audioMIDI.community

Alesis introduces the new ProTrack portable iPod recorder

JessC — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:26:00 GMT

The Alesis ProTrack is a plug and play, direct-to-iPod stereo recorder designed for the iPod (Classic and 5th generation) and iPod nano (2nd or 3rd generation).

audioMIDI.com Film & TV Composition Clinic Panel Speakers... check out the videos on YouTube!

MitchellS — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:09:00 GMT

This one took a while, but on July 26th we had our Film & TV Composition Clinic here at audioMIDI HQ in Chatsworth, CA. Besides having lots of sound libraries, DAW software manufacturers and high-end audio stuff, we hosted a really informative and frequently humorous live panel featuring Chris Stone (ASCAP award winner and founder of Audio Impressions), Joel Goldsmith (Stargate SG-1), Kevin Kiner (CSI:Miami) and Walter New (re-recording engineer and producer).

It took a while to get all the video edited and posted- since YouTube limits videos to ten minutes, it's spread out over nine videos. But our speakers had a lot of really interesting stuff to say, so if you're into any type of film or TV scoring, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. All the videos are on the audioMIDI.com YouTube page which is HERE. There's lots of other cool music gear-related vids there too and we're adding new content all the time, so check back often!

Gimme Ten Steps... Old-School Sequencers, DIY-Style

MitchellS — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:04:00 GMT

I've come to the conclusion that if you spend enough time reading blogs and forums that are peripheral to your scope of interest, it's likely you'll get sucked in. I guess this means that you outta read forums where stuff is cheap, lest you develop a penchant for $800 bottle of wine. Lucky for me (?), my poison of choice leans to that of analog synthesizers, a hobby which is relatively easy on the wallet. Because I've been bitten by the DIY synthesizer bug, which has led to my current obsession to build my own analog sequencer.

These days, the word "sequencer" usually connotates computer software that, among other things, allows the user to record and play back an unlimited amount of MIDI notes... polyphonically and distributed over endless numbers of individual instrument tracks. But rewind the clock about thirty years, and "sequencer" typically implied a crude analog electronic device with a couple of rows of eight or so knobs, such as the legendary Moog 960 and the ARP Sequencer. Each knob set a pitch (or other parameter), and when the sequencer started playing, it would endlessly repeat an eight-note pattern, and monophonically at that. Doesn't sound like much fun, huh? Actually, "old-school" sequencers can do a number of neat (and musical) things if employed cleverly. You candial up a pattern, then control the transposition of the entire thing with a keyboard controller, bypass steps to create more rhythmic patterns or use the voltages to control other parameters like filter cutoff, or volume... the possibilities are pretty vast, especially when used in a modular analog synth setup.

Being an amateur electronic tinkerer and modular synth owner, I've become more and more interested in the analog sequencer idea. I should make clear that, besides the lack of computer and tiny "note-capacity", the other big difference with an analog sequencer is that it doesn't output MIDI at all. Instead, they output control voltages and gate signals... that's what folks used to control analog synthesizers before the digital dawn of MIDI. Almost all older analog synths have this kind of interfacing on the back panel, as well as most newer analog synths (like current Moogs, and any modular synth, for example).

The key to most pre-computer analog sequencers were 70's era 4000-series logic chips. These are a well established series of standard "building block" computer logic chips. These chips are to modern computer CPU chips as Ford Model T's are to a rocket ship, but they're still readily available, under a buck, and easy-to-understand. And you don't need to program 'em! (Google "4000 series" or "4000 logic" for lots of info on them). With a little online research, you can quickly find DIY electronics freaks who have built themselves analog sequencers that proverbially slice, dice and julienne with esoteric features such as skipping steps, forward and reverse modes, pattern randomization and other craziness. But I'm a simple guy who just wants to rock some Kraftwerk, y'know? As a result, I've settled on the net-popular "Baby 10" sequencer, originally conceived in THIS article. The Baby 10 (named because it's a basic 10-step sequencer) uses a 4017 logic chip with ten stages. In other words, each time you send a quick voltage pulse to the "clock" pin, it sends a voltage to the next "output" pin. You can use an LFO or a dedicated "clock" chip (the 555 timer chip is the standard for making simple clocking circuits) to send a steady stream of voltage pulses. If you take the all those outputs and hook each one up to its own potentiometer (aka "pot") so you can set the voltage level at each stage, then sum all the pot outputs, you now have a basic sequencer. Since analog synths typically have a CV input for pitch, and a gate input for triggering envelopes, it makes sense to split the output of each stage and bus that to a jack for a gate out and send the other half of the split to the pot for a variable voltage for pitch setting (it's a good idea to use diodes on all outs as well; these let the voltage travel one way only, preventing all these mixed outs from fighting each other). Expanding on the idea little more, adding on/off toggle switches before each of the gate outputs makes sense, because this lets you turn steps off. Now instead of a never-ending stream of 16th notes, you can make far more musical patterns (well, an endlessly repeating musical pattern, that is).

One more thing; you may have noticed that our ten-stage chip implies ten steps, and ten steps doesn't work too well when the music is in 4/4 time signature (or 3/4 for you waltzing and swingin' types). Obviously, four or eight steps would be more suitable for "common" time music. All you need to do is wire the pin after the last step (step 8, for example) to the "reset" pin on the 4017 chip and you can use as many steps as you like. If you build your sequencer with independent output jacks for each stage and an input jack for the reset pin, you can use a patch cable on any step's gate out running back to the reset jack. Otherwise, you could install a rotary selector switch pre-wired to send various steps back to the reset pin. If you wanted to really keep it simple, you could build the sequencer for 8-steps only and hardwire the ninth stage to the reset pin (or really weird out your friends and hardwire it for an odd number of stages and claim it was designed for esoteric odd-time signatures only).

Finally, since the CV out pots generate a continuously-variable voltage, this can make it tough to set pitches accurately if you want the notes to conform to standard half-step temperament (i.e. diatonic scales). This can be remedied by sending the summer CV out to a "voltage quantizer" that will automatically adjust the the voltages correctly to discrete steps for even-tempered intervals on the fly. These are a little tricky to build from scratch, but the coolest solution I've found is a DIY printed-circuit board with build instructions from Ray Wilson's www.musicfromouterspace.com website. The board is affordable, and you could build it right into your sequencer circuit, and the site gives full instructions and a parts list. Thanks Ray!

I could go on and on with possibilities... this is the the beauty of DIY. And also the downfall, as you can easily get carried away. You can build this kind of thing on simple "experimenter board" generic circuit boards by hand wiring them, but I recommend getting a "breadboard" and trying it all out before you crank up the soldering iron. The neat part is that parts are pretty cheap... 4017 chips are 30 cents from futurlec.com! Oddly enough, the circuitry is dirt cheap, but it's the knobs, pots, switches and enclosures that'll add up real quick. It all depends on how crazy you want to go making it look snazzy. In the meantime, have fun... your friend the internet will tell you much much more about DIY sequencer fun (www.electro-music.com is a great DIY synth resource).

Post by Mitchell Sigman

Dave Smith Instruments Unveils their New MoPho

JessC — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:47:00 GMT

Dave Smith - MoPho

Mopho is a compact and affordable monophonic analog synthesizer. The voice architecture is identical to a single voice of the Prophet '08, but with a couple of unique twists to distinguish it from its award-winning sibling.

AxePort Pro

JessC — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:00:00 GMT

AxePort Pro

USB direct box compatible with Windows XP, Vista and Mac OS 10.4 and above without any driver headaches

M50-88 Workstation Keyboard

JessC — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:50:00 GMT

M50-88 Workstation Keyboard

The M50-88 is an 88 Key workstation featuring 600 individual sound programs, 256 MB of sample data, 80 voices/80 oscillators max in single mode, and more.

Engage In The MainStage Rage

MitchellS — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:09:00 GMT

Sometimes I think Apple outta put me on the payroll for telling everyone about MainStage, their virtual instrument hosting app for Mac. In a nutshell, MainStage is a standalone application included with Logic Studio that lets you use Logic's virtual instruments and effects plugs in a live environment... imagine having a whole bunch of Logic mixer windows, each quickly switchable as a preset "performance", with its own layers, splits and effects and you're in the ballpark. Additionally, MainStage lets you add as many physical keyboards and controllers as you like, so it's easy to spread sounds over a lot of "real estate".

For me, the best thing about MainStage is how it simplifies setting up patches and chains. My live rig used to consist of Korg Triton Extreme (I like saying the "EXTREEEEMMEEEE!!!!" part like one of those cheesy extreme sports announcer guys) and an Alesis Ion analog-modeling synth. The Triton was quite a capable beast, but setting up samples, splits and effects was always a very time consuming task. The Ion wasn't too bad as synths go, but just naming all the patches and layers on both keyboards took forever compared to typing on a QWERTY keyboard. MainStage also makes light work of creating sets and rearranging the order of patches; simply grab them and move them into the desired order. Doing this kind of thing on a hardware synth can be a time-consuming nightmare of repeatedly saving patches to new locations in an effort to shuffle things around. And as soon as Mr./Mrs. singer-type-human shows and up and decides the set order needs to change for the thirty-seventh time because they're "just not connecting with the audience", you're back to square one (for the record, I eventually gave up on keeping patches in the same order as the set and just attempted to locate the correct patches as fast as I could between songs. I can't tell you how many times I nearly missed the two-count intro of "Take My Breath Away". Not to mention that the drummer actually took some sort of sick pleasure in intentionally TRYING to make me miss it).

There's also the advantage of a computer full of plug-ins offering a great deal more flexibility than two hardware synths with regard to effects and processing. Presently, MainStage does have some horsepower limitations with third-party Audio Units instruments. You probably aren't going to fare too well if you attempt to load a 40GB piano and play it live, and I'm not sure how well it does with heavy horsepower plugs... I'm about to load Arturia Jupiter-8V and see how it does. Thus far, I've stuck mostly with Logic's internal instruments, and it does pretty well. Certain ES2 synth patches seem to trip it up on program changes... sometimes they don't play right away, but I've found that if I select the patch and whack a couple notes at the start of the set, it's ok when I go back to that patch later on (hello, Apple?). And it doesn't seem to like when you play a sampled piano and hold down the sustain pedal forever whilst banging away, but again, that's easily remedied (lift foot!).

My only other gripe is that MainStage seems to perform best using an external audio interface (as opposed to the Macbook's internal 1/8" audio out), which means bringing my M-Audio Firewire 410 to gigs- that's one more thing to haul around and hook up. Ick. But I believe I've found a neat solution... Novation makes a sweet all-in-one analog modeling synth/MIDI controller/2-in/2-out USB audio interface called the XioSynth, available in 25- and 49-key flavors. This way I can take my big, ancient Roland MKB-300 76-key MIDI controller to gigs, and plop my MacBook and the XioSynth on top (the MKB-300 has a neato flat top- looks like THIS.)

So that's two keyboards, one laptop, a stand, and an amp (depending if the gig has a real PA/monitors). And since the XioSynth is a standalone synth in its own right, I can always use it as a back up in case someone spills a Long Island Iced Tea into my Macbook!

(btw, Behringer, CME, Line 6 and M-Audio all make MIDI keyboard controllers with built-in USB audio interfaces)

As usual, you can call the happy audiomidi.com sales staff if you have any questions at (818) 993-0772.

Post by Mitchell Sigman

The Premiere of Omnisphere is here

Brent Hoover — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 23:20:00 GMT

Way on back in ye olde 2002, Spectrasonics made a big splash with their Atmosphere Dream Pad Module virtual instrument. Focusing on lush and breathy soundscapes, Atmosphere was a big hit with composers and producers seeking a plethora of airy, evocative pads. Renowned sound designer Eric Persing's simple "two layers of sound" interface made it easy for users to create customized layered patches.

Seems Eric's Spectrasonics crew have been burning the midnight oil creating a stellar follow up with the hot-off-the-burner (DVD burner, that is) Omnisphere, which improves on Atmosphere in every aspect imaginable. Though it includes Atmosphere's original 4GB of samples, Omnispere now includes over 40GB (!) of sample material, including some downright bizarre sources such as burning pianos, tesla coils, glass harmonicas... you get the picture.

This all gets processed, turned and twisted about inside the innovative new "STEAM" engine, offering a myriad of synthesis methods including Variable Waveshaping DSP synthesis, Granular synthesis, Timbre Shifting, FM, polyphonic Ring Modulation, high-resolution streaming Sample Playback, Harmonia^TM, Dual Multimode Filter structure, Chaos Envelopes^TM, an advanced Unison mode, and the innovative Flex-Mod^TM modulation routing system - to name a few. I must admit, I'm not 100% sure what all that means either, but I will most certainly find out (review is on the way)! The good news is that the user interface is set up to allow easy basic editing, but the tweaky stuff is in there if you're so inclined. And if you're more of a "show me the presets, 'cuz I've got music to write" type, there's tons of ready-to-go patches.

If you're in the Los Angeles area, ILIO (distributor of Spectrasonics) is presenting a live Omnisphere clinic event featuring designer Eric Persing on September 27 at their headquarters in Westlake Village. Go HERE for registration information (it's free, but filling up quickly!).

Post by Mitchell Sigman

Universal Audio UAD-2 For You and Me

Brent Hoover — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:47:00 GMT

In case you live under a rock (or haven't seen the audioMIDI homepage in the last week), the BIG DEAL news is Universal Audio's release of the UAD-2 DSP card, successor to the wildly popular UAD-1 card. Traditionally Universal Audio have remained tight-lipped regarding the specs of the UAD-1's DSP chip, but the UAD-2 proudly flaunts one, two or four Analog Devices SHARC processors; these are generally regarded as the 800-pound-gorilla of DSP chips. The UAD-1 card was only available with one DSP chip- if you wanted more horsepower, you bought more cards. Besides generally being a pain, this quickly filled up PCI card slots, causing some serious users to obtain pricey Magma PCI expansion chassis' and fill 'em up (I can't help but think of Dr. Evil... "Even after they pay me the money I'm still going to melt every city on the planet with liquid hot mag-ma!"). But check out these specs:

UAD-2 Solo (one SHARC chip) = 2.5X the power of a standard UAD-1 card
UAD-2 Duo (two SHARC chips) = 5X the power of a standard UAD-1 card
UAD-2 Quad (four SHARC chips) = 10X the power of a standard UAD-1 card

As a UAD-1 owner, I can say that once you become accustomed to throwing Universal 1176 compressors and Neve 1073 EQ's on everything in sight (and getting the "no more horsepower available" message!), it's easy to imagine having lots more juice available. I suspect the Duo card would have one well covered, but the idea of ten times the firepower of my UAD-1 card makes me salivate like a Pavlovian dog!

Post by Mitchell Sigman

API Audio Busts Out The Serious Arsenal

JessC — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:07:00 GMT

One “kind of a big deal” item at Summer NAMM in Nashville was from API Audio. For those not in the know, API’s “500”-series of mic pres and EQ’s are renowned as some of the finest solid-state audio pieces in the business; their pres are the “go-to” units for drum and bass recording for many pro engineers due to their gusty character and super-fast transient responses. Historically, the “500”-series units are small vertical modules that fit into API’s “lunchbox” racks that provide power and audio connection. This format has become popular enough that numerous other manufacturers have adopted it, but it’s not for the light of wallet…

Recognizing this, API showed the new Arsenal line at Summer NAMM. This consists of three units: the R 20 dual mic pre, the R 24 dual EQ, and the V 14 500-series EQ, all at affordable prices. They have real transformer-balanced outputs; this is what really separates the men from the boys in high-end audio (the beefy “tube sound” people frequently speak of is often more the result of transformers). The mic pre has real analog meters, and they all have a unique, retro-military equipment kind of vibe that looks pretty cool!

The R 20 mic pre and R 24 EQ are both single-space rackmount units and retail at $1195, and the V 14 retails at $695… a great bargain! More info here: http://www.arsenalaudio.com.

Mitchell Sigman Brings the Yamaha P-70 To Its Knees.

JessC — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:58:00 GMT

NO KEYBOARD IS SAFE AT MITCH STUDIOS

I’m back with more mauling of mechanized mayhem… I’m the proud owner of a Yamaha P-70 88-key weighted piano. I really dig it… for the price it’s a great deal, the action is nice and the grand piano sound is pretty good. Best of all, it weighs only about twenty pounds, so it’s easy to cart around (by the way, audioMIDI.com sells Yamaha’s P-85, which is the current model. Go HERE for more info.). The only thing I hate about it is its lack of ¼” outputs. It has handy internal speakers, but its only audio outputs are two 1/8” headphone jacks on the front panel. This is a real drag for playing live, as it entails using some kind of adaptor, and wee 1/8” outs aren’t really the most solid connection when playing live. So… Mr. Keyboard Hack strikes again…

I decided to install a pair of ¼” output jacks by disconnecting one of the two front-panel headphone minijacks and rewiring it to a pair of ¼” outs on the back of the P-70. I started by unscrewing the bottom of the unit. This is a herculean-bordering-on-pure-comedy task because the bottom is fastened with roughly fifty screws. I’m NOT exaggerating. It may be more than that, I just didn’t have the will left to count once I was done. I think there are fewer screws holding my entire car together. See, the P-70 is made out of plastic, plastic and more plastic; this accounts for its amazingly light weight. Apparently the bottom is integral to the unit’s rigidity (it’s like a wet noodle once you take it off), hence the large quantity of screws. Methinks they may have gone overboard here, but hey, I just mess with ‘em, I don’t design ‘em.

With the screws out, I removed the little circuit board containing the dual headphone jacks. Two screws, one little plug, and it was out. I then set about removing one of the jacks, as I was going to use the vacated holes in the printed circuit board (PCB) to solder wires that would feed my new output jacks. With my Weller soldering iron and solder wick (i.e. flattened copper braided stuff that sucks up solder when heated) in hand, I removed one of the minijacks. Once I had it out, I set about reverse-engineering the circuit that shuts off the internal speakers when you plug in a set of headphones. After some mucking around, I figured out that the minijacks Yamaha used have an extra set of contacts that act as an “off” switch when a set of headphones is plugged in. Since my about-to-be- installed ¼” jacks didn’t have this, I wired these pads on the PCB to a DPDT toggle switch that would turn the internal speakers on and off. Since the switch had two independent sets of terminals (the “DP” part of “DPDT” stands for “dual pole”), I could use one switch to switch the left and right channels off simultaneously. Admittedly, the switch isn’t as elegant as just plugging in a jack and having the speakers automatically disabled, but at least I have the option of using both the internal speakers and the output jacks simultaneously if l like. Once I had the circuit all figured out, I put it together and plugged it into the keyboard to make sure everything worked like it should; all was well (incidentally, this is probably the only time that the built-in “demo song” function came in handy… I could hit the button and it would automatically play itself while I messed around with wires and jacks!). I then carefully measured and neatly twisted a lot of wires together using my now almost-dead cordless drill on one side and vise on the other. Once in, I was able to use a many of the P-70’s existing wire ties to neatly route my new wiring over to the back panel. With the wiring in place, I drew three holes on the back and began drilling (two for the jacks, one for the speaker switch). As in my last project, I used my swell stepped drill bit, which is awesome for drilling plastic because it doesn’t crack and tear up plastic the way a conventional bit does. Finally, I went to re-install the bottom cover and its 763 screws, but uh, oops, the bottom doesn’t seem to be fitting into place properly… seems I managed to locate my new output jacks in the way of a plastic extrusion where a screw goes. Ugh. Time to fire up the rotary tool aka weapon of mass plastic destruction… the good news is that I’m pretty confident that losing one screw fastening point isn’t going to affect the P-70’s structural integrity too much… so… BZZZZZZWWAAHHHHHHHHHHGRFTTTTTTT!%^&!@#! With the offending plastic extrusion out of the picture, I then was able to screw the panel back into place. It was around midnight by now, and I had to be here at aM central early the next morning, so I only installed about a 1/3 of the screws. Which seemed to be plenty. With the P-70 put back together, and flipped back over, I fired it up, plugged it in, and played with my switch. Victory!

(MANDATORY DISCLAIMER: Don’t take apart your gear and mess with it unless you A) know what you’re doing, or B) are prepared to face the consequences of potentially messing up your stuff. This kind of thing will DEFINITELY void your warranty, and MOST IMPORTANTLY: You can potentially electrocute yourself, so ALWAYS make sure things are unplugged if you’re going to disassemble them. As a general rule, gear with wall-wart type power supplies have far less voltage inside, making it safer to work on. On the flipside, gear with vacuum tubes has A LOT of voltage inside and SHOULD NOT be messed with if you’re not a pro. Additionally, tube gear frequently has big capacitors inside that store a lot of energy EVEN WHEN THE POWER IS SHUT OFF, so again, DON’T MESS WITH TUBE STUFF UNLESS YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING.)

Equator Audio: Coax Monitor History and Design - Part 1

JessC — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:06:00 GMT

Equator Audio: Coax Monitor History and Design

Part 1 - (Click to View)

Ted Keffalo, president of Equator Audio, provides an interesting story about how Equator Audio came about and what makes their monitoring system different. Give audioMIDI.com a call at 866-283-4601 if you have any questions about Equator Audio.

Equator Audio: Coax Monitor History and Design - Part 2

JessC — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:58:00 GMT

Equator Audio: Coax Monitor History and Design

Part 2 - (Click to View)

If you haven't heard these monitors you should check them out, you will probably hear things in your mixes you never knew were there. Give audioMIDI.com a call at 866-283-4601 if you have any questions about Equator Audio.

TD9S V-Tour Series

JessC — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:47:00 GMT

TD9S V-Tour Series

When you want the best in the world of virtual drumming try the Roland TD9s V-Tour Series. The Roland TD-9S offers all of the features and advantages of the TD-9SX but with rubber tom pads instead of mesh and a dual-trigger ride cymbal.

TD3SW V-Compact Series

JessC — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:18:00 GMT

TD3SW V-Compact Series

Roland introduces the newest member of its award-winning V-Drums line: the TD-3SW, which succeeds the TD-3SV. The TD-3SW features a new type mesh snare pad (PDX-8) and an improved, enlarged hi-hat cymbal pad (CY-5).

The HD-1 V-Drums Lite - Rolands Solution for the Electronic Percussionist on the Go.

JessC — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:11:00 GMT

HD-1 V-Drums Lite

The most portable of the Roland V-Drum Series. The Roland HD-1 sound module is loaded with fresh sounds, and offers solid electronic drumming experience in a sleak and portable unit.

TD9SX V-Tour Series

JessC — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:03:00 GMT

TD9SX V-Tour Series

The new TD-9 sound module is loaded with fresh sounds, and offers a deeper level of expression. Together with Roland’s most advanced triggering technology, this kit is destined to become a big hit with drummers worldwide.

R-09HR Portable Recorder

JessC — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:51:00 GMT

R-09HR Portable Recorder

The R-09HR is a professional, high-definition recorder that travels light and performs like a heavyweight. With crystal-clear 24/96 fidelity, the R-09HR is the new flagship of EDIROL’s award-winning R-series recorders.

Superior Drummer 2

JessC — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:11:00 GMT

Superior Drummer 2

A MIDI controllable drum track/loop editor with built in effect processing and superior usability.

The PowerProtect AV 600 with Surge Protection by Monster

JessC — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:59:00 GMT

PowerProtect AV 600 with Surge Protection

With an easy to read labeling system built into its face, the PowerProtect AV 600 with Surge Protection by Monster Cables is great for cleaning up those nasty cable messes.

Uberschall's ScoreFX - For Quick and Easy

JessC — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:41:00 GMT

Uberschall's ScoreFX

A maliable collection of loops, phrases and rythtmic construction kits that will allow you to pull together triggerable soundscapes. Focusing much of their attention on the video game industry, Ueberschall has created an affordable and accessible tool for those looking to take that step.

Ueberschall's 80s Punk & New Wave; Punk Rock in a Box.

JessC — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:34:00 GMT

Uberschall's 80s Punk & New Wave

While the sound of Punk being formed in a computer seems a little odd; Ueberschall's 80s Punk & New Wave bundle allows you the opportunity to lay out punk influenced bedworks and loop phrasing to add that extra edge to any mixdown.

The Garritan Steinway Professional; One of the Finest Virtual Pianos Ever Created

JessC — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:15:00 GMT

Garritan Steinway - Professional

The Authorized Steinway Virtual Concert Grand piano accurately captures the distinctive sound of the hallmark Steinway & Sons concert grand piano - with unprecedented authenticity and musicality.

The Steinway concert grand piano chosen for the sample set is among Steinway's finest Model D's — newly voiced, regulated, and meticulously tuned by a master Steinway technician. Recording was done in one of the finest venues in the world, The Troy Music Hall.

Namba Gear Presents the Big Namba - Studio Backpack

JessC — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:11:00 GMT

Big Namba - Studio Backpack

THE BIG NAMBA STUDIO BACKPACK - Designed for security, the Big Namba backpack has many musician friendly details that separate it from the other solutions on the market.

Ask Video's GarageBand'08 Tutorial DVD

JessC — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:09:00 GMT

GarageBand'08 Tutorial DVD

This is seriously one big GarageBand DVD! 41 Chapters, over 4 hours!

Learn GarageBand'08 from composer Tony Wallace in this comprehensive, informative and professional video tutorial. Tony shows you how to create, arrange and mix your own songs, podcasts and movie soundtracks using this simple and powerful application. New GarageBand users will be up and running quickly, while power users benefit from advanced instruction. Tutorial narrated by Morgan Pottruff (long time ASK Video tutorial artist). This video tutorial is a must for every GarageBand user. It’s the next best thing to having the expert right there beside you.