DigiDesign

Star Wars: Episode III “Revenge of the Sith”, Batman Begins, Janet Jackson...
Just a Few of the Exciting Projects Using Digidesign’s ICON

Daly City, CA (April 18, 2005) — Digidesign is proud to announce that more exciting projects than ever are relying on Digidesign® ICON integrated console systems. From Star Wars: Episode III “Revenge of the Sith” to Janet Jackson’s new album, ICON has set a new standard for quality in tracking and mixing post and music projects. While D-Control™ based systems have surpassed industry sales trends for digital consoles, Digidesign anticipates even more widespread adoption with the addition of the D-Command™ medium-format console to the ICON family.

Skywalker Sound, a Lucasfilm Ltd. company, reports using a three-operator ICON|D-Control to mix Star Wars: Episode III “Revenge of the Sith”. Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard are scoring the anticipated Summer Blockbuster Batman Begins from Warner Brothers using a two-operator D-Control based ICON setup at Air Studios in London, UK.

"I use a Pro Tools|HD Accel system as my main mixer when writing,” said Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer. “So using two ICONs for the final mix gave us both tremendous flexibility and made everything a bit more seamless. We were able to take a Pro Tools® session from the room containing all of my synth and sampled-orchestra parts and open them directly on one of the ICONs in the mix room, keeping all my levels and plug-ins intact ― and without having to reconfigure everything to incorporate a traditional console with outboard effects."

Jeff Greenberg, CEO of The Village Recorders in Los Angeles, purchased an ICON system in January and said “We’ve been booked solid with high-profile ICON projects since the install ― including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’ work on Janet Jackson’s new album as well as t.A.T.u., Nelly, Larry King voice overs and tons more. All our clients have been thrilled with their ICON experience and their results sound incredible.”

Often tracking, editing, and mixing projects in multiple studios around the world, independents are requesting ICON studios for their work and are installing them in their own private studios. Recent individual ICON owners include Mike Shipley (mix engineer for Shania Twain, Maroon 5, Green Day, Tom Petty, Aerosmith and more), Mark Needham (producer/mixer/engineer for The Killers, Paul Simon, Chris Isaak, Cake and Fleetwood Mac), producer Pat Barret, and Harris Jayaraj (top composer of popular Indian films such as Minnale, Majnu and 12B).

“ICON is the best board in the world for me because it’s made mixing records even more fun!” exclaimed Mike Shipley, mix engineer and ICON owner. “It’s the center of my home studio ― a creative, vibey space that everyone loves. Having it in my home has given me the flexibility to dictate how long I want to spend working on a mix. What comes out sounds at least as good, if not better, than anything I’ve ever gotten from a large format analog console that are the focal points of the major studios I used to solely work in. With ICON, I have the power and control to give my clients what they want...amazing sounding, no compromise, hit records. Up next is Maroon 5...they’re gonna love it too!”

Joining existing ICON music, post and broadcast facilities around the world, the following companies have purchased D-Control based systems -― bringing the overall number of ICON systems sold worldwide to over 200: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in Montreal, Canada, Cinecolor in Bangkok, Thailand, Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, Conservatoire National Musique et Danse in Lyon, France, Effanel Mobile Truck in New York, the new cable station INdTV in San Francisco, Infinia in Barcelona, Spain, International Academy Design in Tampa, Metropolis Studios in London, UK, Musicians Institute in Hollywood, NASA in Orlando, Onkyou Gijyutsu in Tokyo, Japan, Pythagor in Moscow, Russia, Scramble in London, UK, Sisa Studio in Seoul, South Korea, Soundworks in Cardiff, UK, Studio in Mukelto in Seattle, Suite 16 in New Zealand, SVT in Stockholm, Sweden, Technicolor in Bangkok, Thailand, The Village in Los Angeles, Third Wave / Play in Santa Monica, Tracks in Sydney, Australia, Trinity Wavestation in India, Warner Brothers Post in Burbank, and XM Satellite Radio in New York.

For more information about ICON and to learn more about the studios using it, please visit the Digidesign website at www.digidesign.com.

About ICON
The Digidesign ICON integrated audio production environment is redefining the state of the art in large-format recording and mixing technology. Featuring your choice of the flagship D-Control worksurface or the all-new D-Command compact worksurface, plus the Pro Tools|HD® Accel system as its DSP mixing and processing engine and modular Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces for analog and digital I/O, ICON is the first truly integrated console solution of its kind.

About Digidesign
Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc., is the world’s leading manufacturer of digital audio production systems, and the winner of the 2001 Technical Grammy® Award and 2003 Academy Award® of Merit (Oscar® statuette) for the design, development, and implementation of the Pro Tools digital audio workstation. Digidesign provides the professional music, film, video, multimedia, and radio broadcast industries with tools for digital recording, MIDI sequencing, editing, signal processing, and surround mixing. Digidesign products are marketed in over forty countries worldwide through a distribution network of value-added dealers, distributors, and OEM relationships. M-Audio, a leading provider of digital audio and MIDI solutions for electronic musicians and audio professionals, is a business unit of Digidesign. For more information, visit www.digidesign.com.

Sennheiser to Introduce SKM 5200

Sennheiser to Introduce SKM 5200
September 6, 2005
by -- Sennheiser Canada

At the AES Convention in New York, Sennheiser will introduce the brand new SKM 5200, the latest handheld wireless transmitter in the company's renowned 5000 Series. Rugged, reliable and user-friendly, the SKM 5200 may be paired with a choice of six Sennheiser and two Neumann interchangeable microphone heads to accommodate every conceivable stage, broadcast and recording situation.

The choice of interchangeable Sennheiser heads includes five condensers and one dynamic, with omni-directional, cardioid, wide cardioid or super-cardioid pick-up patterns. The six heads are ideally suited to the demands of broadcast and speech applications. When combined with a choice of two Neumann microphone heads - super-cardioid and cardioid - the SKM 5200 offers probably the finest wireless stage condenser microphone available.

The new SKM 5200 incorporates a number of features to optimize audio quality. Sensitivity can be switched in 1dB steps to adapt to any recording situation. Further, Sennheiser's HiDyn plus(tm) noise reduction system reduces RF noise to an absolute minimum, ensuring wide dynamics and crystal-clear sound.

With easy frequency selection the key to interference-free wireless transmission in high-profile multi-channel events in today's highly congested RF spectrum, the SKM 5200 offers two channel banks, one fixed and one variable. The fixed bank may be ordered with 20 pre-set frequencies to allow the transmitter to be quickly integrated into existing RF environments. Users may program up to 20 UHF frequencies, in 5kHz steps, into the variable bank.

Designed for exceptional ease-of-use, the SKM 5200 places everything at the user's fingertips, where all settings can easily be modified using a convenient multi-function switch. A backlit LC display clearly indicates all audio and RF settings, while an automatic lock mode avoids accidental changes. A name menu allows users to easily identify their SKM 5200, with the six-character name being shown on the standard display.

The transmitter's LCD indicates battery charge status, which is also transmitted to suitable receivers, ensuring reliable and continuous performance. The SKM 5200 offers more than eight hours of continuous operation using the rechargeable battery pack or standard alkaline batteries. The improved mechanical construction of the SKM 5200 has been designed for rough stage and broadcast use.

Digidesign ships Pro Tools 7

Pro Tools 7 Ships

Digidesign ships Pro Tools 7
By Jim Dalrymple jdalrymple@maccentral.com

First unveiled at the Audio Engineering Society (AES) conference in early October, Digidesign on Wednesday announced that it is now shipping Pro Tools 7.

Compatible with Mac OS X Tiger, Pro Tools 7 adds new music creation tools such as Instrument Tracks for simple and straightforward integration of virtual instruments, non-destructive real-time MIDI processing, and the ability to work with industry-standard REX and ACID files, according to Digidesign General Manager, Dave Lebolt.

Lebolt said the new version also includes optimizations for the host processing engine that boosts RTAS plug-in counts by as much as 150 percent on multi-processor computers.

Customers can choose to purchase a Standard Upgrade or the Pro Tools 7 Software Upgrade PLUS option for Pro Tools HD 7 and Pro Tools LE 7 systems. Available until December 20, 2005, the Upgrade PLUS option offers the Pro Tools 7 software upgrade plus a choice of two plug-ins.

Anyone who purchased a new Pro Tools|HD or Pro Tools LE system, or an upgrade to Pro Tools TDM 6.9.x or Pro Tools LE 6.9x software, from an authorized dealer on or after September 1, 2005, is automatically eligible for a free upgrade to the corresponding version of Pro Tools 7 software (i.e., Pro Tools HD 7 software or Pro Tools LE 7 software). Pro Tools M-Powered customers will be contacted directly with upgrade information, the company said.

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS PARTNERS WITH XM SATELLITE RADIO

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS PARTNERS WITH XM SATELLITE RADIO TO OFFER SAMSUNG'S FIRST PORTABLE MP3 PLAYERS WITH XM SATELLITE RADIO



Washington D.C., July 26, 2005 -- Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading global manufacturer of consumer electronics products, today announced a strategic alliance with XM Satellite Radio to introduce its first portable MP3 players with XM Satellite Radio capability.

The relationship entails the production of two miniature flash memory Samsung players that will utilize XM's Connect-and-Play technology. Both players will come with an XM Radio home accessory kit, which allows the device to receive XM's 150 channels of commercial-free music, plus news, talk and entertainment programming in the home. Samsung's new players will be available in two storage capacity sizes and are anticipated to be available by year's end.

The alliance will combine the capabilities of downloading digital audio music with XM Satellite Radio's critically-acclaimed line-up of commercial-free music and premier sports, news, and talk radio channels. When the players are connected to a home or car docking station, users will be able to store digital audio content available on XM. The recorded content can be played anywhere, allowing subscribers to enjoy XM programming in places where the XM signal may not be available, such as the subway. In addition, the Samsung players enable the end user to store songs from his or her personal digital music collection, including digital music files (MP3 files and .wma files) purchased from a variety of digital music services.

XM Satellite Radio allows subscribers to discover and rediscover music. Using the Samsung XM/digital audio players, XM subscribers can identify selected songs heard on the XM Satellite Radio service for purchase through a music downloading service. The Samsung players also allow users to create and manage customized playlists, combining both personal digital music files and recorded XM programming.

"Samsung is known for its award-winning line of digital audio players, and we are proud to take the next step with them in the evolution of portable XM Satellite Radio products. Now, consumers can enjoy XM's live programming plus music from their personal digital music collections in one easy-to-use, elegant player," said Hugh Panero, President and CEO of XM Satellite Radio.

"Samsung's innovation and quality standards are world renowned and these products represent our latest breakthrough into satellite radio technology," said D.J Oh, President and CEO of SEA. "XM's award-winning programming and technology provide us with a unique opportunity to offer products that empower consumers and fundamentally change the way people listen to music."

Lava Boys with Coach Brown

The crew at a UT Football game.