Archive for August 9th, 2011

Old Lyme, Conn. – August 9, 2011: Neumann, manufacturer of the world’s most highly regarded microphones, announces four new digital products: the KMS 104 D and KMS 105 D vocal microphones, the KMR 81 D shotgun microphone and the portable DMI-2 digital converter. The addition of these items into Neumann’s existing digital portfolio highlights its leadership position in the digital microphone category, while breaking new ground in live, broadcast and portable microphone applications.

Digital microphones for live vocal applications
Building on the success of the Neumann KMS 104 and KMS 105 dynamic vocal microphones, Neumann introduces their digital counterparts: the KMS 104 D and KMS 105 D (MSRP: $1,398). Equipped with the core features of the existing models, the KMS 104 D, with its cardioid pattern, and the KMS 105 D, with its super-cardioid pattern, offer additional digital advantages such more

Scalable, high-performance archive storage solution built specifically for media & entertainment applications

Walnut Creek, Calif., and Cambridge, UK – August 8, 2011 – XenData, the leading provider of digital video archive solutions to the media and entertainment industry, will be unveiling XenData6 Server, a new major release of the company’s LTO archive management software, at IBC 2011 at Booth H47 in Hall 7. XenData6 Server seamlessly manages LTO tape libraries and RAID on a Windows 2008 Server platform, creating a highly scalable archive storage solution for professional video applications.

As the newest addition to XenData Archive Series software, XenData6 Server will replace, and is fully compatible with, the X32 and X64 editions of XenData’s Version 5 software. Version 5 software is currently installed in hundreds of locations across 50 countries and is used by TV stations, video production companies, post-production and media service organizations. XenData6 more

MELVILLE, NY, August 4, 2011 — Danny Rader is an in-demand player on stage and in the studio. As a multi-instrumentalist, he plays keyboards, guitar, banjo, mandolin and bouzouki. Rader is currently playing keyboards with Keith Urban’s 2011 Get Closer World Tour, and the Korg SV-1 Stage Vintage Piano has been his rig of choice.

Drawn to the Korg SV-1 by its unique collection of sounds and interface, Rader explains, “It’s just the meat and potatoes stuff that I need in my main board. Up until recently, I’ve been known in Nashville as a guitar player, primarily. And my brain works very much like a guitar player’s. Scrolling through banks of thousands sounds makes my head hurt! I just need great sounds there at the touch of a button.”

Rader shares an anecdote about the user-friendly SV-1 interface: “I love the radio more

New Enhancements Take 3D Modeling, Animation and Visual Effects to the Next Level

VANCOUVER, CANADA (SIGGRAPH, Booth #970) – Aug. 9, 2011 – 3Dconnexion today announced its intelligent 3D navigation technology is now available in Autodesk Maya, ensuring the ultimate level of control over 3D models and scenes for digital artists in any profession or industry.

Whether working with larger models or focusing on intricate details, the intelligent 3D navigation technology automatically determines the optimal center of rotation based on the user’s point of interest. In addition, the center of rotation can be (optionally) seen through an icon to give designers a reference point when controlling spin, tilt and roll motion, resulting in an extremely intuitive 3D navigation experience.

“Our innovative intelligent 3D navigation feature provides unprecedented levels of control,” said Antonio Pascucci, vice president of products, 3Dconnexion. “By automatically establishing and displaying the optimal center more

3Dconnexion 3D Mouse Support Delivers Unprecedented Control and Visualization in Blender 2.59

VANCOUVER, CANADA (SIGGRAPH, Booth #970) – Aug. 9, 2011 – 3Dconnexion today announced its 3D mice are now supported by Blender 2.59, helping digital artists take their designs further by enabling previously impossible levels of interaction with their 3D content.

“Hands down, 3Dconnexion 3D mice provide the most intuitive way to work in Blender and are a must-have tool on today’s design workstations,” said Nathan Letwory, chief technology officer, Studio Lumikuu and Blender core developer. “Using a 3D mouse in Blender, means you can position your model while simultaneously sculpting or modifying with a traditional mouse or tablet. You have to try it or see it to believe it!”

3Dconnexion 3D mice offer a level of design interaction that’s unattainable with a traditional mouse and keyboard. more

Burbank– Big Machine completed titles for “Leave a Message,” a short surf film produced by Nike for their Global Action Sports division. Featuring six top female surfers, Nike wanted a design that felt more cinematic than the look the company had been using for print collateral on the project.
Big Machine was handed the project just two weeks before the film was slated to premiere before fans and surfing royalty at the Imax theater at the California Science Center.
“When Nike asks you to get involved in an exciting film that features six gorgeous female surfers, you say ‘yes’ even when you’re on a tight schedule,” said Big Machine’s Executive Producer Sean Owolo.
The studio was tasked with editing title cards and additional graphics introducing each of the surfing heroines.
“We developed a look that featured a dramatic sky and ocean with 3D titles appearing to float in the more

Audio Head, operating out of the historic Warner Hollywood sound facility makes an impressive debut with Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life”
HOLLYWOOD— The Tree of Life, this year’s winner of the Palm d’Or at Cannes, marked a triumphant return for director Terrence Malick, whose last film, The New World, appeared in 2006. It also signaled the auspicious rebirth of one of the most treasured sound facilities in Hollywood.
Final mixing for The Tree of Life, was completed at Audio Head, a sound company that opened in 2010 on the historic studio space known as “The Lot.” The company’s facilities, which include four large dubbing stages, Foley and ADR stages, production and editorial offices, and a 130-seat screening theater, once housed the sound department of Warner Hollywood Studios and prior to that was home to Goldwyn Sound. The mixing stages have been used to complete sound work for some of the most memorable films in history including The Godfather, Raging Bull, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars and West Side Story. more

Vicon, developer of motion capture systems for the entertainment, life science and engineering industries, will introduce a future technology, “Mobile Mocap” at SIGGRAPH 2011 being held at the Vancouver Convention Center. This and other new technologies will be previewed in the Vicon booth, #694 from August 9-11 during show hours.

Moving mocap out of the lab and into the field, Vicon’s mobile motion capture (Mobile Mocap) solutions tap several new technologies, many years in the making. At the heart of Mobile Mocap is a new, very small lipstick-sized camera that enables solutions applicable to automotive ergonomics testing, the medical industry, eye tracking, military surveillance, and entertainment for less obtrusive, more accurate facial animation data. The small and powerful new cameras capture 720p (1280X720) footage at 60 frames per second. In addition, a powerful processing unit synchronizes, stores, and wirelessly transmits the data, more

QuietMan has long been known as one of the most innovative VFX houses in the industry. But increasingly, the company is being sought out by high profile agencies and clients for their full service capabilities, which range from pre-production areas such as casting and wardrobe, through the directing of the actual shoots, and on into post production and finishing services.

This versatility is currently on display in several new campaigns for such diverse clients as BMW, du MAURIER, Givenchy and Samsung, all of which also illustrate the directing talent of QuietMan Founder and CD/Lead Flame Artist Johnnie Semerad.

All the spots presented very different challenges for Johnnie and his QuietMan team, who pride themselves on being a one-stop shop that can tackle any situation and come up with an answer that is inventive, cost-effective, practical and stylish. Some involved setting up the shoots, while more

Tool has added a versatile talent to its roster in director J.J. Adler. J.J.’s broad portfolio includes the 2011 TV series and web series The Onion News Network on IFC-for which J.J. was co-executive producer and director–and other segments for the Peabody Award-winning series, including VH1 Reality Show Bus Crashes In California Causing Major Slut Spill, NASA Scientists Plan To Approach Girl By 2018, and Boy’s Tragic Death Could Have Happened To Any Family With 20-Foot Pet Python.

In a more serious vein, J.J.’s short documentary Unattached, an exploration of the contemporary world of orthodox New York Jews in the midst of a self-described relationship crisis, won a Student Academy Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. New Media, a short, dark comedy, about a desperate dentist/inventor who takes a stab at creating a viral video for his new “Snore No more