Liron Shaked talks about Consumer Technologies

Photobook app from Cewe Color on MSFT Tech

Liron Shaked — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:40:00 GMT

Cewe Color has just launched their new photobook app in the US market..You have to check it out at- http://www.smilebooks.com/

Our team Lars Powers and Gerry Fierling has been working with Cewe for almost 2 years and this month mark a significant milestone for both campiness as Cewe is using the latest Microsoft technologies to create the best user experience for our end users

SmileBooks makes it fast and easy for you to turn your favorite digital photos into keepsake photo books. Within minutes you can download SmileBooks free software, easily access your images and create page after page of permanent memories. Just choose a photo book size, access your photos (no need to download them), drop them into a layout (create it yourself of use one of ours), add as much text as you like and SMILE, you're done! Simply fill out the order form and within days you'll receive your finished photo book. Create memories that last a lifetime, in no time at all with SmileBooks.

Sonic Solutions Wins 2008 Microsoft Partner of the Year Award

Liron Shaked — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:29:00 GMT

I was privileged to give Sonic this award during our WW partner conference this week ...Sonic has been an outstanding partner and this recognition proved that ...Read More ....

Sonic Solutions Wins 2008 Microsoft Partner of the Year Award

Honored for Technology Excellence and Innovation

Novato, California (June 18, 2008) — Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, announced today it was honored with the 2008 Microsoft Partner of the Year Global ISV Consumer Special Recognition Award. The award recognizes partners that delivered exemplary solutions for their customers during the past year. Sonic Solutions was selected from an international field of more than 2,000 and recognized for delivering superior consumer applications and services that leverage Microsoft technology in a distinct and creative way.

"Sonic Solutions, Microsoft Global ISV Consumer Partner of the Year, focuses on how consumers interact with their digital media assets and helps deliver increased productivity," said Robert Deshaies, Vice President, U.S. Partner Group, Microsoft Corp. "With Roxio Easy Media Creator® 10, Sonic Solutions demonstrates how the consumer experience can be enhanced by tightly integrating digital media capabilities with Microsoft applications including Windows Vista."

Roxio Easy Media Creator 10, the first digital media suite to qualify as "Certified for Windows Vista," took full advantage of Vista technologies including Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) to deliver an integrated, interactive, and visually-rich user experience. A substantial upgrade to Sonic’s flagship suite of digital media applications, Roxio Easy Media Creator 10 enables consumers to quickly and easily turn photos, videos and music into impressive multi-media projects that can be shared on CD, DVD, the Web, and a range of mobile devices.

"We are pleased to be recognized for our Roxio consumer product line and for delivering innovative consumer digital media applications that enhance the Windows Vista experience," said Matt DiMaria, general manager, Roxio division of Sonic Solutions. “We will continue to leverage Microsoft design tools, in particular Microsoft’s WPF, to accelerate the development of next-generation applications and services that enhance our users’ experience and overall satisfaction.”

Pinnacle Systems Gains Industry Recognition and Strengthens its Presence in Mainstream Consumer Market Segments

Liron Shaked — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:23:00 GMT

We just came back from our WW partner Conference ...and we are happy to have Pinnacle as one of our finalist in the Global Consumer Partner recognition award ..Our partnership with Avid has grown over the past 2 yeras since we welcome them to the Global ISVs...

Read below

Cited by Microsoft for Delivering Exemplary Solutions to Consumers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 10, 2008—Pinnacle Systems, Inc., the consumer division of Avid Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVID), today announced that as a result of its ongoing strategy to make video editing and sharing easy for casual users, its customer base is moving beyond the enthusiast marketplace and gaining more users who are new to video but want to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by simple yet powerful tools that enhance their digital lifestyle.

Known for delivering the industry’s most innovative, yet easy-to-use solutions, Pinnacle Systems products include Pinnacle Studio™, which is #1 in the consumer video editing market in the U.S. and in major European countries1and Pinnacle PCTV™, the #1 selling brand in TV viewing for the PC in the same regions1. Pinnacle Systems’ innovative edge has also been recognized by industry leaders such as Microsoft, which recently named Pinnacle a top finalist for the Microsoft Partner of the Year Global ISV Consumer Special Recognition Award.

“Most consumers just want fast, easy solutions that take the complexity and frustration out of video editing and sharing,” explained Tanguy Leborgne, Pinnacle Systems vice president of worldwide marketing. “In fact, our latest survey2 of Pinnacle Studio version 11 users shows that we are attracting significantly more ‘casual users’ who are either students, young adults or the “memory keeper” of their family. Their goals are more about sharing and preserving than solely editing. In responding to the survey, these users said they were more focused on turning still pictures into movies and wanted more guidance while doing this. They’re turning out to be more often female and younger than our typical video enthusiast who in the past was as much as 95 percent male and an older demographic.”

The innovative new Pinnacle Studio Version 12 builds on this trend. With the new Pinnacle Montage feature, high-end effects and animation capabilities previously available only to professionals are available in automated templates that are easy to learn and use. In addition, Pinnacle Systems’ groundbreaking – and free – VideoSpin™ software is enabling the “YouTube™ Generation” to take advantage of fast and easy video editing with single-click sharing to social networking sites.

These new tools are making it easier for consumers of all ages and interests to take advantage of the digital media capabilities of their PC – a fact recognized by Microsoft in naming Pinnacle Systems a finalist for Partner of the Year. In addition to working closely with Microsoft to ensure the certification of its products on Windows XP and then Windows Vista, Pinnacle Systems was also an early partner on key initiatives like Microsoft Crossfader and the www.ultimatePC.com launched earlier this year by Microsoft for Windows Vista Ultimate users.

The Global ISV Consumer Special Recognition Award honors Microsoft Certified global partners that delivered exemplary solutions for their customers during the past year. “Partners are critical to delivering rich business solutions and innovative excellence to customers,” said Allison Watson, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft Corp. “Congratulations to the 2008 Partner Award winners who have each demonstrated innovation beyond measure and an unswerving commitment to delivering the highest levels of customer satisfaction. We look forward to these partners continuing to raise the bar in the design and deployment of customer solutions built on Microsoft technologies.”

By making digital media more accessible to a greater number of users, Pinnacle Systems is helping to deliver on the promise of a connected, digital world across a broader spectrum of users than ever before.

Microsoft and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Learning Technology Unveil Next-Generation Learning Village

Liron Shaked — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:55:00 GMT

It has been a long journey , since MSFT and HMH signed a strategic agreement ..We have been working very closely with HMH exec team over the last year and we are extremely happy that we were able to launch the Next-Generation Learning Village based on MSFT technologies

Microsoft and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Learning Technology Unveil Next-Generation Learning Village

A new standard is set for teaching and learning.

SAN ANTONIO — June 30, 2008 — Today at the 2008 National Educational Computing Conference (NECC 2008), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Learning Technology (HMHLT) and Microsoft Corp. announced the release of the new Learning Village, built on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0. This teaching and learning portal is a single sign-on solution where educators, students and parents can access and organize their schools’ instructional content and learning resources quickly and efficiently.

“This alliance between Microsoft and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Learning Technology is built from a common goal to create powerful learning communities within and beyond the classroom,” said Anthony Salcito, general manager of Education for Microsoft. “Microsoft’s technology scale and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s content expertise will together change the K–12 education market and atmosphere.”

Learning Village delivers curricula, content and resources in a unified, personalized and education-relevant environment for teachers, administrators, parents and students — providing a central point for communication, collaboration, teaching and professional development. It enhances districtwide decision-making and promotes student achievement. Schools across the country are already migrating from previous versions of Learning Village to tap into the incredible curricula and resources available to drive engagement, collaboration and achievement.

“Learning Village showcases how teachers, students and parents all benefit when lesson plans, content and curricula are centralized and accessible,” said Scott Kirkpatrick, president, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Learning Technology. “As a leading K–12 global education company, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt provides rich instructional materials and ease of use for districts large and small. Learning Village combines Microsoft’s technology platform with innovative curriculum management to deliver an incredible level of teaching and learning resources to the educational experience — making teachers more productive, students more engaged and parents more informed.”

Simplifying Teaching and Learning Solutions

Educators typically spend a lot of time and resources gathering information for lesson plans and tailoring lessons to specific student needs. They must tap into a variety of assets, ranging from DVDs and books to magazines, software and MP3s. Using the capabilities of Office SharePoint Server 2007, Learning Village delivers all this curricula and content for teachers, students, administrators and parents across a school district and community to one central location in a unified and personalized Web environment. Most important, Learning Village provides a framework for delivering high-quality educational experiences — incorporating existing education applications and aligning those with the best practices of the district and community. Learning Village extends the school day, creating a forum for continuous learning and continuous professional development.

“We see Learning Village as a centralized solution for our teachers, where they can expand curriculum and real-world solutions, focus on professional development, and collaborate with one another,” said Linda Eller, professional development coordinator, Educational Technology, Memphis City Schools. “We can’t wait to start using and taking advantage of the new capabilities in the next-generation Learning Village. Now, with the utilization of the single sign-on application built on SharePoint, Learning Village will offer us even more — better navigation and folder organization, an easier way to search content, and the ability to have even more content available.”

With Learning Village, a single point of entry allows for personalized access to numerous resources, including assessments, curriculum, student information, discussion forums, just-in-time communication and more. As an example, with the student audience on the Microsoft Learning Gateway portal, students can access their homework assignments and participate in news updates and forums with their peers. Similarly, teachers can monitor student progress, share best practices, and deliver state-of the-art instruction, all while participating in professional development communities that help them hone their skills. Parents stay connected by reviewing their child’s activities and performance.

“For teachers, the Internet is an essential tool that can be used for information-sharing, professional growth, classroom management and community support,” said Marvin Jones, Ph.D., assistant superintendent, Bakersfield City School District in California. “As one of the earliest adopters, we are incredibly excited about the new Learning Village, which uses the power of the Internet to organize district materials and resources. The next generation of Learning Village saves our teachers time and provides them with a single logon to district resources. Utilization of the Internet enables teachers to access Learning Village at their convenience. Additionally, teachers may enhance their instructional expertise by accessing professional development articles and video clips. Learning Village provides a vehicle for grade level teams to collaborate in the development of lessons and share best practices with one another. It will help our parents and students make the most of their educational experiences.”

For more information about Learning Village, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/education/solutions/learningvillage.aspx.

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is a global education company with approximately $2.5 billion in combined revenue. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of best-in-class pre-K-12 educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to standards-based assessments for students and educators. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. With origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, visit www.hmhpub.com.

Billg Keynote: Launching Crossfader V.next - Today at TechEd

Liron Shaked — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:33:00 GMT

This morning in front of 4000+ developers and many more over the live webcast, Billg made his last TechEd keynote appearance.

We were fortunate to reveal our next release of Crossfader , showcasing Silverlight development platform and the possibilities for rich user experiences , during Billg’s keynote presented By Soma.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Crossfader – Crossfader is a new social networking site built around the content creation process; focus on people’s creativity, self -expression, and their inspirations to learn and create professional-quality work using their PC along with our partner solutions

All in all a very successful demo - Soma really did an amazing job…he took the script we prepared for him and made it his own, giving it more of a story-telling feel and personalizing the script so it would resonate well with attendees.

The IE8 demo that was originally a part of the UX demo was removed, and instead was mentioned during Billg’s preamble before getting into the demos. That space in the UX demo was augmented by some WPF slides that helped bring the Silverlight story around to client side porting abilities and rich desktop app dev. So the final edits and changes really helped the flow of the demo and kept things interesting.

Going into a private Beta (Invitation only) this month, and still under in-house development, with the help of 3^rd parties creative and design firms - Crossfader exemplifies the clear advantages in using Silverlight for Rich Internet Application development. By providing a steady flow of content using interactive “tiles” traveling on a virtual conveyor belt , and with the ability to use XAML as the ‘glue’ between designers and developers that dramatically simplified their interaction and their ability to use tools with which they were already comfortable with.

Here are some links to view the demo
http://www.microsoft.com/techedonline/default.aspx
http://msstudios.vo.llnwd.net/o21/presspass/zune/Silverlight_2_Zune.wmv

Film-Making Contest Is New Microsoft Attraction - The Ultimate Video Relay

Liron Shaked — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:29:00 GMT

Today we are launching with the Windows Vista team a new exciting campaign - The Ultimate Video Relay

The ultimate Video relay is an online movie-making contest to stimulate sales and burnish the reputation of Windows Vista - http://www.ultimatevideorelay.com/contest/index. The Ultimate Video Relay is an innovative and collaborative film competition that challenges up-and-coming filmmakers to continue the story begun by award-winning director, Kyle Newman. Continue Kyle's story by simply submitting a script...

Two of our top partners – Pinnacle and Sony, are “de-facto” go-to –market partners for this campaign delivering great experience on the windows platform aiming at the creative community

PINNACLE STUDIO SOFTWARE- Pinnacle Studio™ Ultimate lets you take complete control of your video quality and style by pairing the Pinnacle Studio™ Plus video editing software with popular audio and video tools. This full-featured application lets true video enthusiasts harness the power of the latest technologies without compromising ease of use. The extensive range of capabilities includes compatibility with the Windows Vista™ operating system, HD DVD and AVCHD format editing and disc authoring, hi-fi audio music generation, and automatic Web publishing. In addition to the software's improved performance and speed, and a sleek new user interface.

SONY HDR-SR11 HANDYCAM® HD DIGITAL CAMERA- This camcorder has everything you need for the ultimate video and photo experience! Its Face Detection technology will help ensure people look their best in videos and photos. You will be able to capture extremely detailed video in full 1920x1080 High Definition resolution. With this camcorder you'll be able to record directly to a built-in 60GB hard drive or your choice of removable memory stick.

Great wotk by Donald Petersen with the vista team

Make your PC an Ultimate PC

Liron Shaked — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:14:00 GMT

The online retail campaign went officially live this week (See “Best Buy”) - “Make your PC an Ultimate PC”
Microsoft is offering an upgrade to Windows Vista Ultimate for $99 with new PC purchase through June.
· With the purchase of the Windows Vista Ultimate upgrade offer, customers can also purchase Intuit QuickBooks Pro and /or Windows Live OneCare at a promotional price during this time.
·

This holistic offering provides the ultimate small business systems to the small business customers – helping them to get more done faster, work from virtually anywhere, track customers, suppliers, and cash flow, and keep information protected from accidents or theft.

Inspirational story - Building a Computer Room for the Children and Teachers of Nepal

Liron Shaked — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:05:00 GMT

Almost a year ago we were privileged to join “Room to Read” and our education partners in building a computer room for the Children and teachers of
Anandaban , a small village that lies about 260 km southwest of Kathmandu, Nepal.

For those of you that didn’t have time to travel in Nepal (I actually did …) – the Village of Anandaban is part of Rupandehi district that lies in the southwestern “terai” region of Nepal (the name given to plains that lie close to the Indian border). Rupandehi evokes a holy sentiment for millions of Buddhists all over the world because it is the birth place of Lord Buddha.
The School’s Computer Room was completed May 11, 2007, By November they had dial-up Internet connectivity.
The school attracts students from many others nearby villages as well. There are many private schools in the area, and most of these schools have facilities to support computer education. Most of the students who come to School are from poor families in which both parents have to work long hours during the day just to save enough money to send their children to school.
The lab features a total of 26 multimedia desktop workstations, a laser jet printer, and desks and chairs for students and the teacher. The computers are fully networked (100 Mbps) through a 24-port networking switch with dial-up Internet connectivity.

The computer lab is used by students Sunday to Friday for approximately 7 hours per day. Most of the students in the school have never used a computer before.

About “Room to read” –
Founded by John Wood, Ex-Microsoft Executive, “Room to Read “partners with local communities throughout the developing world to establish schools, libraries, and other educational infrastructure.

Special “Thank You” to Dan MacFetridge for working with “Room to Read” and our partners to make this happen and for truly change people lives.

Truly inspiring story - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Liron Shaked — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:23:00 GMT

Truly inspiring story - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

This is a truly inspiring story about Patrick, that we were fortuned to be a part of… As the show went live a few weeks ago we are now able to share it with you all!

Last November we were asked by one of our partner Cakewalk and ABC Primetime TV show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to help out with a family in Kentucky in building a recording studio for Patrick, a talented young man who was born without eyes.

If you're not familiar with the show, it airs Sunday nights with 14 million people viewers each week. Each episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is self-contained and features a race against time on a project that would ordinarily take at least four months to achieve, involving a team of designers, contractors and several hundred workers who have just seven days to totally rebuild an entire house -- every single room, plus the exterior and landscaping.
The lives of the lucky families are forever changed when they learn that they've been selected to have their home walls moved, their floors replaced and even their facades radically changed.

This ABC Primetime show has won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality Program, plus the People's Choice Award for Favorite Reality Show/Makeover and the Family Television Award for Best Alternative/Reality Program.

Few words about Patrick ….
Patrick is also confined to a wheelchair and can’t extend his arms or legs fully. Despite this he played trumpet in the local college's marching band. His dad would wheel him around in formation during practice and games. The house the family was living in was too small for his wheelchair, so when home he would need to crawl (and remember he had no eyes) or get carried by the parents. The father worked nights to support the family and to care for Patrick and allow him to go to school.

Patrick new Studio

We had some great partners joining us and donated gear and equipment to build Patrick studio : Cakewalk donated SONAR 7 Producer Edition, Rapture, Dimension Pro, and SPS-250 from Power Studio ,as well as building Patrick studio on site, Roland donated a PCR-800 and Edirol Speakers, Audio Technica donated all the microphones for the piano, vocals and trumpet, Allen & Heath donated a ZED mixer, Auralex donated Studio foam ,Gibson donated a Baldwin baby grand (!) and guitars for the other son's room, and we -Microsoft donated Vista, Encarta and Office .

The Hughes Family

Even though it was a small donation from our side we hope we made Patrick and his family happy

Next week at the Grammy

Liron Shaked — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 05:32:00 GMT

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.

Buy The Software You Use - NAMM turns Blue

Liron Shaked — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 21:11:00 GMT

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 ublic 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.”

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

Liron Shaked — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:53:00 GMT

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.

Going to Sundance Film Festival

Liron Shaked — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:57:00 GMT

Darek Mazzone , our one and only crossfader Chief Editor went to Park City, Sundance 2008. (I was about to join him but last minute decidce to stay at NAMM music show)

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.

Live Broadcast from NAMM 2008 - Cool Artists

Liron Shaked — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:15:00 GMT

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

M-Audio realesed more than 50 drivers that support Vista

Liron Shaked — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:23:00 GMT

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. “