the developers contribute to its high user satisfaction. In summary, CrystalSound’s performance and accuracy are highly regarded due to its effective noise cancellation, seamless integration with other tools, and on-device processing. While there are some minor limitations and technical issues, the overall user experience is positive, and the tool is widely recommended for anyone struggling with audio quality during online meetings or recordings. CrystalSound - Pricing and Plans
The Pricing Structure of CrystalSound
The pricing structure of CrystalSound, an AI-driven audio tool, is segmented into several plans to cater to different user needs. Here’s a breakdown of the available plans and their features:
Starter Plan
- This plan is free and offers limited features. It is a good starting point for users who want to test the basic functionality of CrystalSound.
Premium Plan
- Monthly: $8.00
- Yearly: $96.00 (which works out to $8.00 per month)
- Features include:
- Unlimited noise cancellation
- Up to 30 minutes of cloud recording
- 10 GB of cloud storage
- 10 hours of speech-to-text and analysis
- Cloud call recording
- Automatic titles and smart meeting minutes
- Keyword and sentiment analysis
- Bi-directional noise cancellation
- Audio file enhancement
- Voice changer effects
- Integration with popular communication platforms like Zoom, Teams, and Slack.
Enterprise Plan
- This plan is custom-priced and includes:
- Unlimited noise cancellation
- Unlimited locally-stored recording duration (no cloud storage)
- No speech-to-text and analysis
- Bi-directional noise cancellation
- Secure, offline screen recording
- Bulk order discounts for enterprises
- Support for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
- Premium support and training.
Elite Plan (Coming Soon)
- This plan will offer:
- Unlimited noise cancellation
- Unlimited cloud recording duration
- 100 GB of cloud storage
- 100 hours of speech-to-text and analysis
- Meeting transcription
- Performance analysis
- Risk analysis
- Areas of improvement
- Other advanced features not available in the Premium plan.
Free Trial
- CrystalSound offers a 7-day free trial for the Premium plan, allowing users to experience the full range of features before committing to a subscription. After the trial, the account will be automatically downgraded to the Starter plan unless manually upgraded.
Additional Offers
- There are occasional special offers, such as a limited-time deal where purchasing one Premium plan subscription gets you a second one free, and other discounts available through partner sites.
Each plan is designed to meet the specific needs of individuals, professionals, and teams, ensuring that users can choose the level of service that best fits their requirements.
CrystalSound - Integration and Compatibility
CrystalSound Overview
CrystalSound, an AI-powered audio tool, integrates seamlessly with a variety of applications and platforms, making it a versatile solution for improving audio quality in various contexts.
Integration with Video Conferencing Tools
CrystalSound can be easily integrated with popular video conferencing tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and LINE. Here’s how it works:
- Setup: You need to open CrystalSound and select your physical microphone and speaker. Then, in the settings of the video conferencing app (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet), you choose the CrystalSound virtual microphone and speaker as your audio devices.
Compatibility Across Platforms
CrystalSound is compatible with both Windows and macOS operating systems. Here are the specific requirements:
- Windows: It supports Windows 10 and later versions.
- macOS: It is compatible with macOS Catalina (10.15) and higher versions.
Integration with Other Applications
In addition to video conferencing tools, CrystalSound can be used with any application that allows the use of virtual audio devices. This includes screen recording tools like Loom and audio editing software like Audacity. You simply need to select the CrystalSound virtual microphone and speaker in the settings of the application you are using.
Standalone Use
CrystalSound can also be used as a standalone app to enhance existing audio files. You can open the app, select your audio file, apply the desired settings (such as noise reduction or voice enhancement), and save the enhanced file for later use.
Automation and Data Transfer
While the primary focus of CrystalSound is on real-time audio enhancement, there is no direct integration mentioned for automated data transfer with other systems like CRM or project management tools. However, its ability to generate smart meeting minutes and call analytics can be useful for post-meeting analysis and reporting.
Conclusion
In summary, CrystalSound offers broad compatibility and ease of integration with various platforms and applications, making it a valuable tool for anyone looking to improve their audio quality during online meetings and recordings.
CrystalSound - Customer Support and Resources
CrystalSound Customer Support Options
CrystalSound offers several customer support options and additional resources to help users effectively utilize their AI-driven audio tools.Contact and Support Channels
For direct assistance, users can contact CrystalSound through their contact page. Here, you can fill out a form to reach out to their support team with any questions or issues you might have.Troubleshooting and FAQ
The CrystalSound user manual includes a comprehensive troubleshooting section that addresses common issues such as login problems, audio connectivity issues, and errors related to microphone and speaker settings. This section provides step-by-step solutions to help users resolve these problems quickly.Error and Warning Messages
The user manual also details specific error and warning messages that users might encounter, along with their causes and solutions. For example, it covers issues like invalid email addresses, microphone or speaker not found, and echo removal problems.User Manual and Guides
CrystalSound provides a detailed user manual that guides users through the setup and use of the application. This manual includes instructions on how to activate features like noise reduction and the “My Voice Only” profile, as well as how to manage voice profiles and adjust various settings.Premium Support
For users on the Premium and Enterprise plans, CrystalSound offers additional support benefits. The Enterprise plan, in particular, includes premium support and training, which can be invaluable for teams and professionals needing more extensive assistance.Log Submission for Troubleshooting
If users encounter issues that cannot be resolved through the troubleshooting guide, they can report these issues via the app’s settings. This will send log files to CrystalSound’s backend for further troubleshooting, helping to resolve more complex problems.Compatibility and Integration Guides
CrystalSound provides information on how to integrate their software with popular communication platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. This ensures that users can seamlessly use CrystalSound with their existing tools.Conclusion
By leveraging these resources, users can effectively use CrystalSound to enhance their audio quality, reduce background noise, and improve their overall communication experience. CrystalSound - Pros and Cons
Advantages of CrystalSound
CrystalSound offers several significant advantages that make it a valuable tool for enhancing audio quality in virtual meetings and other online communications.
Effective Noise Cancellation
CrystalSound is renowned for its highly effective real-time noise cancellation. It uses advanced AI algorithms to eliminate various types of background noise, such as traffic sounds, barking dogs, and keyboard clatter, ensuring that only the speaker’s voice is transmitted clearly.
Seamless Integration
The software integrates seamlessly with popular communication platforms like Zoom, Teams, Slack, and Google Meet, making it easy to use with existing tools.
User-Friendly Interface
Users have praised CrystalSound for its straightforward installation and use. It appears as a selectable microphone in many applications, simplifying its activation during web-based meetings.
On-Device Processing
CrystalSound processes audio on-device, ensuring user privacy by not sending data to external servers. This feature is particularly important for secure communication.
Multi-Device Compatibility
The software is compatible with various platforms, including Android, PCs, and Google Chrome, making it versatile for different users.
Additional Features
CrystalSound includes a range of features such as echo cancellation, wind noise reduction, background noise suppression, voice enhancement, and automatic gain control. It also offers customizable sound profiles and dynamic range compression.
Productivity Boost
By minimizing distractions and providing clear audio, CrystalSound enhances the overall effectiveness of meetings and other online interactions.
Unlimited Noise Cancellation
Unlike some other solutions, CrystalSound offers unlimited noise cancellation without any time restrictions, making it highly convenient for extended meetings or presentations.
Disadvantages of CrystalSound
While CrystalSound has many benefits, there are also some drawbacks to consider:
Initial Setup Complexity
Some users may find the initial configuration of CrystalSound slightly challenging without proper guidance.
Limited Customization
Although effective, there may be limited options for tailoring noise cancellation settings to individual preferences.
Sound Leakage
Minor sound leakage has been reported, though improvements are expected in future updates.
Potential Drop in Clarity
Some users have noted a slight drop in audio clarity when using the noise cancellation feature, although this is often considered a worthwhile trade-off for the elimination of background noise.
Technical Support
While CrystalSound generally operates smoothly, any technical issues may require support, which is available via phone but might not be as comprehensive as some users would like.
Overall, CrystalSound is a powerful tool for improving audio quality in virtual meetings, but it does come with some minor drawbacks that users should be aware of.
CrystalSound - Comparison with Competitors
Unique Features of CrystalSound
CrystalSound is distinguished by its comprehensive suite of audio enhancement tools. Here are some of its key features:- Bi-directional Noise Reduction: CrystalSound can eliminate unwanted noises from both sides of the conversation, making it particularly useful for online calls and meetings.
- My Voice Only: This feature allows you to suppress other people’s voices, which is beneficial in noisy or crowded environments.
- Call Recorder and Screen Recorder: It enables you to capture your screen and voice, and also generate concise meeting minutes from call recordings.
- Audio File Enhancement: You can improve the quality of existing audio files in various formats like mp3, .flac, and .wav.
- Microphone Volume Booster and Acoustic Echo Suppression: These features help increase the loudness and consistency of your voice while preventing feedback and distortion.
Potential Alternatives
Otter
Otter is another AI audio tool that focuses on live transcription and note-taking during meetings. While it does not offer the same level of noise reduction or voice enhancement as CrystalSound, it excels in providing real-time captions and highlighting important information from meetings. This makes Otter a great choice for those needing transcription services and meeting notes.LALAL.AI
LALAL.AI specializes in stem splitting, allowing users to extract individual parts of audio or video files, such as vocals and instruments. It also features a voice cleaner to strip away vocals. Although it does not offer real-time noise reduction or call recording, it is a powerful tool for audio editing and post-production.Listnr
Listnr offers text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and voice cloning capabilities. It is useful for generating audio from text, creating transcripts from audio files, and duplicating your voice for voiceovers. However, it does not provide the real-time noise reduction or call recording features that CrystalSound offers.Other Considerations
- LANDR: While primarily focused on music mastering, LANDR is an AI audio tool that can create personalized masters with high precision. It does not, however, address the specific needs of real-time noise reduction or call enhancement that CrystalSound targets.
- AudioEnhancer.ai: This tool uses advanced AI algorithms to enhance audio quality but does not provide the same range of features as CrystalSound, such as bi-directional noise reduction or screen recording.
CrystalSound - Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions about CrystalSound
Q: What is CrystalSound and what does it do?
CrystalSound is an AI-powered audio tool that helps improve the quality of your online calls, meetings, and recordings. It removes background noise, enhances voice quality, and offers features like screen recording, translation, and call analytics.Q: How does CrystalSound reduce background noise?
CrystalSound uses AI to eliminate unwanted noises from both sides of the conversation. It features bi-directional noise reduction, which means it can remove noise from both your end and the other party’s end. Additionally, it has a “My Voice Only” feature that isolates your voice from other noises and voices.Q: Can I use CrystalSound with other video conferencing apps?
Yes, you can use CrystalSound with any app that uses your microphone, such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, and Slack. You need to select the CrystalSound virtual microphone and speaker in the app’s audio settings to use its enhanced audio features.Q: What are the different pricing plans available for CrystalSound?
CrystalSound offers several pricing plans:- Starter (Free): Limited features.
- Premium: $8/month (monthly) or $96/year (yearly), includes unlimited noise cancellation, up to 30 minutes of cloud recording, 10 GB of cloud storage, and 10 hours of speech-to-text and analysis.
- Lifetime: A one-time payment of $39.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing with features like unlimited locally-stored recording duration, secure offline screen recording, and bulk order discounts.
Q: Does CrystalSound offer a free trial?
Yes, CrystalSound provides a 7-day free trial for its Premium plan. After the trial ends, your account will be automatically downgraded to the Starter plan unless you choose to upgrade to Premium.Q: How does CrystalSound handle cloud storage?
For Premium and Enterprise plans, cloud storage is available. Premium plans include 10 GB of cloud storage, while the upcoming Elite plan will offer 100 GB. If your subscription or trial expires, cloud storage will be removed after a certain period to optimize costs.Q: Can I manage team licenses with CrystalSound?
Yes, CrystalSound allows you to manage team licenses. You can assign or revoke Premium licenses to your team members and adjust your team size by adding or removing seats at any time.Q: Does CrystalSound offer any money-back guarantee?
Yes, CrystalSound provides a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you decide within the first 30 days of your paid subscription that CrystalSound isn’t right for you, you can get a full refund.Q: Can I enhance existing audio files with CrystalSound?
Yes, you can use CrystalSound to improve the quality of your existing audio files (mp3, .flac, and .wav). The app has a feature called “Audio File Enhancement” that allows you to enhance and save your audio files.Q: Does CrystalSound support screen recording?
Yes, CrystalSound includes a feature for screen recording. You can capture your screen and voice using CrystalSound, and it also supports secure, offline screen recording for Enterprise plans.Q: How do I set up CrystalSound to work with my audio settings?
To use CrystalSound, you need to download and install it, then select your real microphone and speaker in the CrystalSound main control panel. After that, you need to select the CrystalSound virtual microphone and speaker in the app you want to use (e.g., Zoom, Teams). CrystalSound - Conclusion and Recommendation
Final Assessment of CrystalSound
CrystalSound is a highly advanced AI-powered audio tool that significantly improves the quality of online communications and audio recordings. Here’s a comprehensive look at its features, benefits, and who would most benefit from using it.
Key Features
- Bi-directional Noise Reduction: Eliminates unwanted noises from both sides of the conversation, ensuring clear audio.
- My Voice Only: Isolates the user’s voice from noisy backgrounds and other voices, making it ideal for calls, podcast recordings, and interviews.
- Screen Recording and Call Analytics: Allows users to capture their screen and voice, and generates concise meeting minutes.
- Audio File Enhancement: Improves the quality of existing recordings in various formats like mp3, .flac, and .wav.
- Microphone Volume Booster and Acoustic Echo Suppression: Increases the loudness and consistency of the user’s voice while preventing feedback and distortion.
- High-Definition Stereo Voice: Delivers crystal-clear sound at 48 kHz.
- Integration with Popular Platforms: Seamlessly integrates with tools like Zoom, Teams, and Slack.
Who Would Benefit Most
CrystalSound is particularly beneficial for several groups:
- Remote Workers and Professionals: Those who frequently participate in online meetings will appreciate the noise reduction and voice enhancement features, which help maintain productivity and reduce distractions.
- Podcasters and Content Creators: The ability to isolate voices and enhance audio quality makes it an excellent tool for podcast recordings, interviews, and other content creation needs.
- Educators and Students: Lecturers can use it to improve the clarity of their voice during online classes, while students can benefit from clearer audio during lectures.
- Teams and Organizations: The team license management feature allows organizations to distribute and manage licenses efficiently, making it a valuable tool for team collaboration.
Pricing and Plans
CrystalSound offers various pricing plans to cater to different needs:
- Starter (Free): Limited features.
- Premium ($8-$12 per month): Additional features like 5GB cloud storage and detailed growth insights.
- Lifetime ($39): A one-time payment option.
- Enterprise (Custom): Includes premium support and training, suitable for larger organizations.
Overall Recommendation
CrystalSound is an indispensable tool for anyone seeking to improve the quality of their audio communications and recordings. Its advanced AI-powered features, such as bi-directional noise reduction and voice isolation, make it a standout in the audio tools category. The user-friendly interface and seamless integration with popular communication platforms add to its appeal.
Given its wide range of features and flexible pricing plans, CrystalSound is highly recommended for individuals and teams looking to enhance their audio experience and boost productivity. Whether you’re a remote worker, a content creator, or an educator, CrystalSound can significantly improve the clarity and quality of your audio interactions.