Archive for December, 2010

— Legendary producer/engineer and longtime Audio-Technica user’s new informative series prominently features A-T microphones —

Audio-Technica, a world leader for microphone solutions for over 45 years, is proud to be a sponsor of the Art and Science of Sound Recording DVD series by legendary producer/engineer Alan Parsons. After almost two years in production, this highly anticipated series of training videos covers all aspects of sound recording, in 24 programs identified by topic. The complete series, hosted by Parsons and narrated by actor and musician Billy Bob Thornton, was recently released as a three-disc set; the individual programs are currently available for download at www.artandscienceofsound.com. In the “Microphones� section, several Audio-Technica microphones are prominently featured and identified by Parsons as he discusses and demonstrates various aspects of the recording process.

“Alan Parsons’ body of work speaks for itself,� stated Gary Boss, Audio-Technica Marketing more

— Elegant, Slim-Design Home Theater and Stereo Models Are Ideal for Custom Installation —

Sound Import, LLC, the exclusive U.S. distributor for the Wharfedale brand of dynamic loudspeakers, is offering Wharfedale’s Achromatic Series loudspeakers, which combine striking, slim design with custom-installation-friendly features and newly developed drivers that are engineered to deliver superlative sound.

The Achromatic lineup includes two wall-mountable left/right/surround speakers (models WA-S1 and WA-S2); two wall-mountable center-channel speakers (WA-C2 and WA-C4); two floorstanding towers (the WA-T4 and WA-T8) and two powered subwoofers (models WA-8SB and WA-12SB). The loudspeakers are available individually, or as part of the Micro, Basik, Supro, L/C/R or Ultimo system packages for smaller, mid-sized and larger rooms. Prices range from $169 to $599 for individual speaker pairs and from $699 to $1,699 for system packages.

Achromatic Series loudspeakers are sleek and elegant, making them ideal for custom-installation, architectural more

— Professionally pre-sampled sounds and patterns to inspire and offer instantaneous music-making—

As part of their ongoing customer support, Korg has announced the microSAMPLER Bonus Sample Pack. This expansive collection of professionally sampled sounds is available as a free download to all microSAMPLER users.

The Korg microSAMPLER is a versatile and easy-to-use sampling instrument. Useful for many musical applications, it features five sampling modes to provide the best method of capture for a variety of situations. Unlike other currently available phrase samplers, the microSAMPLER also features 37 Natural Touch mini keys, allowing it to perform as a keyboard instrument as well as a groove creation and remix machine.

The Bonus Sample Pack provides a convenient shortcut for all microSAMPLER users by offering professionally recorded samples organized into fully-finished banks of sounds with sample-based musical patterns, all fully compatible with the microSAMPLER. Included more

A modern rock virtual sequel coming 1.11.11

Hollywood, CA – EASTWEST, the industry leader in virtual software instruments, announces QUANTUM LEAP Ministry Of Rock 2, a modern rock toolkit produced by Nick Phoenix, will be released January 11, 2011.

Ministry Of Rock 2 was put together with one goal in mind: to create a virtual (software) instrument capable of producing sounds that could actually produce a hit record or film score without any live drum, bass, or guitar overdubs. The articulations and programming were all reverse engineered from actual performances. The 57 gigabyte collection features LIVE technology which makes multi-sampled drums sound like a live performance.

“Rock music is always in a state of evolution,� said Phoenix. “Ministry Of Rock 2 will give users the latest software tools to produce finished tracks. Ministry Of Rock 2 takes more

3D artists’ gain interactive viewport rendering, real-time stereoscopic preview, Virtual Studio Tools for immersive walkthroughs and the first complete linear color space workflow, all within an enhanced user interface
NewTek, a worldwide leader of 3D animation and video products is now shipping NewTek LightWave™ 10—the latest version of its Emmy® Award-winning 3D software. LightWave 10 delivers a new set of capabilities to 3D producers and studio pipelines, allowing artists to focus on the creative process with tools that provide immediate feedback in single or mixed software environments.

LightWave 10 product features video: http://tv.newtek.com/player.php?recordID=120
LightWave 10 Viewport Preview Render (VPR) video: http://tv.newtek.com/player.php?recordID=121

LightWave 10 leverages new technologies developed in LightWave CORE, and showcases NewTek’s commitment to the creation of tools that support the artistic process. With LightWave 10, artists have the ability to interact directly in the viewport and see changes to lights, textures, volumetrics and more, to view updates to their stereoscopic work in real-time and to deliver realistic environment more

UK based projection specialists The Projection Studio were commissioned by Cairo production company PromoSign to create a large format projection show for the Opening of the 16th Cairo Arab Media Awards staged at Media City in Cairo.
The Awards were aired live across 18 countries. The 13 minute piece was part of a visual spectacular including fireworks, that was projected onto a full size scenic replica of the old Cairo Stock Exchange building (also known as the ‘Bourse’) which is part of one of the current film sets being utilised at the studio.
Ashton became involved in the project via Egyptian producer Ashraf Haridy, who was aware of The Projection Studio’s previous work and recommended him to the show producers, who wanted to up the production values at this year’s Awards. more

VARs Express Superior Satisfaction in Cabinet NG Three Years Running

Huntsville, AL – Thursday, December 30, 2010 – Cabinet NG (CNG), provider of document management and workflow management software, today announced it has been selected by Business Solutions Magazine (BSM) as a 2011 Best Channel Vendor in the ECM Software technology category. This marks the third consecutive year CNG received this award, reinforcing its value as an outstanding channel vendor.

From mid-September through early October, BSM conducted a web-based survey in which its most active VAR subscribers were asked to rate their vendor partners on a scale of 0 (worst) to 5 (best) in seven categories. A total of 11,504 votes were cast, making it one of the largest surveys of its kind. In previous years, the top 15% of vendors in each surveyed technology category were selected as Best Channel Vendors, but this year only the more

Conan, the new late-night talk, music and entertainment show hosted by award-winning comedic talent Conan O’Brien showcases O’Brien’s tremendous versatility as a performer as well as his eclectic tastes in musical guest artists–not to mention his all-star house band led by guitarist Jimmy “Vâ€? Vivino. To handle that kind of performance diversity, Conan needed mix consoles for both music and production dialog that could keep up with the fast timing and quick turns of the show, and that’s exactly what the two Studer Vista 9 digital consoles specifically installed for the program at the Warner Bros Studio Facilities’ Stage 15, in Burbank, California provide. Studer Vista 9 consoles are used in both the Music Mix control room and in the Production Audio mix control room, both of which were designed and equipped by Sound Design Corporation.

“Conan’s shows are a huge mix of talk, stand-up, sketch comedy, remote more

— Company acknowledged for its contribution of outstanding technical excellence to the recording field —

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL, December 23, 2010 — Waves Audio was informed that it will be presented with a prestigious Technical GRAMMY® Award during the GRAMMY Week celebration in February 2011. The news was made public as part of The Recording Academy® announcing its Special Merit Awards recipients, with Waves Audio as a Technical GRAMMY Award® honoree. A special invitation-only ceremony will be held during GRAMMY Week on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011, and a formal acknowledgment will be made during the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards telecast, which will be held at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011. With this presentation of the Technical GRAMMY®, Waves joins a prestigious list of previous recipients which includes such well-known names as Apple Computer, Inc., Sony/Philips, Shure Incorporated and Yamaha Corporation.

This more

VFX Studio Completes Fourth Collaboration with Academy Award®-Winning Directors
LOS ANGELES—True Grit, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions, opening nationwide today, marks the fourth collaboration between Luma Pictures and Academy Award®-winning directors Joel and Ethan Coen. The Los Angeles visual effects house produced some 360 VFX shots for the new film, the highest shot count on a Coen Brothers’ film to date. Still, if all those CG elements attract little special notice from audiences, the Luma team will be pleased. It will be a sign that they have done their job. more