NEWS ARCHIVES

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March 13-31 News

Tuesday, March 31, 1998

MX51 Offers Surround Sound Production For PC
Minnetonka Audio Software has released MX51, a professional audio workstation incorporating the Digital Audio Labs MxTrax software/V8 audio card. Designed specifically for true multi-channel format mixdown. Features include five-way pan controls, and the ability to view surround panning in real time, on all channels simultaneously. The MxTrax/V8 combination provide 16 true hard disk tracks, drag and drop automated digital mixing, ADAT & DA88 integration, and LTC and VITC video sync.

Rap Group Pays Oregon Radio Station for Airplay
Music News of the World reports that the rap group Limp Bizkit on Interscope Records recently paid radio station KUFO for five weeks of daily airplay of their single, "Counterfeit."

What does this mean? Musicians want to be heard more than anything, but in a field as highly competitive as music, very few can get a substantial audience. So most of us would resort to any means possible to be heard. New forums like the internet help in doing this, but heavy radio play seems to be the ultimate format to reach the widest audience. Will pay-to-play kill the last few open-format radio stations? Will AAA radio die? Will only the richest bands get the chance to be heard? Discuss it now in our forum.

Monday, March 30, 1998

Upcoming Concerts on LiveConcerts.com
Here's what's coming up on LiveConcerts.com (http://www.liveconcerts.com), where you can hear live concerts broadcast over the internet via Real Audio. Note times listed are PACIFIC.

Macintosh Drivers Coming For Midiman's DMAN 2044
Synthony.com reports that Midiman is working on Macintosh drivers for their DMAN 2044 4x4 20 bit PCI card. They are also evidently working on an 8x8 20 bit PCI card with digital I/O. They expect this card to list for around $600, but no release date is known.

Thursday, March 26, 1998

Opcode Releases Major Upgrade: Studio Vision Pro 4.0
Opcode has redesigned the interface to Studio Vision, focusing on usability and musicality as well as adding over 100 features requested by user. This new release of the full featured audio recording and midi sequencing program is compatible with Digidesign cards from the AudioMedia II/III cards on up to Pro Tools 24. Support for Yamaha CBX cards is forthcoming. StudioVision Pro 4.0 Features include non-destructive "groove quantizing", fully save-able and re-editable quantization, loop editor, enhanced consoles, user-definable key commands. Mac OS only. (Windows ver. is still at 2.5)

Wednesday, March 25, 1998

John Wesley Harding's "Awake" Now In Stores

Awake, a double entendre about both awareness and memorial, is the title of the new John Wesley Harding album, which hit stores on March 10 and promises to be a stunning outing, if the first single "Your Ghost (Don't Scare Me No More)" is any indicator. Check out his website for more information about the album and the upcoming tour. We will be posting a review soon.

Event Electronics Posts Software Updates
Event Electronics has posted an updated Windows 95 (version 2.0.4) driver for Gina and Darla. Feature improvements include support for multiple cards, better stability, S/PDIF performance and switching has been improved and monitoring capabilities are greatly expanded.

Musician's Musician Appearance Alert! Singer-songwriter/Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland, whose new album "12 Bar Blues" will be released March 31, will perform on the Late Show With David Letterman on Friday, April 3. "What!?", you say, "What qualifies Weiland as a Musician's Musician?" Well, you may debate his influence on musicians, but you can't deny the influence of Daniel Lanois (producer U2, Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan), who will be playing with him that night.

Tuesday, March 24, 1998

ALESIS Introduces the Studio 32 Recording Console
Hot on the heels of the Studio 24, Alesis has released the new Studio 32 Recording console. The Studio 32 offers 16 hybrid/discrete mic preamps with excellent low-noise performance, making them suitable for driving digital recorders. Touted as the world's most affordable 16-channel console with inline monitoring, the Studio 32 provides you with an XLR input, two balanced 1/4 inch inputs, channel inserts, tape inputs and direct outputs for each channel. That gives you 40 (FORTY) inputs available at mixdown. Other features include fully-parametric midrange EQ, as well as high and low EQ with individual gain, frequency sweep and bandwidth (Q) controls. The Studio 32 is selling for between $1,000 and $1100.

Perfect Night: Lou Reed Live Album
Musician's Musician Lou Reed will be releasing a live album titled Perfect Night April 21st, recorded at the Meltdown Festival at London's Royal Albert Hall on July 3, 1997. Perfect night features fifteen selections spanning Reed's career.

Editor's Note: We have an interview with Bill Mallonee, leader of the Vigilantes of Love coming soon. Bill talks about the past and future of VOL as well as offering some insight to musicians trying to make it. So keep coming back. It should be ready by the end of this week.

Monday, March 23, 1998

Digitech Expands Line of Multi-User Studio Effects

Digitech has updated their line of multi-effects processors with three new products: the Studio 400, the Studio Quad V2 and the S-100. All our suitable for vocals, guitars, keyboards, drums, whatever you're recording.

The Studio 400 is DigiTech's most powerful Digital Signal Processor to date. Incorporating 2 award winning S-DISCs (TM), the Studio not only offers Reverb quality that can only be found in Products costing 2-3 times more, but FOUR independent audio channels of effects incorporating two S-DISCs (TM). You can also add the 400 Digital I/O Card so that you can keep you work completely in the digital domain. Selling for about $700.

The Studio Quad V2 was the first 4in/4out multi-effects processor that truly changed the rules in effects processing. 180 Factory presets/ 100 User programs. Features 4 simultaneously usable independent mono processors which can be linked in pairs for stereo effects, S-DISC II processing, and automatic input levelling as well as a new easy-to-use interface. Several new effects including: Intelligent Pitch Shifting, Rotary Speaker Simulator, "Analog" Delay, PreDelay, Room Echo, Compression, Flange/Delay & Chorus/Delay Combo modules Selling for about $450

The S100 is the first product to appear under the new DigiTech Studio line. DigiTech's new dedicated group of engineers and product developers have come up with a product that features features Dual Engine Processing at an MSRP price of $199.95 USD.

Friday, March 20, 1998

New Ludwig Classic Maple Professional Drum Series
Elkhart, IN - The most significant changes in a decade are in effect with the Ludwig Drum Company. Professional Series Drums from Ludwig now have just what the professional drummer needs for a great sound, look, and years of performance. Ludwig has introduced All Maple 9 Ply, 6mm Shells that are made in the USA at the Ludwig Plant in Monroe, NC. Ludwig's Mini-Classic Lugs are standard featuring the traditional Ludwig look only smaller to reduce contact with the shell to increase resonance. Optional traditional Classic Lugs and Long Lugs are also available on all bass drums and toms.

Outfits are available with Ludwig Modular Series Hardware (stands) or outfits are available without hardware. Finishes have been updated with 8 Wrapped vintage finishes. Natural finishes include 15 Stains, Shadows, and Classic-Coats. Four different mounting systems for toms are available, including one entirely new tom holder system for more flexible positioning. Suggested retail prices in the USA range from $2,145 for a 4 piece outfit without hardware up to $4,094 for a 6 piece outfit with hardware.

New Posters Featuring Ludwig/Musser Artists Available
Ludwig Drums and Musser Mallets are releasing full color, "large-sized" posters. Featured drummers/percussionists include Clayton Cameron (Tony Bennett), Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick), Charlie Adams (Plain Jane), Micael Lee (Page/Plant), Alan White (Yes), Ed Shaughnessy, Alex Van Halen (Van Halen), Gary Burton, Arthur Lipner, Ted Piltzecker, John Mark Piper and Jerry Tachoir. Posters are $4 each, or $15 for a complete set. Check out the Ludwig site to order.

Current Yes Lineup Includes Wakeman
Well, for one night anyway. For an encore. And it wasn't Rick Wakeman, the famous flamboyant classic Yes keyboardist, it was his son Adam Wakeman. Yes has been touring in support of their latest album, Open Your Eyes and were about to kick off their European tour. Just as the European tour was about to begin, it began to look like Igor Koroshev (Yes acting keyboardist) was not going to be able to leave the U.S. in time to make the first European date in Manchester, England on Feb. 26. According to the Rick Wakeman Communication Center, on Feb. 24 Adam Wakeman received a call explaining the situation. The offer stood that if Igor didn't make the first few shows, then Adam would carry on the rest of the tour. He rehearsed on the Wednesday with the band, frantically learning the 3 hour set only to be told that Igor was on his way. All was not quite lost, as Adam who stayed to see the show was asked to join Yes for the encore of Starship Trooper.

The current Yes lineup is Steve Howe, Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Alan White and Billy Sherwood. Due to personal reasons, Rick Wakeman was unable to commit to Yes and the keyboard slot has been occupied the young Russian, Koroshev since this past September.

Thursday, March 19, 1998

SEK'D Samplitude 24/96 Supports 24-bit/96kHz Audio I/O
The highest-end version of Samplitude is a full-fledged direct-to-hard-disk recording package, boasting incredible features. Some of the features include support for up to 999 tracks (of course record and playback will be limited by processor speed), cross-fade between mono and stereo tracks in the same project, real-time non-destructive effects and mixing, synchronization to MIDI time-code, SMPTE, or MIDI clock, PQ editing for CD mastering, master CDs. Requires Pentium 133 or higher. Windows 95 and NT only. If you have an audio card that supports it, (such as the Prodif 96 card) you can record and play back full 24-bit audio at 96kHz. Supports most PCI-based audio cards. The SEK'D site has even more details. US list price is $1499. Other versions of Samplitude range in price from $99 on up.

Dave Matthews Band to Tour (Beck Opening)
The Dave Matthews band will begin a new tour in May in support of their new album, Before These Crowded Streets, which is set to be released April 28. Beck will be opening. Nice pairing, I think. Since it appears that Dave's label, one of the largest (RCA, subsidiary of BMG) does not sponsor artist's sites, the only tour date listings I could find were at a fan page. (The tour itself is confirmed as an official press release).

Wednesday, March 18, 1998

C.F. Martin & Co. Announces Limited Edition
Jimmy Buffett Signature Guitar

(from margaritaville.com)C.F. Martin & Co., in collaboration with singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett, leader of the Parrotheads, has announced the HD-18JB limited edition signature guitar. Based on Martin's legendary HD-28 "Herringbone" Dreadnought guitar, the back and sides of the HD-18JB are crafted from solid mahogany instead of the normally used East Indian rosewood. The result is a guitar with power, brilliance, clarity and punch, tonal characteristics personally specified by Buffett. The headstock sports a windswept palm tree insignia, delicately cut with Paua shell. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each of these guitars will be donated to one of Jimmy Buffett's favorite charities - The W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School, which provides music instruction to low income children from the Nashville area. The Jimmy Buffett HD-JB18 list price is $3650. Read more about the HD-JB18 guitar.

Robbie Robertson's New Album Fuses Rock and Native American Music

Robbie Robertson, of the Band has released a new album titled Contact From The Underworld Of Red Boy that fuses the sound of modern guitar and other rock elements with the ancient chants and traditions of the North American Natives. According to Robertson, "It isn't much different than the beginning of rock 'n roll, when this music came down from the mountains and this other music came up from the Delta and when they met in the middle it made for something exciting and refreshing, new and old at the same time, moving ahead and yet paying respect to the original roots music of North America." Check out Robbie Robertson's site at Hollywood and Vine where you can also find a Real Video press release with music and interview clips with Robertson.

Tuesday, March 17, 1998

Musician's Online Forum Up and Running
That's right, the opportunity for you to participate in Musicians Online is finally here. To begin with, we have four topic headings. If you'd like to suggest another, just e-mail us. Looking for musicians in your area? Got some equipment to sell? Post it in the online classifieds section. Do you want to talk about your favorite artists? Get into meaningful discussions with other musicians about their work? Visit our favorite artists forum. We've even got a forum for you to post your top ten albums of all time.

Marc Cohn Brings Music To The Heartland
Grammy Award-winning artist Marc Cohn - already riding high on the strength of "Already Home," the first single from his upcoming album, Burning The Daze, has scheduled a series of special North American club dates. Produced primarily by Cohn and recent Grammy Award winner John Leventhal, Burning the Daze hits stores on March 17th.

Monday, March 16, 1998

Yamaha Introduces the DSP Factory Multitrack Recording
and Mixing Environment for PC's

Yamaha Corporation of America, Pro Audio Group recently announced their new computer audio system - the DSP Factory. The system provides a complete digital mixing and recording environment inside a standard personal computer. It boasts the mixing power of the Yamaha 02R 24-channel 32- bit digital mixer plus 16 tracks of hard disk recording with up to 32-bit resolution. Two DS2416 cards can be linked to create a larger system. The card comes with 2 DSP's on board and has 10 bus outputs and 6 aux sends. Up to eight tracks can be recorded at once, while 16 tracks can be played back simultaneously from the computer's hard drive. The suggested retail price is $1,000.

Steinberg Cubase VST/24 Integrates Yamaha DSP Factory
Frankfurt Music Fair - Last week Steinberg announced the introduction of Cubase VST/24 which promises full 24-bit audio resolution and seemless integration with the Yamaha DS2416 PCI card for PC's.