WEST CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA, JUNE 16, 2008—Aviom (InfoComm Booth C4175), exclusive developer of the world’s most powerful audio transport protocol, A-Net®, is pleased to welcome Liz Marshall as its Director of Customer Service & Support. In this role, Marshall will oversee customer service, technical support, warranty and repairs service, and sales support. more…

LIVORNO, ITALY, JUNE 13, 2008—When Italy’s Spazi Sonori recording studio recently hosted Grammy award-winning jazz musician Joey DeFrancesco and his band as they recorded nine new tracks for an upcoming release, it entrusted Aviom to help make monitoring a breeze. more…

LAS VEGAS, NV – Auralex Acoustics, the industry leader in innovative sound control solutions, introduces new Ceiling Tiles at this year’s InfoComm show (Booth C4984). Auralex’s premium acoustic Ceiling Tiles can easily be installed into new and existing drop and suspending ceiling grids, and are ideal for upgrading in-room sound quality by controlling ambient noise and reducing noise transmission.

The fabric-faced acoustical panels, which are available in standard ceiling grid sizes (23.875″ x 23.875″x 1″ and 23.875″x 47.875″x 1″), can be customized in terms of size and thickness to meet any project’s requirements. With an overall Noise Ratio Coefficient (NRC) of .80, Ceiling Tiles are the perfect choice for controlling many common acoustical problems at a wide range of frequencies. Available in standard white and black color options, Auralex’s new tiles are also available in custom colors upon special request. more…

CME, makers of the BitStream 3X MIDI Controller, have released version 1.8 firmware for the unit, adding new features and enhancing its functionality.

As the world’ s first 3 axis MIDI controller, CME Bitstream 3X is a completely new direction in MIDI controllers and is perfect for controlling Virtual Instruments, DAWs, and even other MIDI hardware. This compact desktop unit includes 35 knobs, 8 sliders, 16 buttons, a joystick, a cross-fader and controller.

The new version 1.8 firmware update adds the ability of the Bitstream 3X to generate SMPTE Sync at 24, 25, 30 dropped and 30 frames per second, 64 new Arppegiator Scenes independent from the 100 existing Snapshot Scenes, and an enhanced Switch (Jump/Toggle) Mode.

Workflow improvements include independent enabling/disabling of Hook Mode, Scenes can now be changed via incoming program changes (0-99), the Arppegiator is now initialized in Automatic Mode after a factory reset, and Start/Stop/Pause bitmaps are now updated when the unit is synchronized from external source.

The Bitstream 3x is fully programmable and includes more than 13,000 presets for popular samplers, synthesizers, and software including Propellerheads Reason and Rebirth, Steinberg Cubase, Ableton Live, Native Instruments Reaktor, Traktor, Kontakt, and Absynth, Fruity Loops and more. An 8 track motion sampler, transport functions, and a large LCD display round out this versatile unit.

Version 1.8 Firmware for the CME Bitstream 3X can be downloaded free of charge for registered users at http://www.waveidea.com/en/products/bitstream_3x/download_fw.php.

For more information, please visit www.cme-pro.com.

LAS VEGAS, NV - How many times have you reached for a cable only to find it has the wrong XLR connector on the other end? In direct response to high professional and consumer demand, Neutrik, designer and manufacturer of the XX series XLR cable connector, introduces the world’s first unisex 3-pin XLR connector, ConvertCon®, at InfoComm 2008 (Booth C3657).

ConvertCon (NC3FM-C) is a new 3-pin male and female cable connector in a single housing. ConvertCon is also available with black chrome housing and gold contacts (NC3FM-C-B). By simply sliding the housing back and forth, ConvertCon is transformed from a male to female connector. This new male/female cable end XLR allows for use of one connector, as it can mate with either a male or female 3-pin XLR. more…

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA —Clear-Com® Communication Systems, the leading innovator of communications systems for the broadcast, live performance, government and commercial markets, is bringing intercom solutions to the desktop PC with the introduction of its first software-based intercom system, Clear-Com Concert, at InfoComm 2008 (Booth C3583). This new multi-user conferencing and intercom product provides the pro AV and permanent installation market with a reliable and cost-effective way to deliver high-quality communications to its customers. more…

St. Paul, MN - – McNally Smith College of Music is pleased to announce that André Fischer, previously Dean of Music Industries, has been promoted to Executive Director of the McNally Smith Foundation. In his new role, Fischer is responsible for reinforcing and strengthening the college’s presence in St. Paul and its surrounding areas as well as throughout the country. more…

Zero-G introduces five new titles to its SoundSense Series: Street Beatz, LA Drums for Songwriters, Grime Scene, Old Skool House and Elektrolytic. In the spirit of the series, EASTWEST, exclusive U.S. distributor for Zero-G products, is helping to cost-effectively expand users’ libraries with these new collections that span various musical genres. more…

HOLLYWOOD, JUNE 5, 2008 — Harmonization of both vocals and brass has been made easier with Best Service’s Vielklang harmonization instrument, created by Z.Plane Development. EASTWEST, exclusive U.S. distributor of Best Service products, is helping to bring this cutting-edge harmonization technology to musicians, songwriters and producers.

Vielklang is able to create backing vocals and brass sections with up to four voices in a more musical way than possible with previous harmony processors. The software uses sophisticated voice-leading and harmony progression models to generate more natural and musical arrangements than producing plain parallel voicing. Vielklang is able to automatically detect the best harmony for the input melody and synthesizes up to four voices, allowing users to tweak the results to the best fit for their project rather than having to edit them from scratch.

“Vielklang lets users jump right into being creative rather than concerning themselves with parameters such as root note, scale and tuning frequency,” says Doug Rogers, president and CEO of EASTWEST. “The end result is a harmony that’s more musical and that users have the ability to completely modify and control.”

With Vielklang, users can easily modify melodies and single-voiced loops in terms of pitch and scale, as well as experiment with different harmonizations or chords triggered by different MIDI inputs. Each voice can also be adjusted for pitch correction, delay, timing humanization, timbre, volume, and pan. Vielklang also allows users to edit their harmonies and single pitches, control the playback speed of the harmonies generated, and convert the audio to MIDI.

Vielklang retails for $329.95. For more information and to hear sample demos, visit the EASTWEST website, www.soundsonline.com.

About EASTWEST

Since 1988, EASTWEST (soundsonline.com) has been dedicated to perpetual innovation and uncompromising quality, setting the industry standard as the #1 producer and distributor of sample CDs and virtual (software) instruments. With over 30 years’ experience in the audio industry, founder and producer Doug Rogers has the expertise in music production to understand the creative tools professional musicians need. The recipient of numerous gold and platinum records including Recording Engineer of the Year, and over 40 international awards, Rogers is featured in The Art of Digital Music: 56 Visionary Artists and Insiders Reveal Their Creative Secrets by David Battino and Kelli Richards.

In January 2006, EASTWEST purchased the legendary Cello (formally United-Western) Studios on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, re-naming it EASTWEST Studios. The 21,000 sq. ft. facility, redesigned by master designer Philipe Starck, houses five recording studios and is the world headquarters for EASTWEST.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Acoustical Engineer Gavin Haverstick was recently promoted to the newly created position of lead acoustical engineer at Auralex Acoustics, Inc. As a valued member of the Auralex staff since first joining the company in 2000, Haverstick started in the engineering department and later stepped into his role as Midwest regional sales manager. Haverstick will be in attendance at this year’s InfoComm show (Booth C4984) to officially introduce himself as lead acoustical engineer to the pro AV market.

In his new position, Haverstick is overseeing the research, development and testing for current and future products. His main focus lies in new product design, working in conjunction with acoustical consultants, as well as continuing to supervise large-scale projects. He is also responsible for writing technical white papers and giving presentations on Auralex’s products and acoustical theory. more…