Waves Live

A true Live sound breakthrough, MultiRack is a software host that lets FOH and Monitor engineers run multiple simultaneous instances of the same Native Waves plug-ins used in recording studios and mixing rooms the world over.

Armed only with a laptop, an I/O box, and MultiRack, you now have the power to shape your Live sound with unprecedented precision, and do away with rack after rack of heavy effects units.

Just imagine: The world’s best-sounding reverbs, equalizers, compressors, limiters, and delays at your fingertips, without the limitations of hardware, and at a fraction of the cost.

With easy setup and advanced preset capabilities, MultiRack delivers all the flexibility and portability of software, with sound quality and convenience that beats hardware.

Sonnox Restore

Sonnox Restore is a suite of three plug-ins - Oxford DeClicker, Oxford DeBuzzer and Oxford DeNoiser - designed to accurately restore audio recordings that are impaired. Restore represents a quantum leap beyond previous restoration plug-in technology with its advanced algorithms and novel features that allow fast and extremely effective removal of pops, clicks, crackles, scratches, hum, buzzes and extraneous background noise from virtually any recording.

Airfield Audio

Airfield Audio is a Toronto Canada based custom audio electronic design and vintage recording console repair company. We are specialists for the recording studio industry. We design and build custom Class A compressors, custom mastering consoles and desks. We repair all vintage tube and Class A outboard audio gear like mic pre's compressors amplifiers tape machines reverbs and signal processors. We are Quad Eight Trident MCI SSL Soundcraft Audiotronics API Neve vintage recording console repair and wiring experts.

New Compressor from Drum Recording Legend

The new SLATE PRO AUDIO DRAGON is unlike any dynamic audio processor you've heard before. Simply put, the DRAGON was created to be the most versatile compressor, limiter, and sound shaping tool that the pro audio industry has ever seen.

http://www.slateproaudio.com/

McDSP Holiday Special

To get into the holiday spirit, McDSP has decided to extend all their specials allowing customers to purchase anything and everything for up to 30% off! That's right we said everything and we mean everything - all bundles, individual products and upgrades are on sale now!

The McDSP HD product line supports TDM, RTAS and AudioSuite formats, and operates on Pro Tools HD, LE and M-Powered, and the McDSP Native product line supports RTAS and Audiosuite formats, and operate on Pro Tools HD, LE and M-Powered.

Hurry and make your purchase today, this offer ends December 31, 2009.

Lexicon Native Reverb Plug -in

For over 35 years Lexicon has been recognized as the golden standard of digital reverb and effects processing and has continuously introduced leading edge technology for the audio industry. Lexicon has again rocked the audio industry with a complete collection of the finest reverb plug-ins available. The PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle is the ultimate reverb plug-in for creating professional, inspirational mixes within popular DAWs like Pro Tools, Logic, and any other VST, Audio Unit, or RTAS compatible platform.

The Empirical Labs EL9 Mike-E is here!!

The Empirical Labs EL9 Mike-E is a modern digitally-controlled Microphone Preamplifier chocked with unusual features to warm and soften the source, along with an excellent compressor/limiter.

The Empirical Labs EL9 Mike-E offers an incredible performance transformer-coupled mic preamp, whose noise floor is far below any microphone's self noise. The one-of-a-kind "CompSat" section is an uncompromising compressor and saturator circuit that offers versatile "coloring", and classic knee compression.

MC2000 – Multi-band Compression

The MC2000 plug-in has the power and flexibility to emulate a wide variety of compressors in two, three, and four band configurations. But when the honeymoon of multi-band vintage emulations ends (if that were possible), the numerous uses of the MC2000 become apparent. The wide range of applications that have made the MC2000 one of the most popular multi-band compressor plug-ins ever created.

Onyx-i Mixers Compatible With Pro Tools M-Powered 8

Mackie announced that Onyx-i FireWire Recording Mixers are now fully compatible with all major DAWs, including Avid's Pro Tools M-Powered 8, Logic, Sonar, Cubase, Ableton Live, Acid Pro, Digital Performer and more.
Featuring FireWire integration, studio-quality mic pres and British-style EQ, the Onyx-i Mixers combine the best aspects of premium analog mixing with a high-quality computer interface.

Protools For Everyone!
Who loves Digidesign's Protools. Well, I think jsut about every one except BASF (The company that was making 2" tape) and the big studio owners who cant figure out how to create a new business model for their companies. The internet and the mp3 format have truly revolutionized the future of music distribution. Protools has basically made the same accomplish ment in the recording world.

SSL X-Patch, turns hardware to plug-ins


Maybe not really, but this looks like a beautiful invention if it works as advertised. The X-Patch will let you control hardware in similar ways to how you could plug-ins, for instance creating preset chains.

Elysia announces Mpressor- creative compressor

The mpressor plugin is the as close as it can get emulation of our famous creative compressor. Its all discrete circuitry and its special character have been translated into software in all the painstaking details by the specialists from brainworx. The result is an outstanding universal compressor as well as a dynamics effect machine which will significantly enhance the potentials of your sequencer.

McDSP November Special - Up to 30% Off Everything

For the month of November, McDSP offers a never before seen special, allowing all customers to purchase anything and everything for up to 30% off! That's right, we're starting off this Holiday Season with great savings on all bundles, individual products and upgrades. Visit the McDSP Store to take advantage of these great prices today.

I just got the news from Brainworx that they will release another freebie called bx_cleansweep. It consists of high- and low-pass filters, the “anti-crush” 6 dB low-pass, taken from bx_digital V2 to be exact. Love the joysticks on Brainworx stuff! Makes me want a surround panner so bad!

A little odd to announce that they will release a freebie. Maybe they didn’t have the time to finalize it in time for their newsletter? Anyway, look for bx_cleansweep sometime next week.

SoundToys is about to unveil a new plug-in at the upcoming AES.

Decapitator models the saturation or distortion created when driving professional analog studio equipment. SoundToys analyzed vintage and modern classics from Neve, API, Ampex, EMI and Thermionic Culture, and more to create accurate models of high-end studio gear. Decapitator creates that highly sought after analog sound from subtle harmonic changes to extreme driven distortion.

McDsp MC2000
The MC2000 plug-in has the power and flexibility to emulate a wide variety of compressors in two, three, and four band configurations. But when the honeymoon of multi-band vintage emulations ends (if that were possible), the numerous uses of the MC2000 become apparent.

Eleven Rack is here

Avid or Digidesign has introduced Eleven Rack (it’s hard to tell who, there isn’t a logo on the unit). The word was out fairly quick after Avid/Digidesign announced they were going to make an announcement, and yes, it was as expected somewhat of an Eleven integrated with an LE interface.

Flux Syrah is here
Finally, after weeks of teasing from Flux, their latest dynamic tool is here – Syrah. Well, teasing for you, I’ve been using it for some time now.

Syrah is not at all like the Pure Compressor or any other plug-in from Flux. This is a completely different beast with a very different approach. Lets first have a listen to what Flux has to say about it, after which I will provide you with my own insight.

Melodyne Editor with DNA now available in public beta

After a long wait, the Melodyne that rocked the recording world a few years back with its wicked presentation of what Celemony called “Direct Note Access” is now available for you to try out. It’s not up for sale yet, but an open beta is available to registered users. And yes, this includes owners of Malodyne Essential, meaning that people who bought a Pro Tools system not too long ago will be eligible to download it.

If you’ve missed DNA – or Direct Note Access – entirely, it could be explained as letting you alter individual notes in a chord, as opposed to just single notes that has previously been possible.

MIXING TECHNIQUES and TOOLS - Just Hit Mute
One of the best tricks you can learn when developing you mixing skills is how to use the MUTE button. The mute button on your mixer or DAWS virtual mixer should be used for two main purposes.

The first and most important one is silencing unwanted noise from in between section in your tracks. For example if your recorded all three verse in one take straight through to the end there is probably some noise during in the background during the chorus where the action takes place on another track or tracks. You should use your mute button during this section so unwanted noise is not heard underneath everything The most common noises you’ll get rid of are things like some one breathing, a note book page of rhymes being turned or better yet the under lying tone of the room that starts build up as your track count increases. Using the automation of your DAW is essential to this step. Alternately you could edit out noise manually or try using a noise gate but right now the MUTE button is the star so show it some love. Using the automated mutes also makes it look cool when your mixes play back every one will thing you a pro engineer.

Digidesign announce announcement to be made September 23

Have you seen the latest announcement at Digidesign? They state it’s time for guitarists to change their game. We’ll see about that.

Feel free to speculate…

In the meantime you can sign up to their newsletter and have the chance to win whatever their announcement is. Only citizens of US and Canada are welcome. Actually, Quebecians are not. Maybe Digidesign doesn’t like french-speaking Canadians?

Spectrasonics updates Stylus RMX

Spectrasonics has posted an update for Stylus RMX.Version 1.8.2d is a minor one, but improves RTAS performance among other things.

From Spectrasonics:

Contains the following changes:

• Loading a midi learn template now clears current assignments.
• Improved timing precision in RTAS version when using very large audio buffer sizes.
• Changed Time Designer templates so they have an effect when non-Main edit group selected.
• Improved graphics performance with some video cards.
• Fixed Flame Distortion in 64 bit version of plugin.

Spectrasonics

SONiVOX introduces SoundStage

SoundStage is SONiVOX’s latest virtual instrument including the sounds of guitars, basses, drums, orchestral instruments, synths, sfx, and more. All instruments (supposedly over 200) are programmed by Jennifer Hruska.

SoundStage also comes with a a number of FX by SONiVOX and iZotope (this partnership was announced a while back) including chorus, delay, reverb, and EQ. Aside from these regulars, the press release mentions filter and envelope controls sections, while the above picture tells of an LFO modulation section as well.

SoundStage costs no more than $99. There’s also a free trial available you could try before you buy.

More at SONiVOX

Music Streaming to Overtake Downloads

Streaming will overtake download services to become the dominant force in the online music industry, according to industry insiders. The claim comes in the wake of the PRS cutting the amount of royalties streaming services have to pay songwriters to about a third. Sites will now pay the PRS 0.085p per track, compared to the 0.22p they paid previously. On-demand streaming services still have to pay the record labels about 1p for every track streamed, however. Steve Purdham, CEO of music service We7, says the move will accelerate the growing trend towards online streaming which has seen newcomers such as his site and Spotify attract millions of users in less than a year. 'Over the next 12-24 months you'll see a move towards listening [online],' Purdham told PC Pro. 'Why do you actually need to have something downloaded on your PC? The streaming idea is really the future.

Last.fm Strongly Denies Sharing Data With RIAA

Last.fm and CBS vehemently deny sharing any user data with the RIAA, contrary to previous reports. One anonymous party calls it 'irresponsible journalism'" and Last.fm goes so far as to suggest it is a target of slander. Carla Duckworth of the RIAA confirmed, 'We've made no such request for this information.'

Music a 'mega-vitamin' for the brain

LONDON, England (CNN) -- When Nina Temple was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2000, then aged 44, she quickly became depressed, barely venturing out of her house as she struggled to come to terms with living with the chronic condition.
Sing for Joy is a choir made up of sufferers of neurological conditions plus friends, family and carers.

"I was thinking of all the things which I wished I'd done with my life and I wouldn't be able to do. And then I started thinking about all the things that I still actually could do and singing was one of those," Temple told CNN.

Along with a fellow Parkinson's sufferer, Temple decided, on a whim, to form a choir. The pair placed notices in doctor's surgeries inviting others to join them and advertised for a singing teacher.

By 2003, with the help of funding from the Parkinson's Disease Society, the resulting ensemble "Sing For Joy" was up and running, rehearsing weekly and soon graduating to public performances.

The group now consists of around two dozen singers, including sufferers of Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis, others recovering from conditions including stroke or cancer, plus their carers, family and friends. Led by acclaimed jazz performer Carol Grimes, the group's genre-defying repertoire ranges from Cole Porter classics to ethnic punk. Video Watch Sing for Joy perform »

"It's quite easy to get overwhelmed by the disease and having something that you do every week that makes you forget all your troubles and keeps you from feeling isolated is a great pleasure," says Temple.

But singing also has physical and neurological benefits for the choir's members. A common symptom of Parkinson's disease and similar conditions is voice loss and each week the group begins its rehearsals with vocal exercises worked out with speech therapists.
Vital Signs
Each month CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta brings viewers health stories from around the world.
See more from the show »

"All neurological conditions affect the throat because it has so many muscles," says Sarah Benton, another choir member with multiple sclerosis. "So singing, which makes you lift up your body and expand your lungs, is perfect for neurological diseases."

While "Sing for Joy's" DIY-style music therapy has provided obvious social, mental and physical benefits for its members, there is a growing body of clinical evidence suggesting that music can play a key role in aiding recovery or helping sufferers cope with a broad range of brain-based conditions.

Doctor Wendy Magee, International Fellow in Music Therapy at London's Institute of Neuropalliative Rehabilitation, describes music as a "mega-vitamin for the brain," capable of influencing and improving motor function, communication and even cognition.

"When neural pathways are damaged for one particular function such as language, musical neural pathways are actually much more complex and much more widespread within the brain," Magee told CNN.

"Music seems to find re-routed paths and that is why it is such a useful tool in terms of helping people with different kinds of brain damage because it can help to find new pathways in terms of brain functioning."
Don't Miss

* The power of music: It's a real heart opener
* Seeing color in sounds has genetic link
* Special Report: Vital Signs

Researchers in Finland have demonstrated that listening to music for several hours a day can enhance the rehabilitation of stroke patients.

In another study, stroke patients who were taught to play the piano or drums made speedier progress in their general recovery than patients who received only traditional therapy.

At Colorado State University, researchers have used musical and rhythmic cues as an effective tool to improve the movement and balance of Parkinson's disease sufferers and those with other degenerative diseases.

Melodic Intonation Therapy, in which musical exercises are used to improve speech, has proved an effective treatment for patients with aphasia, a disorder that results from damage to portions of the brain responsible for language.

Musical memories also seem to be more resilient to neural degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia, enabling therapists to use familiar tunes to cue memories which might otherwise have been lost.

One American World War II veteran whose dementia was so severe he couldn't remember his own name and would barely acknowledge his own wife was brought alive through ballroom dancing and the music of Frank Sinatra, the sufferer still able to lead his wife through the foxtrot as if it was the 1940s.

The power of music to enhance moods and emotions has long been harnessed by psychologists, but, as Dr. Lauren Stewart, director of a recently established course in Music, Mind and Brain at Goldsmiths University of London told CNN, "recent advances in neuroscience and brain imaging technology are now radically transforming conventional music therapy into a more rigorous and research-based clinical practice."

Professor Michael Thaut of Colorado State University's Center for Biomedical Research in Music, who has helped pioneer a new research-based approach known as Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT), says recent developments amount to a "paradigm shift."

"Therapists in all fields have been doing things for decades; now they're trying to figure out the research to support their work," Thaut told CNN. "NMT started as a science and now it's turning into a clinical field. And that's very exciting."

For now NMT remains on the fringes of standard neurological rehabilitation. But Magee believes its application and a general move away from psychoanalytical approaches dominant in the past, could bring music therapy towards the mainstream and make it an ever more effective tool.

"We are now starting to see the evidence for why we see things work. That also means we can fine tune what we do because we understand more about the neurological processing behind it," she said.

"But we're still at the point where we need to build the evidence base and translate that evidence base into practice so we can convince funders that music therapy is an important part of rehab practice."
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For the members of Sing For Joy however, the proof of the therapeutic power of music is already self-evident. "There is something about coming together and making a communal sound," said Sarah Benton. "There is nothing like it and it's wonderful."

Rumors Flying About New iPhone Capabilities

Jumping on the completely unconfirmed rumor bandwagon, it seems that there have been photos leaked for the new iPhone, which include things like an auto-focus camera, video capture, and a compass. The photos were originally displayed (and then quickly removed) on a Chinese forum, and quickly spread to many other sites, including a complete human translation on the MacRumors forum. Looks like Apple security may have to break a few more pocket protectors to keep employees in line.

Gretsch® Guitars Present The "Fred & Joe Show"

Gretsch enthusiasts will have the chance to celebrate the music Gretsch has been a part of since their guitar production began in the 1930s. What better way to pay tribute than to have, in-person‐the man himself, Fred Gretsch III, and Gretsch marketing honcho, Joe Carducci‐sharing the behind-the-scenes stories and musical performances that helped catapult the iconic family business to prominence.

Patrons will be transported through time with a multi-media presentation of sights and sounds including rare Gretsch family archive photos and mind blowing guitar footage from past and future legends. Also featured will be Fred's famous "$2 Quiz" where Gretsch trivia questions are posed and the person with the correct answer wins a crisp $2 bill. This is the chance to get to know Fred Gretsch up-close-and-personal in a casual open forum at a local Gretsch dealer.

The Gretsch "Fred & Joe Show" dates, cities and venues are:

JUNE
13 Brooklyn, N.Y. Street Sounds
26 Fort Wayne, Ind. Sweetwater Sound
27 Fort Wayne, Ind. Sweetwater Sound

JULY
18 San Antonio, Texas Redbone Guitars

AUG.
1 Rochester, N.Y. House of Guitars
8 Brookfield, Wis. Cream City
15 LaCrosse, Wis. Dave's Guitar
22 Tucson, Ariz. Rainbow Guitar
29 Los Angeles West LA Music

Music Collection Society PRS Has Announced A New Pricing Plan

The UK's music collection society, PRS, has announced a new pricing plan it hopes may entice YouTube and Pandora back to the UK market. Pandora pulled out at the start of 2008, and YouTube began removing content from the view of UK users last March. "From 1 July 2009, firms will have to pay 0.085p for each track streamed, down from the previous rate of 0.22p. [The] head of the music streaming service We7 told BBC News he welcomed the new charges. 'It's brilliant. Not so much the rates but the realization by the PRS that things have to change in the digital world. Till now it's felt like they were not listening,' he said. ... 'They [the PRS] are getting in touch with the reality of the digital world.' [The PRS's managing director said] 'We've laid our stall out and listened to everyone who would engage with us. We've consulted with the 25 firms that represent 97% of our revenue over the past six months and have been given opinions from many others. We need to ensure the music artists are paid for their work, but we also wanted to make sure that the framework was in place to enable the digital market to grow.'"

Nigerian icon King Sunny Ade announces North American tour

Rising to prominence in the late 1970s, Nigerian singer/songwriter King Sunny Ade made a name for himself by combining pedal-steel guitar and other Western sound with the traditional pop of his homeland.

This late spring / early summer brings him to North America, touring for five weeks as his Seven Degrees North album is re-released with US distribution.

King Sunny, 2009 Tour:
Full Tour Schedule

06/11/2009, Atlanta, GA, Variety Playhouse
06/12/2009, Manchester, TN, Bonnaroo Music Festival
06/14/2009, Los Angeles, CA, Playboy Jazz Festival
06/16/2009, Solana Beach, CA, Belly Up Tavern
06/18/2009, Santa Barbara, CA, Lobero Theatre
06/19/2009, San Francisco, CA, The Independent
06/20/2009, North Tahoe, CA, Truckee Regional Park
06/21/2009, Boonville, CA, Sierra Nevada World Music Fest
06/23/2009, Edmonton, AB, Francis Winspear Centre
06/24/2009, Calgary, AB, Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
06/26/2009, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver International Jazz Fest
06/27/2009, Victoria, BC, Jazz Fest International
06/29/2009, Seattle, WA, The Triple Door
06/30/2009, Apple Valley, MN, Weesner Amphitheater
07/01/2009, Highland Park, IL, Ravina Festival
07/03/2009, Rothbury, MI, Rothbury Festival
07/04/2009, Toronto, ON, Harbourfront Centre
07/05/2009, Montreal, QC, Festival International De Jazz De Montreal
07/07/2009, South Burlington, VT, Higher Ground,
07/10/2009, Ottawa, ON, Cisco Ottawa Bluefest 2009
07/11/2009, Quebec City, QC, Quebec City International Summer Fest
07/12/2009, Schenectady, NY, Music Haven
07/14/2009, Camden, NJ, Wiggins Park
07/15/2009, Boston, MA, Museum of Fine Arts
07/17/2009, Washington, DC, 9:30 Club

Comparing Compressors on Drums

Taken from the "Compression: The Essentials" tutorial by HowAudio.com, audio engineer Jeff Dykhouse compares the Digirack II, Bomb Factory LA-2A, Digirack III, Drawmer Dynamics, Waves Linear Phase Multi-band, Smack, Renaissance, and Waves SSL E Channel compressors on a drum track. You to listen to each and identify the differences.

Compressors included in the tutorial are:

Software:
1. Digirack Compressor II
2. Bomb Factory 1176
3. Drawmer GCL
4. Waves SSL E Channel
5. Waves Master Bus Compressor
6. Waves Linear Multi-band
7. Waves Renaissance Compressor
8. Bomb Factory LA-2A
9. McDSP MC2000 Multi-band
10. Digirack Compressor III
11. Digidesign Smack!

Hardware:
1. Teletronix LA-3A
2. Smart Research C2
3. dbx 160x
4. Aphex Compellor
5. Behringer Tube Composer T1952

RIAA MediaSentry, Dead In US, Is Alive In Australia

Disgraced and discredited 'private investigator' MediaSentry, fired by former patrons Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music, and Sony Music and their RIAA, may be dead and buried in America, but it's alive and well, resurfacing in Australia where it's once again plying its trade, probably under new management.

Apple Tablet Rumors Again

With a conventional netbook clearly out of the question, researchers for Piper Jaffray said Thursday there's mounting evidence to suggest Apple next year will introduce its own take on the market in the form of a tablet-based device that will sell for $700 or less

For Chris Vrenna, Today’s Pro Tools Delivers Yesterday’s Analog Sounds

Chris Vrenna is no stranger to the digital domain. The Grammy-winning producer, engineer, remixer, songwriter and programmer has a long history of working with technology. Between his work with Nine Inch Nails and Marylin Manson, remixes for David Bowie, U2 and Smashing Pumpkins, and composing for a wide range of video games, Vrenna spends most of his waking hours working in Pro Tools.

“I was fortunate to have grown up in the early ‘80s, when synthesizers and electronics were really taking off,” he says. “When I was 12 or so, I saw an ad for an electronic drum kit, and saved up all my money to buy one. I fell in love with the idea that I could create beats using any sound at all, not just kick, snare and toms. So for me, the advent of MIDI sequencing and digital recording was just huge.”

Pro Tools has always been a big part of Vrenna’s creative arsenal, and the new enhancements to Pro Tools 8 make it an even more powerful tool. He finds the new user interface particularly impressive. “The first thing I said when I booted up the new version was ‘wow, that’s just beautiful!’ I stare at Pro Tools for ten or twelve hours a day, six days a week, and this new interface makes my work a real pleasure.”

Vintage sounds have always been a big part of Vrenna’s sound, and the arsenal of new virtual instruments in Pro Tools 8 offer a wide-ranging palette of luscious sounds. “There are so many great instruments and sounds in Pro Tools 8,” he says. “Boom is a lot of fun – it’s like having an old (Roland) TR-808 or TR-909 drum machine. Transfuser is insane – a heck of a lot of fun to use. And I love working with Strike, especially the individual note muting. And Vacuum – the sounds are all so fat, so dirty and analog sounding.”

Most important for Vrenna, though, is the ease with which Pro Tools 8 allows him to manipulate audio and MIDI in composing and remixing. “MIDI sequencing and sampling has always been part of my sound,” he says, “and Pro Tools 8 enables me to easily and seamlessly integrate that into my work. It’s such a streamlined, intuitive workflow.”

miniMusic Releases The Pianofly Pro Synth For Iphone And iPod Touch

miniMusic has released Pianofly, a music synthesizer and piano keyboard application for Apple's iPhone platform. Pianofly pairs an intuitive live-scrolling, multi-touch keyboard with a powerful FM synthesizer and an elegant interface allowing anyone to create and edit instrument sounds easily. Make quick adjustments while performing, altering sounds on the fly!

The first feature you notice in Pianofly is the keyboard. Other piano applications for the iPhone generally show just one octave of keys, then use tiny arrow buttons to shift up or down an octave. Hogwash. That's the kind of piano you'd play with a mouse! The keyboard in Pianofly moves with you, scrolling as you play; let your fingers fly up and down the full 88 key piano! This is how on-screen pianos always wanted to work, but didn't know how.

Then you notice the sounds. Eight pages full of customizable instrument icons. Just tap one and start playing. Want to design your own instrument timbre? Of course you do; double tap on an icon and the editor is revealed. You actually see the waves and adjust their lengths to set frequencies and change waveforms. Rewire the nodes for modulation. Double tap on a node and edit its ADSR envelope for smooth amplitude changes: give it a hard, fast attack or fade it in slowly, rising gently on the breeze. Use any photo or image to make the perfect icon for your new instrument.

Pianofly can make a huge variety of sounds. You can play them alone, or jam with a song from your music library. A great way for DJs to add cool effects over their playlist or for students to practice playing a song. Come out of your musical cocoon; make music anywhere with Pianofly in your pocket.

Planned improvements include multi-track recording and additional wave types and effects like reverb or flange to design even more elaborate sounds. The sky is the limit for Pianofly (are you getting all of these puns?).

Pianofly is available now from the Apple App Store at an introductory price of only $1.99 USD. After the introductory period, the normal price will be $2.99 or higher as additional features are added.

FourTrack iPhone App 2.0 Update Adds Bounce, Duplicate and Metronome

The FourTrack multitrack audio recorder for the iPhone has been updated to v2.0 with new, highly anticipated song tools including bounce, duplicate and a metronome with real drum recordings.

• Bounce — Mix your song to track 1 and 2 of a new song. This makes room for two more tracks while preserving the originals for syncing to desktop recording software.

•Duplicate — Make a backup of your song and continue working on it in a different file.

•Metronome — Maintain a consistent tempo by recording along with real drums (not MIDI) using FourTrack’s built-in metronome. Select a tempo by entering a number or by tapping. Choose from seven sounds including three beats by celebrity drummer Jason McGerr on his signature Ludwig kit recorded in his Seattle based studio, Two Sticks Audio. Other sounds (Block A, Block B, High Hat, and Pop) are samples of live drums and percussion courtesy of Discrete Drums, the original multitrack drum library. Time signatures include 3/4, 4/4, 6/8 and X/4 (which are unaccented beats that can be used to play 5, 7, 9 and other odd meters).

About FourTrack
The FourTrack multitrack audio recorder for the iPhone is a songwriting and practice tool for singers, guitar players, piano players and other musicians who want to capture musical ideas and record songs on their iPhone. Plug in a microphone, arm a track, record, and repeat. FourTrack works with the iPhone built-in microphone or a headset mic. WiFi sync allows FourTrack recordings to be downloaded to any desktop computer running RiffWorks recording software or with any web browser. Tracks can then be loaded into any desktop recording software to continue working on songs. FourTrack is developed by Sonoma Wire Works, makers of RiffWorks guitar recording software, and by Retronyms, makers of the top selling Recorder iPhone app.

Visit the FourTrack product page at: http://www.sonomawireworks.com/iphone/fourtrack/

Sony Releases Vintage Computer and Video Game Music Loop/FX Library

Sony Creative Software has now released our new loop and sample music library called, "8 Bit Weapon: A Chiptune Odyssey". The library covers original music & sounds from the Apple II, Commodore 64, Nintendo NES & Gameboy, and the Atari 2600! Each system library has everything from drums, bass and synth to special effects.

Released: 04/21/2009
MSRP $41.95 CD/ $39.95 Digital Download
Sony's Official release site: http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/8bitweapon

Canadian Pirates Sell Spurious Songs — In 1897

The NYTimes reported in their June 13, 1897 edition that 'Canadian pirates' were flooding the country with spurious editions of the latest copyrighted popular songs. 'They use the mails to reach purchasers, so members of the American Music Publishers Association assert, and as a result the legitimate music publishing business of the United States has fallen off 50 per cent in the past twelve months' while the pirates published 5,000,000 copies of songs in just one month. The Times added that pirates were publishing sheet music at 2 cents to 5 cents per copy although the original compositions sold for 20 to 40 cents per copy. But 'American publishers had held a conference' and a 'committee had been appointed to fight the pirates' by getting the 'Post Office authorities to stop such mail matter because it infringes the copyright law.' Interestingly enough the pirates of 1897 worked in league with Canadian newspapers that published lists of songs to be sold, with a post office box address belonging to the newspaper itself. Half the money went to pay the newspapers' advertising while the other half went to the pirates who sent the music by mail.

Avid Unveils New Brand Identity

Avid® today unveiled a new brand identity as part of the company's business transformation to better serve the interests and needs of its audio and video customers—who range from home enthusiasts to complex media enterprises, and create the most listened to, most watched and most loved media in the world.

At the center of Avid's brand identity is a new logo composed of simple geometric shapes derived from the buttons, icons and markers that consumers and professionals recognize as fundamental to the digital audio and video solutions they use every day to enable their creativity. The new logo forms a visual connection to iconic shapes that represent "volume up, volume down, play, pause, record and forward," signaling a unification of the company's core audio and video offerings. The distinctive mark also spells out the company's name in abstract letterforms.

"Avid is coming together as one company with new offerings, a new strategy, and a new operating model. We are stronger as one company than we are as separate parts, and we have a unique opportunity to help our customers achieve greater success in a digital world," said Gary Greenfield, Chairman and CEO of Avid. "Our new identity is one of the powerful ways we are communicating the evolution of our business as well as our commitment to partner with customers by understanding exactly what they want to do. Whether it's the flawless execution of a global television broadcast, a chart-topping hit song, a lean-forward moment on the big screen or in a sold out concert venue, or a home movie that family members will cherish for a lifetime, our customers want integrated, interoperable, and open audio and video offerings. By pulling together all of our category-creating technologies under one roof, we are beginning to serve our customers with digital media solutions unlike any other company in the world."

Historically, Avid has been a family of separate, industry-leading businesses—Avid, Digidesign®, M-Audio®, Pinnacle Systems® and Sibelius®—that served audio and video customers independently of one another. As part of a strategic transformation that began last year, Avid's new brand identity communicates the fusing of these businesses and further positions the company to capitalize on the convergence of digital audio and video technology while addressing customer requirements for integrated systems that enhance creativity and deliver significant ROI.

Dave Lebolt, Avid's Chief Technology Officer, said, "We are refining the way we define and develop our solutions, leveraging technology across all of our audio and video capabilities in ways that no other company can. Having unification across the breadth and depth of Avid's portfolio allows us to accelerate interoperability between Avid systems—like Pro Tools® and Media Composer®. These two systems now sync smoothly via Video Satellite, allowing users to connect a Pro Tools|HD® system to an Avid Media Composer system for synchronized playback and connect up to four Pro Tools|HD systems plus one Media Composer when adding the Satellite Link option—and all without requiring any rendering of complex video sequences. We're also in a better position to further explore integrated bundled offerings—and how these offerings work openly with third-party applications—in a way that meets new and emerging demands of today's content creators. We look forward to working closely with our customers to define these next-generation solutions."

At NAB this week, the results of the changes at Avid and its commitment to customer success will be on full display. For the first time, the company will be showcasing audio and video products side-by-side—and in integrated workflows—throughout its booth. Customers will experience Avid solutions working openly with products from more than 40 third-party companies—including Final Cut Pro running on Avid Unity™ ISIS® shared storage, and Avid NewsCutter® systems sending Sony XDCAM footage for playout on Omneon servers. Avid will also host a range of high-profile customers who will deliver main stage presentations about key audio and video innovations, such as RED workflows, 3D stereoscopic editing, surround sound mixing and file-based workflows

YouTube Symphony Orchestra Debuts At Carnegie Hall

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice. Then, audition on YouTube. When a 10-year-old Hannah Tarley asked to get her ears pierced, her mom told the aspiring violinist she could if she performed at Carnegie Hall. Seven years later, using a computer placed atop several volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 17-year-old Hannah filmed herself playing Brahms' Symphony No. 4 to audition by video for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. On April 15, Hannah will made her debut with others who made the cut at New York City's Carnegie Hall in a concert conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, music director of the San Francisco Symphony.

Zombie Macs Launch DoS Attack

ZDNet has a story (and several related articles) about how Symantec has discovered evidence of an all-Mac based botnet that is actively involved in a DOS attack. Apparently, security on the exploited Macs (call them iBots?) was compromised when unwary users bit-torrented pirated copies of iWork 09 and Photoshop CS4 that contained malware. From the article: 'They describe this as the "first real attempt to create a Mac botnet" and notes that the zombie Macs are already being used for nefarious purposes.'

Facebook Users Get Lower Grades In College

According to a survey of college students Facebook users have lower overall grades than non-users. The study by Aryn Karpinski, an education researcher at Ohio State University, found that Facebook user GPAs are in the 3.0 to 3.5 range on average, compared to 3.5 to 4.0 for non-users and that Facebook users also studied anywhere from one to five hours per week, compared to non-users who studied 11 to 15 or more hours per week. Karpinski emphasized that correlation does not equal causation and that the grades association could be caused by something else. 'I'm just saying that there's some kind of relationship there, and there's many third variables that need to be studied.' One hypothesis is that students who spend more time enjoying themselves rather than studying might tend to latch onto the nearest distraction, such as Facebook or that students who use the social networking site might also spend more time on other non-studying activities such as sports or music. 'It may be that if it wasn't for Facebook, some students would still find other ways to avoid studying, and would still get lower grades. But perhaps the lower GPAs could actually be because students are spending too much time socializing online.' As for herself, Karpinski said she doesn't have a Facebook account, although the co-author of the study does. 'For me, I think Facebook is a huge distraction.

Apple Shifts iTunes Pricing; $0.69 Tracks MIA

Steve Jobs vowed weeks ago that when iTunes shifted to a tiered price structure in April, older tracks priced at $0.69 would outnumber the contemporary hits that are rising to $1.29. Today, several weeks later, iTunes made the transition. While the $1.29 tracks are immediately visible, locating cheaper tracks is proving to be an exercise in futility. With the exception of 48 songs that Apple has placed on the iTunes main page, $0.69 downloads are a scarce commodity. MP3 Newswire tried to methodically drill down to unearth more of them only to find: 1) A download like Heart's 34-year-old song Barracuda went up to $1.29, not down. 2) Obscure '90s Brit pop and '50s rockabilly artists — those most likely to benefit from a price drop — remained at $0.99. 3) Collected tracks from a cross-section of 1920s, '30s, and '40s artists all remained at $0.99. Finally, MP3 Newswire called up tracks in the public domain from an artist named Ada Jones who first recorded in 1893 on Edison cylinder technology. The price on all of the century-old, public-domain tracks remained at $0.99. (The same tracks are available for free on archive.org.) The scarcity of lower-priced tracks may reflect the fact that the labels themselves decide which price tier they want to pursue for a given artist; and they are mostly ignoring the lower tier. Meanwhile, Amazon's UK site has decided to counter-promote their service by dropping prices on select tracks to 29 pence ($0.42).

Harbourside IT Graduate Nomated for Leo Award

Congratulations to Stephen Hamm on his Leo Nomination for "Impact!" Best Sound Editing. Also congratulations to Harbourside Instructor Ken Cade for his Leo Nomination for Best Sound Design. You can view the other nominees here.

Music Game - Alpine Legend for the Xbox 360

Microsoft has announced the upcoming release of Alpine Legend for the Xbox 360. Building upon the established titles of the music game genre, Alpine Legend takes you to the Swiss mountaintops, where you and your friends play up to three Alpenhorns at a time while a fourth yodels along. When you're done playing, you can disassemble the 8-foot horns for easy storage. "Jam with alpine legends like Franz 'The Manz' Lang and Johann Hornbostel. Shake the mountain tops with 100 classic Alphorn tracks including, 'Whose spit is in my horn?' and 'More goat bell (It needs).

PRS Demands License Fee To Play Music To Horses

A woman in Bushton, Wilts, has been told by the Performing Rights Society (PRS for Music) that she needs to pay an annual fee in order to play classical music from the radio to the horses in her stable, something that she has been doing for the past 20 years. The PRS claims that it's not about the horses — rather, it's about her staff of over two people, which puts Mrs. Greenway in the same category as shops, bars and cafes. 'The staff are not bothered whether they have the radio on or not, in fact they don't particularly like my music and turn if off when I'm not around,' said Mrs. Greenway, 62. 'Especially on windy days I try to play it — it gives [the horses] a nice quiet atmosphere, you can only exercise one horse at a time so it helps the others to stay calm. We are right next to the RAF Lyneham air base so it dulls the noise from the aircraft as well.

MP3 HD

Thomson, the company that licenses the MP3 patent, has released a new lossless MP3 format called mp3HD. It utilises both lossless and lossy audio contained inside a single .mp3 file, and the files will play on all existing MP3 players. The idea is simple: lossless files on your desktop that can be transferred without conversion to iPods and MP3 players. The issue, it transpires, is that although the full lossless/lossy hybrid MP3 file is transferred to players, only the lossy element can be played back. A command line encoder can be found on Thomson's Web site.

17 Million People Stopped Buying CDs In 2008

NPD's annual survey found that 17 million CD customers dropped out last year. Among the good news is that streaming services such as Pandora are growing fast. "While overall music sales were up 10 percent in 2008, the year saw a drop not only in CD sales, but also in the number of customers actually purchasing music. But according to a new report, the act of listening to music is actually on the rise. ... NPD's annual Digital Music Study found that there were 17 million fewer CD customers in 2008 than in past years. CD sales have been dropping for quite some time, and while 1.5 billion songs were sold digitally last year, the number of Internet users paying for digital music only increased by 8 million in 2008."

New Musical Instruments Battle for $10K in Prizes

Jan Perschy's SGSX-H 750 is just what it looks like: a motorcycle engine with a keyboard attached.

As the teeth of the engine's gears travel at varying speeds past pick-ups that normally detect piston position, they generate tones that can be controlled with a keyboard. The third component, pictured to the left of the keyboard in the photo, is the voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) that makes up for relative discrepancies in volume.

Perschy said his goal was to play the gears in a motor the same way that a Hammond organ plays its spinning tone wheels. The VCA module wasn't working when we made the recording below, an apparent victim of rough travel, but this was still a fascinating display.

Piracy Case Could Change Canadian Web landscape

A recent Canadian court case brought against the Canadian Recording Industry Association by isoHunt Web Technologies, Inc, could drastically change the web landscape in Canada. "The question before the British Columbia Supreme Court is if a site such as isoHunt allows people to find a pirated copy of movies such as Watchmen or The Dark Knight, is it breaching Canadian copyright law? 'It's a huge can of worms," said David Fewer, acting director of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic at the University of Ottawa. 'I am surprised that this litigation has gone under the radar as much as it has. I do think this is the most important copyright litigation going on right now.'"

Spectrasonics Releases Stylus RMX v1.7 with 'Time Designer'

Spectrasonics has released Stylus RMX® version 1.7 ( http://www.spectrasonics.net/instruments/stylusrmx.html), featuring an innovative and completely new capability called 'Time Designer™' which intelligently transforms RMX audio loops into different time signatures and features the ability to "Groove Lock" the feel of any groove to another ‐ all in real time. Time Designer also lets the user create instant pattern variations with smart algorithms based on musical rules, and to 'simplify' any RMX groove in a musical manner. Version 1.7 is also the first 64‐bit native software release from Spectrasonics, includes all the new effects from Omnisphere and useful workflow enhancements to RMX, such as Suite Editing and Host Transport Sync. The new version is a free download for all registered users of Stylus RMX and is available now from the Spectrasonics website.

Eric Persing, Founder and Creative Director of Spectrasonics notes, "We received amazing reactions to our demonstrations of Stylus RMX version 1.7 at the January NAMM show. People really loved how easy it is to harness the power of Time Designer; it's a major creative boost for users with its ability to instantly Groove Lock to the feel of any groove across the entire RMX library. It's like suddenly having ten times the amount of grooves at your fingertips! Over the years, many composers and arrangers have requested the ability to have any groove in any time signature: now they can. With all of this and the ability to create pattern variations in a totall y musical way, the new version of RMX is almost a rebirth of the plug‐in and how it can be used. We are really looking forward to seeing how this inspires our users to take their groove production into brand new musical directions."

To see and hear what a few of the visitors to the Spectrasonics NAMM demo of Time Designer had to say, check out the video at: http://www.spectrasonics.net/news/namm2009.php

The new RMX version 1.7 contains a totally new way for users to browse and use their entire RMX library by offering the user the ability to Groove Lock any loop in real time to another loop or MIDI File. The user simply chooses a designated loop as the Groove Lock master, and switches one button ("Settings"): now all the loops that are played as the user browses are Groove Locked to that main feel.

RMX's Time Designer capabilities are available in any designated time signature. Once new Time Signatures are selected, the browsing experience works the same way ‐ dramatically changing the experience of groove production in time signatures other than 4/4. Working on a 6/8 ballad? Simply choose 6/8 in Time Designer and the entire RMX library is now instantly available rearranged in 6/8 patterns!

For multiple time signatures in a piece of music the user simply s ets the first time signature variation, drags and drops the MIDI file to the sequencer, then sets the time signature to a new one and repeats the process for each section of music that requires a new time signature. The MIDI Files that are dragged to the host sequencer are "imprinted" with all the Groove Lock and Time Signature changes in the MIDI data, making it easy to customize the loops further.

Time Designer's Pattern Variation section allows the user to instantly check out useful variations on a loop. Time Designer makes rearrangements of the pattern based on a series of musical rules creating useful variations, and is available for all time signatures (including 4/4 pattern variations). Best of all, Time Designer and Chaos Designer can be used together!

The Simplify function provides an easy way to instantly customize audio loops to better fit the user's music. Turning the Simplify knob takes out slices and makes more space for other musical parts. Used along with Groove Lock, Simplify allows the user to quickly layer synchronized grooves to create one‐of‐a‐kind groove combinations. The Time Designer page shows a graphic of the groove's time slices to give the user instant visual feedback along with the changing groove as the Simplify knob is turned. Anything in RMX can be used with Simplify including tonal, percussive and imported REX libraries.

All Time Designer features also work with third party RMX libraries and imported REX files, as long as the grooves are sliced properly.

All of the new effects from Spectrasonics' Omnisphere have been added to RMX v1.7 as well: Formant Filter: Adds characteristics of the human vocal tract by chaining a narrow set of bandpass filters, set at specific frequencies, which reflect the formants of the human voice. Smoke Amp: An amp/speaker simulator with a full set of amplifier controls, speaker combinations and modeled versions of several classic guitar amplifiers. Ultra Chorus: A 'lush' custom chorus, with a very dense, rich character compared with standard Chorus units. Retro‐Phaser: A vibey sounding vintage Phaser, with more features than the EZ‐Phaser and a dedicated page for tone shaping. Retro‐Flanger: A vibey sounding vintage Flanger, with more features than the original Flanger and a dedicated page for tone shaping. Chorus Echo: Inspired by the classic Roland Chorus‐Echo units from the 1970s, this unit combines both analog‐style delay and chorusing, but includes new features, like stereo width control and a dedicated 'Dirt' control for a more gritty sound.

RMX version 1.7 also sports several user‐requested features such as Suite Editing for easy customization and better 'Favorites' management of users own collections of loops, sequencer Host Transport Sync so that RMX will follow the host sequencer's tr ansport controls and song position.

The new version is also the first 64‐bit native software release from Spectrasonics, keeping pace with the industry‐wide move towards 64‐bit systems and access to more RAM. Windows 64‐bit compatibility has been released first in version 1.7, then a 64‐bit Mac version of RMX will follow.

Stylus RMX v1.7 with Time Designer is available today, March 2, 2009, and the update is FREE to all registered RMX users as a download from the Spectrasonics website at http://www.spectrasonics.net/updates/index.php

Metallica’s Lars Ulrich ‘Pirates’ His Own Album

Lars Ulrich, drummer for Metallica, and long time opponent of file sharing admitted to 'pirating' his own album, Death Magnetic last year. 'I sat there myself and downloaded "Death Magnetic" from the Internet just to try it,' he said. 'I was like, "Wow, this is how it works." I figured if there is anybody that has a right to download "Death Magnetic" for free, it's me.

Conflicted On Guitar Hero and Rock Band

Wired is running a story about the friction between the music industry and music-based games, such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Despite the fact that these games are very successful and are drawing a great deal of attention to the music represented in the games, the industry is not pleased with the licensing arrangements that allow the games to use their songs. Quoting: "Putting the brakes on music gaming would hurt everyone in the ailing music industry. Instead of demanding greater profit participation, Warner should be angling for creative participation. Thirty years ago, Hollywood took a similar threat — the VCR — and turned it into a new source of revenue, building customer loyalty in the process. The music industry could use new games the same way — but its track record suggests that it won't."

Apogee Discontinues Windows Development

As of 2009, Apogee Electronics will no longer develop products for the Microsoft Windows platform. Apogee has made this decision in order to focus all research, development, and support resources on the Apple platform with its unparalleled power and stability. Apple offers a wide range of affordable, powerful desktop and laptop solutions ideally suited for music creation and audio production.

Apogee will continue to develop and manufacture premium converters, microphone preamplifiers, clocking solutions, and supporting technologies that provide world-class solutions for Mac-based production environments.

Windows users can obtain the Apogee sound by connecting Apogee converters to their Windows-compatible audio interface via AES, optical, or S/PDIF. Apogee technical support will continue to support legacy Windows configurations installed on Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Death To Music and Media?

Boing Boing editor Cory Doctorow depicts an unfortunate near-future for a handful of media industries being transformed or killed by the Internet. Predicting a large-scale transformation of the music, movie, book, and newspaper industry, Doctorow says, 'The Internet chews up media and spits them out again. Sometimes they get more robust. Sometimes they get more profitable. Sometimes they die.' While the Internet has the potential to help the dying book industry, for example, Doctorow predicts the 'imminent collapse' of the American newspaper industry because advertisers are uninterested in spending money on the remaining offline readership, such as senior citizens, who prove less valuable.

Last.fm Shoots Down Rumors Over U2 Album Leak

Internet radio site Last.fm has denied reports that it told the record industry which of its members had listened to a leaked U2 album. The site claims the entire story, published by Techcrunch, was made up. Last week the record industry became extremely concerned after U2's forthcoming album appeared on several torrent file sharing sites. While there is no way any users could have acquired the album through Last.fm, the site's statistics suggest that more than 8,000 users have played the unreleased album on their machines.

A New Direction for Sound

Ultrasonics have been successfully used in medicine to break up gall stones, but from a consumer point of view our electronics provide relatively little control over how our sounds behave. In a hi-fi system, loudspeakers are still spreading waves in all directions (possibly upsetting the neighbours in the process).

Woody Norris has invented a system which provides much more control over sound waves. In fact, his speakers are so directional that you could listen to music in bed at full volume and the person beside you would not hear a thing.

In the following TED video, Woody explains a bit about his invention. One of his most avid early adopters was the US miliary - they used his device to create the sound of troop manoeuvres on a hillside a mile away, while the actual troops could proceed unheard. An even better tactic was to broadcast choice verses from the Koran straight into the ears of a suspected terrorist - the voice of God is now under military control...

Internet Killed the Satellite Radio Star

As Sirius XM faces bankruptcy, Slate's Farhad Manjoo reports that the company has bigger problems than just the end of cheap credit. While it has what seems like a pretty great service — the world's best radio programming for just a small monthly fee — Sirius XM has been eclipsed by something far cheaper and more convenient: the Internet. Load up Pandora or the Public Radio Tuner on your iPhone, and you've got access to a wider stream of music than you'll ever get through satellite. So forget the satellites, the special radios, and the huge customer acquisition costs, advises Manjoo, and instead focus on getting Howard Stern, Oprah, the NFL, and MLB on every Internet-connected device on the market at very low prices.

Music Xray™ Makes Artists' Marketing Challenges Easier

Music Xray works to give artists the ability to control, optimize and present essential statistical, analytical, biographical, review and tagging information about their song within one song capsule called a Music Xray. Over the past eighteen months, Platinum Blue Music Intelligence Inc has quietly licensed and developed music information retrieval technology to help song owners streamline their efforts in promoting their music. Platinum Blue's initiative to alter the music promotion landscape is called Music Xray and is now available at www.musicxray.net.

The majority of people working in the music industry today suffer from the inefficiencies of the marketplace - the challenge of getting a song into the hands of the right person, the costly promotion of songs, the difficulty in reaching their audience, etc. Millions of dollars are spent ineffectively. Great music goes unheard. Music Xray address these challenges by capturing the things artists need to measure, monitor and grow the market demand for their songs into a simply designed, widget-like song capsule.

Bass Drum Condenser Mic

The BDM-01 is a brand new bass drum microphone that has a condenser capsule hand built by Milab in Sweden and provides superb attack and high-frequency response, especially when compared to dynamic capsules, which are found in most bass drum microphones.

The electronics have been specifically designed to handle the power of the most hard-hitting drummers - the BDM-01 takes 155 dB without audible distortion. The dynamic range, frequency response, sensitivity and pop filters have been optimised for the sound and power of the bass drum and other bass instruments.

http://www.milabmic.com/

Sparrow Launches Von Drat Surf Guitar

Vancouver based Sparrow Guitars has introduced the Von Drat surf guitar at the 2009 NAMM Show. The Von Drat is the newest addition to Sparrow's family of retro guitars which includes the Big Daddy, Primitive, Rat Rod and Twangmaster models.

The Von Drat joins Sparrow's Rat Rod and Twangmaster as available in the premium "Continental" line. Made in Vancouver, BC Canada, the Von Drat surf guitar features Burns Tri-Sonic pickups, Grover tuners, bone nut and Wilkinson tremolo. With an alder body, maple neck and rosewood fingerboard, the Von Drat is a 21-fret, 12" radius, 25½" scale length guitar with the volume and tone top-hat knobs and three-way selector switch located at the lower bout for versatility and playability. The Von Drat is currently available in Tudor Black and Avocado Green, with custom pickguard.

Check it out at: http://www.sparrowguitars.com/

CBC Pays Tribute to the 808

It helped Marvin Gaye get some sexual healing. Beyonce and the Beastie Boys have sung (and rapped) its praises. The most revered makers of hip hop, techno and industrial rock couldn’t live without it. And now the most popular MC of our day pays tribute to it in the name of his new album.

You can read the full article here.

Native Instruments Announces MASCHINE Production Studio

Native Instruments today announced MASCHINE, a next-generation groove production studio that makes beat creation and arrangement more immediate and tactile than ever before. The system combines an advanced software sequencer and sampler with a seamlessly integrated, highly functional performance controller. Finally merging a fast and intuitive groove-box workflow with the power and versatility of software, MASCHINE enables an inspiring and spontaneous creative approach for today's computer-based music production setups.

MASCHINE is built on an intelligent combination of timeless groove box and drum machine workflows, systematically refined and expanded to take advantage of the best aspects of computer technology. It brings together flexible step sequencing and real-time polyphonic recording in a forward-thinking pattern-based arrangement concept that makes it easy to jam out ideas, and turn them into full-blown songs in a way that is efficient, effortless and fun. MASCHINE was designed to accommodate and facilitate inspiration at any point in the creative process, from spontaneous beat creation to sophisticated multi-timbral arranging.

For more information, visit their web site at www.native-instruments.com.

Access Music Releases Virus TI2 Series Synthesizer

Access Music is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the Virus TI2 series. The successor of the acclaimed range of totally integrated synthesizers adds 25% more calculating power and sports a redesigned housing and front panel. Access also used new materials to bring down the weight of the keyboard versions. On the software side of things, a major feature update, OS3, will be available by the time you read this. The new operating system adds several new FX such as a Tape Delay, Frequency Shifter and several new Distortion algorithms along with a new feature called Character.

Character allows you to adjust the overall tone of a preset reminiscent of several vintage and well-known synthesizers. In addition you can emphasis certain aspects of the patch to allow it to cut better through the mix, or fade it into the background with an extra-wide stereo field. The new distortions were built from scratch and feature an extreme dynamic range along with sophisticated controls to tailor the sound to your specific needs. They can add everything from warm, tube-like overtones to complete sonic deconstruction more reminiscent of circuit-bending. The new algorithms also include a revamped bit and sampling-rate reduction, allowing you to change the quality and cutoff point with precise, continuously variable control.

The stereo Frequency Shifter and the new Ring Modulator are state of the art algorithms modelled with old '70s stomp boxes in mind.

The Tape Delay goes way beyond the possibilities of the real Tape Delays in the '60s and '70s. It smoothly syncs to tempo, lets you decide if a Doppler effect takes place when changing the tempo, and even switching the delay time between presets is all smooth, making it perfect for performers. Last but not least, a modification to the main "VCA" algorithm enables OS3 users to design gating FX known from electro and minimal influenced music.

New McDsp Plugins

The Retro Pack bundle includes the 4020 Retro EQ, the 4030 Retro Compressor and the 4040 Retro Limiter. Channel G Compact delivers the same sonic experience as Channel G with a smaller DSP footprint. Channel G Surround is a Compressor/Limiter optimized for 5.1 channels using 4 compressors sets – LR, C, LsRs, and LFE. And finally, Emerald Pack 4.0 will include the new Channel G Compact plug-in along with existing products; Analog Channel, Channel G, Chrome Tone, CompressorBank, DE555, FilterBank, FutzBox, MC2000, ML4000, NF575, Revolver and Synthesizer One.

All new products will be shipping late Q1 2009.

For more information please visit www.mcdsp.com

Celebrate CBC Radio One on 88.1 FM!

CBC Radio One in Vancouver can now be heard on both 690 AM and 88.1 FM! To celebrate their new expanded coverage help us spread the word!

Send in a photo of yourself, your family, your friends, your colleagues, your pets, your car, your house, your tree – whomever or whatever you can recruit – and help the CBC promote their newest place on the dial: 88.1 FM!

You can also create a message to send out via online social networks.

Your photo should include the message that you can now tune in and hear CBC Radio One on 88.1 FM. If the message is outside, it should be readable to anyone walking, biking, boating or driving by it. If the message is via social networking, the photo and the message must be easily viewable.

The judges will be looking for originality in presentation and design, as well as maximum visibility.

This is your chance to get your creative juices flowing!

Nine Inch Nails: The First Open-Source Band?

From PC WORLD DOT COM:

Throughout his 20+ year career as the man behind industrial-rock act Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor has been no stranger to the ways of Creative Commons and digital distribution. In fact, he's let fans tinker with his musical creations as far back as the 1999 release of his two-disc album, "The Fragile," two years before the sharing and remixing licensing arrangements of the non-profit organization Creative Commons even existed.

In an era when record labels fight the underground, unpaid spread of music tooth-and-nail, and companies like Apple take six years to strip the Digital Rights Management out of their massive online song stores, Reznor seems to have found a fire in non-traditional distribution arrangements. He's used alternate reality games and secret scavenger hunts to promote new works, and released full CDs under a "pay for it if you feel like it" arrangement. In addition to PDFs of artwork and liner notes, the new albums come with full Creative Commons license arrangements that allow fans to modify, share, and remix the work at their leisure.

One would think Reznor has fallen into a Downward Spiral of economics, but the facts don't lie: his release of the four-part instrumental album Ghosts I-IV netted the singer/songwriter/geek more than $750,000 in the first three days of its release--even given the fact that fans could legally grab the music for absolutely no cost. In turn, said album became the bestselling MP3 album of 2008 at Amazon.com. And fans have responded to the licensing arrangements in kind, launching full communities of their own for collecting, promoting, and releasing remixed Nine Inch Nails tracks. (For more information on how Reznor accomplished this feat, check out this Creative Commons blog post)

But it doesn't just stop with the music. After hearing that Reznor wasn't able to proceed forward with a Blu-Ray and DVD collection of his most recent "Lights in the Sky" tour, the fan community organized an underground filming and DVD production effort to complete the project themselves. Once Reznor got wind of the effort, he relaxed security for the remaining shows of the tour, allowing more than 25 fans to film concerts from all sorts of angles and styles, standard-definition and high-definition alike.

Reznor might be taking a page out of Steve Jobs' playbook, for it seems there's always just "one more thing" on the horizon. In a first for a band of this size in the music industry, Reznor today released more than 400GB of high-definition concert footage from three shows on the "Lights in the Sky" tour, seeding these massive video files and pre-organized Final Cut Pro sequences across BitTorrent. Links to the three shows can be found below:

Victoria
Portland
Sacramento

For a band that's released over eight major CDs, four remix albums, and three video tour documentaries, the new push toward digital distribution and altruism is quite a departure from the normal album release and promotional efforts of the recording industry. While such efforts might very well only work for a band with Nine Inch Nails' cult-like following, it's an encouraging note for what could very well be the bare beginnings of a new open-source musical movement.

Macworld

Phil Schiller delivered the keynote at MacWorld, the first after the Steve Jobs era of keynotes. Here is Engadget's live blog. The big news, predicted by many rumor sites, was the introduction of the unibody 17" MacBook Pro. As rumored, the battery is not removable, but it's claimed to provide 8 hours of battery life (7 hours with the discrete graphics): "3x the charges and lifespan of the industry standard." $2,799, 2.66 GHz and 4 GB of RAM, 320GB hard drive, shipping at the end of January. There is a battery exchange program, and there is an option for a matte display. The other big news is that iTunes is going DRM-free: 8M songs today, all 10+M by the end of March. Song pricing will be flexible, as the studios have been demanding; the lowest song price is $0.69. Apple also introduced the beta of a Google Docs-like service, iWork.com and a new "Learn Song" feature for Garage Band.

Harbourside IT featured in the NS News

Harbourside Institute of Technology has been featured in the North Vancouver's North Shore News. You can read the article here.

From the article; In the past three years, the audio school has worked to distinguish itself from the competition, keeping class sizes down, making pricey investments in equipment, and arranging for the school to become the first Pro Tools certified institute in Vancouver, Canada.

Of particular pride to the school's administrators are the teachers they've been able to attract. All work in the industry, and guest instructors are also brought in to share knowledge about particular areas.

"People aren't stuck in a class of 60 people, listening to a teacher that's actually never made a record before," says Chris DeMarcus, the school's Program Director, who has worked on more than 60 albums.