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I Can See for Miles: The Journey of Universal/Decca Artist Raul Midon

Raul Midon

 SONAR user Raul Midon likes to take chances to find that next new thing that will inspire him, make him complete, to drive him in a new direction; as an artist, it’s simply what he does.  Taking chances has paid off as you can see here with his amazing performance on The David Letterman Show.  Today, on a beautiful day in Boston’s Faneuil Hall, he took a chance on the suggested oyster appetizer and it paid off.  “Man, that’s Rock and Roll!” he said after the seasonings kicked in.  After all, uncooked seafood is always a crap shoot even in the best and cleanest eateries, but to Raul Midon, taking chances is a way of life that has paid off on many levels.

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Cakewalk Artist Notes

Gedeon Luke Instills Some Soul And Good Vibes Into The Lower East Side -NYC

Gedeon

Gedeon Luke, a former American Idol semifinalist and Dimension Pro/Rapture user is creating quite a stir in the NYC Lower East Side music scene.  His record which is being released at the end of October is “chock full of keys that utilized Rapture and Dimension Pro” stated producer/songwriter Marc Swersky of Gravitas Entertainment.  Gedeon Luke will be at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC on October 14th at 9pm and you can see and hear more at www.myspace.com/gedeonluke.

Where’s Norman?

murder FM

SONAR manipulator (and madman) Norman Mathew is in LA this week at Airlane Studios working/writing with producer Nick Page (Fuel/The Darkness) on a new project called Valor and Vengeance.  His band Murder FM also just released ANOTHER record title “Patchwork Promises” and they will be back on the road soon with Otep and The Birthday Massacre.  Click here for more info on Murder FM.

Chuck Carr is lost in some Twisted Metal

chuck carr

Producer/composer/musician Chuck Carr is hard at work on the Soundtrack for the new AAA title, “Twisted Metal X” where he is using SONAR for the entire score. “I am constantly figuring out ways to use SONAR differently to come up with unique sounds.  Just yesterday I was using AudioSnap on vocals to create ‘static’ effect.”  Chuck Carr has depended on SONAR as a composer/songwriter to deliver the music for many notable works such as GameDay, GameBreaker, NHL Hockey, NBA, ATV Off-Road Fury, SuperCross Circuit, CoolBoarders 2001, and many others.

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Comic Book Heroes record “Drive On” for ESPN’s telecast of their NASCAR Nationwide season using SONAR 8.5

Last year we introduced you to Comic Book Heroes (CBH), a SONAR using artist with a pretty unique angle. While still in High School, CBH had accomplished more than many bands twice their age and on bigger labels. The guitar-driven rock quartet is manned by Steve Kowalski (bass, vocals), Collin MacGregor (drums), Ned Goldman (vocals, guitar), and Steve (Koz) Kosciusko (guitar, vocals). All are friends for years and come from musical families. They bonded over a love of music and formed the band when they were the ripe old age of 11, and have been steadily leaving their impression on the music business ever since. In 2009 the band found themselves on the Disney Top 15 charts ahead of Nickelback, The Fray, David Cook and many other well known artists with their single “Catch Me If You Can”; and they haven’t stopped making waves since.

“SONAR enables us to work through music on our own terms” stated Ned Goldman back stage at the Bitter End in NYC where the band was playing a show and accepting the 2010 Abe Olman Scholarship Award, by the Songwriters Hall of Fame which is awarded annually to five up-and-coming songwriters who have exhibited a standard of excellence and deserve to be recognized. Collin MacGregor commented, “The thing we find killer about SONAR is that it actually serves as a writing tool. It inspires the musical mind with everything that comes with it – you can do it all right inside SONAR if you want. We are on the road quite often, so to be able to fire up our laptops and start cutting realistic drums in a hotel room is huge.”

Most recently, Comic Book Heroes recorded one of their new songs “Drive On” for ESPN’s telecast of their 2010 NASCAR Nationwide season using SONAR and a V-Studio 700 at The Fusebox (Manhattan Ctr.) in NYC. We let our cameras roll and caught some great footage. Check it out and also be sure to be on the lookout for a new record from the band later this year.

For more information visit http://www.myspace.com/cbhmusic .

SONAR 8.5 gives you everything you need to start making professional recordings in any genre.  For more detailed information on SONAR please visit here.

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The AristoTrax on SONAR

The setting is your typical California day; the type you see on TV all the time.  The sun, the cars, the people and the sand leading to the famous Santa Monica Boulevard which is filled with a plethora of interesting characters.  Just another typical day?  Really?  Not for R1CKONE; actually there is no such thing as a “typical day” for R1CKONE.  On this California day, a Wednesday, R1CKONE starts off as he usually does with a trip out of Santa Monica to one of the many studios he works out of to engage in what he does best, make beats and produce music.  Today he happens to be working with credit-worthy producer Alex Cantrall where he will proceed to walk into a studio, again, and shock everyone with what he calls his “Hit Box Mobile”.  Now you might ask, “what the H&!! is a Hit Box Mobile?”  His production partner Lance Jones who is part of the AristoTrax with R1CKONE will tell you: “These are boxes [computers] I built for me and R1CKONE, and they are basically packed in with the best software and hardware utilizing SONAR 8.5 and Intel Core i7 technology at the helm.  We can take these anywhere and plug them into any studio and it’s off to the races.  As music creators, SONAR really gives us an edge when we work with other producers and artists.  The workflow is ridiculous and it has the tools in the box which allow us to take our music away from the norm.” (See video for more on the Hit Box Mobile.)

 

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Flyleaf discusses new album and V-Studio 100

In this day in age there are very few bands that have the components to set themselves apart from other artists and also cut through in a lasting fashion the cluttered channels of this new digital music era. Flyleaf is absolutely one of these timeless artists and proof that a combination of amazing songwriting, creative sonic utilization and a ridiculously powerful live show is a recipe for a spot in the category of “timeless artists.” Hailing from the state of TX, this band is anything but an overnight success story; in fact their story is the opposite.  Hard work and hard growing pains have attributed to the bands success where non-stop world-touring and a relentless work ethic have been the norm since their debut album in 2005 which went Certified Platinum and contained Billboard hits such as “All Around Me.”

Fast forward to now, where a focused fire burns bright at theheart of the band’s second full-length album. Flyleaf bleed, grow, love and live on the new record titled MEMENTO MORI.  The platinum-selling Texas quintet’s latest offering is a collection of poignant, passionate and pensive hard rock songs.

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Jon Lee: Capitalist Turned Composer

profile picSo how does one of the top television-scoring professionals in the business get to where he is today? 

If you’re Jon Lee, first you run a hedge fund for 15 or 20 years…

Huh?

You’ll have to forgive Jon for not taking a more traditional route to the top of the film and television-scoring business. He found his true calling a bit later in life than most. But that hasn’t stopped him from making quite a name for himself in the field.

Although Jon started out in finance, it became a job he ended up “totally hating.” During his last few years in the business, he decided to do something about it and began pursuing his avocation: learning to play music. He took piano lessons, which eventually led him to composing. With the music bug firmly in his system, he soon enrolled at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where he studied with many well-established composers.

Jon got his Graduate Certificate in Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television, marking the formal end of his career in finance, and set out to land some initial gigs. He soon connected with fellow USC alum Timothy Michael Wynn, a hardcore SONAR user who co-founded the music production company Sonic Fuel. Jon went to work with Tim and his partner Chris Lennertz for about a year, “’til they kicked me out and said ‘go get a career,’” as Jon jokingly recalls.

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Austin's Next Big Thing

alpha_revAustin, TX knows a thing or two about music.

The home of musical institutions from Stevie Ray Vaughn to Austin City Limits, SxSW to Stubbs BBQ and Antone’s, the central Texas town knows music.  After all, they don’t call it the Live Music Capital of the World for nothing.

So when we tell you Alpha Rev is one of the most unique and important bands ever to come out of Austin, you can believe it.  Last March, Alpha Rev was recognized by the Austin Chronicle as one of Austin’s best performing rock bands and in May they were named Austin’s best rock band by Rare Magazine in their annual “Rareist of them All” issue.

You can chalk up much of the acclaim to band frontman Casey McPherson.  He’s well-known in these parts, having made an impression on the local scene with his previous band, Endochine.  When Endochine dissolved in 2005, it had already made its bones in indie circles by sharing the stage with the likes of Pete Yorn and Bob Schneider, and national credibility by playing with more high-profile bands like Staind and Red Hot Chili Peppers.  McPherson simply moved forward, assembling some of his former bandmates and mixing in some new blood and Alpha Rev was born.

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Borthwicks' Acoustic Jazz Album Heats Up the 'HotBox'

OneOfUsIn December, we announced the release of Ramona Borthwick’s new acoustic jazz album, One of Us, which was entirely edited and mixed in SONAR. Cakewalk CTO Noel Borthwick was at the helm of this project, cataloging the entire process on his blog. Earlier this week, we learned that One of Us was featured in the May issue of DownBeat Magazine, one of the oldest and most prestigious jazz publications available to date.

Featured in a popular column called “HotBox”, One of Us was up against fierce players in the jazz world. Each month, 4 CD’s are picked and reviewed in “Hotbox” by some of the toughest critics in the industry.  Earning, 3.5 out of 5 stars, the Ramona Borthwick quintet is glowing in the success of their new album. Pick up a copy of DownBeat to read the reviews and more today. Catch a glimpse inside the production process of Ramona Borthwick’s One of Us here.

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Sparks the Rescue: From Maine to Mainstream

Sparks1Alex Roy barely has time to talk.

He’s busy packing.  Again.  He just wound up a series of shows yet tomorrow Alex and his band, Sparks The Rescue, heads back out on the road.  This time it’s the Lab Apparel-sponsored Bring Me Home Tour, a 19-date run that will run through the end of April.  Not long after that ends, they join the Vans Warped Tour for 21 dates that take them all over the country.

It’s been like this for lead singer/guitarist Alex and his Sparks The Rescue bandmates since signing with Fearless Records last year, who released an updated version of their first LP, “Eyes to the Sun.”

A tour with The Morning Of, Ian Walsh, and We Are The In-Crowd soon opened the door to a short European tour with the popular All-American Rejects, giving Sparks their first true taste of the ‘big time.’

“It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s been amazing.”

Oh, and let’s not overlook their video for “We Love Like Vampires,” which has been getting a lot of buzz on MTV.COM, or the fact they landed tracks on MTV shows The Hills and Real World: Cancun, 2009.They also did a seven-week cross-country tour with Hit The Lights, and even won MTV/Garnier Fructis’s “I Want My Music On MTV! Competition” for a chance to play at mtvU’s 2009 Woodie Awards.

It’s safe to say, ‘whirlwind’ is an understatement.

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Songwriter Raul Midon Produces Music with Cake-Talking Technology

raul modinNew York City singer-songwriter, Raul Midon celebrates the release of his latest album, Synthesis, which hits stores in the US today. Blinded as an infant, Raul was first introduced to music by his father, often listening to the uncomparable Beethoven, Mozart, John Cage, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. After studying music at a school for the blind and later graduating from the University of Miami’s prestigious jazz program, Raul was hired as a backup singer for Latin-music moguls including Julio and Enrique Inglesias, Shakira, and Ricky Martin. In 2002, Raul moved to the Big Apple to pursue a solo career, playing guitar and writing his own music. His debut album, State of Mind, was released in 2005 on Capitol Records and was produced by industry veteran, Arif Mardin.

Since then, Raul has recorded and produced demos in his SONAR-based home studio using Dancing Dot’s Cake-Talking assistive technology (scripts in JAWS for Windows). The program speaks SONAR settings or parameters to the user, making it easier for visually-impaired musicians to record their instruments, apply effects, and render high-quality, professional recordings. Watch the video below to see how Raul used Cake-Talking in the making of his sophomore album, Synthesis: