Next week at the Grammy

We are sponsoring the “50 Years of Great Grammy Recordings” Party at Village Studios in West Hollywood.

This year marks a special moment in history as The Recording Academy® celebrates 50 years of musical excellence with the 50th Annual GRAMMY® Awards. As part of GRAMMY Week 2008’s festivities, The Producers & Engineers Wing of The Recording Academy will present “50 Years of Great GRAMMY Recordings” on Thursday evening, February 7, 2008 at The Village Recording Studio complex in West Los Angeles. This event will be a celebration of past winners and present nominees in the producing, engineering, remixing and surround sound categories. Over 300 prominent music industry guests will be in attendance.

Celebrate the Sony ACID AND Sony Sound series 10Anniversay on Windows as the “Platform of Choice”

This was the tenth anniversary of Sony ACID® Pro and Sony Sound Series, and we participated with Intel Corp. and Sony Creative Software in throwing a VIP party to celebrate at the Memphis Café in beautiful downtown Santa Ana, CA.

This party was to celebrate the personal and professional relationships that have made Sony ACID Pro and Sony Sound Series loops and samples the industry standard in music creation. Live entertainment featured our old friend DJ Papi Love and the aforementioned Rondo Brothers.

There were at least 120 attendees representing partners, editors, producers, and artists from all around the music industry.

Microsoft at Sundance Film Festival

Darek Mazzone , our one and only crossfader Chief Editor went to Park City, Sundance 2008.

This post is "From the Editor" ...his blog at Crossfader.com ...enjoy reading ....

Sundance 2008 started with a very bumpy flight from Anaheim to Salt Lake City that took my breath away. Utah in winter is a sight to behold, and the temperature change from Cali to SLC was insane. 65 to 7 degrees is tough. The airport in SLC was abuzz with all the film folks trying to find their ride to Park City. The onslaught of Hollywood in the snow starts as soon as you get to baggage check. Why is it that people who work in the glamorous field of cinema seem to never smile?
I got in my rental and headed toward Park City, about 45 min with no traffic. The mountains were gorgeous in the snow and falling light. I was DJ-ing the Seattle Sundance Party so my soundtrack for the drive consisted of new music I was testing out before playing it on the dance floor. I must admit it’s a little incongruous listening to Brazilian Drum and Bass while driving through rural Utah.
Coming into Park City, there was a huge traffic jam. When you consider that Sundance takes over a sleepy ski village and turns it into the biggest US film festival for a couple of weeks, the strain on services must be nuts.
I found an overpriced parking garage and headed for the club. We were doing our party at the Star bar.

The show was made up of various Sub Pop bands such as The Helio Sequence, Kelley Stoltz and Daniel Martin Moore, me, and the vibe of the festival. It was all good.
I knew many of my friends were going to be there for DJ gigs or showing their films or both, as was the case with Paul Miller (DJ Spooky). I texted him to find out what was going on. Then things got interesting. Behind most store windows and doors on the main streets were curtain-covered areas which served as “Gifting Stations”. These act as a way-station to get product into the hands of celebrities and various tastemakers. The number of these stations at Sundance is amazing. It feels like everyone is there trying to get their product shown.

So, as I said before, the amount of strain all this must put on the city is crazy, and lo and behold, mid way into my set...lights out! Half of main street, Park City goes black. Power outage! This made for some fun conversations and a real sense of camaraderie with people who are often dealing with others through a veil of indifference. It really made for a memorable time. The lights came back on in about an hour and Helio Sequence killed it.
I bounced to DJ Spooky’s party at the International Directors Tent and danced to some crazy dancehall while the Stella Artois (sponsor) flowed free. Sundance is a blast.

Buy The Software You Use - NAMM turns Blue

The International Music Software Trade Association (“IMSTA”) represents the business interests of our music software partners.

Their key function is the advocacy for the legal use of software in music content creation, primarily through public education campaigns. IMSTA members include software developers, distributors, retailers and publications. Saturday, January 19th, IMSTA declared “Software Day” during which over 500 T-Shirts bearing the slogan, “Buy The Software You Use” on the front and “Presented by Microsoft” on the back.

We were also awarded the “IMSTA of the Month” distinction. An IMSTAR is a company or individual who voluntarily adds value and a higher level of support for the IMSTA cause that goes beyond basic membership duties. Said Paul Fattahi, Executive Director of IMSTA, “By sponsoring this event, Microsoft has shown a great deal of support for IMSTA and its agenda. This act of generosity has saved us thousands of precious dollars. Thank you Microsoft.”

Live Broadcast from NAMM 2008

Live Broadcast from NAMM 2008 Sponsored by Microsoft & Intel
Through a special arrangement with Microsoft and Intel you can attend all of Cakewalk's special events from the NAMM show online as they happen. You'll even be able to ask questions during the Q+A period.

Friday, January 18th, 2008 All times PST

12 PM SONAR 7 Production Masterclass w. Magic Mendez (Unified Tribe, The Whispers. Phil Perry. George Duke)

Magic Mendez creates some of the best sounding productions we have ever heard come out of SONAR. Known for his work with The Whispers, Phil Perry, George Duke and other R&B stars, Magic will be playing music from his new project Unified Tribe and discussing his production techniques.
Click this link to view the talk online as it happens

1 PM SONAR 7 Advanced Production TechniquesJoin Cakewalk's Bill Jackson as he takes you through some advanced production techniques in SONAR 7 including AudioSnap, V-Vocal, and Comping.
Click this link to view the talk online as it happens

2 PM Beat Fetish — Martin Atkins on 25 years of Industrial & Post Punk RecordingProduced by Martin Atkins, Beat Fetish is the culmination of over 25 years of recording and includes some of the best material, cherry picked from sessions with Pigface, The Damage Manual, Killing Joke, Nine Inch Nails and other artists. Atikins will be playing examples from the collection and discussing his sound design and production techniques used, along with anecdotes from the sessions. In addition Martin will also be discussing his new book Tour:Smart, the definitive book on touring and breaking the band. Martin is one of the most entertaining speakers in the industry and this talk is not to be missed.
Click this link to view the talk online as it happens
Ask questions

3 PM How the SONAR REAC Solution will Revolutionize Live Recording

Cakewalk and Roland announced a recording system at IBC earlier this year for Roland's REAC technology and V-Mixing system that will allow the recording of 40 channels of 24-bit audio over a single Ethernet cable. In addition this technology will work at distances up to two km with only 1 ms of latency. Tune in to learn more about the complete REAC solution and SONAR-based recording system and how it will revolutionize live recording.
Click this link to view the talk online as it happens
Ask questions

4 PM Introducing Craig Anderton's Minimoog Tribute Expansion Pack for Rapture

Join us as Craig Anderton, music technology authority and the editor of EQ magazine debuts his Minimoog Expansion pack for Rapture. Craig will talk about his relationship with Bob Moog, the importance of the instrument, and the painstaking process he used to creating this expansion Pack for Rapture. He will also discuss how you can use these sounds as a springboard for new sonic creations through Rapture's advanced synthesis capabilities. This talk will be followed by a complete demonstration of Rapture by Cakewalk's Brandon Ryan.
Click this link to view the talk online as it happens
Ask questions

5 PM Film & Video Game scoring masterclass with Shawn Clement, Timothy Michael Wynn, Chuck Carr, and Peter Johnson

We've assembled a panel of three of the best film and video game composers to discuss their craft and how they do it all in SONAR. Tune in to learn techniques for scoring to picture and the nuances between film and game production. The presenters will also provide tips on breaking into the industry. On the panel: Shawn Clement (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Batman Vengeance, recipient of ASCAP's award for most played underscore), Timothy Michael Wynn (James Dean Forever Young, The Punisher, The Simpsons Game), Chuck Carr (Pain, Grand Turismo, Music Supervisor for Sony Playstation), Peter Johnson (CSI NY, Spiderman 3 Soundtrack)
Click this link to view the talk online as it happens
Ask questions

Make Your Mark — Chicago, IL ,Thursday, January 31, 2008 3:00 PM—7:00 PM

Coming to Chicago

Make Your Mark — Chicago, IL
Ignite your potential!If you're serious about growing your skills as an artist and professional, knowing what it really takes to advance your career will be a key part of your success. The Make Your Mark event is your opportunity to get free insider advice from a host of industry veterans in audio, film, video and animation on how to stand out and get noticed.
Join us at Flashpoint Academy, Chicago's first Digital Media Arts College, and learn what it takes to take your career to the next level. Plus, experience the latest and greatest innovations from Avid, Digidesign, Softimage and M-Audio and check out Flashpoint Academy's state-of-the-art production facilities.Register now!
When/Where
Thursday, January 31, 2008 3:00 PM—7:00 PMFlashpoint Academy28 N. Clark St.Chicago, Illinois 60602http://www.flashpointacademy.com/
Located in the historic Burnham Center, Flashpoint Academy sits across from Daley Plaza and City Hall. Find Flashpoint Academy using Google Maps.
Agenda
2:15-3:00 pm
Registration
3:00-3:15 pm
WelcomeKurt Krinke, Account Manager, Avid Technology
3:15-4:00 pm
Making It: Insider Advice on How to Stand Out and Get NoticedModerated by Tom Duff, President of Optimus and A.I.C.EJoin local professionals: John Binder, Cutters; Mike LaBellarte, Outsider; Carlos Lowenstein, Whitehouse; Jon Adler, Daily Planet; and Sean Berringer, Red Car for a panel discussion of today’s digital media creation industry and what it takes to make it in the business.
4:00-7:00 pm
Reception/Open HouseTour Flashpoint Academy’s new facilities, featuring the latest Avid, Digidesign and Softimage gear.

CES 2008

Last week we were at the largest Consumer Electronic Show (CES) for the 2nd time since we took the Consumer Global ISVs initiative.
Our strategy this year at the show was all about “enhance and extend” the digital lifestyle experience by
a) Delivering partner solutions that are using the unique features and increased functionality in Windows Vista
b) Expanding our adoption targets to other MSFT technologies/platforms such as: to Xbox , Zune , and Windows Home server

We had 8 of our top partners showcasing wide range of solutions from Healthcare, Photography, Imaging, Video and Music
Partners such as: Cerner, Pinnacle, Sonic, NERO, HP Imaging and Printing Group, Nuance, Sony and Cewe color


Cerner Care Console(TM) solution
A consumer-centric technology that empowers patients to take an active role in their care
Integrated with Microsoft Windows Media Center and Xbox 360







Video - See how CareAware is powering the Smart Room of the future
PR - We received very broad coverage overall. Check out more here.
Spectrum Health Collaborates with Cerner and Microsoft to Implement Technologies that Empower Patients


Cewe Color Photo Book
CeWe Color developed with support of Microsoft an extended application based on the current Cewe Photo Book software which utilizes the functionality of .NET and WPF

Quick Tour - Special Windows Vista version












Pinnacle – Video editing software
“Pinnacle Systems has always been committed to being among the first to support the latest Microsoft products, beginning with our flagship Pinnacle Studio software. This commitment continues with some exciting new developments for mobile users. With support from Pinnacle Studio and Microsoft Zune for WMV, MPG4 and H.264 files, consumers can now enjoy the videos they’ve created wherever they go.”






PR - Microsoft Supports Pinnacle Systems With Prizes For The Ultimate Pinnacle Stud...
Pinnacle Systems Introduces Free Video Editing For All With New VideoSpin
Tutorials - http://www.pinnaclesys.com/s11/demos/Studio11_promo.html


NERO - Windows Vista-enhanced software suite
Nero announced it will showcase the latest Windows Vista-enhanced Nero 8 software suite in the Microsoft booth at the International Consumer Electronics Show. Newly optimized for Windows Vista, Nero 8 gives users a complete multimedia package that allows them to organize and manage their digital lives, as well as create and edit digital content.




PR - Nero to Showcase New Software Suite Nero 8 in Windows Vista Booth at CES
Video - http://ftp6.nero.com/press/videodemo/enu/index.html


Nuance - In-Vehicle Entertainment and Information
Today, the world’s top ten car makers each are working with Nuance to change the way people use navigation systems, digital music players and mobile phones in their vehicles. With high-profile deployments in Mercedes-Benz vehicles and the new Ford SYNC system being showcased at CES, Nuance is helping deliver safety and convenience for millions of drivers that want to use voice for controlling in-dash navigation, searching playlists on music players, dialing phones and accessing online services.

PR- Nuance Communications in the Spotlight at CES 2008
Nuance Speech Now Available through Ford SYNC in Twelve 2008 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury Models

Avid released more than 50 drivers that support Vista

AVID has just published their current state of Vista driver development for M-Audio products – More than 50 released drivers!!!

This is important announcement as it will allow M-audio end-users to start using or upgrade to Vista.

“M-Audio has been keeping pace with changes to the Windows Operating System since the release of Windows 95 nearly 12 years ago. Over the past year, we have worked directly with Microsoft’s Vista team to prepare for this release. We are very excited about the opportunity to offer continued support to our Windows customers as the Windows Pro Audio community begins the gradual transition to the Vista era. “
http://www.m-audio.com/windowsvista