HOLLYWOOD, JUNE 29, 2009 — EASTWEST/QUANTUM LEAP announces the debut of its latest release, HOLLYWOOD STRINGS virtual (software) instrument — a collection of orchestral string instruments with unprecedented control over sound and performance. more

ASK Video Interactive Media, a leading creator of software tutorials on DVD, is now shipping the highly anticipated first installment of their Cubase 5 DVD tutorial series.

In Cubase 5 Level 1, ASK Video CEO and Cubase guru Steve Kostrey acquaints users with the latest version of Steinberg’s legendary Cubase Music Creation and Production software with more than 3 hours of high-quality video instruction. Watch all 32 videos consecutively or easily find specific topics for reference with ASK’s tried and true user interface.

“Cubase is one of the original music applications dating back to the eighties,” says Kostrey. “In addition to cultivating a huge user base over more than 20 years, Cubase has become deeper and more powerful than ever. This DVD is designed to help beginners and pros alike get up to speed quickly on this new version.”

Steinberg’s Cubase 5 Music Creation and Production software continues to build on its history of innovation with new features such as VariAudio pitch editing, REVerence convolution reverb, LoopMash and Beat Designer beat creation tools, and new functionality such as VSTExpression, Signature and Tempo Tracks, and advanced Automation.

Produced in English, Spanish, German, French and Italian, this first of a series of four Mac and Windows compatible DVD’s is accessible to Steinberg’s worldwide user base. Its 32 chapters begin with the basics of setting up Cubase, recording and editing and progresses into some advanced concepts like key commands, macros, and workspaces.

Pricing and Availability:

Cubase 5 Level 1 is available for $49.99 USD. Ordering information and video examples are available at http://www.askvideo.com.

AWS Delivers Analogue Mixing Capabilities, DAW Control and Superior Sound Quality to the Career Defining Project

PAWLING, NEW YORK – A-Pawling Studio, owned by top engineer/mixer Peter Moshay (www.PeterMoshay.com), engineering confidant for Hall and Oates and producer of numerous top Asian acts, recently installed a Solid State Logic AWS 900+ SE to replace a digital console. The AWS 900+ SE offers full control of the resident Pro Tools HD® system, while delivering the signature SuperAnalogue™ sound and mixing capabilities for superstar Daryl Hall’s “Live from Daryl’s House” monthly Internet program. more

— New PMD661 recorder offers a smaller footprint, an improved layout and a superior feature set —

INFOCOMM, ORLANDO, FL, June 17, 2009 — D&M Professional, manufacturer of the renowned Marantz® Professional PMD series of professional recording products, exhibits its newest field recorder, the PMD661 Compact Digital Recorder. The launch of the PMD661 is a direct result of feedback from users in the field, working in an array of recording environments in various vertical markets such as broadcast, government, faith and education. Marantz Professional has developed the PMD661 to provide advanced functionality and convenience, further emphasizing its ongoing commitment to supplying customers with market driven product solutions. more

— Latest addition to Marantz® Professional’s renowned family of rackmount digital recorders adds new hardware and software enhancements, including network compatibility —

— The single-rackspace PMD580 also adds balanced XLR I/Os, Ethernet and RS232 connections, AES/EBU interface and 24-bit resolution —

— Company also shows PMD570 and PMD560 rackmount Solid State Recorders —

INFOCOMM, ORLANDO, FL, June 17, 2009 — Marantz® Professional is displaying the PMD580 Solid State Recorder, the latest addition to its highly successful family of rackmount digital recorders. The PMD580 uses proven, stable Compact Flash (CF) as its recording medium, with the inherent reliability of no moving parts. The unit brings many of the same features and high sonic quality found in the PMD® Series recorders but adds a crucial new dimension: network connectivity. Via its Ethernet port, the PMD580 can be positioned as a network device, allowing users to set menu parameters, schedule recording events, and transfer and archive audio files, all by using a web-based GUI interface from any PC in the network. Network accessibility allows users of solid-state digital recording devices, such as universities and government agencies, the ability to archive audio files effortlessly even at designated times, and it makes managing multiple units a breeze. The PMD580 also has an internal clock for scheduling recording events. For instance, lectures could be automatically scheduled for recording, multiple events can be scheduled via the web interface and recorded files can then be downloaded to a local PC with drag-and-drop simplicity. Of course, files can also be uploaded automatically to a server or network location, at a user specified time or immediately upon the conclusion of a scheduled recording. more

Emmy Award-winner Brad Hatfield Teaches New Course Beginning June 29

Pictured is “Songwriting for Film and TV” instructor Brad Hatfield.

Berkleemusic, the online continuing education division of Boston’s renowned Berklee College of Music, is debuting the new course “Songwriting for Film and TV” for their upcoming summer term, beginning June 29. Students will explore the techniques of writing music that appeal specifically to music supervisors, editors, directors, and producers across a wide variety of different genres.

“The field of songwriting for film and television has grown exponentially over the past few years, providing a promotional launching pad, as well as a lucrative income stream for artist and songwriter careers,” says course instructor Brad Hatfield, an Emmy Award-winning composer and one of Boston’s most prolific musicians.

“Songwriting for Film and TV” begins with an overview of the historical and current uses of songs and how to succeed as a songwriter for film and television. Online students explore the elements of a visual-media-friendly song, including appropriate harmonic colors, rhythmic elements, and intros, vamps, and endings. Whether the material is intended as background source music or a featured song, the course teaches how to successfully write on demand and how to write for music libraries. Also covered are effective techniques for collaborating, both during the writing and production process. The course also deals with important business considerations, including negotiation, payment, and rights.

During the course, students write several short songs-each of which provides an opportunity to master specific techniques needed to succeed as a songwriter for visual media. Students also write and produce a full-length song for a featured use in a movie scene. There are opportunities to improve songs through collaboration with classmates and guided feedback from course instructor Brad Hatfield.

By the end of the course, students will have learned to:

* Write or modify their songs to make them “media-friendly”

* Collaborate effectively with other writers and musicians

* Find opportunities for their music to be placed into visual media

* Exchange audio files for flawless collaborations

* Negotiate effectively when entering into agreements with publishers and producers

* Write a song to work in sync with on-screen action

* Write and orchestrate songs communicating time, location, and dramatic tone

Brad Hatfield’s musical compositions have been heard on movies such as Borat, Analyze This, The Break Up, and Cop Land, as well as the TV series The Sopranos, Six feet Under, ER, CSI, Saturday Night Live, Friends, The Young and The Restless, and dozens more. Brad is currently the co-composer for the FX Television series Rescue Me, starring Denis Leary. He has served on the faculty of Berklee College of Music and Boston College and currently teaches Music Supervision, Songwriting, and Music Industry courses at Northeastern University.

“Songwriting for Film and TV” is available as a stand-alone twelve week course, as well as one of eight required courses in the recently-launched multi-course certificate program: “Orchestration For Film and TV.”

To learn more visit: http://www.berkleemusic.com

Summer Term begins June 29, 2009. more

— The DN-X1700 is an ultimate DJ tool for the top flight professional, incorporating powerful performance features and levels of sound quality and control exceeding anything that has come before —

ITASCA, IL, June 24, 2009 — Denon DJ, a leading manufacturer of reliable, premium-grade DJ equipment, is now shipping its flagship DN-X1700 Digital Mixer. The DN-X1700 represents an important achievement by Denon’s R&D department, which, during the development process, worked closely with some of the top professionals in the industry, gaining key input on its design and functionality. The result is a market driven professional digital mixer that is best in its class. Years of consultation and design have gone into the development of a mixer of this caliber, and nothing in its specification and construction has been sacrificed. Meticulous attention to detail, layout and component quality make operation of the DN-X1700 extremely intuitive, and Denon’s engineers have provided every capability professional DJs will require: working with vinyl, CD, digital files, DJ software applications via laptops and USB storage devices. more

Presented by Red Bull Music Academy and Last of the Record Buyers

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, June 24, 2009 — The Institute of Production and Recording (IPR) in Minneapolis will host “Content Under Pressure,” a one-time exclusive event in which 14 up-and-coming national and local independent hip-hop emcees and producers will be paired up to lay down their beats and rhymes at the school on Thursday, June 25. more

Vocalist / Guitarist Ben Nichols Co-Stars in MTV’s “$5 Cover”

Pictured (L-R) are keyboardist Rick Steff, drummer Roy Berry, assistant Mike Wilson, bassist John C. Stubblefield, guitarist Brian Venable, vocalist Ben Nichols, producer Ted Hutt, and engineer Ryan Mall.

Memphis rockers Lucero have tracked their new album in Studio A at Memphis’ renowned Ardent Studios. Lead singer Ben Nichols currently co-stars in MTV’s “$5 Cover,” a Craig Brewer-produced quasi-fictionalized series about the Memphis music scene that debuted in May. A performance of Lucero’s song “San Francisco” at the Young Avenue Deli in Memphis is featured in the trailer for the series.

The members of Lucero are Ben Nichols (guitar and vocals), Roy Berry (drums), John C. Stubblefield (bass), Brian Venable (guitar), and Rick Steff (piano, organ, accordion). Producer on the new album was Ted Hutt, who also produced last year’s album “The ‘59 Sound” from New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem. Ryan Mall engineered, with Ardent’s Mike Wilson assisting.

Lucero’s punk rock roots flavor their now “country-ish” music, while their Southern roots give them the twang that they have come to be known for. The band played for the first time in early 1998. Since 2001, they have played between 150 and 200 shows a year across the United States and Canada. They have released six full length albums, the latest entitled “Rebels, Rogues, and Sworn Brothers.”

In late 2008 the band announced they had signed a 4 album deal with Universal Music Group. Their major label debut is due out this summer.

For more info about Ardent Studios, visit: http://www.ardentstudios.com

New Studio Housed in Exotic Eden Rock Caribbean Resort

Hollywood’s famed Ocean Way Recording has opened the new Ocean Way St. Barths studio on the legendary French resort island discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, and named for his brother Bartolomeo. The island was first settled in 1648 by French colonists from the nearby island of St. Kitts.



The new Ocean Way St. Barths studio is located at The Eden Rock, an exotic resort destination since the 1960s for such celebrities as Greta Garbo, the Rockefellers and the Rothschilds. Just completed is a new 16,000 sq.ft. beachfront villa, which includes four bedroom suites, a 20-seat home cinema that doubles as a professional audio recording space, and a new control room installed by Ocean Way. Housing a wealth of vintage gear alongside state-of-the-art digital equipment, at the center is a vintage Neve console that was used by John Lennon to record Imagine, among countless other historic hits.

Installed in the new recording studio are Ocean Way tri-amped high-resolution monitors and a superb selection of microphones and outboard equipment, all in one of the most beautiful resort settings in the world. Also included is a wide variety of musical Instruments and the critically acclaimed Ocean Way Drum sample library. Guests of the villa will be able to create full drum tracks with the exact sound of Ocean Way’s legendary Studio B.

Hollywood’s famed Ocean Way houses some of the best sounding large live rooms ever built. Constructed in 1958, the studios have been the site of an astonishing number of classic and current hit records which have sold in excess of a billion copies worldwide.

To learn more about the Eden Rock, visit http://www.edenrockhotel.com

To learn more about Ocean Way, visit: http://www.oceanwayrecording.com