RA, Symphonic Choirs and Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Now Powered by PLAY
ANAHEIM, CA, JANUARY 15, 2009 — EASTWEST, the leading soundware developer and distributor, has added two more of its popular collections into the PLAY lineup – Quantum Leap Symphonic Choirs, the first virtual instrument to offer complete control over a choir’s words and sound, and Quantum Leap RA, a collection of rare and unique instruments from Africa, Europe, India, the Americas, Australia, the Far East, the Middle East and the Turkish Empires. Joining Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra, PLAY-powered versions of these company favorites will be introduced at NAMM 2009 (Booth 6630, Hall A). more
Anaheim, Calif., NAMM Convention, Booth #6606, January 15, 2009 — On the heels of the highly-anticipated release of Pro Tools® 8, Digidesign a part of Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID), is now offering two new Pro Tools LE® system bundles: 003™ Factory Complete and 003 Rack Factory Complete. Both bundles combine a Digidesign 003 hardware interface with the new Complete Production Toolkit - the powerful new expansion option for Pro Tools LE systems that combines a variety of plug-ins for both music and post production applications. The bundles offer up to nearly $500 in savings from standalone purchases.
The Complete Production Toolkit, made available with the release of Pro Tools 8 last month, dramatically expands the creative and production power of Pro Tools LE 8 by adding full 7.1 surround mixing, and support for up to 128 simultaneous audio tracks to any Pro Tools LE 8 based system. This bundle includes Digidesign virtual instruments and professional plug-ins valued at $2,650 including: Eleven™ LE classic guitar amp emulator, Structure® LE advanced sample player, Hybrid™ 1.5 high-definition synthesizer, Smack!™ LE compressor, DINR™ LE noise reduction, TL Space™ Native Edition convolution reverb, X-Form® time compression/expansion and pitch shifter, and Neyrinck SoundCode Stereo surround-to-stereo down mixer.
Additionally, the toolkit unlocks several powerful, professional processing tools in Pro Tools LE, including multi-track Beat Detective™ rhythm analysis and correction tool, DigiBase™ Pro file management, DigiTranslator™ 2.0 for importing/exporting of OMF®, AAF, and MXF files, and much more.
Bundles are available combining the Complete Production Toolkit with the Digidesign 003 Factory or 003 Rack Factory. The 003 Factory is a portable, FireWire-based Pro Tools LE interface that offers extensive audio and MIDI I/O, along with hands-on control of Pro Tools via an integrated control surface. The 003 Rack Factory offers the same audio and MIDI I/O as the 003 Factory in a compact, 2U rack mountable package.
The 003 Factory Complete and 003 Rack Factory Complete are ideal for advanced home and project studio owners looking for a powerful Pro Tools LE system, as well as professionals looking for a second system for home or portable use. Both bundles are currently on display at the NAMM show in Anaheim, booth 6606, and both will be available for purchase in Q1 2009 from authorized Digidesign dealers for $3,995 and $2,995 respectively.
The Complete Production Toolkit software option for Pro Tools LE systems can also be purchased stand alone for $1,995 US from www.digidesign.com or authorized Digidesign dealers.
About Digidesign
Digidesign is a worldwide leading manufacturer of digital audio production systems and the winner of the 2001 Technical Grammy® Award and 2003 Oscar® statuette representing the Academy Scientific and Technical Award for the design, development, and implementation of the Pro Tools® digital audio workstation. Digidesign provides the professional music, film, video, multimedia, and radio broadcast industries with tools for digital recording, MIDI sequencing, editing, signal processing, and surround mixing. Digidesign products are marketed in more than 40 countries worldwide through a distribution network of value-added dealers, distributors, and OEM relationships. Digidesign is a part of Avid Technology, Inc. For more information, visit www.digidesign.com.
About Avid Technology, Inc.
Avid is a worldwide leader in tools for film, video, audio and broadcast professionals – as well as for home audio and video enthusiasts. Avid professional and consumer brands include Avid, Digidesign®, M-Audio®, Pinnacle Systems®, Sibelius® and Sundance Digital®. The vast majority of primetime television shows, feature films, commercials and chart-topping music hits are made using one or more Avid products. Whether used by seasoned professionals or beginning students, Avid’s products and services enable customers to work more efficiently, productively and creatively. Avid received an Oscar® statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design, and engineering of the Avid® Film Composer® system for motion picture editing. For more information about the company’s Oscar, Grammy® and Emmy® award-winning products and services, visit www.avid.com, del.icio.us, Flickr, twitter and YouTube; connect with Avid on Facebook or subscribe to Avid Industry Buzz.
Anaheim, Calif., NAMM Convention, Booth #6700, January 15, 2009 — M-Audio, a part of Avid Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVID) announced today the availability of three recently revealed and highly-anticipated new hardware and software products for musicians and project studio owners: The M-Audio DCP 200 digital piano, Torq 1.5 dj software and the Ozone 4 mastering system plug-in.
The M-Audio® DCP-200 digital piano is available immediately through authorized M-Audio dealers. Beneath its elegant, classic piano design, the new DCP-200 digital piano features premium onboard sounds meticulously sampled from some of the world’s finest instruments, including sounds sampled from a classic Steinway Model D concert grand piano. The DCP-200 piano’s powerful, integrated audio system conveys each note with exceptional musical detail, and the full 88-note keyboard with TruTouch™ II graded hammer action provides the feel of a real acoustic piano. The built-in USB connection easily integrates with a wide range of computer software programs for education, notation and music recording, and its integrated MIDI note sequencer is perfect for recording and playing back practices and performances.
Torq® 1.5 is the update to M-Audio’s acclaimed DJ software. Torq is the only digital DJ workstation designed to seamlessly integrate live DJ performance and advanced music production and now offers a host of new and innovative creative tools. New features in Torq 1.5 include Tempo Anchors, Tempo Master, zPlane Élastique time stretching, built-in effects processing, as well as a new toolbar and numerous workflow enhancements to streamline the creative process.
Ozone 4 is the newest version of the critically acclaimed mastering system plug-in from M-Audio software partner iZotope. It combines seven essential mastering processors into a single integrated system, instantly accessible via an intuitive, efficient interface. With features including the critically acclaimed IRC™ (Intelligent Release Control) Loudness Maximizer, precision eight-band Paragraphic EQ, Multiband Dynamics, Multiband Stereo Imaging, a Harmonic Exciter, Dithering and Master Reverb tools and more, Ozone 4 is a complete mastering solution, and the ultimate final touch for any mix.
Pricing and Availability
Torq 1.5 DJ software is currently available online from the M-Audio Webstore. The cost of upgrading from any previous version of Torq is USD $49.95. Customers who purchased and registered their Torq Conectiv or Xponent hardware after January 17th, 2008 are eligible for a no-charge upgrade to Torq 1.5 software.
The DCP-200 digital piano is currently available through authorized dealers and carries a USMSRP of $1125.95.
Ozone 4 is currently expected to be available in January 2009, and carries a USMSRP of $249.95. Special upgrade pricing is available and upgrades are handled directly on the iZotope website.
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About M-Audio
M-Audio, a part of Avid Technology, Inc., is a leading provider of innovative tools for today’s computer musicians and audio professionals. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, the company was founded with the goal of democratizing music production by making powerful, easy-to-use technology accessible to a broad creative community. The company’s award-winning and comprehensive product line includes PCI-, FireWire- and USB-based audio interfaces; USB/MIDI keyboard controllers and digital pianos; microphones, preamps and reference monitors; and DJ tools. M-Audio has received numerous industry accolades, including Music Trades’ “Company of the Year” and “Fastest Growing Company” distinctions. For more information, visit www.m-audio.com.
About Avid Technology, Inc.
Avid is a worldwide leader in tools for film, video, audio and broadcast professionals – as well as for home audio and video enthusiasts. Avid professional and consumer brands include Avid, Digidesign®, M-Audio®, Pinnacle Systems®, Sibelius® and Sundance Digital®. The vast majority of primetime television shows, feature films, commercials and chart-topping music hits are made using one or more Avid products. Whether used by seasoned professionals or beginning students, Avid’s products and services enable customers to work more efficiently, productively and creatively. Avid received an Oscar® statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design, and engineering of the Avid® Film Composer® system for motion picture editing. For more information about the company’s Oscar, Grammy® and Emmy® award-winning products and services, visit www.avid.com, del.icio.us, Flickr, twitter and YouTube; connect with Avid on Facebook or subscribe to Avid Industry Buzz.
ANAHEIM, CA, JANUARY 16, 2009 – Auralex Acoustics and legendary guitar manufacturer, Gibson, collaborate to provide “Art of Sound” guitar images for Auralex’s SonicPrint line. Auralex, the industry leader in innovative sound control solutions, has gained access to Gibson’s gallery of images for its innovative SonicPrint custom-printed, artistic ProPanels line. Auralex is now licensed to print any Gibson, Gibson USA, The Gibson Original, Gibson Acoustics, Gibson Custom Art, Epiphone, Dobra, Tobias and Steinberger brand materials and product images onto its SonicPrint panels. more
Anaheim, Calif., NAMM Convention, Booth #6700, January 15, 2009 — M-Audio, a part of Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) today introduced a new series of USB MIDI keyboard controllers designed for professional musicians. The Axiom Pro family builds on M-Audio’s acclaimed line of USB MIDI keyboards by adding a number of enhancements that provide musicians with a more responsive playing experience as well as deeper tactile control to mimic the feel of playing a real piano.
Available in 25-, 49- and 61-key models, the Axiom Pro series offers easy software integration to digital audio workstations (DAW) including Pro Tools®, Cubase, Logic and Reason – as a result of M-Audio’s HyperControl™ technology, which automatically maps keyboard controls to commonly accessed parameters in software instruments and DAWs. The constant two-way link with the host DAW means that the Axiom Pro series keyboards are always in sync with the software’s active parameters. The intuitive graphic LCD constantly updates the current values, to ensure seamless editing and prevents parameter jumps—even when plug-ins are closed. Users can also easily toggle between Mixer and Instrument control modes, making the music creation process much more seamless.
Axiom Pro series keyboard controllers are also the first to combine MIDI control with ASCII keystrokes, allowing users to assign any button to send QWERTY key commands like cut/paste or undo directly to the host software. The controllers offer M-Audio’s premium TruTouch semi-weighted keyboard action for a more tactile and responsive playing experience. They are also equipped with eight velocity-sensitive trigger pads with M-Audio’s exclusive Trigger Finger technology for triggering loops and samples.
“The Axiom Pro series will equip our customers with an entirely new level of performance and flexibility by allowing them to control a whole session directly from their Axiom Pro keyboard,” stated Tex Schenkkan, Vice President and General Manager, Audio at Avid. “We’ve received numerous requests from our user community for a more full-featured version of the Axiom keyboard controllers for professional applications and today’s announcement delivers just that.”
Pricing and Availability
The Axiom Pro 49 is currently shipping and carries a USMSRP of $599.95. The Axiom Pro 61 is expected to ship in the first quarter of 2009 and will carry a USMSRP of $699.95. Pricing and availability for the Axiom Pro 25 will be announced at a later date. All three Axiom Pro models are currently on display at the NAMM convention in booth 6700.
About M-Audio
M-Audio, a part of Avid Technology, Inc., is a leading provider of innovative tools for today’s computer musicians and audio professionals. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, the company was founded with the goal of democratizing music production by making powerful, easy-to-use technology accessible to a broad creative community. The company’s award-winning and comprehensive product line includes PCI-, FireWire- and USB-based audio interfaces; USB/MIDI keyboard controllers and digital pianos; microphones, preamps and reference monitors; and DJ tools. M-Audio has received numerous industry accolades, including Music Trades’ “Company of the Year” and “Fastest Growing Company” distinctions. For more information, visit www.m-audio.com.
About Avid Technology, Inc.
Avid is a worldwide leader in tools for film, video, audio and broadcast professionals – as well as for home audio and video enthusiasts. Avid professional and consumer brands include Avid, Digidesign®, M-Audio®, Pinnacle Systems®, Sibelius® and Sundance Digital®. The vast majority of primetime television shows, feature films, commercials and chart-topping music hits are made using one or more Avid products. Whether used by seasoned professionals or beginning students, Avid’s products and services enable customers to work more efficiently, productively and creatively. Avid received an Oscar® statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design, and engineering of the Avid® Film Composer® system for motion picture editing. For more information about the company’s Oscar, Grammy® and Emmy® award-winning products and services, visit www.avid.com, del.icio.us, Flickr, twitter and YouTube; connect with Avid on Facebook or subscribe to Avid Industry Buzz.
New Package Delivers 2.5 Gigs of New Sounds and 1.5 Gigs of Old Greats
ANAHEIM, CA, JANUARY 15, 2009 — EASTWEST, the industry leader in soundware development and distribution, proudly announces a power-packed update for the popular Quantum Leap SD2 - The Next Generation virtual instrument software which will be making its industry debut at NAMM 2009, January 15-18 (Booth 6630, Hall A). more
Steinberg and Yamaha have joined the METAlliance as Pro Partners at the 2009 Winter NAMM Show.
The METAlliance is comprised of a group of globally-recognized, award-winning audio engineers and producers who have been deeply involved in establishing techniques and technical standards that are the foundation of modern music recording. The METAlliance Board of Directors is Chuck Ainlay, Ed Cherney, Frank Filipetti, George Massenburg, Phil Ramone, Elliot Scheiner and Al Schmitt.
“We’re very pleased to be partnered with the METAlliance,” says Kazunori Kobayashi, Steinberg’s Managing Director. “With both Steinberg and Yamaha working at the highest technological standards and committed to delivering optimum quality for creative professionals, the new partnership with the METAlliance is a natural step.”
Steinberg has been providing award-winning, technologically-advanced music and media production products for musicians and producers of music, video and film since 1984. Steinberg is today one of the world’s largest audio software houses with more than 1.5 million users worldwide.
“We’ve worked with many of the founding members of METAlliance for many years on our audio and music production products, and are very pleased to work with them to push standards in the audio and music industry even further. It’s a very exciting time for the industry,” Kobayashi adds.
“Apart from the sonic benefits of Steinberg, what’s most important to me is its wide open platform, commented METAlliance co-founder Frank Filipetti. There is no other company whose product has enhanced the way I work more than Steinberg’s Nuendo workstation,” says Chuck Ainlay. “We’re thrilled to have Steinberg as a partner with the METAlliance,” added co-founder Elliot Scheiner.
Since January 2005, Steinberg is a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation, the world’s leading manufacturer of audio hardware. Yamaha Pro Audio offers a complete line of professional audio products for the live sound and sound reinforcement markets. Yamaha products have received the most nominations in the area of technical achievement in the Mix Foundation TEC Awards 20-year history.
“I won my first two Grammy’s recording James Taylor on a Yamaha O2R, and I’ve never looked back,” remarked Frank Filipetti. “The price goes down, the quality goes up. The innovation never stops.” “I have been using Yamaha professional gear for decades,” said Elliot Scheiner. “My personal studio’s centerpiece is a DM-2000 console.” George Massenburg added: “We’re all terribly proud to have Yamaha, one of the world’s foremost music technology companies, as a METAlliance Pro Partner.”
Pro Partner membership is limited to companies which have shown a capacity and proclivity to manufacture and distribute products that meet the organization’s professional audio qualifications.
Recognizing the industry’s success in bringing products offering convenience and low cost, the METAlliance is dedicated to the passionate commitment of securing the art of music through recording technologies that best deliver the music in all its many modern forms. To do this, quality needs to be recognized and supported.
Interested companies should contact:
Jim Pace, Dir. of Business Affairs: jpace@metalliance.com
METAlliance : strategic union of music producers and engineers dedicated to the highest standards of audio and delivery of music, securing the art through recording technology in all its evolving modern forms.
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