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The EastWest/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Sample Library "The Eastwest/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra was recorded where orchestral instruments sound their most natural - in a ‘state of the art’ concert hall. Listen to the pure beauty of the 'critically acclaimed' Symphonic Orchestra and 'state of the art' 125 million dollar Concert Hall that were captured, using custom built recording equipment, by audio legend - Prof. Keith O. Johnson - recipient of two GRAMMYS, plus eight additonal GRAMMY nominations for his 90 plus Classical Recordings. This is the first 24-bit orchestral sample library to include three simultaneous stereo mic setups (close, stage and hall), so users can mix together any combination of mic positions to control tone and ambience." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Tascam and PVDJ in News. |
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Steinberg Ships Cubase SX 2.0 "The new Cubase SX 2.0 unites the proven and the pioneering in one fascinating new program. Cubase SX 2.0 is the next generation of one of the world's most popular sequencers with a new revised user interface and over 100 fantastic new features. Improvements such as the new VST audio engine with 32-bit floating point audio resolution, Freeze function for VSTi's, real multi-channel surround, Stacked Recording mode and the freely configurable user interface leave Cubase SX 2.0 without peer among music workstations. And because Cubase SX is a native application, users can choose which audio and control hardware they wish to work with." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Digidesign, Emagic, TC Electronic, and Electronisounds in News. |
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New DigiFreq Discussion Features The DigiFreq Discussion board now has a number of new features that will make it easier for you to find the answers to your music technology questions. First, when reading and replying to messages the board will automatically take you back to the same page and position in the topic list so you can read through all the topics in an easy and orderly manner. The board will now also automatically tell you the last date and time you visited. In addition, it will show you what topics contain new messages since your last visit. With this feature you'll be sure not to miss any important discussions or information, and you no longer have to try to remember what topics you may have already read. Click here to visit your fellow DigiFreqers and get answers to all your music technology questions! Also, new announcements from Akai Professional, Mackie Designs, PowerFX, ConcreteFX, Synapse Audio, and discoDSP in News. |
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Sony Announces Sound Forge 7 "Sony Pictures Digital Networks announced today at the International Broadcasting Convention that a new version of its Sound Forge(R) software, the company's award-winning professional digital audio editor, will ship at the end of September. An industry standard for over a decade, this is the first new professional software release from Sony Pictures Digital Networks since it purchased all of Sonic Foundry's desktop production software assets in July 2003. Sound Forge 7.0 software includes many new powerful features and enhancements such as: automated time-based recording; audio threshold record triggering; VU meters for recording and playback; enhanced Spectrum Analysis tools; DirectX(R) Plug-in effects automation; White, Pink, and Brown noise generators; Media Explorer Previewing; Project File Creation; support for 24fps native DV video files, and more." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from PrimeSounds, Riff Interactive, Mackie, Precisionsound, and Native Instruments in News. |
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Ableton Announces Live 3 "Live 3 brings a new world of possibilities to your compositions, loops and samples by giving you control inside of the sample. Easily change individual notes or a specific part of your sample. Instantly draw volume, pitch, pan, effects controls and more on any portion of a sample. Add dynamic musical expression to your previously static samples. Live 3 allows you to create infinite variations from just one sample in real-time -- anything from subtle corrections to entirely new and exciting sounds." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Native Instruments, Arboretum, crusher-X, Sonic Stop, Roland, and M-Audio in News. |
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Song Dynamics "Among the most powerful tools you can use to make your songs more commercial and to impress industry pros with your command of the craft, is the use of contrasts and variations... 'song dynamics.' ...it's the tool most commonly overlooked and underused by amateur songwriters. In this section we'll look at several devices you should have in your bag of tricks and why they work." Click here to read this entire TAXI article. Also, new announcements from ConcreteFX, 4Front Technologies, East West, MOTU, Steinberg, and Emagic in News. |
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Cakewalk Announces Sonar 3! "In today's fast-paced production world, it's not enough to have all the features at your fingertips. SONAR 3 offers a complete software-based production environment and so much more. * The creative tools you need to realize, excite, and act upon your musical inspirations. * Unmatched ease-of-use, efficiency, customization, and flexibility to speed your ideas to completion — faster than ever before. * The precision and power of a world class studio environment that delivers master-quality productions. * The stability of a workstation designed and optimized exclusively for the Windows platform." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from M-Audio, MicroTools, FMJ-Software, and ModernBeats in News. |
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M-Audio Revolution 7.1 Surround Sound Card I get a lot of people asking for my advice about what sound card they should buy, but many of them don’t want to spend a lot of money. They aren’t looking to record music professionally. They just want to do it as a hobby or just for fun. They also want to use the card not only for music, but for games and movies, etc. The question of whether or not they should get a Creative Labs sound card like the Sound Blaster or Audigy usually comes up. But I don’t like to recommend those cards because of their limitations especially in the area of drivers. Too many problems. Unfortunately, there really hasn’t been an all-around, low-cost card to take the place of the Creative Labs cards, until now… Make way for the Revolution 7.1 from M-Audio. Click here to read my entire review. Also, new announcements from Steinberg, Native Instruments, and Applied Acoustics Systems in News. |
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3rd Shure Musical Roots Contest "Enter the 3rd Shure Musical Roots Contest and you may find yourself performing as the opening act for a surprise artist at the House of Blues Anaheim, CA. The lucky winner will take in prizes including airfare, hotel, $5000 of Shure gear, and a cover story in On Tour with Shure magazine. Five runner-ups will also win a KSM27 studio microphone and an E2 earphone." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Steinberg, LinPlug, brainspawn, DashSignature, and rgc:audio in News. |
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Max/MSP for Windows "Cycling '74 has announced the release of its long awaited Windows versions of the Max and MSP graphical programming environments. Max and MSP will now be cross platform products with both Mac OS and Windows versions in the same package. Any customer who purchased after July 1, 2003 will receive the crossgrade product for free. Max/MSP is a graphical environment for music, audio, and multimedia. In use worldwide for over fifteen years by performers, composers, artists, teachers, and students, Max/MSP is the way to make your computer do things that reflect your individual ideas and dreams." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from NTONYX, Voxengo, and Wave Mechanics in News. |
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db audioware Quantum-FX Modular Plug-In System "Quantum-FX comes with an extensive library of more than 50 top quality studio effects, in both VST & DirectX formats. The unique quantum-fx workbench gives you the freedom to customise the effects and create your own from scratch. Included: The Classic Pack. The essential plugins we all need for everyday recording. The Creative Pack. A suite of exciting plugins designed to give your artistic brain cells a helping hand. The Studio Pack. All the professional tools you need to make your mix stand out from the crowd. Need even more? Jump into the unique quantum-fx workbench and build your own plugins! Our easy to use workbench lets you graphically build effects from scratch, by simply connecting together modules from our extensive DSP library." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Cakewalk, Digital Audio Wave, and Bias in News. |
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MakeMusic! Releases Finale 2004 MakeMusic! Inc. announced the release of its much anticipated Finale 2004 music notation software for Windows computers. The latest upgrade to the Company's award-winning music notation software offers a variety of powerful and timesaving new features for educators, students, composers and publishers. "We have worked closely with the world's best engravers and publishers," stated John Paulson, MakeMusic! President. "The power of FinaleScript, the new note entry design and the ease-of-use features such as Smart Page Turns will make their work much more efficient. Similarly, we have worked closely with educators. The built-in synthesizer, great sounds and Human Playback will inspire students when they listen to their assignments created with Finale. The Save as Audio File feature will let students share their music with friends and family and enable teachers to keep a record of each student's progress." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Emagic, DashSignature, ConcreteFX, 4Front Technologies, and Devine-Machine.com in News. |
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Victims Of Power Failure Use Xantrex Power Products "People throughout Canada and the US flipped the switch on power outages with Xantrex Technology Inc. XPower portable 'power-in-a-box' systems. The XPower Powerpack 1500 and Powerpack 300 Plus systems are compact, easy-to-operate, and inexpensive sources of household power that people can use to run refrigerators, lights, fans, TVs, computers, microwave ovens and other critical appliances. XPower products are safe to use indoors and outdoors. They are ideal for people living in homes, apartments or townhouses where use of a generator is not feasible. Unlike a fuel-operated generator, Xantrex portable power products are quiet, create no exhaust fumes and can be recharged easily." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from CM Labs, TC Electronic, and Waves in News. |
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Free Songmaster Course On Songwriting "The Songmaster Course is a unique method for integrating intangible inspirations with the practical skills of songwriting. The course contains 6 lessons, divided into 32 sections and 21 practice sessions. Some of the more prominent sections include: Writing And Performing From The Heart; Disappearing; Creativity When You're Not Feeling Creative; The Secrets Of Songmastery; and How To Write Uplifting Songs About Negativity And Darkness." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Sonic Implants, PrimeSounds, Carillon, Roland, and Waves in News. |
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CD Baby's New Digital Deal Is Not What It Seems "CD Baby has been called the Mecca of the Do-it-Yourself music industry, and its CEO, Derek Sivers, the Pied Piper of up-and-coming recording artists. But now, the country's most successful independent online distributor of CDs may have crossed a line that could get them in hot water with thousands of their clients." Click here to read this MusicDish article. Also, new announcements from Native Instruments, i3 Software Engineering, discoDSP, Novation, Steinberg, and DashSignature in News. |
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Worlds First Visual Mastering System "Har-Bal International - a joint venture between TAQUIS (Australia) and HDQTRZ Digital Studios (US) - announced the release of Har-Bal (Harmonic Balancer) A powerful, new mastering equalization system for all Windows systems (95,98,ME, NT, 2000 or XP) that corrects inconsistencies in mixed track sound files 100 percent of the time. Har-Bal will revolutionize the music industry by completely eliminating the need to have a mastering engineer in the end process of music production." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Boss, Mackie Designs, Furman Sound, and Digital Audio Wave in News. |
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Celemony Software Melodyne v2.0 "Melodyne is a programme that allows a completely new approach to the handling of audio material. It analyzes the pitch and time of monophonic audio files (from, for example, singers, wind or string instruments) and offers the opportunity to change whole melodies in a way only previously possible at MIDI-Level. Melodyne v2.0 offers a wide range of integration options and adds many new features. This latest version introduces the 'MelodyneBridge', a new technology which allows Melodyne to be connected to any VST or AudioUnit host. Though Melodyne remains a stand-alone application, it can now be used as if it was an effect plug-in, comfortable and without adding any latencies. MelodyneBridge offers maximum flexibility and allows Melodyne to fit into conventional recording workflows." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from e-Lab, PSP Audioware, Apple, HomeGrown Sounds, and Big Fish Audio in News. |
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Publications That Will Review Independent Music MusicDish is sharing some information from The Indie Bible - 4th Edition. An excerpt list of publications to which you can send your music in order to get it reviewed. I thought this would be an interesting read for many of you. Click here to read this MusicDish article. Also, new announcements from ConcreteFX, LinPlug, Bitshift Audio, VirSyn, Dash Signature, Big Tick, and Waldorf in News. |
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Voyetra USB Music Studio Kit "Voyetra, a leading manufacturer of PC-based software for the consumer and professional music markets, announced today that it has released USB Music Studio Kit - a software and hardware bundle consisting of a USB MIDI cable, its new Record Producer MIDI Edition music software, setup utilities, and hundreds of music loops. Most people are intimidated by complex cabling and software. USB Music Studio alleviates that hassle, and lets anyone begin recording their own music on their PC in a matter of minutes - or turn their laptop into a portable music studio." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Steinberg, Native Instruments, Electronisounds, and Technics in News. |
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Rock About the Roll Contest "Musicians don’t have to practice in a garage to win money for singing about an item that can be found in one. By entering a song about duct tape in the second annual Duck® brand Rock About the Roll Contest, one lucky individual, duet or group will walk a way with the first place prize - $2,500 cash. A roll of duct tape can usually be found lying on garage shelves, in toolboxes and even behind an amplifier on a bands’ stage set. Now, this ever-popular tool can fix one more thing—an empty wallet. The Duck brand Rock About the Roll Contest allows entrants to display their musical talent and creativity by writing and composing original music and lyrics about duct tape." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Korg, Tascam, Numark, and M-Audio in News. |
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Roland Studio Package Pro "The Roland Studio Package Pro gives musicians everything they need to record and mix music on a Mac or PC. It includes a hardware control surface with eight 24-bit/96kHz audio inputs and outputs (SI-24), a PCI audio card (RPC-1), as well as powerful SONAR multitrack recording software from Cakewalk (PC version) and Emagic's Logic RPC Pro (Mac). This unbeatable combination makes it possible to record and mix music on a computer, but with the added convenience of a real hardware mixer capable of controlling many SONAR and Logic functions. And it’s surprisingly affordable, so there’s never been a better time to enter the world of computer-based recording." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from LiveUpdate, Steinberg, EvoBeats, Emagic, ConcreteFX, Bioroid, Manyetas, and PSoft in News. |
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MusicLab's Buy One Get One Free Sale! MusicLab is glad to announce that any purchase of our products made in August will be rewarded with a special bonus. - Buy our Rhythm'n'Chords* plug-in and receive 2 Volumes of Guitar Rhythm Pattern Library of your choice. - Buy our SlicyDrummer or Fill-in Drummer plug-in and receive our VeloMaster dynamics processor. - Buy any of our 3 bundles and receive any of our products you choose. You also get a special discount by purchasing MusicLab products through the DigiFreq Deals page. Just click here to visit the page. Make your purchase, and the good people at MusicLab will take care of getting you your special August sale bonus! Also, new announcements from Moog Music, Tascam, M-Audio, and Edirol in News. |
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eMedia Piano & Keyboard Method "Due out in late August of 2003, this CD-ROM will set a new standard for piano/keyboard instructional software. The on-screen instructor is Irma Irene Justicia, M.A., a popular piano teacher who has taught at the renowned Juilliard School of Music. Students of all ages can learn the skills needed for sight-reading and playing music on their own. The method is song-based, including songs from eMedia's best-selling Guitar Method, so students can play together as they learn. Colorful MIDI accompaniments will help make practicing with simple songs exciting, and quizzes will reinforce skills learned. All throughout, custom interactive technology offers feedback to help students correct any mistakes made while playing. With an estimated 250 lessons, the title will be a comprehensive yet fun and easy to use beginning course." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Image Line, BitHeadz, Green Oak, Dash Signature, 4Front Technologies, and Steinberg in News. |
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FX Teleport DAW Networking Solution "FX Teleport.com, a young company dedicated to audio technology innovations, announces the release of FX Teleport – a unique and revolutionary DAW networking solution. With FX Teleport it's not only possible, but also very easy to setup a DAW on multiple computers connected via TCP/IP LAN. Working with FX Teleport is as easy as launching a VST host on one machine and VST instruments and FX on the other(s) and enjoying the newly configured audio processing farm. One can even dedicate a whole computer to favorite VST synths." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Alesis, Edirol, Korg, and Yamaha in News. |
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Sonic Foundry Nashville Wire Loops For ACID "Few modern musical instruments sound as breathtakingly beautiful as the pedal steel guitar. This is why we've dedicated an entire volume to Nashville Wire: Pedal Steel Guitar, an excellent, long-overdue collection of fine pedal steel work that finally makes this complex instrument available to desktop music producers worldwide. Nashville Wire portrays the pedal steel guitar in its most familiar milieu: the clean chords and time-honored transitions of country music, in top-notch performances using classic instruments and amplifiers. This collection provides the means to shape your own music with all the flowing, harmonically rich chord-to-chord transitions and accents that are totally unique to this magical instrument." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Edirol, IK Multimedia, Jeskola, Cakewalk Music Software, and Applied Acoustics Systems in News. |
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Cakewalk Project 1.0.1 Update "Cakewalk has released the 1.0.1 update for Project5. The Project5 1.0.1 update provides enhancements that include a new track bypass control, improved ReWire performance, automatic fading of GrooveClips when trimming loop points. The update also addresses a number of minor bugs discovered after Project5 began shipping. Registered Project5 users can download the Project5 1.0.1 update for free." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Roland Corporation, Arturia, Lynx Studio Technology, Soundart, Native Instruments, and Carillon in News. |
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Native Instruments Absynth 2.0 "Absynth 2.0 breaks through all the barriers of conventional synthesizers and paves the way for the future of sound synthesis. The flexibility in sound shaping and design is unprecedented: never before has a synthesizer been capable of such an enormous and vivid sound spectrum. The combination of multiple synthesis techniques, granular sampling, and flexible envelope control generates everything from organic textures to rhythmic loops, from time-evolving soundscapes to vintage sounds. Absynth 2.0 includes more than 800 evocative, expressive, and musical presets that cover an astonishing range of sonic territory." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from LinPlug, ConcreteFX, rgc:audio, Novation, GMedia, and Steinberg in News. |
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Blue Microphones Silly Summer Songfest "Blue Microphone has come up with a list of twenty-five demented words that we’re pretty sure will guarantee demented results. In fact, if you can’t make up a demented song with these words then you’re just not . . . well, you get the idea. All you have to do is use ten of these ridiculous words in a three minute song and send it to us on a CD. And the more demented the better because the top ten finalists will have their songs judged by none other than radio legend and Sultan of Silliness, Dr. Demento." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Digidesign, Applied Acoustics, TC Electronic, M-Audio, and Ableton in News. |
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Cool Edit Becomes Adobe Audition "Adobe Systems Incorporated announced Adobe Audition software, a complete multi-track recording studio for Windows-based PCs. Previously named Cool Edit Pro 2.1, this award-winning product was acquired from Syntrillium Software in May 2003 to address the demanding needs of audio and video professionals in studios, broadcast facilities and post-production houses. Delivering advanced audio mixing, editing, mastering and effects processing capabilities, Adobe Audition is a professional-level audio tool that allows users to edit individual audio files, create loops, import more than 45 DSP effects, and mix up to 128 tracks." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Sonic Stop, D-Mute, Digigram, Adobe, Arizona, and Big Fish Audio in News. |
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Lollapalooza 2003 Mashup Contest "Cakewalk and Microsoft Windows XP have joined forces with some of the biggest bands on the Lollapalooza 2003 tour to give you the opportunity to show off your skills creating the hottest new style of remix — the mashup. A mashup is an emerging style of remix that combines elements from two or more songs, along with your own creative input, to create a new and exciting track. Here's the best part, you also have the opportunity to gain national recognition and win some cool prizes." Click here for more information. Also, new announcements from Cakewalk, Code Audio, Steinberg, Image Line, Tonewise, and Anwida Soft in News. |
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